After dinner, the thoughtful little maid hurriedly cleared away the dishes and tidied the bed. She was practically the perfect, caring little wife.
Before long, once she had finished making the bed, the little maid blushed and said softly, "My lord, I'll get the bath ready and help you wash up and rest!"
Shin's room wasn't very large, but it had everything he needed: a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom.
Chiyo Hotaru went back and forth, carrying pot after pot of boiling water and pouring it into the tub. She was so busy that beads of sweat appeared on her rosy face.
Shin didn't help. He knew that if he did, the little maid would refuse with a serious expression, saying it was her job. If he ignored her and insisted on helping, she wouldn't say anything to his face, but she might secretly wipe away her tears later. She would feel useless, as if she couldn't even handle a small task.
He'd realized this after catching her crying in secret once.
"My lord, the bath is ready!"
The little maid hurried over and gazed at him with watery eyes.
Shin smiled faintly, walked over to the tub, took off his clothes, and climbed in. Before long, the little maid joined him.
"M-Mr. Shin, I... I'll scrub your back!" the little maid stammered shyly.
"Down with the wicked ruling class!" Shin indulged in the little maid's ministrations with a clear conscience, even as his mind wandered. Gradually, he began to feel drowsy.
After his bath, Shin put on a robe, got up, and slipped beneath the covers the little maid had already made. He lay down and closed his eyes contentedly.
The next morning, Shin opened his eyes right on time. It was a habit he'd picked up after arriving in this world: no matter how late he went to bed, he always got up at the same hour.
"Ah, Lord Shin, you're awake. Breakfast will be ready soon," the little maid called from the kitchen.
Shin shook his head with a wry smile. Ever since the first day after he'd recovered from his injuries, when he'd gotten up before the little maid, he hadn't managed to beat her out of bed again.
After a casual breakfast, he told her at the table, "My uncle gave me a mission yesterday. I'll be gone for a few days. Stay home and don't go wandering around."
"Then how many days will it be before you come back, Lord Shin?"
Shin thought it over. A few bandits shouldn't take him long. "I'll be back within seven days at most."
After reassuring the little maid, he checked his supply of shuriken and Kunai, then left the Uchiha Clan compound. On his way down, he ran into some Uchiha his age training in the morning. They hurried over to greet him, their eyes shining with admiration.
Ever since that night, Madara and Shin had become the most admired figures among the new generation. The young Uchiha saw them as idols and role models.
After dealing with a few children who admired him, Shin leaped onto a distant branch and raced through the trees.
The Uchiha Clan's territory lay in the western part of the Land of Fire. Of course, this vast stretch of land wasn't called the Land of Fire yet. Countless Feudal Lords and generals were currently leading their armies in battle, and whenever they encountered something they couldn't handle, they hired ninja.
In short, it wasn't just the Land of Fire that was in turmoil. Other countries were, too. The entire world was in chaos, with ninja killing one another and ordinary people waging wars as well.
Fujiwara Mine lay to the north of the Uchiha Clan's territory, several hundred miles away. For a ninja, that wasn't very far.
As he raced through the trees, Shin took out a Kunai covered in formulae and studied it carefully. This was the formula for his custom Flying Thunder God Technique. Only after exchanging for the technique had he realized how shallow his understanding of it had been.
The Flying Thunder God Technique had three levels.
The first level involved using specially made Kunai to break through the constraints of space and appear beside one instantly, allowing the user to teleport without warning. However, the Kunai had a limited range. At present, Shin could teleport to a Kunai within ten miles; beyond that, he couldn't sense it.
The second level meant no longer being limited to prepared formulae. The user could inscribe a formula on an opponent in the middle of a fight. Only at this level could the Flying Thunder God Technique transport other people as well. It could also be used defensively: by forming a barrier with the formulae, the user could transfer attacks launched within its range elsewhere with the Flying Thunder God Transfer. Minato Namikaze and Senju Tobirama had both used this in the original story.
In the original story, only Minato Namikaze had reached the third level. By combining Shadow Clones with the Flying Thunder God Technique, he could strike his opponent with impossible attacks in rapid succession. In an instant, the entire space would be covered in his formulae, leaving his enemy's life and death in his hands.
Unfortunately, Shin was still only at the first level. Still, he was content. After all, he was only five, and he had the system. Give him a few more years to accumulate enough points, and he would surely stand at the pinnacle of the entire Ninja World.
Traveling at top speed, he reached the outskirts of Fujiwara Mine shortly before sunset.
After a moment's thought, he decided to visit the Uchiha ninja stationed at the mine first. He wasn't familiar with the situation here.
Fujiwara Mine wasn't far from the clan's territory, so if anything happened, the clan's Jonin could arrive within a day. As a result, the clan hadn't assigned many ninja to guard the mine: just one Chunin and five Genin. The Chunin was named Uchiha Tadashi.
When Shin met Uchiha Tadashi, the man was frowning with worry. He stared in surprise when Shin introduced himself as the ninja sent by the clan. He couldn't understand what the clan was thinking. He'd said they needed at least a Special Jonin, so why had they sent a child?
There were so few ninja stationed here that no one had come to tell them about Madara and Shin's battle record that day. Naturally, they didn't recognize Shin.
Uchiha Tadashi didn't show his doubts, though. He remained welcoming, invited Shin over, and carefully explained the situation.
The moment Shin entered Fujiwara Mine, in a so-called bandit hideout some distance away, a ninja reported to an eight-year-old girl, "Princess, Uchiha Shin has arrived at Fujiwara Mine."
The girl smiled softly, confidence in her expression. "After all that effort, I've finally drawn him out. Let's see just how capable this so-called Uchiha Clan genius really is."
Before you continue