Blood, Fire, and Flowers

War.

Bloody war.

No one knew whether they would be swallowed by the beast called war in the next moment.

The standoff in the Land of Rain direction, unrest in the Land of Wind direction, and the little moves by the two great nations of Lightning and Earth... All sorts of incidents and a flood of news surged into Konoha in a short time, drowning the people who had still been immersed in celebration.

"What's going on... Is there going to be a war?"

For civilians and Civilian Ninja who had long enjoyed peace in the village, the word "war" felt unfamiliar, yet it inevitably brought with it a measure of fear.

As for the Uchiha Clan, backed by the clan's intelligence network, its upper ranks had long been able to judge that war was coming. They had even taken advantage of the impending war to hoard supplies and make a killing in the arms trade.

"Gentlemen, I love war!"

At a gathering of the Uchiha Radical Faction, Elder Setsuna, who usually prided himself on remaining unflustered even if mountains collapsed before him, now had a fiery expression as he arrogantly shouted through a pair of Blood Wheel Eyes.

"Our Uchiha Clan is the strongest clan! And only the battlefield—only a battlefield of blood and fire—is the finest whetstone for every Uchiha clan member."

"Between life and death lies great terror. Only those who face the blade's edge, contend with it, and triumph can grasp the greatest power passed down through our bloodline!"

"Every Uchiha ninja whose name was recorded in history was a brave warrior in war. Only the brave can become the strongest!"

"Now Amegakure harasses us, Sunagakure stirs, and Lightning and Earth harbor ill intent. This war cannot be avoided, but neither need it be feared!"

"We Uchiha do not fight for Konoha, nor do we fight for the Hokage. We fight for ourselves! We fight for the clan!"

Elder Setsuna's cringeworthy yet impassioned speech perfectly hit the Uchiha clan members' most sensitive nerve, and everyone's emotions were instantly ignited.

"Wooooah!"

Thinking of the bloody battle that was about to come, the Radical Faction Uchiha trembled faintly with excitement. One pair of Sharingan after another opened involuntarily under the stimulation of their emotions. Their expressions were savage and twisted, like demons from hell, their blood-red eyes glaring as they freely unleashed the cold, sinister power of Yin Release Chakra.

Uchiha Tokimitsu, seated below Elder Setsuna, was one of the few ninja present who could still maintain a calm demeanor. Looking at the fierce and menacing appearance of the Uchiha clan members after they activated their Sharingan, he could somewhat understand why the Sharingan was called "cursed eyes."

Only after everyone had gradually calmed down did Elder Setsuna continue.

"The clan has prepared various types of war supplies. Should war formally break out and you are called up to fight, in addition to the equipment issued collectively by the village, the clan will provide everyone with fine ninja tools, various high-grade medicines, and more."

"At the same time." Elder Setsuna paused.

"With the approval of the clan head and the Elder Council, the clan's secret ninjutsu techniques will be opened to you as an additional measure, to strengthen our clan members."

"Wooooah!"

The Radical Faction Uchiha cheered again.

"I am old. I may no longer be able to take part in war, but! My disciple—"

Elder Setsuna pulled Uchiha Tokimitsu's hand up and raised it.

"Uchiha Tokimitsu, my disciple!"

"He will inherit my will. He will join this war. I hope you gentlemen will offer him greater protection and support."

This was plainly using the war as an opportunity to establish the faction's heir.

Uchiha Kamon, captain of Elder Setsuna's Guardian Ninja, was the first to rise. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head in salute to Uchiha Tokimitsu.

"Respectfully following orders!"

The other Radical Faction Uchiha rose one after another and knelt on one knee, pledging loyalty to their next Lord.

"At the Young Lord's command, we would not hesitate to die ten thousand deaths!"

Watching the scene before him, Uchiha Tokimitsu's thoughts surged wildly.

He had been in this world for eight years now. During those eight years of fear and trepidation, he had doubted countless times whether this world that had originally belonged to two-dimensional fiction was real, whether his own existence was merely a dream. He had walked on thin ice, planning for the future. He had trained diligently, taking comfort in every tiny increase in strength. Over time, he had finally gained the power to protect himself.

And today, Elder Setsuna had handed him the right to inherit the authority of the Uchiha Radical Faction.

Though this power was currently still only nominal, and he would need to survive the coming war and earn convincing merit before it truly counted, no matter what, at this moment, he was no longer the child who had agonized over the night of the clan massacre by the Naka River.

The Sharingan was an eye that reflected the soul.

Amid Uchiha Tokimitsu's violent emotional turmoil, the pupil power hidden deep within his eyes was gradually stirred by his powerful Spiritual Power and Yin Style power, slowly beginning to echo the rhythm of his breathing.

Uchiha Tokimitsu felt not only his eyes twitching, but also a little warmth in his eye sockets. With every breath, the rhythm of the twitching in his eyes grew faster and faster.

Whoosh!

The surging pupil power stimulated Uchiha Tokimitsu into opening his Sharingan involuntarily. The Two-Tomoe in his eyes gradually merged and split apart, reforming into Three-Tomoe.

Gasp!

The seated Uchiha clan members were utterly astonished. None of them could sit still any longer. They knew Uchiha Tokimitsu was fairly strong and had awakened Two-Tomoe as well. With such strength, relying on Elder Setsuna's decades of accumulated prestige might make them submit, but it would not necessarily make every one of them submit wholeheartedly.

But now things were different. Uchiha Tokimitsu's sudden breakthrough had shattered the limits on strength imposed by his age.

As eyes that reflected the soul, and as the Uchiha Clan's most important Kekkei Genkai power, Three-Tomoe was already the limit of an ordinary Sharingan.

What was more, Uchiha Tokimitsu was only eight years old.

The Uchiha clan members who usually read a few more books on clan history could not help thinking of Konoha's Asura. It seemed... Uchiha Madara had only awakened Three-Tomoe at the age of ten, hadn't he?

What monstrous talent and aptitude!

The Uchiha clan members were beside themselves with excitement. Each activated their Sharingan and stared at Uchiha Tokimitsu's Three-Tomoe. As their gazes met, their pupil powers collided and surged. Their powerful auras and strange pupil powers echoed one another, continuously linking together the pupil powers of every Uchiha present who had awakened the Sharingan.

The tomoe in the Uchiha clan members' Sharingan spun faster and faster. Uchiha Tokimitsu felt that under this mutual resonance and connection between their pupil powers, his Sharingan was continuously absorbing Spiritual Power and Yin Release Chakra, converting them into pupil power. The tomoe in his eyes also spun faster and faster.

The Uchiha clan members present also more or less sensed the benefits brought by this extraordinary phenomenon, and each of them began driving the pupil power of their Sharingan.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several more Uchiha ninja at the scene broke through to the Three-Tomoe realm! Even those Uchiha who had not broken through in their Sharingan realm saw more or less growth in their pupil power.

As Yin Release Chakra was depleted, the rotation speed of Uchiha Tokimitsu's Sharingan gradually slowed.

The Uchiha clan members below him also gradually reined in the power of their Sharingan, and the atmosphere in the gathering slowly settled down.

Yet after experiencing the phenomenon of their Sharingan powers resonating with one another, the Radical Faction ninja bowing their heads before Uchiha Tokimitsu held an even deeper reverence for him.

Only a flower of peace watered with blood and fire could remain evergreen.

The blood was the enemy's blood.

The fire was Uchiha fire.

Lord Madara, perhaps your long-cherished wish to unite the Ninja World and end the chaos of war would be fulfilled by this generation!

Elder Setsuna's heart surged with emotion, and he felt that the clan's future was in good hands.