Uchiha Shisui

Over the next few days, Xuandou threw himself entirely into the frantic preparations for the war.

The personnel rosters submitted by the various ninja clans arrived in his hands one after another.

After carefully reviewing them, Xuandou fell into deep thought.

Although these clans had not committed their core combat strength, most of those sent were experienced Chunin, rather than perfunctorily filling the ranks with novice Genin.

Behind this list was clearly a form of recognition and a wager placed on him, their young commander.

What surprised him most was the Hyuga clan.

As a prestigious Konoha family, not only was the quality of the ninjas they sent higher, but they were personally led by the branch family Jonin Hizashi Hyuga.

This heavyweight support made Xuandou feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders grow even heavier.

At the same time, massive quantities of war supplies were categorized and sealed into specialized storage scrolls.

Military Ration Pill, medical supplies, Explosive Tag, ninja tool resupplies...

Xuandou personally participated in the final inventory and sealing to ensure nothing went wrong.

The participating members of the Uchiha clan were finalized with the assistance of Elder Zong Yan.

As the departure date drew near, Kurenai Yuhi became exceptionally clingy.

During these days, whenever Xuandou had spare time, the two of them would engage in "in-depth exchanges."

Sometimes, Kurenai would even come to find Xuandou three times in a single day.

This was partly due to the novelty of tasting forbidden fruit for the first time, and partly due to her reluctance to see Xuandou leave.

Xuandou, meanwhile, was exhausted these days.

If not for the fact that a ninja's physique was different from an ordinary person's, he feared he would have truly been unable to hold on.

He could only smile bitterly and console himself: this was likely a sweet burden.

Just as everything was nearing its end, a team of travel-worn ninjas stepped into Konoha.

This team consisted of six ninjas, all with blood-stained clothes.

They walked straight to the office of the Police Force elder, where they happened to run into Xuandou, who was discussing final matters with Zong Yan.

Leading them was a young boy, about eleven or twelve years old.

He possessed the Uchiha clan's signature black hair and deep eyes, though at this moment, those eyes held a composure far beyond his years, and even a trace of imperceptible sorrow.

"Shisui, reporting to Elder Zong Yan."

Xuandou's gaze narrowed.

Was this the genius who would one day possess the strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami?

"Shisui, Tekka... why have you returned?"

Zong Yan looked up.

"We are escorting the clan leader's remains back to the clan."

Shisui stepped forward, holding up a sealing scroll with both hands.

Zong Yan took the scroll, walked to an open space, and performed hand seals to release the seal.

A pitch-black coffin appeared.

Zong Yan slowly pushed open the lid, and lying quietly inside was the body of the current Uchiha clan leader.

Parts of his body were mangled and incomplete, clearly having endured an extremely tragic final battle.

Zong Yan stared for a long time, the grief in his eyes pressing down heavily.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand to gently close the lid.

Xuandou watched all of this in silence.

The figure in the coffin was a cold reminder to him:

This was the real ninja world; there were no tender fairy tales, only cruel life and death and fates that could not be controlled.

Before the tides of the era, for the weak, even choosing how to survive was a luxury.

At this moment, his determination to become stronger grew even firmer.

"You have just withdrawn from the front lines; go home, see your families, and get some proper rest."

Zong Yan turned to Shisui and the others, his voice having returned to calm.

The six of them bowed in acknowledgment and quietly withdrew.

Zong Yan resealed the coffin into the scroll, turned to Xuandou, and suddenly asked:

"What do you think of this child, Shisui?"

"Outstanding talent, steady temperament; he will surely be a pillar of the clan in the future."

Xuandou replied truthfully.

A trace of gratification flashed across Zong Yan's face, slightly diluting the sorrow from before.

If you cannot find the book by its title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has simply been changed!

"Indeed... he has already begun to make a name for himself on the battlefield."

"Not long ago, he single-handedly forced an elite Kirigakure squad to retreat. The team was led by a long-renowned jonin, that Ao who possesses the Byakugan."

"Nowadays, people have already begun calling him 'Body Flicker Shisui'."

