Chakra

During a peaceful month, Uchiha Zhuang's chakra reserves increased significantly. The chakra cultivation techniques and Jonin-level insights provided by the system—guaranteed quality as always—were as nourishing as spring rain to Uchiha Zhuang, who was currently laying his foundation. On a day when Miko was resting, Uchiha Zhuang woke up early, even earlier than her, and prepared fried eggs, boiled ramen, sausage fish rolls, and a glass of orange juice. Miko knew Uchiha Zhuang must have something to ask of her. After savoring the breakfast he had meticulously prepared, she spoke: "Little Zhuang, tell me, what do you need Mother to do for you?" Uchiha Zhuang felt a moment of embarrassment before quickly saying: "Miko, I want to buy some training supplies, but the shopkeepers won't sell to me; they say I'm too young. So, I was wondering if you could accompany me to buy them today?" Miko smiled: "It's been a long time since I've gone shopping with you, so let's go now!" Uchiha Zhuang was overjoyed. As they walked toward the ninja tool district, chatting along the way, he listened closely as Miko interacted with the shop owners. Without realizing it, he learned many details and common knowledge regarding blades, materials, hidden weapons, scrolls, and chakra attributes. They ended up buying a large haul: shuriken, kunai, multi-functional tool pouches, smoke bombs, steel wires, and military rations. It was largely thanks to her status as a hospital staff member that they were able to acquire many items ordinary people couldn't. By noon, the two returned home, laden with bags. "Miko, you didn't need to buy so many ninja tools. I can't use that many." "Your father's letter says he'll be back in a little over a month. I bought these now so we won't have to spend extra time and energy preparing them when he returns, and I prepared some for you as well." Uchiha Zhuang nodded, then took out a piece of Chakra Paper and slowly channeled his chakra into it. After several attempts, the paper showed both dampness and burning. "Haha, Little Zhuang, you actually possess the rare water-attribute chakra of the Uchiha clan! That's truly amazing! You really are my son." Uchiha Zhuang was speechless. Uh, what is there to brag about? It's just water attribute, that's perfectly normal. Uchiha Miko prepared a full set of ninja gear and dry rations for him, then looked at him seriously, staring into his eyes: "Your father and I are both decisive people. We believe that you have already thought through the consequences of your decisions, and we trust you. As long as you aren't doing evil, you can make your own choices. We will always be your safe harbor." Uchiha Zhuang looked at the rarely serious and earnest Miko and nodded: "Don't worry, it's fine. I will train hard. This world needs the right power to guide it. I have already made a promise to her to carry out my own will in this world." After hearing this, Miko seemed to selectively ignore the rest and pounced on him, asking: "Who is she? Is she pretty and gentle? When did this happen? Little Zhuang, Mother must remind you to be restrained; you are still young..." Uchiha Zhuang was instantly rendered speechless. With a dark face, he quickly packed his gear, ran into his room, and slammed the door shut with a bang. Seriously, and here I was being sincere. She has no sense of propriety.

After a night of meditation, Uchiha Zhuang woke up the next day feeling refreshed. He finished breakfast and left early, choosing a secluded stream. He looked at the golden liquid of the Chakra Essence, which emitted faint rays of light. He pulled out the stopper and drank it down. After consuming the essence, Uchiha Zhuang immediately began practicing his elemental abilities. His body felt incredibly energetic; whereas before he would fail nine out of ten times when attempting fire-style ninjutsu, he was now hitting his mark almost every time. Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique! Water Style: Water Needle Technique! Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique! Water Style: Water Wave Technique! After a fierce release of skills, Uchiha Zhuang felt his body settle down. He sat in meditation to regulate his chakra and reflect on his physical condition. At noon, he ran to a noodle shop for an extra-large bowl of ramen and stopped by a clothing store to pick up a set of custom-made night-training gear—something Miko had to intervene for so the shopkeeper would tailor it to his size. Finally, back by the stream, he looked at the Butterfly Bracelet on his wrist and hesitated. This journey meant facing the cruel ninja world directly, a place entirely different from the peace of Konoha. He had to prepare himself mentally. He double-checked that all his supplies were packed. "Echo of the Distance," he whispered, activating the teleportation. A flicker of golden starlight flashed, and Uchiha Zhuang vanished from the stream, leaving behind only a silent forest where the occasional bird call echoed.

