Uchiha Yuichi

Near Konoha's rear supply line, a squad of Hidden Mist Ninja moved through the dark forest in a triangular formation, leaping through the air.

The next moment, all three Hidden Mist Ninja stepped into empty air at the same time. It was not that they had misjudged the distance, but that the previously still tree trunks had suddenly moved.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Just as the three fell after missing their footing, eight Shuriken tore through the air, swift and precise.

Faced with the sudden change, one Special Jonin and two Chunin remained calm despite their shock. One drew a ninja blade while the others pulled out Kunai, preparing to deal with the ambush.

Clang, clang, clang...

The eight Shuriken suddenly collided with one another in midair, instantly changing their attack trajectories. The unexpected shift caught the three Mist Ninja off guard once more. All of them were struck and fell to the ground screaming.

Before the Hidden Mist Ninja, dazed from the fall, could recover their senses, thick branches shot out and bound the three of them tightly.

"Hehehe..."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

"Ehehehe..."

Eerie, sinister laughter suddenly rang out. Faces emerged on the towering ancient trees, their expressions grim as their bodies swayed and branches danced wildly like claws and fangs. The sight was utterly terrifying!

"The trees are alive?"

"Tree demons?"

"What kind of monsters are these?"

The three battle-hardened ninja from the Village of the Bloody Mist all went pale, their eyes filled with terror.

As light and shadow shifted, a figure appeared as though emerging from camouflage. With a step, branches connected together to form a wooden bridge descending from above, while the three Hidden Mist Ninja bound by branches were lifted into the air.

Taking advantage of the Hidden Mist Ninja being gripped by fear, the revealed Uchiha Gen activated the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit. The lifespans and souls of the three Mist Ninja were forcibly drawn out of their bodies.

Transparent blue souls and white spheres representing lifespan poured into Uchiha Gen's body. The three Hidden Mist Ninja hung their heads, terror frozen on their faces. They had already fallen silent.

"Come back."

At his words, the three Shuriken Homies immediately pulled themselves out of the wounds and dropped from the air. Uchiha Gen caught them, wiped the blood off on the Hidden Mist Ninja's clothes, then stored them in his ninja tool pouch.

As for the ordinary Shuriken, there was no need to retrieve them.

Uchiha Gen was somewhat sentimental. The Shuriken Homies he used were all from the very first batch he had created.

"Put them down."

"Zhurong."

The tree Homies released their branches. Zhurong appeared in midair, opened its draconic jaws, and spat out a searing stream of fire. Before long, the three Mist Ninja on the ground had been reduced to charcoal.

With a thought, Uchiha Gen activated the Soul-Soul Fruit's power. White spheres flew out from the surrounding trees and returned to his body.

Whether they wanted to or not, low-level Homies had no power to resist Uchiha Gen at all.

Big Mom had the residents of Totto Land, so she never lacked souls or lifespan. The souls and lifespans she granted to inanimate objects were given permanently and could not be reclaimed.

But Uchiha Gen was not that extravagantly wealthy. He had secretly tampered with all the souls and lifespans granted to temporary Homies, allowing him to reclaim them whenever he wished.

Aside from the two high-level Homies, the only Homies that had been permanently granted souls and lifespan were the first batch of initial Homies.

"The interception mission is complete. It's time to handle my own affairs."

Uchiha Gen brought his hands together, and a cloud of white smoke rose up. When it dispersed, his appearance had completely changed. He now looked like the Hidden Mist Special Jonin from before.

An hour later, in a forest north of Konoha's frontline camp, Chunin Uchiha Yuichi, who had just completed a mission, raced through the forest with his three subordinates, running and leaping.

"Enemy! Prepare for battle!"

Uchiha Yuichi, whose eyesight was exceptionally sharp, spotted the figure leaping toward them from ahead. His expression changed as he shouted in a low voice.

The three Konoha Genin hurriedly drew their weapons, landed on tree branches, and watched warily.

