The Temptation of Returning to the Village

The letter Uchiha Tokimitsu sent back to the village had a far greater impact than he had imagined.

On the third day after the letter reached Konoha, notices of rotational leave for the registered ninja of the Northwest Border Defense Force were delivered to the Ninja army's garrison camp.

Uchiha Tokimitsu's name stood prominently at the very top of the list.

Replies from his father, Uchiha Nakagen, and Elder Setsuna arrived at the same time. Both letters mentioned one matter: the "Super Uchiha Flame Style Chakra Mode" Uchiha Tokimitsu had developed was to be kept strictly confidential and must not be revealed to anyone!

At the same time, nine Uchiha Jonin arrived with the second batch of the Uchiha Ninja Army at the Northwest Border Defense Force. They would serve as Uchiha Tokimitsu's personal guards on the return journey, ensuring his safe return to Konoha.

"This... isn't this a bit exaggerated...?"

Nine jonin serving as guards, and elite Three-Tomoe Sharingan users from the Uchiha Clan at that... It was simply far too high-profile.

"Elder Setsuna and Captain Nakagen have given special instructions. Please rest assured," the lead jonin, Uchiha Nagakage, replied irrelevantly.

The implication was that it was no big deal. The clan's higher-ups had already arranged everything, so he should just accept it.

"I already have two Guard Squads..." Uchiha Tokimitsu felt that this was, more or less, a lack of trust in his strength and his personal Guard Squads.

"Young Lord Tokimitsu, the matter you reported is of great importance. No amount of caution would be excessive," Uchiha Nagakage said, revealing that he knew something about the contents of Uchiha Tokimitsu's letter.

"Have you tried it?" Uchiha Tokimitsu asked seemingly out of nowhere.

Uchiha Nagakage did not answer. Instead, he extended his left hand and silently circulated the Chakra within his body, gathering a ball of purple flames in his palm.

Uchiha Tokimitsu raised his brows in surprise. He had not expected that the so-called "Super Uchiha Flame Style Chakra Mode" he had pieced together through random experimentation could actually be replicated by another clan member.

"However, there is indeed a vast gap between my Chakra manipulation and yours, Young Lord Tokimitsu. I still cannot spread Flame Style Chakra across my entire body to form a flaming aura."

"How many people in the clan have learned it?" Uchiha Tokimitsu asked with interest.

"At present, seventeen jonin in the clan have met the threshold for learning Flame Style, and three have mastered the basic Chakra fusion..." Uchiha Nagakage answered respectfully.

"Only three..." Uchiha Tokimitsu felt somewhat disappointed. He had hoped more clan members would learn this rudimentary Flame Style mode so they could participate in Ninjutsu optimization and practical applications.

But upon further thought, it made sense. Only three days had passed since he sent the letter home. Without spreading it throughout the entire clan due to secrecy concerns, having three ninja already fumble their way into this rough so-called "Flame Style" could only mean that the Uchiha Clan's strength and foundation truly stood above the entire Ninja World.

Yet with such profound strength and foundation, why had the clan ended up being exterminated by Uchiha Itachi alone? Uchiha Tokimitsu could not understand it.

"No Choice. There truly are not many jonin in the clan like you, Young Lord Tokimitsu, with unparalleled Spiritual Power and Chakra manipulation..."

"Even so, it's still too few..." Uchiha Tokimitsu's resistance to flattery, especially flattery from his own clan members, was far weaker than his resistance to ninjutsu. "All right, arrange the leave personnel according to the list. We need to return to the village as quickly as possible."

The return journey was exceptionally smooth as well.

There were no enemy ninja ambushes like he had imagined, nor did any Root personnel appear with forged Hokage's orders.

Besides the six members of Uchiha Tokimitsu's two Guard Squads and the other eight jonin who had come with Uchiha Nagakage, nearly a hundred registered ninja from the Northwest Border Defense Force were taking rotational leave at the same time. They formed a vast Ninja army unit and returned to Konoha without incident or obstruction.

Uchiha Tokimitsu's parents, Uchiha Nakagen and Uchiha Emiko, along with Elder Setsuna, had already gathered people at the entrance to Konoha to wait for him.

"Little Tokimitsu~" Emiko cried out excitedly when she spotted Uchiha Tokimitsu's small figure in the distance.

Though he felt a little embarrassed, Uchiha Tokimitsu obediently used the Body Flicker Technique to rush to his mother's side, allowing Emiko to pick him up, kiss his cheeks, and ruffle his hair without resistance.

After all, no matter how much talent and wisdom he displayed in this life, he was ultimately still a child of nearly nine years old.

Uchiha Tokimitsu had been away from home for nearly four months since heading to the northwest front. During that time, Emiko had been unable to endure the longing, worry, and torment in her heart as a mother. Now that she saw her precious son return safe and sound, the affection she had suppressed could no longer be contained.

While allowing Emiko to vent her longing to her heart's content, Uchiha Tokimitsu, somewhat disheveled, still politely greeted his father, Uchiha Nakagen, and Elder Setsuna.

"All right, Emiko. Let's go home first. Little Tokimitsu must be tired after such a long journey," Uchiha Nakagen said with a smile. Besides missing him, he was also extremely satisfied with Uchiha Tokimitsu's performance on the front line.

"All right, all right!" Emiko still held her precious son tightly and refused to let go, but she obediently returned to the village with everyone else.

