The cold rain struck Uchiha Takeyasu's face, bringing him somewhat back to his senses. His scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan looked down on the land strewn with corpses.
Blood-red Chakra surged out of him with the brutality welling up from his heart. The churning air pressed down with a dull weight, squeezing the remains on the ground until sprays of blood burst from them.
Amid the clusters of blood, Uchiha Takeyasu noticed something and instinctively raised a hand to his forehead. His handsome face shifted beneath his fingers, and his low chuckle abruptly became a wild, unrestrained laugh.
"Heh heh heh. Hahaha. Hahahahahaha!"
"Sixteen years of life, and at last I've achieved my wish!"
"From this day on, I, Uchiha Takeyasu, have reached the pinnacle of the Ninja World!"
[System, give me points!]
Three-Tomoe Sharingan → Mangekyō Sharingan!
As the thought crossed his mind, Yin Release energy—cold, deep, and as elusive as the moon reflected in water—poured into Uchiha Takeyasu's mind like a waterfall plunging from the sky. Then, guided by some mysterious force, it flowed in orderly streams into his eyes.
In an instant, the Dojutsu Power of his Sharingan surged dramatically, even taking on tangible form as it swept outward like low-level Wind Release Ninjutsu!
As his Dojutsu Power climbed higher and higher, the three black tomoe in his blood-red eyes joined end to end, crossing into a complex, exquisite pattern that evoked a round heaven and a square earth.
The fluctuations of Yin Release energy gradually faded. As Uchiha Takeyasu looked at the world before him, everything seemed utterly different.
If he had to describe it, it was like paying to unlock VIP access: high definition had instantly become Blu-ray.
The drifting wind, falling rain, swaying leaves, flowing blood, shifting light and shadow—all appeared before his eyes, clear as individual frames in a picture, with nowhere to hide. They were reflected in his Mangekyō.
The dramatic boost to his perception was one thing. The Sharingan's ability to copy and cast illusions went without saying.
What truly moved Uchiha Takeyasu was the awakening of the ultimate violence hidden within the Sharingan bloodline, along with the birth of two Mangekyō Dojutsu.
On top of that, the severalfold increase in Chakra, the doubling of his physical strength, and the dramatic enhancement of his ninjutsu—all the transformations that came with an Elite Jonin advancing to Kage Level—were merely aftereffects of a Three-Tomoe Uchiha becoming a Mangekyō wielder.
"So this is Kage Level. This is a Mangekyō Uchiha, stronger than an ordinary Kage!"
Uchiha Takeyasu let out a soft breath. He glanced at the rippling space, and the Mangekyō in his eyes instantly reverted to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Then he calmly held out a hand.
"Lord Takeyasu, something terrible has happened!"
A faint, almost imperceptible ripple appeared in the air. A large orange cat with yellow-and-white fur leaped out of it. With its stubby legs and round belly, it wore a short black shirt emblazoned with the Uchiha Gunbai on its back. It looked exceptionally adorable.
The orange cat meowed a few times in midair, spread its limbs, and landed on Uchiha Takeyasu's hand. Its chubby face was solemn and anxious, and its white whiskers trembled nonstop.
"Tachibana, how many times have I told you? Don't panic when something happens. Let me pet you first."
Uchiha Takeyasu pulled the cat into his arms, stroking her silky fur as he lowered his head and took a deep breath of her scent. It helped soothe his excitement at the thought of punching the Raikage and kicking the Hokage.
Tachibana was the name Uchiha Takeyasu had given the orange cat. It had served as a full stop to his previous life.
Tachibana had been born into the Ninja Cat Clan, which had been on friendly terms with the Uchiha for generations. The clan was the Uchiha's foremost information broker and weapons dealer, and almost every Uchiha shinobi had a Ninja Cat as a companion.
These adorable little creatures, who understood human speech, often comforted the Uchiha's proud and solitary hearts.
In Uchiha Takeyasu's view, the cats deserved thirty percent of the credit for keeping the Uchiha Clan safe both within and beyond its borders.
Uchiha Takeyasu had only just become a Genin when he first set eyes on Tachibana, who had just learned to meow. He immediately chose her and signed a contract with her as his Summoning Beast. Before long, the First Shinobi World War broke out. It had now been going on for two years.