"Tch, meeting on a narrow road. You little brats are really unlucky."

The Hidden Mist Ninja Uchiha Gen had transformed into licked his lips, his gaze dark and his smile cold. He looked every inch the villain.

"Who's unlucky is still up for debate. Don't underestimate us."

Uchiha Yuichi's eyes sharpened. His pitch-black eyes turned scarlet, and a black tomoe slowly rotated within each pupil.

"So, you're ninja of the Uchiha Clan."

"Perfect. I've long wanted to study the Sharingan of your Uchiha Clan."

Before his words had faded, the Mist Ninja Uchiha Gen had transformed into vanished from the spot. Uchiha Yuichi's expression changed as he hurriedly crossed his arms to block.

Bang! In the next instant, Uchiha Yuichi was kicked flying. His back slammed heavily into a tree trunk, and blood spilled from his mouth.

The three Konoha Genin were shocked, but they did not panic. Two Genin launched a feint with Shuriken, while the Genin most skilled in taijutsu took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Unfortunately, the two sides were not on the same level at all. Uchiha Gen dodged the Shuriken while sending the attacking Genin flying with a single punch. Then his figure flashed repeatedly, and the other two Genin were easily knocked away as well.

These three were the proper standard of Konoha Genin—and Genin throughout the ninja world. Against a serious Jonin, they were not even capable of lasting a single exchange.

The Genin who took part in the Chunin Exams in the original story were all elites among elites. Even those who merely made up the numbers in the second round were considered quite capable among Genin.

At this stage of the war, Genin from every nation could generally only use some taijutsu, throw Shuriken and Kunai, and use Exploding Tags. Not every Genin even knew how to use the Three Basic Techniques.

"I'll hold him off! You get out of here!"

"The enemy is a Jonin. We have no chance of winning. Don't make meaningless sacrifices!"

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

As he spoke, Uchiha Yuichi formed hand seals at the fastest speed of his life. His chest swelled high, and a huge orange-red fireball rolled forward with blazing heat.

Uchiha Gen flashed to the left, easily avoiding the ninjutsu. With a flick of his right hand, three Shuriken shot through the air.

Thud, thud, thud. The Shuriken embedded themselves in the tree trunks with crisp, clean sounds. After dodging, Uchiha Yuichi immediately counterattacked, repeatedly flicking his hands as Shuriken and Kunai flew out as if they cost nothing.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

Uchiha Gen formed hand seals, his chest swelling high as a violent gale burst from his mouth. It blew away the Shuriken, sent leaves swirling across the sky, and blasted Uchiha Yuichi away.

"Cough, cough..."

Uchiha Yuichi fell from the tree to the ground. The impact had injured his internal organs, causing blood to surge up his throat. He coughed violently and could not get back up for a while.

Knowing there was no hope of escape, Uchiha Yuichi stretched out his right hand, prepared to destroy his Sharingan. But in the next instant, his consciousness sank into darkness.

As for the three Konoha Genin, they followed their captain's orders and fled with tears in their eyes.

Uchiha Gen did not pursue them either. First, he did not want to destroy three Konoha families. Second, they were witnesses.

Looking at the unconscious Uchiha Yuichi before him, the transformed Uchiha Gen revealed a thoughtful expression.

A double one-tomoe Sharingan meant at least two chances to observe and study it. If he was lucky, he could get four chances—but he still could not be sure that would be enough...

To be safe, he should capture another ninja with a one-tomoe Sharingan.

That would give him at least four chances, or as many as eight. That should be enough.

Once the war ended, Uchiha Clan ninja would mostly serve in the Military Police Force and rarely leave the village. Making a move then would be very inconvenient.

During wartime, any missing Uchiha Clan ninja could easily be blamed on Hidden Mist, reducing the risk to the lowest possible level.

With that thought, Uchiha Gen picked up Uchiha Yuichi and headed straight for the safe house he had prepared in advance...

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