The sturdy cedar table was split in two with a single blow. A middle-aged man in a long robe glared furiously at everyone present. His already pure-white eyes blazed with unrestrained rage, and the veins at their corners bulged.
"Which of you can give me an explanation?" the middle-aged man demanded, his voice thick with anger.
This was the great hall deep within the Hyuga Clan Compound. The speaker was the current clan head, Hyuga Tenin, and also the strongest member of the Hyuga Clan.
Eight people sat below him, their ages varying widely. The oldest was deeply wrinkled and likely over sixty, while the youngest looked to be only in his twenties. They were the strongest people in the Hyuga Clan beneath the clan head, and all were Peak Jonin.
Yet not one of the eight dared speak. They only lowered their heads in silence. Only the oldest man held a cup of tea, sipping it slowly as if nothing happening in the hall concerned him.
"One Jonin, two Special Jonin, and ten Chunin were wiped out by a group of Uchiha Clan children. Heh. If word gets out, will the Hyuga Clan still have the face to stand before the other clans? Will we still be able to hold our heads high in front of the Senju Clan?"
Hyuga Tenin roared. When no one below answered, his anger gradually subsided, and he sat back down. He reached for the tea in front of him to moisten his throat, only to find that he had already smashed the table in two with a single slap. The tea had spilled all over the floor, making him even more annoyed.
Seeing that the clan head had calmed down, the people below quietly breathed a sigh of relief. One of them said, "Clan Head, we miscalculated this time. We didn't expect this generation of the Uchiha Clan to produce two such monstrous talents. Please give us another chance."
Hyuga Tenin gritted his teeth. "Give you another chance? Would the Uchiha Clan give us one? This time, we've thoroughly antagonized them. With their temperament, they'll surely retaliate furiously. What will our Hyuga Clan use to hold them off?"
The oldest man, seated at the front, gave a cough. "Please calm down, Clan Head. What's done is done. There's no point in damaging your health over it. The Uchiha Clan may be powerful, but our Hyuga Clan isn't some weak clan that can be pushed around. The best course of action now is to ask the Senju Clan for help. The Uchiha Clan has been pushed back on the main battlefield, while the Senju Clan's morale is high. With them holding the Uchiha Clan in check, the Uchiha won't have much strength left to target us."
Hyuga Tenin sighed. "It's the only thing we can do now. But that means bowing our heads to the Senju. Sigh..."
After a moment of silence, he said angrily, "Forget everything else. Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Shin must die. Which of you will handle it?"
The eight people below looked at one another but said nothing. Madara and Shin were no cause for concern; they were confident they could kill them easily. But the two were currently inside the Uchiha Clan Compound, and the Uchiha Clan's strongest fighters had only just returned from the battlefield. Going there now would be suicide.
Seeing that his subordinates had fallen silent again, Hyuga Tenin grew angry once more. He was just about to speak when a calm young girl's voice came from the rear hall. "Father, why not leave this to me? I'm quite interested in the other clans' geniuses, too!"
A girl dressed in white stepped out from the back. She radiated a spirited air, and her smiling face was as beautiful as a blooming white lotus.
Hyuga Tamamo, the princess of the Hyuga Clan, was eight years old.
Hyuga Tenin was startled to see his daughter appear. He thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. He had faith in his daughter's abilities.
"Good. I'll leave this matter to you, Tamamo. I'll assign three Elite Jonin from the clan to you. And don't go to the Uchiha Clan Compound; it's too dangerous. Wait for a chance to ambush them while they're out on a mission. It won't hurt to wait a few years."
Hyuga Tamamo smiled and nodded.
The other eight people looked at one another. So they didn't have to sneak into the Uchiha Clan Compound to assassinate them. If they'd known that, they would have accepted the assignment. Now they had probably left the clan head with the impression that they were cowards, and they couldn't help regretting it.
Time flew by, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.
The Uchiha Clan Compound.
A child of about five stood on the surface of a vast lake, Three Tomoe clearly visible in his eyes. He held a Kunai in his right hand, and on closer inspection, the blade was inscribed with a series of tadpole-like markings.
Suddenly, the child threw the Kunai forward with a whoosh. Then he formed Hand Seals in an instant, completing the jutsu in less than a second.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" A massive fireball raced after the Kunai.
The child's expression was solemn. His Sharingan fixed intently on the fireball, as though he were preparing for something. In a blur, he suddenly vanished—not by moving at high speed with the Body Flicker Technique or anything of the sort, but by truly disappearing without leaving a trace.
"Rasengan!"
With a loud shout, the child appeared beside the Kunai flying through the air. A sphere of chakra had formed in his hand, and he slammed it straight into the fireball. The massive blaze was instantly shattered, scattering into countless tiny sparks that fell into the lake and went out with a series of hisses.
Uchiha Shin let out a soft breath. The Three Tomoe in his eyes gradually faded, returning to their ordinary color. He tucked the specially made Kunai into his ninja pouch and smiled with satisfaction.
"I've been healed for a week now, and I can finally use the Flying Thunder God Technique proficiently!"
After muttering to himself, Shin returned to shore and exercised for a while longer, silently assessing his current strength.
My main means of attack are still C-rank Fire Style techniques. I only know two B-rank ninjutsu—both Fire Style—and one genjutsu. With my age and chakra limitations, my actual strength is about that of a Special Jonin. With the Sharingan, I'm probably considerably stronger than a Special Jonin, but I still haven't reached Jonin level.
But now that I've learned the Rasengan and have the Flying Thunder God Technique, I might even be able to kill a Jonin instantly if they don't know what I can do. And once I kill a few more Jonin, I'll have enough points to exchange for some powerful ninjutsu...
At the thought, Shin's excitement surged. A strong urge suddenly welled up in him to return to the clan and take on a mission. Now that he had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, as long as he didn't go looking for death, there weren't many people in the Warring States Period who could threaten him.
As long as I kill enough shinobi from other clans and save up enough points, things like Sage Mode, Mangekyo, Eternal Mangekyo, the Rinnegan, and a Sage Body will all be mine.
Just as he was lost in his fantasies, a girl called out to him. "Lord Shin! Lord Shin...!"
Shin looked up and saw Chiyo Hotaru running toward him. She stopped in front of him, slightly out of breath, and said, "Lord Shin, the clan head has called a Clan Meeting. He wants you to attend."
"Me?" Their generation wasn't supposed to attend Clan Meetings yet. After thinking it over, he asked, "Is Madara going?"
"Young Master Madara is already there."
"Is that so? Then let's go!" Shin smiled, pinched Xiaoying's cheeks, reddened from running, and headed toward the clan compound.
Chiyo Hotaru touched her cheek, a blush rising on her face, then hurried after him.
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