Rewards and Interrogation

The two strongest of the new generation of the Uchiha clan were brawling in the room with zero grace, resorting to every dirty trick in the book just like common street thugs.

It was hard to say how long they had been at it, but eventually, both ran out of steam. With two dull thuds, they collapsed onto the wooden floor, faces bruised and swollen, gasping for air.

Uchiha Madara touched his nose, a sharp, stinging pain mixed with an indescribable, strange sensation, causing tears to well up uncontrollably.

"My nose is broken!" Because of the break, his voice sounded bizarre.

Shin hummed triumphantly, convinced he had won—at least his nose wasn't broken, even if his left eye had been punched so hard it was swollen shut.

"You deserved it!" Shin retorted.

Uchiha Madara didn't take the bait, sighing instead: "But seriously, you're a monster. One never-before-seen jutsu after another—like that one that turns you into a crow, or that chakra ball. Especially that jutsu from yesterday that lets you jump through space; that was incredible. If I were in your shoes yesterday, I doubt I would've lasted three seconds. Oh, almost forgot, Father wants you to come to his room. There's a clan meeting later, and I have to go too."

Uchiha Madara spoke calmly, but his words made Shin frown; there was a deeper meaning behind them.

Suddenly, Shin connected the dots and began to understand why the clan had chosen to use him as bait. Given the Uchiha's strength, there were plenty of ways to surround the enemy without making a sound.

Perhaps the method was effective, but there was another point: the clan was testing him. They didn't trust him—or at least, not entirely.

As for the reason for their distrust, it likely had to do with these jutsu. It made sense; anyone would be suspicious if someone suddenly started using techniques that weren't even recorded in the clan archives. Even if you claimed to have invented them, you were far too young. Did you really think everyone was an idiot? Did you think you were the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths?

Shin sat up, propping his chin on his hand in thought, and asked: "What about Hyuga Tamamo and the others? Did you finish them off yesterday? Was that shadow-level powerhouse Hyuga Tenin?"

Madara sat up as well, looking puzzled: "Shadow-level?" He paused for a moment before realizing Shin meant a clan-head-level powerhouse, then shrugged: "No, it was another old fossil from the Hyuga clan. On the surface, the Hyuga only have two such powerhouses: their clan head, Hyuga Tenin, and their Great Elder, Hyuga Shinshu. As for Hyuga Tamamo, she was rescued, but one of the three elite jonin died, another lost an arm, and the last one was severely wounded. Even that old fossil Hyuga Shinshu was forced to cough up blood by Father, though I don't know how bad his injuries are."

Shin digested this information, analyzing it point by point. The amount of intel was significant. Hyuga Shinshu definitely hadn't arrived just last night; he had likely been lurking in the shadows. And his uncle's quick reaction yesterday suggested he hadn't been completely in the dark either.

These great clans of the ninja world really shouldn't be underestimated. He sighed inwardly, sweeping away his gloom and wearing a smile; this was exactly what made things interesting.

Uchiha Madara stood up and used chakra to repair the injuries on his face. Since they had fought with fists and feet, the damage looked frightening but was mostly superficial, easily healed with chakra without leaving a trace.

"Hurry up and go, don't keep Father waiting. I have to head to the clan meeting soon too."

Shin stood up as well, using chakra to disperse the blood stasis around his eye, and muttered: "Got it."

With that, he walked out of the room toward Uchiha Tajima's quarters, thinking about how to explain the jutsu he knew.

To establish a firm foothold in the Warring States period, various resources were indispensable: land, food, population, ninjas, wealth, and so on. But none of these compared to the two most important resources; only by possessing these could one become a top-tier clan.

The next generation and knowledge. The next generation goes without saying—only with enough descendants could a clan flourish and endure.

Knowledge is harder to define, but for a ninja clan, knowledge is ninjutsu.

Therefore, every clan guarded their ninjutsu with extreme jealousy, rarely passing them on outside their direct bloodline, especially the high-level ones.

Yet Shin was only five years old, and in his last fight against the Hyuga jonin, he had revealed the Crow Clone and the Rasengan—techniques never seen before. No wonder the clan was suspicious.

He could insist that these two were the result of his own genius, but how could he explain the Flying Thunder God he displayed yesterday?

Claim it was self-invented too? Don't be ridiculous; even Shin didn't believe that excuse.

Lost in these thoughts, he arrived outside Uchiha Tajima's door before he realized it.

He pushed the messy thoughts to the back of his mind, opened the door, and stepped inside. Seeing Uchiha Tajima kneeling at his desk, he quickly performed the proper etiquette for greeting an elder and said respectfully: "Uncle!"

Uchiha Tajima was always stern, and he gave a single nod: "Sit."

Shin knelt down, feeling extremely uncomfortable; he dared not be too presumptuous in front of this rigid clan head.

Uchiha Tajima pulled a bag and a long sword from under the table, placing them on the desk: "You did well this time. This is your mission reward."

Shin opened the bag and glanced inside; it was filled with silver coins, the common currency of the Warring States period. He didn't count them, simply tucking them into his robes before picking up the sword.

He drew it slightly, and a cold light flashed, commanding respect. The blade was about three layers thick, thin and light—a rare, fine weapon.

"This sword is called Heaven Cloud. It is a replica of the legendary divine tool, the Kusanagi Sword. Though it is only a replica, it is still a rare, sharp weapon. I noticed you always use kunai and lack a proper weapon, so consider this a reward."

Shin put it away: "Many thanks."

Uchiha Tajima poured two cups of tea and pushed one toward Shin: "I have heard of your performance last night. It is a joyous occasion for all that our Uchiha clan has produced a genius like you. However, you must eventually give an account of where you learned those strange jutsu. As far as I know, you haven't left the clan grounds in all these years, so there's no question of any fortuitous encounters."

Here it comes. Shin gently picked up the tea cup to hide his expression, his mind racing for a rebuttal.