Looking at the tall, dense forest surrounding him, Uchiha Zhuang knew he had arrived at a place far beyond his previous reach. His journey was headed northwest, toward the Land of Rivers. Relying on his common sense, Uchiha Zhuang first concealed himself. After estimating his stamina, he began running across the terrain, mostly moving from the base of one large tree to the next. He bypassed main roads immediately and avoided small paths, carefully navigating through overgrown, untraveled areas. Gripping the Flowing Light Red Dragon Tachi on his back, a sense of stability welled up within him. Thanks to his Speed Boots, his stamina consumption was minimal, so Uchiha Zhuang didn't feel particularly nervous. After several days of traveling by day and resting by night, he stopped to observe and noticed leaves rustling in the distance. Several men carrying blades and looking like thugs emerged and headed toward a nearby path. Seeing this, Uchiha Zhuang immediately moved to hide. Relying on his superior physical fitness and caution, he slowly approached the bandits, following them at a short distance to eavesdrop.

"Damn it, those wretched bumpkins. Just because they had a little grain, they dared to charge at us without regard for their lives. Do they really think I, Masheng, am just putting on a show?" a coarse voice rang out. "Masheng, you were really ruthless back there. That was over twenty people, and you didn't show a shred of mercy—especially those two young girls. Tsk tsk, what a waste," a lewd voice replied. Then, a thin, shrill voice chimed in: "Lord Xiaoquan is right. Lord Masheng's swordsmanship is truly remarkable. I think it's definitely on par with the great swordsman Iba Mizuki of our time—no, even better than him, hehehe." "Alright, shut your traps. We're almost at the mountain stronghold. Keep your eyes peeled and don't let any blind refugees or other damn bandits follow us in." Following this low, gravelly voice, the other three immediately fell silent, walking obediently while glancing around. Uchiha Zhuang felt no emotional fluctuation after hearing their conversation. In this world, the weak were always this miserable, their lives and deaths held in the hands of others at will. However, while his emotions were calm, a fire burned within his heart—a rage that longed to eradicate this group of bandits.

Carefully following the bandits, Uchiha Zhuang eventually saw a mountain with relatively high terrain. There was only one path leading up, guarded by layers of bandits, while the rest of the mountain consisted of steep cliffs. Looking up, he saw a circle of wooden barricades at the summit; that must be the bandits' main camp. Uchiha Zhuang waited patiently for nightfall. The night was overcast, with no moonlight, and it was pitch black. Only the flickering torches on the mountain suggested that something was bound to happen tonight. The darkness did not affect Uchiha Zhuang's vision; on the contrary, his eyes saw even more clearly, even spotting a bandit on guard duty halfway up the mountain yawning. He put on his night-gear in the forest and slowly crept to the foot of the mountain. Uchiha Zhuang stepped lightly, moving swiftly up the cliffside along the path. When he encountered fences, he climbed over them, reaching the summit stronghold without anyone discovering the lethal assassin. In the shadows, standing beside a wooden training dummy at the summit, he looked at the only brightly lit wooden house. A familiar yet strange scent of raw life drifted from it, accompanied by the ceaseless sounds of angry shouting, cursing, and moaning. Slowly, the assassin drew his one-meter-long lethal Tachi. The red dragon pattern on the hilt seemed to roar, and the blade was pitch black, reflecting no light. Uchiha Zhuang stepped out of the shadows, moving toward the house step by step. He gripped the Tachi with both hands, rested it on his right shoulder, and silently gathered his strength. He didn't approach the door or windows, knowing that bloodthirsty thugs usually had decent intuition. Instead, he pulled out a caltrop and tossed it casually at the wooden door. The sound of the caltrop hitting the wood caused the noise inside to stop instantly. Then, a grumbling curse followed: "Damn it, whatever it is, talk about it tomorrow! You bunch of losers, if you bother me again, I'll skin you alive!" Then, the moaning resumed. Confirming that the person inside was of high status, had been drinking, and was not clear-headed, Uchiha