Uchiha Kyosuke

What did it feel like to wake up and discover you'd been transported to the world of Naruto?

Other people might not know, but at least Kyosuke thought it was a real pain in the ass.

Being transported to the world of Naruto would've been fine. He could've raised fish in Konoha, flirted with the beauties from the original series, and lived a life of pure bliss.

But what the hell was he doing in the Warring States Period?

Clutching his throbbing head, Kyosuke staggered over to the mirror. Looking at the unusually delicate face reflected there, he couldn't help but give a wry smile.

The Warring States Period—the darkest era in the Shinobi World.

The great clans fought one another for their own interests, and it wasn't particularly unusual for children as young as five or six to be on the battlefield.

Take the boy in the mirror, "Uchiha Kyosuke." He was only seven, yet had already been sent on a mission to assassinate someone behind enemy lines.

"This is utterly inhumane." Kyosuke sighed softly.

As a descendant of Indra, he was destined for a life without peace. Fortunately, Kyosuke was resilient, and he soon managed to adjust to his situation.

Compared to his identity, there was something else he cared about more right now.

In the mirror, his eyes shimmered with an ominous crimson light.

The Sharingan!

"Awakening the Sharingan at seven... If word gets out, it'll probably scare a lot of people to death."

This was nothing like the Konoha era. Uchiha Itachi had awakened his eyes at eight, while Uchiha Sasuke had managed it at just seven.

It didn't seem like such a big deal.

But ordinary Uchiha members had to wait until they were at least sixteen or seventeen before they could awaken their bloodline.

In the original story, Madara-sama awakened his eyes at fifteen and was already hailed as a rare genius.

Kyosuke knew full well that if word got out, he would immediately escape the fate of cannon fodder and receive extensive support from the clan.

However, an astonishing talent could just as easily attract hostility.

The forces hostile to the Uchiha Clan wouldn't sit back and let him grow in peace. An assassination attempt was bound to come.

Besides, Black Zetsu was lurking in the shadows. If he set his sights on Kyosuke, the young boy would have no way to deal with him.

"I'd better keep it quiet for now. Uchiha Tajima isn't exactly broad-minded."

Tajima was the current Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, and the biological father of Madara and Izuna.

He was a gloomy man with a calculating nature, a bona fide warlord.

Everyone liked a genius, but there was a limit to everything.

If Uchiha Tajima decided Kyosuke's existence threatened his two sons, then his fate would probably be far from pleasant.

"The Sharingan probably awakened because my souls fused."

"I can feel my spiritual power growing stronger almost every moment."

"In short, if I can keep my head down, I'll have a chance to turn things around in the future."

After putting on the lightweight armor unique to the Warring States Period and arranging the ninja tools in his waist pouch, Kyosuke lifted the tent flap and hurried outside.

This place was in the southern part of the Land of Fire, the territory of clans such as the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka.

These clans had always been on good terms with the Senju. With the war at a critical juncture, Tajima, unwilling to take any chances, had sent additional troops to guard against a surprise attack from the Three Clans.

Kyosuke made his way unhurriedly to the rendezvous point. He kept up his taciturn persona, appearing casual while secretly observing his surroundings.

On the platform, a jonin from the Southern Legion was explaining the mission.

"According to our intelligence, the Three Clans are secretly moving their people. The Clan Head suspects they intend to join the Senju Clan."

"For the glory of the Uchiha, we must stop them!"

Oh!!!

Kyosuke joined the others in a couple of perfunctory shouts, then fell into thought.

His memories told him that the jonin was named "Hikari," a trusted subordinate of Uchiha Tajima.

The Southern Legion was currently under the command of an elder, "Uchiha Rei." He was exceptionally powerful and had long coveted the Clan Head's seat.

"Maybe I can make use of that." After a moment's silence, Kyosuke began thinking about the mission ahead.

Uchiha Hikari's speech might have sounded noble, but in reality, they were going to kill the enemy's elderly and women and children.

With no descendants left, the clan would suffer a massive break in its line of succession—a devastating blow to any family.

The talk about relocating and planning to join the Senju Clan was all just a pretext to sway public opinion.

Whatever might happen in the future, for now, the Three Clans were undeniably prominent clans in the Land of Fire.

They had a large population and formidable fighting strength. Otherwise, there'd have been no need for the Southern Legion.

Under these circumstances, only a fool would choose to join the Senju.

The Uchiha might represent evil, but did anyone really think the Senju were any better?

However, Kyosuke had still underestimated just how ignorant his clansmen were.

The twisted, ferocious faces around him and the endless stream of curses were constant reminders that the Uchiha Clan really did have a widespread case of brain rot.

"Fanatics are terrifying." Kyosuke shook his head, a growing sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Never mind the Yamanaka and Akimichi—the Nara were a clan known for producing wise men.

Were they idiots? When it came to their descendants and the future of their clan, would they really let the Uchiha get away with this so easily?

At that moment, two words kept circling through little Kyosuke's mind.

Trap!

"What should I do? Should I step forward and advise them?"

He thought it over and immediately rejected the idea. "These aren't things a seven-year-old should know."

"If I say that out loud, I'll be interrogated and tortured for sure."

After agonizing over it for a long time, Kyosuke could come up with only one less-than-ideal solution.

If things really became impossible, he could simply escape the clan's control, leave the Land of Fire, and seek refuge in another country.

"The Land of Earth seems like a good choice. Even later on, he'd still be able to hold his own among the strong."

"The Land of Water is out. It's even more chaotic than the Land of Fire."

Kyosuke, already set on defecting, soon realized that things weren't going as he'd expected.

On the southern battlefield, facing the Uchiha's increasingly severe threat, the Nara Clan had decided to secretly move their people.

To prevent spies from infiltrating their ranks, the Nara had deliberately set up several decoys. They would confuse the enemy and, while they were at it, give them a nasty surprise.

If that old Uchiha Rei got carried away, they might even be able to end the war right then and there.

But the Nara never imagined that their plan, known to only a handful of their leaders, would actually go awry.

By the time the three Clan Heads received word, the Southern Legion's forces were already closing in on the transport convoy.

"Quick! Send reinforcements at any cost!" The Akimichi Clan Head's furious roar echoed through the encampment.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Kyosuke was utterly bewildered.

It wasn't because they'd fallen for a trap. Quite the opposite—the mission had gone incredibly smoothly.

It was almost as if the other side had delivered themselves right to them.

The strange turn of events sent a chill down his spine. It was as though some invisible hand was manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

Suppressing his unease, Kyosuke looked at the group of terrified women and children before him and fell into thought.

Should I kill them or not?