Seed Removal Operation

As Uchiha Gin wondered why they were reacting so violently, the four people present simultaneously activated their crimson Sharingan and stared him down, leaving him afraid to make the slightest move.

"One Three Tomoe, and the other three are Two-Tomoe."

Nearly scared stiff by the several pairs of eyes fixed on him, Uchiha Gin slowly raised his hands over his head and cautiously said, "Everyone, if you want to kill me or torture me, at least let me know why. I may have delayed the mission, but it doesn't warrant this, does it?"

"Shut up! Who exactly are you? Even my Two-Tomoe Sharingan can't see a single flaw in such an advanced Transformation Technique."

The ponytailed Uchiha glared at him viciously.

"No problem. He really is Uchiha Gin."

Uchiha FengHuo pushed his Three Tomoe Sharingan to its limit and carefully scanned Uchiha Gin from head to toe. At last, he closed his eyes and deactivated his Sharingan.

"Then what's with this act of his now?"

The burly Uchiha, who had remained silent beside them, asked in confusion.

Uchiha Gin immediately recalled the original owner's bizarre personality and realized that he had not merely been pathetically weak. The original owner had also been a complete bastard, relying on the fact that he was the clan leader's nephew to bully ordinary clan members, just like a spoiled young master.

During this mission, he had repeatedly clashed with the others. If Uchiha FengHuo had not kept them in check, he would have long since been beaten black and blue.

Thinking of everything the original owner had done, Uchiha Gin could not help sucking in a cold breath.

The fact that the original owner had survived until now could only be attributed to the Sage of Six Paths watching over him.

At that point, Uchiha Gin realized that if he continued behaving like the original owner, he would most likely be set up and killed during the rest of the mission.

After all, someone had been egging on his previous reckless behavior. He had offended too many people, and someone might very well want him dead. He had to do something now.

With that thought, Uchiha Gin's eyes shifted as he spoke.

"The old me only viewed this world from my own perspective. My eyes saw nothing but narrow-minded individualism."

Taking advantage of their confusion, Uchiha Gin began his performance.

Hearing this, the others deactivated their Sharingan and watched to see what kind of stunt he was pulling this time.

"But after spending these past few days with all of you, I have truly realized that, as an Uchiha, I should not live only for myself. I must fight for the revival of the Uchiha Clan!"

Uchiha Gin clenched his right hand into a fist and put force behind his words.

The others had initially been watching for entertainment, but after hearing Uchiha Gin's impassioned speech, the blood in their bodies began to heat and stir for some reason, as though something was about to burst free.

"This guy actually has something to him."

The ponytailed Uchiha muttered quietly.

"I spent the first half of my life sheltered beneath Clan Leader Tajima's wings, enjoying the legacy left by my ancestors. Looking back now, it truly fills me with shame. For the rest of my life, I, Uchiha Gin, will surely devote myself to the rise of the Uchiha Clan!"

Uchiha Gin began spouting nonsense, but his stirring rhetoric made the other Uchihas deeply agree, and they nodded again and again.

"The kid has a point."

"Looking at it this way, he really has come to his senses."

"There is no greater good than reforming after recognizing one's mistakes."

Hearing that they had been moved by his performance of "True Feelings," a trace of a triumphant smile flashed across Uchiha Gin's lips. He promptly turned up the heat.

"I am a young vanguard of the Uchiha Clan! Beneath the Uchiha Clan crest, I swear: I am determined to follow the teachings of the Uchiha ancestors, train my Eye Technique, cultivate ninjutsu, temper my taijutsu, and remain ready at all times to devote every ounce of my strength to the revival of the Uchiha Clan!"

His speech was so impassioned that the stunned crowd seemed to vaguely see a fluttering red clan crest behind Uchiha Gin.

One Uchiha Clan Member, who was not good with words, even swiftly pulled out a scroll and excitedly copied down every word he had just said.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

No one knew which Uchiha had begun applauding unconsciously, but the others soon snapped out of it and joined in.

Among them, the ponytailed Uchiha, who had the greatest conflict with Uchiha Gin, applauded the loudest.

Uchiha FengHuo, who was leading the team, also looked at Uchiha Gin with an appreciative expression and nodded repeatedly. He had never expected this spoiled brat to deliver such inspiring words. He truly was a rare talent. "Uchiha Gin, your words have set my blood boiling! From this moment on, I, Uchiha Ryoichi, acknowledge you."