Zhuang flipped through the window in a flash. Three bodies were entangled on the floor. Taking advantage of the shock of those inside, he locked his eyes on the ugly, scarred man in the center. Uchiha Zhuang lunged forward, gripping his Tachi tightly, feet planted firmly on the ground, and channeled power from his waist. The Tachi swung down from his shoulder with a fierce slash. The scarred man didn't even have time to change his expression before a massive gash opened across his upper body, and warm liquid sprayed out instantly. Uchiha Zhuang didn't even look at the result; he immediately channeled chakra into his palms and struck the heads of the two women nearby, silencing their screams with a single blow each. All of this happened in just a few breaths. After observing the room, Uchiha Zhuang found a set of semi-new armor and two large Tachi on a rack, though their owner had died on the bed. Searching the storage cabinet, he found some silver, gold, and paper money. He pried open a locked cabinet in the back with his blade and found many letters. After reading a few lines, Uchiha Zhuang frowned; they involved the deployment of military forces and war intentions in the Land of Rivers. This was important information. Uchiha Zhuang bundled all the letters together, grabbed the package, and climbed out the window. He ran to a large boulder at the summit, hid the package underneath, and covered it with dirt. The assassination was far from over. Uchiha Zhuang carefully circled the entire summit and found a room holding at least a dozen kidnapped women. There were two other huts where the remaining dozen or so bandits lived. There were at least thirty more, not counting the sentries on the path or the patrols at the summit. He had to eliminate the summit patrols and the path sentries first, then wipe out all the bandits in the huts. Uchiha Zhuang immediately crouched low, flashed to a patrolling bandit, drew his short Tachi, and stabbed him through the heart from behind. There was no need to worry about noise; the White Wizard had already proven during the filming of The Lord of the Rings that when a person is stabbed, they cannot make a sound. After clearing the summit guards, Uchiha Zhuang backstabbed his way down the path, not missing a single one from the summit to the foot of the mountain. From the moment the first bandit died, Uchiha Zhuang knew there was no room for mercy. If he only killed the leader and stopped, the remaining thugs would only vent their fear and anger on the innocent women at the summit, and the surrounding villages would surely face a fate where not even livestock were spared. After steadying his mind, Uchiha Zhuang stood before the bandit huts and began weaving hand signs. Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique! A massive fireball surged through the open door, striking the hut directly. The high temperature instantly decimated the entire room, followed by screams. The bandits in the other hut heard the noise, and those who were quick enough grabbed their Tachi and ran out. Water Style: Water Needle Technique! Countless water needles flew toward them, and the first few bandits fell dead. "A ninja! It's a damn ninja!" "Kill him! Quick, we're going to die! Everyone, charge!" The bandits behind shouted, rushing toward the hated Uchiha Zhuang with various weapons. Facing the burning hut and the dozen or so desperate, vicious men charging at him, Uchiha Zhuang felt a sense of calm. In truth, his stamina was running low. The Great Fireball Technique had been too forceful, consuming significant stamina and chakra, and using the Water Needle Technique near the fire was a sign of his inexperience. But fortunately, Uchiha Zhuang was fully armed and possessed a weapon far superior to theirs: the Flowing Light Red Dragon Tachi. His fighting spirit soared! As the dozen men charged, the two in front raised their blades and swung down from above. Uchiha Zhuang swung his Tachi horizontally from his right shoulder, and both men fell instantly, bleeding profusely. The others stopped in their tracks, surrounding Uchiha Zhuang and moving slowly, looking for a moment of weakness to strike him down. Uchiha Zhuang kept his eyes on the ground, watching and listening to their footsteps, ignoring their ugly faces and sharp blades. His expression was solemn, his eyelids lowered. It was ridiculous to think that a five-year-old child could terrify a group of desperate bandits into such fear. The