Kyosuke's Foot-Washing Water

"Don't go too far!"

Uchiha Hikoichi was furious. He felt that the Legion Commander was being far too biased.

The war in the southern borderlands was gradually nearing its end. What was the most important issue now? Naturally, seizing credit.

Just moments ago, his men had secretly intercepted a communication detailing the date on which the Three Clans would flee en masse.

He had been overjoyed upon receiving the news, but before he could verify it, his subordinates had been surrounded by others.

If he had not arrived in time, the intelligence might have been snatched away.

Bang! With one kick, Uchiha Hikoichi sent the clan member who had dared cause trouble sprawling. He dearly wanted to teach the other party an unforgettable lesson.

Unfortunately, the man's master had arrived.

"Lord Hikoichi, what an impressive display of authority." Kyosuke's tone was brimming with disdain.

That cutting attitude made Hikoichi deeply regret his past actions.

If he had not done everything he could to save him back then, the boy before him would have long since become a pile of dry bones.

"Uchiha Kyosuke, I advise you not to go too far." He could not be bothered to explain himself. Stealing credit was far too common; it did not even need deliberate condemnation.

Looking down at the youth from above, Uchiha Hikoichi said calmly, "Don't forget, I'm the one who saved your life."

"I advise you to stop glorifying yourself." Kyosuke met him head-on, his tone icy. "Without me, when would the position of Deputy Legion Commander ever have fallen to you?"

"You should be the one kneeling down to thank me."

The two leaders stood on the verge of drawing blades, while the clan members behind them began shoving one another.

Just as an internal conflict was about to erupt, Uchiha Rei hurried over after receiving the news.

"Impudent!" With a thunderous roar, a terrifying pressure swept over them in an instant.

Every muscle in Kyosuke's body tensed, and he almost instinctively placed a hand on his sword hilt.

It could not be helped. The pressure of Clan Head Level was simply too terrifying.

Kyosuke even felt that unless he used Flying Thunder God to flee, he absolutely would not be able to last three minutes against the Legion Commander.

That was with his own astonishing speed. An ordinary Jonin would probably be killed by Uchiha Rei within a few exchanges.

"Clan Head Level truly is an entirely different realm."

With the Legion Commander present, both sides naturally knew when to stop.

Uchiha Hikoichi had obtained the intelligence, while Kyosuke had avoided being blamed for causing internal strife. It counted as both sides taking a step back.

"Sooner or later, I'll make you pay." Hikoichi did not forget to leave behind a threat before departing.

Having reached his current position, the only next step was to set his sights on the Legion Commander's seat.

That meant he would inevitably fall out with Uchiha Rei sooner or later.

Since that was the case, why bother pretending to be sociable now?

With the Clan Head's support, he believed that he would eventually be able to kill Uchiha Rei. After all, several hidden old monsters existed within the clan.

Those were Uchiha Tajma's strongest trump cards.

If they truly made a move, Uchiha Rei would have no chance of survival.

Speaking of which, Uchiha Hikoichi himself truly was capable.

After becoming Deputy Legion Commander, he had not forgotten to train diligently.

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed, and he had gradually reached the ceiling of Jonin.

With just a little more effort, he could step into a new realm. By then, he would become one of the few Elite Jonin-level experts in the clan.

Once he unified the Southern Legion, Hikoichi would have more time for training. In another ten or twenty years, he might even have a chance of becoming a Clan Head Level existence.

By then... his eyes gleamed with something called ambition. Clearly, the Legion Commander's seat was not enough to satisfy him.

"Enough thinking. I should head out and intercept them as soon as possible."

As a Deputy Legion Commander who had spent two years building his influence, he commanded over a hundred clan members, all of them talented ninjas with exceptional combat strength.

If they arrived at the designated location ahead of time and set an ambush, they would be more than capable of crushing a force several times their size.

In the eyes of many, the Three Clans were now homeless dogs. Having lost the will to fight, they were no different from lambs awaiting slaughter on the battlefield.

Uchiha Kyosuke had repeatedly accomplished great feats only because his enemies were too weak, in his opinion.

If it were him... well, Uchiha Hikoichi admitted that Chidori was an excellent ninjutsu, but the Uchiha Clan had endured for a thousand years. It was not as if they lacked even stronger alternatives.

In any case, he would never acknowledge the youth's strength.

"Hmph, I'll let you strut around for a while longer."

"Once we reach the main battlefield, your life and death won't be up to you."

"The Senju are nothing like those useless trash."

After returning to his tent, Kyosuke ordered Mayo to stand guard outside and not allow anyone in.

"No matter how capable you are, you'll be drinking my foot-washing water today."

After changing into another set of clothes, Kyosuke took out his Short Sword and silently swung it, continuously adjusting his condition.

At this point, the plan was nearly seventy percent complete.

From the moment Uchiha Hikoichi stepped out of camp, he had entered the countdown to his death.

Even so, Kyosuke was still somewhat worried that some unforeseen accident might occur, allowing the target who should have died to escape alive.

To ensure nothing went wrong, Kyosuke decided to make the trip himself. He could also harvest a tiny bit of Points along the way.

Now that he had swordsmanship, along with two different types of Body Flicker Technique, Chidori would be able to meet most of his combat needs with further development.

Next, he would set his sights on an item capable of bringing about a qualitative leap in his strength.

Mangekyō Sharingan.

Exchange requirement: 100,000 Points.

Once he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, he would leap into the ranks of Clan Head Level, what his previous life called Kage-level strength.

Only then could he take control of his own fate.

As always, he did not need to become overwhelmingly powerful. It would be enough if he could consistently suppress the Dual Gods.

Look at how simple and unpretentious little Kyosuke's demands were.

After puttering around alone in the tent for half the day, he felt that he had adjusted himself to peak condition. He formed a simple hand seal, and his figure flashed before vanishing from the spot.

In that enormous camp, not a single person noticed his departure.

When he reappeared, he was already around two kilometers outside the camp.

Looking up at the specially made Kunai deeply embedded in a tree, Kyosuke smiled faintly, feeling the exhilarating freedom of roaming wherever heaven and earth allowed.

After a batch of specially made Kunai had been produced, he had specifically ordered his subordinates to bury the little things at marked points on the map.

This way, at least throughout the southern borderlands of the Land of Fire, he could travel rapidly through space.

Unfortunately, Flying Thunder God had limitations on its casting range and could not compare with other types of Space-Time Ninjutsu.

For now, two kilometers was Kyosuke's limit.

"Eye-technique Space-Time Ninjutsu focuses more on versatility."

"Flying Thunder God is different. Its greatest strength lies in high-frequency flashes over medium distances."

Before his murmuring had faded, Kyosuke had already vanished without a trace.

Two days later, Uchiha Hikoichi successfully intercepted the enemy force.

However, the outcome was completely opposite to what he had expected.

The moment the battle began, the Uchiha fell into a complete disadvantage.

If not for his subordinates' desperate resistance, he might not even have been able to break through the enemy encirclement.

"Damn it." By now, how could he not realize that he had fallen for that old Nara dog's scheme?

"Just let me escape alive. One day, I'll make you pay with your life." He still fantasized about the day he would take revenge.

"Unfortunately, you have no chance." The sudden murmur made every hair on Uchiha Hikoichi's body stand on end.

Before he could turn around, a savage flash of sword light had already engulfed him completely.