So the ponytailed Uchiha was called Uchiha Ryoichi.

"I could tell at a glance that Brother Ryoichi was an outstanding man. Your Shuriken skills have reached perfection and carry the style of our ancestors!"

"I, Uchiha Feihe, feel the same!"

"Brother Feihe's Wakizashi skills are equally superb. They dazzle the eye and strike straight at the enemy's vital points within a hair's breadth."

"I, Uchiha Dairou, too!"

"Brother Dairou's Fire Release is even more exquisite. Wherever it reaches, not a blade of grass remains. Could it be that you have already comprehended Chakra nature transformation? The power of your Fire Release nearly rivals the clan leader's!"

"Enough. Save the compliments until after we complete the mission."

Seeing the first pale light of dawn spreading across the sky, Uchiha FengHuo stopped their mutual flattery.

At their captain's words, the group reluctantly stopped talking. Had they continued any longer, they might have taken turns bowing to Uchiha Gin and becoming sworn brothers.

"In this Seed Removal Operation, our team has already fallen far behind, especially since the Hagoromo Clan beat us to the punch. It has greatly damaged our clan's honor. The war has now entered its most intense phase, so I will distribute the target information to all of you."

Since the Hagoromo Clan had successfully eliminated their target, the Senju Clan had already discovered their intentions. Uchiha FengHuo decided not to hide anything about the mission any longer.

Taking the information Uchiha FengHuo handed him, Uchiha Gin began reading it carefully. The original owner had only known a little about the mission targets, but Uchiha Gin, who knew the story, vaguely guessed the purpose of this mission.

The list named more than a dozen children from the Senju Clan. The oldest was just over ten, while the youngest was only four or five.

Uchiha Gin sighed inwardly. What a brutal era. No wonder reaching the age of thirty in the Warring States Period was considered a long life.

The children of the Senju Clan's new generation listed here would have merely been carefree schoolchildren, studying and playing, in his previous life.

He then began carefully reading from the first name on the list.

Hashirama Senju: Fourteen years old, eldest son of Senju Butsuma. Skilled in taijutsu and Shuriken techniques. Suspected to possess innate Strength of a Hundred. Other intelligence unknown...

Studying the hand-drawn portrait of the melon-headed boy, Uchiha Gin could vaguely recognize the future God of Shinobi, the man who would end the Warring States Period, establish the ninja village system, trample nine Tailed Beasts beneath his feet, and beat Uchiha Madara for an entire lifetime.

Judging from their ages, Uchiha Gin worked out roughly what point in time this was. In another dozen years or so, the peace he desired should arrive.

"Looks like Hashirama and Madara's fated entanglement has already begun."

He continued reading.

Tobirama Senju: Ten years old, second son of Senju Butsuma. Skilled in Water Release Ninjutsu and swordsmanship. Extremely fast in taijutsu. Other intelligence unknown...

Looking at the red-eyed, white-haired brat in the file, Uchiha Gin felt a headache coming on. This was Tobirama Senju, the future brilliant Second Hokage.

Many of the Forbidden Techniques he developed ran throughout the entire Naruto story: the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, which played a decisive role in the Fourth Shinobi War. All of them had come from his hands.

Uchiha Gin admired him, but recalling Tobirama Senju's prejudice against the Uchiha Clan in the story, he could not help feeling annoyed. While alive, Tobirama had targeted the Uchiha at every turn. After being brought back through Impure World Reincarnation, he had even called the late-stage Uchiha Sasuke "you Evil Uchiha brat" over and over.

The reason was probably that his beloved older brother had been so captivated by Madara that he neglected his only brother, causing Tobirama's jealousy to fester. For the rest of his life, he had then relentlessly suppressed the Uchiha Clan.

With an inward sigh, Uchiha Gin continued down the list.

Senju Tobirama: Seven years old, third son of Senju Butsuma. Skilled in Earth Style and taijutsu. Other intelligence unknown...

Since they were still young ninjas, the intelligence was not particularly detailed. Each entry only summarized their approximate abilities in a few sentences.

But this Senju Tobirama was different from the first two. A red X had been drawn over his portrait, with three hastily scrawled words beside it:

Eliminated.