situation reached a stalemate. As the adjacent hut collapsed, not a single bandit inside survived—the power of ninjutsu was truly terrifying! "Damn brat, are you here to die?" "Let me open a few dozen holes in you!" "Let me, Masheng, send you to the underworld!" "Die! You little brat..." The surrounding bandits began a verbal assault, attempting to shake Uchiha Zhuang's resolve. Finally, Uchiha Zhuang lowered the Tachi from his shoulder. He seemed tired, and the bandits, seeing this, rushed forward to hack him to pieces. Pop, pop, pop! A series of sounds erupted, and smoke filled the air. It was already a moonless night, and although the burning huts provided some light, the thick smoke plunged everyone into tension. Water Style: Water Wave Technique! A voice rang out from afar, and the fire on the embers was instantly extinguished by water, plunging the area back into darkness. The crowd erupted in shouts; some tried to run into the huts for torches, some trembled while gripping their blades, and others slashed wildly at the air. As one scream after another rang out, the first to fall were those running toward the huts, followed by one after another. Finally, under the terrified gaze of the so-called Lord Masheng, a flash of steel descended, and Masheng's world went black as he fell dead. With this, the bandits in the area were completely eradicated. After confirming there were no living bandits left, Uchiha Zhuang dragged his exhausted body to the hut where the women were held, sitting down to recover his stamina while listening to the movements inside. After eating some rations and drinking water, he realized there was no useful information inside. Having recovered some stamina and chakra, Uchiha Zhuang slashed the chains on the door, opened it, and leaned against the frame: "We are Konoha ninjas, scouting enemy movements nearby. We discovered this bandit stronghold by chance and have now cleared out all the bandits—not a single one remains. You are free to escape." Seeing their terrified eyes, Uchiha Zhuang hardened his heart and said in a deep voice: "Our Jonin captain said: five minutes. If anyone is still on this mountain, they will be executed!" He then closed his eyes and sat in a dark corner of the room. Under the tense atmosphere, one woman finally took the lead and rushed out, and everyone scrambled to leave the den of horrors they had loathed so much. Squinting, he watched the women, some in tattered clothes or covered only by rags, and sighed, clenching his fists. The military forces of the Land of Rivers would arrive tomorrow. The night was dangerous, but if they stayed here until tomorrow, they would certainly encounter those forces. Facing regular bandits, becoming "supplies" was lucky; becoming rations was the norm. By the second half of the night, Uchiha Zhuang quietly departed, leaving the scene as it was. After all, the appearance of a ninja would make the despicable schemers of the Land of Rivers weigh their actions carefully to avoid having their pawns wiped out again.

A new day began, and sunlight spilled over the earth. Uchiha Zhuang changed out of his blood-stained night-gear, burned it with Fire Style by a river, and washed away the ashes with Water Style. Looking back at the bandit stronghold, now just a distant peak, he turned and sped away without looking back. At the bandit stronghold, the military forces of the Land of Rivers gathered. A commanding officer shouted, "Baka! Shine!" repeatedly. A strategist dressed as a nobleman beside him said: "General Shibata, do not be angry. Ninjas have already discovered this place. So many champions were killed in a single night without a single survivor—this is truly terrifying power. It must have been a Jonin squad!" After a long silence, General Shibata said viciously: "Those damn women! I'll send men to catch them all and kill them—kill them all! Baka yarou!" The nobleman covered his mouth with a fan and said: "I advise General Shibata not to do that. Those ninja lords killed all the bandits but let all the women go, which means they are practicing some ridiculous mercy! We shouldn't provoke them. The higher-ups are currently negotiating with them; we had best not cause trouble for the Lord." "Kuso! Just you wait! You damn ninjas, I'll tear you to pieces sooner or later!" After a bout of impotent rage, everything useful in the camp was looted. As for the corpses, the two lords ignored them entirely and strode away, leaving only a scene of carnage behind.