First Blood (2)

First Blood()

After leaving the Uchiha Clan's territory, Uchiha Shin immediately pushed his sensory abilities to their limit.

Sensory abilities in the original Naruto could roughly be divided into two categories.

The first was a sixth-sense type of perception.

Karin was a good example. It was her appearance that first taught us about sensory abilities.

For example, in the original story, as long as Karin concentrated, she could sense everything happening within dozens of kilometers. She could even sense the other person's state of mind.

After all, Chakra was made up of physical and spiritual energy, so Karin's ability to sense someone's mental state was very much like a sixth sense.

Of course, there were also Kirigakure's Chukichi, Ao from Sunagakure, the Second, A of Kumogakure, the Yamanaka Clan of Konoha, and others.

The second category consisted of perception through the five senses.

Visual perception, for instance, included the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan, the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique, and Gaara's third eye. Shinobi from the Yamanaka Clan could also use certain animals for visual perception.

As for hearing, the best example was Zabuza. His Silent Killing Technique in the mist relied on his sense of hearing.

For smell, the most prominent examples were the shinobi of the Inuzuka Clan.

As for taste, the shinobi of the Aburame Clan were the best examples. Using their secret technique, they could control Kikaichū and determine an enemy's exact location by having the insects feed on the enemy's Chakra.

Finally, the best example of tactile perception was Nagato. For instance, when he used the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, he could sense his enemies through the raindrops touching their bodies.

Uchiha Shin's sensory ability was a little like Karin's sixth sense. It was an innate talent.

Of course, compared to the Uzumaki Clan's unique sensory ability, Uchiha Shin's range wasn't as great—only about half of Karin's.

Keeping his sensory ability active, Uchiha Shin carefully avoided two patrols of shinobi along the way.

By the time Uchiha Shin reached the foot of First Line Mountain, the sun had just set.

To be safe, Uchiha Shin decided to attack the bandits on First Line Mountain around midnight.

For now, he planned to find a secluded spot and get some rest. After all, he'd been traveling all day.

Uchiha Shin followed the foot of the mountain for another quarter of an hour, until he finally found an extremely well-hidden hollow in a tree.

Looking at the fur and droppings left near the entrance, Uchiha Shin guessed that the hollow had once been a den for a large wild animal, such as a brown bear.

Uchiha Shin stood outside and sensed the inside of the hollow. After confirming it was empty, he went straight in.

The inside of the hollow was very dry and had no noticeable smell. Judging by the traces of animal remains in one corner, its former occupant had abandoned it.

Uchiha Shin first set up several tripwires attached to Explosive Tags at the entrance as an alarm, then lay down fully clothed and closed his eyes to rest.

At midnight, Uchiha Shin abruptly opened his eyes and sat up.

Once his mind had fully cleared, Uchiha Shin went to the entrance of the hollow and removed the tripwires and Explosive Tags he'd set as an alarm.

Then he put on his backpack and walked straight out of the hollow.

Uchiha Shin looked up at the moon in the night sky and estimated the time according to the calendar.

"Just as I thought. My body clock is pretty accurate!" Uchiha Shin muttered.

"Let's go!"

Following his memory, Uchiha Shin made his way to the gate of the bandit stronghold on First Line Mountain.

To avoid any surprises, Uchiha Shin extended his sensory ability again and scanned the stronghold on First Line Mountain.

"That's right. They're all ordinary people!"

The information returned by his sensory ability confirmed that there wasn't a single shinobi in the stronghold. They were all ordinary people.

That was because his sensory ability hadn't detected any Chakra.

If they were all ordinary people, things would be much easier.

Strictly speaking, Uchiha Shin wasn't a true Genin yet. He would only qualify as one after passing the Uchiha Clan's trial.

Even so, with his current strength, he had an overwhelming advantage over a group of ordinary bandits. The moment they came face to face, he could kill them instantly.

Uchiha Shin leaped lightly and vaulted over the stronghold's gate.

Then, following the life signs he sensed, he slipped into the rooms one by one.

The poison coating Uchiha Shin's Kunai had a numbing effect and was also lethal with the slightest wound.

As a result, nearly all the bandits in the stronghold had their throats slit by Uchiha Shin while they slept.

The whole thing took about a quarter of an hour. Uchiha Shin silently killed every bandit on First Line Mountain.

What puzzled Uchiha Shin was how the bandits on First Line Mountain had survived for so long when they were so weak.

And by the light of the moon, Uchiha Shin saw that every one of them was gaunt and dressed in rags.

One of the bandits was better dressed and sturdier than the rest, but all the others, from head to toe, had the unmistakable look of refugees.

Uchiha Shin guessed that the especially sturdy man was probably the bandit leader.

With that question still on his mind, Uchiha Shin glanced back at the stronghold again...

The smell of blood carried on the wind made Uchiha Shin feel sick. His stomach started churning again, and his throat began to itch.

Uchiha Shin wasn't sure whether any shinobi from the Uchiha Clan were following and watching him in secret.

Though it was his first time killing someone and he felt absolutely wretched, just as he had that night, he forced himself to endure the discomfort and swallow the bile rising in his throat.

As for setting fire to the stronghold, he decided against it.

He now understood most of the answer to the question that had been bothering him.

This stronghold had probably been built from the very beginning to give newcomers from nearby shinobi clans a place to train and draw blood.

That was why most of the bandits in the stronghold were so gaunt, dressed in rags, and carried the unmistakable look of refugees. The bandits here had been refugees all along.

In a chaotic age, human life was as worthless as grass...

Better to be a dog in peacetime than a human in a time of war. It seemed that saying held true in every world and every era.

Life was born, life fought, and life died.

For some reason, Uchiha Shin suddenly remembered something Uchiha Itachi had said in the original Naruto.

Heh...

Hahaha...

For some reason, Uchiha Shin suddenly burst into wild laughter.

"This twisted world, and these shinobi clans who treat human lives like blades of grass—now you're all satisfied, aren't you? Hahaha!"

"But now, I have no choice but to become like this too. I've become the very thing I hated most in my previous life."

With a trace of self-mockery on his face, Uchiha Shin thought of the lessons he'd been taught in his previous life. He stared blankly at the blood still smeared across his hands, overwhelmed by disgust.

Just then, Uchiha Shin felt his eyes begin to itch and sting for some reason.

He didn't have time to think about anything else. He hurried over to the stronghold's water reservoir and bent over it, using the moonlight reflected on the surface to examine himself closely.

"This..."

In the rippling reflection, Uchiha Shin clearly saw a Tomoe circling each of his pupils.

"Is this the One-Tomoe Sharingan?"

Uchiha Shin straightened up and touched his eyes with his right hand, hardly able to believe it.