The Chaotic Warring States

Uchiha Clan compound.

Uchiha Shin walked into the courtyard of the clan head, Uchiha Tajima, with his hands behind his back, carrying himself with the composure of an adult.

The moment he stepped into the yard, his eyes flickered. His body instinctively darted to the left, narrowly dodging a fist that grazed past him.

Following up instantly, he sidestepped behind the attacker, grabbed the opponent's arms, and twisted them behind the other's back, pinning them in a position where they were completely unable to move.

"Wah... wah... wah... it hurts, it hurts! Let go, Gen!"

"As expected!" Gen curled his lip. Aside from Uchiha Izuna, there wasn't a second person who would dare ambush him in front of the clan head's door.

After a moment's thought, Gen didn't let go. Instead, he grabbed the back of the boy's collar and hoisted him up. Izuna shrieked in alarm, "Hey, what are you doing? Let me go! If my big brother finds out, he won't let you off!"

Gen didn't care. He carried him straight to a spring in the courtyard and, to Izuna's horrified expression, tossed him in with a splash.

"Wah... help... glug... I can't swim... glug!" Izuna shouted for help, but Gen ignored him and turned to leave.

The spring wasn't deep, just enough to submerge Izuna's head. He wasn't worried about Izuna drowning; there were plenty of guard ninjas within the Uchiha compound who would fish him out before long.

When Gen reached the outside of Uchiha Tajima's room, he subconsciously glanced inside. Through the crack in the door, he saw his uncle discussing something with two elders, pointing at a map spread across the table.

Withdrawing his gaze, he headed toward his own room without stopping. As a major power in the ninja world, the Uchiha clan was fighting on three fronts, and based on the rumors Gen had overheard, the situation was likely grim.

However, no matter how cruel things became, children under ten were generally not sent to the battlefield. Even in dire situations, the limit was usually around eight years old. At his age, it wouldn't be his turn for a long time.

After entering his room, Gen sat quietly on the edge of his bed and pulled up the system, scrolling through the exchange list one item at a time.

Beyond the initial Rinnegan, Sage Body, and Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, there were also Mangekyō Sharingan for 100,000 points, Three-Tomoe for 10,000 points, and everything else from Kekkei Tōta and Wood Release to various secret ninja techniques. It was all-encompassing; if it had appeared in Naruto, it was here.

Unfortunately, no matter how much Gen drooled over these items, he was a pauper and could only look on helplessly.

"Hey, system, besides waiting for you to issue missions, is there any other way to earn points?"

"In addition to missions, you can earn points by submitting ninjutsu or ninja tools. The value is one-fifth of the exchange price."

"...Black-hearted system!"

He thought about the ninjutsu he currently knew: "I have the Fireball Jutsu here. I'll give it to you for 100 points." A C-rank ninjutsu cost 500 points to exchange, so one-fifth was exactly 100.

He had already learned the technique anyway, so this was a perfect way to recycle waste. He had already decided that any ninjutsu he learned in the future would be dumped onto this black-hearted system; even a mosquito's leg was still meat.

"This system does not accept recycled ninjutsu already learned by the host!"

A day passed quickly. The next day, Uchiha Tajima departed with a large number of Uchiha clansmen. It was said that the war on the front lines against the Senju clan had reached a fever pitch, with both sides pouring in their entire reserves.

Three months later, Uchiha Tajima returned, covered in blood. Gen didn't know the outcome of the war, but judging by Tajima's grim expression, it was likely not optimistic.

It wasn't until two days later that Gen heard the Senju clan had somehow persuaded the Hyuga clan to join them, setting up an ambush. Uchiha Tajima had fought his way out of the encirclement, and he also heard that two of the three elders had sacrificed themselves to cover his retreat.

"Things have become serious!" This was Gen's first reaction upon hearing the news.

According to Uchiha tradition, there were three elders beneath the clan head, all highly respected figures. Losing two of them was the greatest blow the Uchiha had suffered in fifty years. Furthermore, looking at the Senju clan's posture, they had no intention of stopping. If things went poorly, it could lead to an all-out war between the two clans.

Regarding all this, Uchiha Shin could only watch coldly, quietly observing how everything unfolded.

As expected, after Uchiha Tajima returned, he issued the highest-level mobilization order. All Uchiha clansmen currently away were to abandon their missions regardless of the reason and return to the compound immediately.

For a time, the entire Uchiha settlement was filled with a heavy atmosphere, with ninjas arriving from all over every day. This was the first time Uchiha Shin had witnessed the strength of a full mobilization of one of the two great clans of the Warring States period.

When over a thousand Uchiha clansmen appeared on the training grounds together, the shock was indescribable. A thousand clansmen with Sharingan eyes—even if half of them were only single-tomoe—were enough to make any enemy tremble.

"Not long ago, the elite of our clan were ambushed by the cunning Senju and Hyuga clans, suffering heavy casualties. Two of our elders have fallen."

"This humiliation is something the Uchiha clan has not experienced in fifty years. Blood debts must be paid in blood. We are the Uchiha, the greatest clan in the ninja world. We cannot swallow this insult. We will make the enemy understand what a foolish mistake it is to offend the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Tajima gave a passionate speech on the platform, conducting the final mobilization before the war. Uchiha Shin and five other children crouched on a distant wall, watching this rare and grand spectacle.

"I really want to grow up fast so I can join them on the battlefield and show off my prowess."

Gen turned to look at the speaker, Uchiha Fei, who was only half a month younger than him. He curled his lip and ignored him. Young, ignorant children always thought the battlefield was a place to display a man's mettle, never considering the cruelty of war. Such people were usually the first to die.

Unlike these children who didn't yet understand the cruelty of war, six-year-old Uchiha Madara looked at the sea of clansmen on the training ground with deep concern in his eyes.

"What are you worried about, Madara?" Seeing the worry in Madara's eyes, Gen couldn't help but ask. He was curious about what was going through the mind of Uchiha Madara at this age.

Uchiha Madara replied with dissatisfaction, "You should call me big brother."

He was very unhappy with Gen's habit of calling him by his name. Every time Izuna came to him crying, he would stand up for him, and a large part of the reason was Gen's lack of respect.

Gen shrugged indifferently. Are you kidding? Making him call a six-year-old brat "big brother" was worse than killing him, even if that brat was the future pinnacle of the ninja world, Uchiha Madara.

Madara didn't press the issue; it wasn't the first time, after all.

"I'm worried. The Senju clan is as famous as ours and possesses great strength; they are not an easy opponent to defeat. With the addition of the Hyuga clan, I fear this war will be a long and drawn-out one. I don't know how many more clansmen will die. Sigh!"