"Lord Takeyasu, your neck tickles. Don't sniff me there, meow~"
Tachibana squirmed in his arms. Under Uchiha Takeyasu's relentless petting and snuggling, she could only manage a few feeble meows.
"As expected of Tachibana. You really know how to make a man feel good."
Uchiha Takeyasu wore a satisfied smile as he carried the blissfully dazed Tachibana away from the pile of dead Kumogakure shinobi. He continued toward the battlefield where the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, Konoha and Kumogakure, were at war.
Besides, even a battle-loving, bloodthirsty Uchiha grew uncomfortable after spending too long surrounded by bloodshed.
They enjoyed the thrill of growing stronger through battle. They weren't psychopaths.
"Tachibana, wake up! We have business to take care of!"
Uchiha Takeyasu patted the cat on the head. Under Tachibana's disapproving look, he asked leisurely, "Is the war about to end?"
Uchiha Takeyasu only knew the general outline of the Naruto storyline.
At this point in time, useful information was scarce. And as time went on, as long as he stayed alive, the help he could get from knowing the story in advance would become even more negligible.
After all, he was a man with a cheat!
He didn't need to care about the story at all. Sooner or later, no one would be able to fight him.
There were only a handful of people who could challenge him now.
In short, he was invincible!
"Yes, Lord Takeyasu. The latest report from the front says that the Second, Senju Tobirama, and the Second Raikage are planning to make peace. They'll sign a peace treaty in the Land of Hot Water soon."
"They started the war, realized they couldn't win or afford to keep it going, and now they're planning to surrender. Just what you'd expect from a gang of bandits in the mountains!"
Uchiha Takeyasu scoffed at Kumogakure, then thought about his system and couldn't help feeling troubled. With no war, where would he find nature's bounty? There weren't many good people willing to give everything selflessly.
While petting the cat, he glanced at his system.
--Uchiha Takeyasu
Bloodline: Mangekyō Sharingan (Insight, Copying, Illusions, Susanoo...)
Skills: Ninjutsu (Great Fireball Technique, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique...); Taijutsu (Uchiha Style Kenjutsu/Taijutsu); Genjutsu (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death...)
Overall Combat Rating: Strong Kage (Combat rankings differ between worlds; current ranks: Genin, Chunin, Special Jonin, Jonin, Elite Jonin, Kage Level, Strong Kage, Super Kage, Six Paths)
Ascension Points: 0 (A sea of people, with one seat reserved)
"Let's see. It took 1,000 Ascension Points to evolve from Three-Tomoe to Mangekyō Sharingan. Evolving to Eternal Mangekyo... Hmm, 10,000 points. Even if I sacrificed the whole village of Kumogakure old pals, plus the entire Senju Clan and Konoha, I'd probably still be far short."
Leaving aside the Jonin hidden among the various clans, Konoha had only around two hundred officially registered Jonin. Kumogakure had perhaps a hundred and fifty. In the past two years, Uchiha Takeyasu had found ways to kill around twenty of them.
Some of his less-than-honorable methods had even enraged Kumogakure. Back then, Uchiha Takeyasu had only been at the Two-Tomoe level, and he'd nearly been cornered by a team led by five or six Jonin. Fortunately, there was a Konoha outpost nearby, and the Senju Jonin there were genuinely capable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have escaped.
That was when the war between the two villages had erupted in full!
Uchiha Takeyasu had always fought alone, like a burrowing creature, skirting the edges of battle. He only grew more at home on the battlefield, and his strength began to soar. Eventually, he was so powerful he could practically fly in their faces.
As for Chunin and Genin, there was no need to keep track of such nobodies. A single shuriken was enough to kill them.
"Thinking about it, I really have committed some serious sins. I'll probably go to hell when I die."
Tachibana had no idea what Uchiha Takeyasu was thinking. She watched him swing between joy and worry, and a Ninja Cat unfamiliar with his temperament would probably have been scared stiff by now.
The little cat sighed and waved a paw. "Lord Takeyasu, what are you planning to do next?"
"Of course I'm sending them to hell."
To avoid being sent to hell himself, Uchiha Takeyasu decided he'd send them there first. He grinned.
"For peace in the Ninja World, for Konoha's security, for the future of my clan—my Sharingan is already itching for blood!"
Senju Tobirama, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Kagami Uchiha...
Not one of them would get away!
They'd all die!
No one could save them!
What could they expect? I'm a Rogue Ninja!
Kekekekekeke!
Before you continue