Zong Yan paused.

"Just like you, Hiruzen Sarutobi promoted him directly to jonin without an assessment."

"He is a descendant of Kagami. Since Kagami and Hiruzen Sarutobi both served under the Second Hokage, there is that bond of shared history to consider. I intend to recommend him for the Anbu, to be personally cultivated by the Hokage. What do you think?"

Xuandou frowned upon hearing this.

Shisui was undoubtedly a rare treasure of the Uchiha clan.

Once he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan in the future, he would be even more invaluable.

If handled correctly, he might even be able to resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha.

However, if the original plot were to hold, Shisui would be crippled by the Hokage and other high-ranking officials using the so-called "Will of Fire" after joining the Anbu, ultimately meeting a tragic end.

In Xuandou's view, the so-called "Will of Fire" was nothing more than a cancerous, brainwashing ideology.

The idea of burning oneself to illuminate others was pure nonsense—it was a shackle designed to bind one's thoughts!

Burning yourself only results in others using your corpse to keep warm.

If a collective requires someone to carry the burden forward, then someone else is certainly enjoying the peace on your behalf!

Such a promising talent as Shisui must not be handed over to the Hokage to be led astray!

"Leave him to me."

Xuandou spoke with ironclad resolve.

"This battle against Sunagakure is the perfect stage for Shisui to sharpen his edge and earn merit. When he returns victorious, he will bring back not just experience, but tangible military achievements and prestige!"

Zong Yan looked hesitant.

His desire to have Shisui join the Anbu was indeed rooted in a wish to cultivate him, but was it not also a way to keep him away from the front lines for a time, to prevent him from being lost to the battlefield too soon?

Zong Yan truly could not bear to see such an outstanding genius put in harm's way.

Seeing through his concerns, Xuandou continued:

"Sunagakure has no top-tier powerhouses holding the line. The risks in this war are manageable; it is a god-given opportunity to accumulate credentials and establish prestige. The battlefield is the fastest path for a genius to grow."

After a long silence, Zong Yan finally gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Very well! Xuandou."

"Both you and Shisui are the future hope of the Uchiha. On the battlefield... you must ensure your own survival!"

"Understood."

The two discussed the subsequent arrangements in detail before Xuandou took his leave.

The next day, Konoha held a grand funeral for the Uchiha clan head.

A light, drizzling rain fell beneath a gray, overcast sky.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, led the high-ranking officials in paying their respects, delivering a sorrowful and earnest eulogy.

The Uchiha clansmen stood silently in the rain, bidding farewell to their leader.

The citizens of Konoha were long accustomed to such scenes.

With war raging year after year, saying goodbye had become a part of their lives.

After the funeral, Xuandou officially led his troops to the front lines.

Konoha had scraped together a force of over six hundred men for this war.

Compared to other battlefields involving thousands, this number was truly not large.

To conceal their movements, Xuandou broke his troops into smaller units, infiltrating in waves and moving secretly toward the direction of Kikyo Mountain.

Each squad was equipped with ninjas from the Hyuga or Inuzuka clans, using the Byakugan and their sense of smell to avoid enemy reconnaissance to the greatest extent possible.

While this resulted in a slower pace, it ensured that their strategic intentions would not be leaked.

Over the course of half a month, all personnel quietly converged at the designated location.

Immediately afterward, under Xuandou's command, the ninjas planted a full one hundred thousand Explosive Tags along the path the Sunagakure army was destined to take and in the surrounding area.

Once all preparations were complete, it was time to hide their tracks and wait.

Time flowed slowly.

In the past few days, within the range covered by the Konoha ninjas' concealment, several Sunagakure squads had already begun to secretly enter the Land of Fire for reconnaissance.

Although their movements were extremely stealthy, everything was laid bare before the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan.

Xuandou knew that with the appearance of these scouts, war was not far off.

Sure enough, that night, a Hyuga ninja entered the underground command post Xuandou had established and reported:

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief! Our Byakugan reconnaissance squad has confirmed that a large force of Sunagakure ninjas is currently advancing toward our pre-set ambush zone!"