The Bloodline User's Stance

"Pfft!"

A dull thud echoed through the room. As Qi withdrew his blade from the body, a corpse slumped onto the floor.

Yet, the original body had already vanished; forget a corpse, not even a single drop of blood could be found.

"You weren't lying, they really are trying to kill you."

The door was pushed open, and a young man walked in. He was Uchiha Xiu, a teammate Qi had met when he first stepped onto the battlefield.

"What I'm more concerned about is whether this is your personal action, or the intention of your clan."

Qi's expression was grim. He looked past Xiu to the other Konoha ninja, the one who had just cast a genjutsu on the Rock Ninja.

Furthermore, this was also a ninja from the Uchiha Clan, a powerhouse possessing the three-tomoe Sharingan.

"This is naturally the intention of our Uchiha Clan. That person wants to deal with us, and we didn't grow our heads just for show."

The Uchiha ninja smiled faintly.

"Your current situation is very dangerous. At least until this matter is concluded, you are in peril. Kaguya Ogata alone probably cannot protect you, because that person desperately wants you dead tonight."

"It seems I have no choice."

Qi's face darkened as he gripped the short blade in his hand tightly.

Damn it, the internal strife in Konoha was just as intense as what he had seen in the anime in his past life. As long as it was deemed worthwhile, they would sacrifice their own without hesitation. Aside from not being suppressed by the Daimyo, it was barely any different from Kirigakure.

If there had to be a difference, it was perhaps that Kirigakure had an extreme repulsion toward bloodline limits—it wasn't just a taboo; it was a "die on sight" policy.

"You never had a choice to begin with, because you are also a bloodline user. Your stance is the same as ours. Even though our Uchiha and the Hyuga usually fight, we still stand together when it matters."

"No wonder Xiu came to tell me this today. I always thought the taboo against bloodlines only existed in the Land of Water, and that you Uchiha were only at odds with the Senju because of what happened with Madara back then. As for the Hyuga..."

The corners of Qi's mouth curled up slightly.

"You are mortal enemies!"

"If we didn't put on that act, the Senju faction would have moved against us long ago. In any ninja village, bloodline clans are grasshoppers on the same string; no one is that stupid."

The Uchiha ninja sneered as well.

"We bloodline users may look glorious, but we are always the fewest in number and the hardest to produce true experts from. Unity is our capital for survival. After all, neither the Hyuga nor us Uchiha have the strength we once did."

He looked at Qi with a mocking expression.

"Ninjas are tools, and bloodline ninjas are tools among tools. When they become difficult to control, they must be destroyed. The Yuki Clan is the best example, and as for the Kaguya Clan, I suspect they will be wiped out by Kirigakure sooner or later."

"Hmph."

Sheathing his short blade behind his back, Qi gave a muffled grunt, taking this as an acknowledgment of the other's words.

"Let's go. We cannot stay here long. As soon as you enter our clan's territory, no one will be able to touch you. You can trust me; although my father is not the clan head, he carries weight within the clan."

Xiu stepped forward and patted Qi on the shoulder.

"No matter where you go, bloodline users are objects of taboo; it's just a matter of degree. In time, you will get used to it."

As he spoke, he suddenly mimicked a gesture Qi often made, shrugging his shoulders.

"Who told you to be unlucky enough to possess a powerful bloodline? There are gains with every loss..."

"I'm already quite used to it, especially after seeing people from the Hyuga and Uchiha appear before me together today..."

Qi widened his eyes. He still had a vivid memory of the scene from this afternoon. He had originally thought the Hyuga and Uchiha were just using his training ground to duel, since the whole of Konoha knew the two clans were "at odds."

Although he had hoped to witness such a live broadcast, it was a pity that wasn't the case; instead, their words had nearly scared him to death.

"Qi?"

Seeing Qi looking somewhat dazed, Xiu waved a hand in front of his face, looking a bit strange.

"You don't still distrust us, do you?"

"I'm thinking about other things."

Feeling a bit awkward, Qi dodged the hand waving in front of him.

"But I must go to my master first. Since they want to kill me, I'm afraid my master isn't safe either."

"You don't need to worry about that. The clan has already sent people to your master's location. Furthermore, your master is also a famous expert in the Land of Water. Under these conditions, it is impossible for that person to take out your master along with you."

The Uchiha ninja spoke again.

"There is no such thing as impossible in this world."

Qi clearly didn't intend to accept this favor, because he had never trusted anyone other than Ogata.

"I cannot abandon my master to go into hiding. I am not soft meat waiting to be chopped; there is no reason for me not to fight back when someone comes to kill me!"

After saying this, Qi turned around, grabbed a handful of ninja tools from the bag on the floor, stuffed them into his pouch, and then kicked off, vaulting directly out of the window.

"This kid is quite interesting. Young Master, you seem to have made an interesting friend."

Watching through the window as Qi disappeared after a few leaps across the rooftops, the Uchiha ninja nodded.

He seemed completely unbothered by the lack of affinity Qi had shown toward the Uchiha Clan.

"Sorry about that, Master. This guy just has that kind of personality; it's not like he has any malicious intent."

Xiu smiled, subtly putting in a few good words for Qi.

"He has always been protected by others, so he likely hasn't truly grasped the hardships of a ninja with a Bloodline Limit surviving in the ninja world. Once he understands, he will naturally stand on our side!"

"How rare, the young master actually has a day where he speaks well of others. It seems the friendship you forged on the battlefield is quite significant."

The Uchiha ninja whom Xiu called Master narrowed his eyes, looking at Xiu as if observing an amusing toy.

"Rest assured, I am not that narrow-minded. His reaction was within my expectations. If he had simply followed us obediently, I would have looked down on him instead."

"Indeed, he is a man who values emotions... I wonder how things are going with Tong."

Seeming a bit embarrassed, Xiu scratched the back of his head, thinking of his other teammate, Hyuga Tong...

"Every expert of the Hyuga clan will be waiting in the residence tonight for the uninvited guests. Forget about a dozen or so people; even an entire ninja army would only meet their end."

Patting Xiu on the head, the Uchiha ninja—ignoring Xiu's "furious" glare—naturally ruffled his hair into a mess before vaulting out the window, chasing in the direction where Qi had disappeared.

"Damn it, stop messing up my hair! I'm an adult now!"

Furious, Xiu smoothed down his hair, which had been ruffled into a bird's nest, and likewise vaulted out the window to follow...