Spend Two and a Half Years Training...

The Legion's base, the commander's tent.

"I'm sorry, Lord Rei." Kyosuke knew the importance of keeping a low profile.

Now that the Clan Head had begun openly and covertly suppressing him, he needed to find himself some powerful backing.

Uchiha Rei was the best choice.

The man Kyosuke had killed in public was his offering of loyalty.

Otherwise, the unfortunate man hadn't deserved to die. He'd simply failed to read the situation and jumped out to make trouble. He had no one to blame but himself.

"Hahahaha!" Ignoring the fact that Kyosuke had killed a man in front of everyone, Uchiha Rei warmly took him by the arm and led him to a seat nearby.

The Legion Commander was clearly very pleased with Kyosuke's offering of loyalty.

"My little hero, you're finally back." He tried to catch Kyosuke's eye, then said with an amused smile, "I wasn't wrong, was I? The Clan Head isn't exactly a magnanimous man."

Kyosuke nodded and replied modestly, "I have you to thank for pointing that out, sir."

After they discussed the situation within the clan for a while, the Legion Commander finally broached the subject tentatively. "Would you like me to assign you some men?"

"No, thank you." Kyosuke shook his head. "You can't force a melon to be sweet. I'll prove everything through my actions."

"Good. You truly are the future pillar of our clan." Uchiha Rei sounded approving, though inwardly he couldn't help but smile.

Still so young and inexperienced. The Legion Commander sighed, but after a moment's thought, he didn't refuse.

In truth, he was also worried Kyosuke wouldn't be able to keep things under control. If anything went badly wrong, he'd be the one left to clean up the mess.

"Spend two and a half years training first." Uchiha Rei settled the matter of Kyosuke's assignment.

With his order, putting together a unit for Kyosuke wouldn't have been difficult.

The fact that the boy hadn't even realized that showed he still had room to grow.

As for Kyosuke's claim that he'd prove himself through his actions, Rei wasn't entirely convinced. On the battlefield, an individual's strength was insignificant.

Even someone at Clan Leader Level couldn't face even the smallest Legion-level Ninjutsu head-on.

"Here's what we'll do." Considering Kyosuke's unusual situation, Uchiha Rei gave him permission to act independently. "Handle the missions as you see fit, but your safety comes first. I don't want to lose you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

With talent like his, the boy was bound to grow into a powerful ally.

Uchiha Rei would rather support Kyosuke for a few years without getting anything in return than send him to risk his life on the front lines.

Unfortunately, his wish was never going to come true.

Why had Kyosuke turned down more men?

The reason was simple: he was afraid his subordinates would steal his kills.

A large squad meant facing far more dangerous situations.

Not only would it be harder to rack up points, but he'd also have to deal with the awkwardness of other people stealing his kills.

After all, not everyone would ignore the benefits that came with merit.

Rather than deal with that, it was better to fight as a three-man team.

That way, he could reduce the attention his reputation as a genius attracted while quietly biding his time, waiting for the day he emerged from his cocoon as a butterfly.

Once he was strong enough, others wouldn't get to decide what he did.

Back at the camp area assigned to them, Kyosuke quickly gathered his things and headed to the war mission assignment office.

For now, the Three Clans' failed plan had kept them from making any major moves.

The situation was relatively stable, with conflicts limited to a small scale.

That suited his plans perfectly.

Showing the Legion Commander's order, Kyosuke ignored the rules for accepting missions and began browsing the thick stack of war contracts.

[Mission: Infiltrate the Yamanaka clan's territory and investigate the enemy's strategic deployment. Difficulty: S-rank.]

"Damn, that's just asking to get killed. No way."

[Mission: Kidnap Akimichi Moemeng. Difficulty: S-rank.]

"She's Akimichi Mitsuki's daughter. So I'd still have to go deep behind enemy lines. This is ridiculous."

[Mission: Ambush a supply convoy. Difficulty: B-rank.]

"Oh, this one looks pretty good."

Taking the mission sheet, Kyosuke read through the details carefully.

According to intelligence from their spies, the Three Clans were still relocating their people.

Having learned from their previous mistake, they'd taken great care to protect their information this time. There was no way to find out the exact routes they were using.

With no other option, the Legion had set its sights on their supplies.

No matter where the clans sent their people, they'd still need food and other necessities. Perhaps the supply routes would reveal something.

"Ninja can transport supplies conveniently by sealing them in scrolls."

"That means the teams won't be very large. They'll probably be made up of elite escorts."

Elite ninja were an important strategic resource. They wouldn't be assigned to something as simple as escort duty.

If anything went wrong, no amount of supplies could make up for the losses.

So the likely opposition Kyosuke and the others would face was a Chunin-level escort team made up of members of the Three Clans.

That was just what he needed for hunting.

Points: 4124.

By now, Kyosuke had already invested plenty in Taijutsu.

Sharingan + Body Flicker Technique + Uchiha Style Swordsmanship were enough to deal with most Chunin.

Now he needed to gradually shift his focus toward stronger enemies.

During this period, he would start saving points to exchange for high-level Ninjutsu that could take down an Elite Ninja.

The Shisui Style Body Flicker Technique had led many people to credit him with the title of Ninjutsu genius as well.

In truth, Kyosuke had no idea how to create something like that.

Even if he remembered certain Hand Seal sequences, he couldn't recreate a Ninjutsu without understanding the corresponding Chakra flow.

For now, his only option was to exchange points for it.

When he had more free time, he might exchange points for some Ninjutsu knowledge. For the moment, he would focus all his energy on fighting.

Putting away the mission sheet, Kyosuke returned to the camp area and informed his two subordinates, who were resting.

"Get ready. We leave in ten minutes." Then he headed to the supply area, planning to use his Unit Captain title to get his hands on some useful gear.

Inside the tent, the two subordinates exchanged glances, each turning over different thoughts.

Uchiha Izumi: Lord Kyosuke really is the future pillar of the clan. His determination is something I should learn from.

Uchiha Maya: Doesn't he ever rest? No wonder the Young Clan Head thinks so highly of him.

At first, both had been somewhat dissatisfied with Uchiha Madara's orders.

They thought their talents meant they should be fighting on the main battlefield.

After spending some time with him, especially after seeing him kill a man to establish his authority at camp, they gradually realized that the boy before them was a true genius, with a capacity for leadership equal to the Young Clan Head's.

Following him might let them carve out a bright future.

Ten minutes later

The three met again at the camp entrance.

After dividing up the ninja tools and supplies they'd obtained, the squad followed the intelligence reports and set off for a spot along the supply convoy's route.

At the request of our many readers, we're now offering ad-free access to VIP members.

Click to view