Trial

Chapter 16: The Test

Uchiha Tajima did not pay much mind to the fact that Uchiha Shin had taken Uchiha Hana as a follower.

In Uchiha Tajima's view, a successful leader would inevitably have a few loyal subordinates under his command.

Moreover, given Uchiha Shin's talent and strength, provided he did not perish prematurely, his future as the patriarch of the Uchiha Clan was a foregone conclusion.

Therefore, what did it matter if he took on a follower or a subordinate now?

Besides, given the situation of the Uchiha Tajima household, it was merely a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks; the family was not lacking the single portion of food that Uchiha Hana would consume.

Uchiha Shin, having just gained a follower, did not feel much joy.

After all, in this chaotic Warring States period, having formidable strength was the only true path.

Once one reached the level of strength possessed by the likes of Madara and Hashirama in the future, the sheer number of ordinary ninja would be meaningless to them.

However, one still had to recruit subordinates; after all, there were some tasks that could be delegated, and there was no need to do everything personally and waste one's own time.

Thus, for Uchiha Shin at this stage, strength was king, and that was what mattered most.

Uchiha Shin had just returned to his room and hadn't even finished a pot of tea when Izuna, who was playing in the courtyard, informed him that the girl who had performed the dogeza earlier had come again.

Uchiha Shin walked out to the courtyard, and upon seeing Uchiha Hana rushing over with a massive bundle on her back, he suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Looking at the stark contrast between the petite Uchiha Hana and the oversized bundle behind her, Uchiha Shin couldn't help but wonder if this girl had a bit of a goofy, husky-like personality buried deep inside.

Looking at Uchiha Hana, Uchiha Shin felt both annoyed and amused.

Yet, the girl herself was completely oblivious, standing there stiffly with that enormous bundle on her back, blinking her eyes at Uchiha Shin.

It was as if she were saying, "Lord Shin, look, I've moved everything over, hurry up and arrange a room for me."

In truth, there were plenty of empty rooms in Uchiha Shin's house, so there was naturally space to accommodate Uchiha Hana.

Resigned, Uchiha Shin led Uchiha Hana to the westernmost corner of their main residence, then slid open the door and let her inside.

"There, you'll live here from now on!"

"I'll go find you two quilts in a moment, and that should be everything."

"Oh, and for meals, just eat with my family."

"When my father and mother aren't home, sometimes I cook, Madara chops the wood, and Izuna tends the fire."

"But since you're here, you can take over tending the fire from Izuna; he's still young and growing, after all."

"Also, tidy up your room this morning, and head to the training grounds in the afternoon. I want to test your strength."

"That's all I have to say."

After finishing these instructions, Uchiha Shin turned and left. He prepared to find his mother, Uchiha Aoi, as she kept all the household quilts stored in one place.

Once Uchiha Shin left, Uchiha Hana immediately opened her massive bundle and began placing her belongings in her new room exactly where she wanted them.

Before long, Uchiha Shin returned from outside, carrying two quilts.

After setting the quilts down, Uchiha Shin reminded Uchiha Hana once more about the test at the training grounds that afternoon before hurrying away.

"So soft, so warm!"

"This quilt..."

Uchiha Hana lay sprawled out on the newly made bed, murmuring to herself with a face full of bliss.

"And this room doesn't have any drafts. With this warm quilt, I'll never have to be afraid of the cold at night again."

"As for my family back home..."

"Once I make a name for myself following Lord Shin..."

"I'll make sure my father, mother, and younger brother have rooms like this and quilts just as warm."

"That way, they won't be too cold to sleep at night anymore."

Uchiha Hana rolled back and forth on the tatami mats in her room, filled with excitement.

At noon, Uchiha Hana finally managed to have her first nominal lunch at Uchiha Shin's house.

Although the lunch consisted only of red bean buns...

Uchiha Hana still enthusiastically performed her special skill for the Uchiha Shin family: swallowing six red bean buns in one go, ha-ha-ha.

Watching Uchiha Hana's cheeks puffed out like a frog's from the six buns, Uchiha Shin felt his face flush with heat.

How could he have been so unwise this morning to take on such a goofy subordinate?

Seeing Uchiha Hana's cheeks puffing in and out so joyfully, Izuna tried to imitate her, but he lacked Uchiha Hana's talent.

After stuffing only three buns in, Izuna's mouth couldn't fit even half a bun more, so he had to give up.

As for why Uchiha Hana could stuff six buns into her mouth at once, her twisted logic was that she did it to better practice the basic Fire Style techniques of the Uchiha Clan.

To be honest, this was the first time Uchiha Shin had ever heard such a ridiculous excuse.

Yet, Uchiha Hana analyzed it as if it were a perfectly sound argument.

The wider she opened her mouth, the more air she would inhale in an instant, and the more violently the fireball produced by the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique would burn, making its attack power all the stronger.

Listening carefully, Uchiha Shin actually found himself thinking that although this guy's behavior was quite ridiculous, what she said did hold a bit of truth.

After all, the more abundant the oxygen, the more intense the flames would burn, the higher the temperature of the fire would be, and naturally, the attack power of the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique would be stronger.

Should he give it a try next time?

For some reason, Uchiha Shin suddenly felt the urge to put this idea to the test.

After finishing lunch and resting for half an hour, Uchiha Shin brought Uchiha Hana to the training ground.

At this time of day, there was absolutely no one else at the training ground.

Of course, Madara and Izuna, who loved to watch the excitement, naturally followed along.

"Come, let me see your current strength."

"If you don't hold the intent to kill me, you're going to suffer today."

Uchiha Shin mimicked the way Uchiha Tajima spoke, standing in the center of the training ground with a straight face, his left hand behind his back, and beckoning toward Uchiha Hana with his right.

He signaled that Uchiha Hana could begin now.

"I'm coming... Lord Shin!"

Uchiha Hana was not one to be coy; she started by throwing three shuriken at Uchiha Shin, then followed directly behind them, holding a kunai and charging straight toward Uchiha Shin's position.

Is she really this reckless?

Watching Uchiha Hana charge straight at him like that, Uchiha Shin wondered, how on earth did this girl pass the clan trials?

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