After being away for nearly four months and living so long in the barren wilderness of the backward Land of Grass, Uchiha Tokimitsu felt that upon returning to bustling Konoha, even the ordinarily unremarkable Konoha Commercial Street had suddenly become incomparably prosperous. Even the smiles on the faces of pedestrians seemed more relaxed than those of people living in the towns of the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire.

A stable, peaceful life.

Uchiha Tokimitsu suddenly understood what Uchiha Kamon had meant about the choice of ninja clans.

After the ninja returning on leave entered the village, they scattered and spent lavishly along the commercial street. The Uchiha ninja who had just returned also wandered through the streets in groups, yet did not provoke panic or hostility from the villagers or merchants. Although the merchants appeared somewhat reserved and deferential when bargaining with the Uchiha clan members, it was more because of the heavy, bloody killing intent clinging to them from the battlefield, not because of disgust.

This was another point that differed from Uchiha Tokimitsu's original impression.

In the past, he had not paid attention to those background characters whenever he went out, so he had assumed the Uchiha Clan had an extremely poor reputation in Konoha. Unexpectedly, things were actually fairly good.

It seemed Kishimoto really didn't know a damn thing about Hokage.

Uchiha Tokimitsu's gaze kept sweeping over everything happening along the street as he pondered silently.

"Eh!"

Suddenly, Uchiha Tokimitsu sensed a peculiar gaze fixed upon him, but when he scanned his surroundings, he found nothing unusual.

"It's that Monkey in the Hokage's Office Building."

Just as Uchiha Tokimitsu was preparing to use Sensory Ninjutsu to investigate the situation, Elder Setsuna spoke.

This reminded Uchiha Tokimitsu of that so-called godly peeping technique—the Crystal Ball: Telescope Technique.

"Monkey likes to hide in his cage and spy on others. Don't mind him," Uchiha Nakagen said as he walked, his expression unchanged.

"Monkey only has that little bit of skill. It's fine. Once we return to the clan grounds, the barrier will shield us, and he won't be able to spy on us." Uchiha Emiko's expression also remained unchanged as she gently ruffled Uchiha Tokimitsu's soft hair.

The clan members' attitude toward the Hokage was clear from this.

Even the other Uchiha clan members gathered around them paid no attention to the words of the three, continuing to walk ahead without looking sideways.

Uchiha Tokimitsu did not believe that, as sharp-eared ninja, they had failed to hear what was just said.

The Radical Faction's malice and resentment toward the Hokage were practically undisguised.

After returning to the clan grounds, that strange sensation of being watched indeed vanished without a trace.

"You should go home first. Little Tokimitsu should get some rest as well." Elder Setsuna smiled at Uchiha Tokimitsu's family. "But I'll still have to trouble you to come by tonight."

"All right, thank you, Elder Setsuna~"

After returning home, Emiko acted like most mothers. Once she had set down her precious son, she brought out a large pile of food from the kitchen, afraid that the child who had been away so long would be hungry or thin.

The warmth of home also made Uchiha Tokimitsu feel deeply relaxed.

It was precisely this familial affection in this life that made him feel this world truly existed. Everything before his eyes was alive and truly happening.

The warmth of family, the concern of the clan, and the unrestrained slaughter on the battlefield were all mediums through which he confirmed that this world truly existed.

His father, Uchiha Nakagen, who had been completely ignored by Emiko, silently drank a cup of barley tea nearby. Only after Uchiha Tokimitsu finally managed to stuff all the food into his stomach did he slowly begin to speak. "The 'Flame Style' you mentioned in your letter... How did you develop it?"

"...I just thought that Chakra fusion could create new Bloodline Power, so I gave it a try. I didn't expect it to succeed." Uchiha Tokimitsu answered in an understated manner, seemingly unconcerned.

"It truly is a very good method." Uchiha Nakagen pursed his lips. "The clan has inherited Yin Style and Fire Style for a thousand years, yet no one has explored fusing the Chakra of these two attributes. You are the only successful example..."

"Why?" Uchiha Tokimitsu also found it strange. He did not believe that his way of thinking or his abilities could completely surpass the countless talents the clan had produced over a thousand years.

"No one... ever thought of it... And your Chakra manipulation truly is beyond what ordinary people can achieve." Uchiha Nakagen spoke with a trace of melancholy. "The clan's secret ninjutsu arts are as vast as clouds and mist. Even a lifetime would not be enough to learn them all. In that case, breakthroughs and innovation naturally become difficult."

Uchiha Tokimitsu fell silent.

Perhaps this was what they called the barrier of knowledge.

"All right, Little Tokimitsu, go rest for a while. You still need to visit the elder tonight~" Emiko, emerging from the kitchen, gestured for Uchiha Tokimitsu to hurry back to his room and rest.

Uchiha Tokimitsu obediently nodded. Just as he reached the stairs, he suddenly turned back and asked his father, Uchiha Nakagen, "Then... Father, have you learned the Chakra fusion for 'Flame Style'?"

"I haven't... but Emiko has already learned it." Uchiha Nakagen's face flushed red as he stammered.

Emiko's bell-like laughter drifted out from the kitchen.

Uchiha Tokimitsu awkwardly rubbed his nose and hurried back to his upstairs room.

Having been away from home for so long, he naturally felt deeply relaxed upon returning to his little nest. His nerves, which had been tense all this time, immediately loosened. As soon as he lay down on the bed, Uchiha Tokimitsu quickly fell asleep...

Thank you to [Still a Simp After Catching the Goddess], [Black-Rimmed Glasses VV], and [Book Friend 20220501193726849] for the Monthly Tickets; thank you all for the Recommendation votes; your support is my motivation to write [Heart]