The Fourteen Great Clans of the Land of Fire

The string of unexpected events left Blood Ninja utterly dumbfounded. He had no idea what was going on. Hadn't that Uchiha child been trying to save someone? Why had he killed him instead? How was that any different from Blood Ninja killing him himself? Could the two of them have had a grudge?

"Do you two have a grudge?" Blood Ninja couldn't figure it out, so he simply asked.

"No grudge." Shin answered promptly.

"Then why did you kill him?" Blood Ninja asked, confused.

"Not only am I going to kill him, I'm going to kill you too!" Shin replied.

Blood Ninja froze, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha! A Special Jonin actually has the nerve to say he's going to kill me. That's hilarious."

Shin ignored him. He simply held his Kunai, the Three Tomoe in his eyes fixed coldly on Blood Ninja as he stood there without a word.

Blood Ninja laughed twice, then couldn't laugh anymore. He'd noticed the killing intent in Shin's eyes—the kind that came from someone who had truly killed before. This kid... really wanted to kill him.

Blood Ninja studied Shin carefully. The child wore a black Uchiha robe and carried a long sword in his arms. He looked about five years old, yet had a composed air that was nothing like a child's. The Three Tomoe in his eyes glowed an eerie blood-red, and he was indeed a Special Jonin. Blood Ninja sneered. "I've long heard that the Uchiha Clan are arrogant and look down on everyone. Seeing one of you today, I can tell it's true. For a five-year-old, becoming a Special Jonin at your age is an incredible feat, but you're so conceited you've come after me. You're practically asking to die. That Chiba kid was from one of the Fourteen Great Clans of the Land of Fire. Even if his clan wasn't as powerful as the Uchiha Clan, it was still a first-rate clan, and he still died by my hand. You're asking for it, kid, so don't blame me."

If Shin had been a Jonin, Blood Ninja wouldn't have even considered fighting him. He would have run for his life. He still clearly remembered how badly a Jonin of the Senju Clan had beaten him the last time they met. Though he'd eventually won, luck had played a major part. The Uchiha Clan stood alongside the Senju, and the Sharingan's fame had spread throughout the Warring States Period. At the same rank, the idea that you could turn and flee in a one-on-one fight wasn't just empty talk.

"The Fourteen Great Clans of the Land of Fire?" Shin raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. It was the first time he'd heard of such a thing. No one in his clan had ever mentioned it before.

Blood Ninja sneered at his reaction. "So you're a clan novice too. At your age, this is probably your first mission. Too bad you're about to die. Fine, I'll explain it to you, so you won't die quite so ignorant."

Blood Ninja wasn't kindly giving Shin a lesson. He was only trying to stall for time and recover his chakra. Chiba Tengfei was no pushover. They'd fought for a long time, and Blood Ninja had used quite a few A-rank and higher jutsu, burning through more than half his chakra. He was confident he could take down a Special Jonin, but years on the battlefield had taught him to be cautious. If he had a chance to recover, he took it. In the Warring States Period, it wasn't unusual for someone to get caught off guard and lose everything.

"Kid, I'll tell you. The so-called Fourteen Great Clans of the Land of Fire are its fourteen strongest powers: two houses, three clans, four families, and five secret arts clans.

"The Uchiha and Senju are the strongest clans of the Warring States Period. No one else can compare to them. They're the two houses, the strongest of the fourteen. The three clans are the Hyuga Clan, the Kaguya Clan, and the Onmyo Clan, all just below the two houses. The four families are the Uzumaki Clan, the Sarutobi Clan, the Fuma Clan, and the Chiba Clan. Finally, the five secret arts clans are the five clans renowned throughout the Warring States Period for their secret techniques: the Aburame Clan, the Inuzuka Clan, the Akimichi Clan, the Nara Clan, and the Yamanaka Clan. Together, they're called the Fourteen Great Clans of the Land of Fire."

Shin silently recited the names of the fourteen clans. He hadn't heard of the Onmyo, Fuma, or Chiba Clans in the original story, and the Kaguya Clan was a separate matter. The other ten had all gone on to help establish Konoha. Now he understood why no one in his clan had ever mentioned the so-called Fourteen Great Clans. Given the Uchiha's attitude, how could they acknowledge any such grouping? In their eyes, there was only one clan in the entire Warring States Period: the Uchiha Clan.

Maybe they'd accept the Senju too.

But there was absolutely no third clan.

"Earth Release: Earth Stone Explosion! You're still too green, kid. Die!" Seeing Shin lost in thought, Blood Ninja seized his chance and attacked without warning. He slammed both hands to the ground. The earth split open, and a jagged black fissure, twisting like lightning, raced toward Shin.

Then—

A deafening boom erupted.

Tiny stones shot in every direction like shuriken, covering a radius of more than thirty meters. The buildings on both sides were riddled with holes. Ordinary people inside had no time to take cover. Some unlucky ones were pierced like sieves and collapsed to the ground in terror, their eyes staring lifelessly.

At the blast site, a two-meter-long, one-meter-deep crater had formed. Not a trace of a body remained.

"Hahahaha! A mere Special Jonin thought he could come after me? Remember in your next life: you can't just pick a fight with anyone! The Uchiha Clan—bah!"

Blood Ninja hadn't felt this triumphant in a long time. He'd killed two disciples of great clans in a row without suffering so much as a scratch. Once he escaped to the Land of Earth and joined a new clan, this would be a powerful asset. The only pity was that the Uchiha kid had been torn to pieces by the explosion. Those Sharingan eyes were valuable; he could have gained so much if he'd taken them. But he wasn't greedy. If he couldn't get them, so be it. Taking them might bring the Uchiha down on him with an endless pursuit, and even a clan in the Land of Earth might not be able to protect him.

Just as he was about to gather some provisions and leave, a glint suddenly grew before his eyes. Alarmed, he instinctively dodged to the side, evading the glint. It was a Kunai.

"What's going on? Have more pursuers shown up?" Blood Ninja's heart sank. He spun around and saw Shin standing where the crowd had first gathered. He hadn't sensed him at all.

"What are you looking at?"

A voice suddenly sounded beside his ear. A flash of cold light appeared.

"How is this possible!" Blood Ninja's eyes contracted sharply. The child had been far away a moment ago. How had he suddenly appeared before him, swinging a sword?

His years of combat experience saved him. Before his mind could react, his body moved on instinct. He raised his right hand to meet the blade with his Kunai, then pushed off with his feet and swiftly activated the Body Flicker Technique.

But he'd been forced to defend in a panic. Though he'd managed to deflect the sword, he hadn't completely blocked it. When he flickered behind Shin, his forehead stung. He touched it and saw his hand covered in blood. A cut had opened across his forehead.

When he looked again, the child was still standing in the same place as before, as if he'd never moved at all. An inexplicable fear welled up inside him. He'd never encountered anything so eerie.