The Uchiha Clan's Blind Swordsman

The Blind Swordsman of the Uchiha Clan by Feng Qing

Transmigrating into Naruto, becoming part of the eye-wielding Uchiha clan, yet Chiba was born blind.

But when his God-Level Template System activated, the first template he received was Fujitora Issho.

A blind swordsman who would shock the ninja world was born.

Though I am blind, I am a swordsman.

One man, one sword, enough to tread across the world!

The Blind Swordsman of the Uchiha Clan

"Itachi, do you know? What burns the leaves... can only be fire!"

At only five years old, Itachi Uchiha could not fully grasp the meaning behind these words.

He simply looked with some confusion at his best friend, Uchiha Chiba, who was also of the Uchiha clan.

However, from the words "leaves" and "fire," Itachi could roughly infer what Uchiha Chiba intended to express.

"Chiba-kun, are you trying to say that 'where the leaves dance, fire shall burn. The fire's light will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout'?"

This was a classic, inherited saying of Konoha.

It had been passed down from the First Hokage all the way to the Third Hokage.

The starting point of this saying was good, but time, in the end, would cause it to lose its flavor.

No, it shouldn't be time that makes it lose its flavor, but desire, greed, and even more... the human heart!

Hearing this, Uchiha Chiba smiled.

"Itachi, do you really think the fire's light will illuminate the village? No... the fire will only burn brighter and brighter, until it burns the village to nothing!"

???

Itachi Uchiha wore a face full of confusion.

Could this sentence be interpreted in such a way?

Itachi could not understand Chiba's meaning; he just stared blankly at his best friend, who was the same age as him.

He saw him leaning on a cane with both hands, his black hair hanging down gently. Yet, between those strands, the eyes that should have represented the Uchiha were robbed of their luster by a black cloth.

His name was Uchiha Chiba, yet he was a blind man.

However, as Chiba stood before Itachi Uchiha, the sense of oppression he exuded was not something a blind man should possess.

That sense of oppression was something accumulated over years and months.

It had been nearly a year since the two met and became best friends.

During this time, the two had sparred, learned, and improved together. Yet, even in their spars, Itachi Uchiha had never once defeated the blind Chiba—not even once.

Do not be deceived by Chiba's status as a blind man.

The cane in his hand was not merely used for finding his way.

The blade hidden within that cane—every strike was terrifyingly heavy.

—Though I am blind, I am a swordsman.

This was a phrase Chiba often kept on his lips.

One man, one sword, enough to tread across the world—how dashing that was.

This was also the reason why the precocious Itachi Uchiha regarded Chiba as his best friend.

Strange words would always tumble out of his mouth, yet they were thought-provoking.

He loved communicating with Chiba.

Just like today, just like this moment.

"I don't quite understand what you mean, Chiba-kun."

Itachi tilted his head, somewhat puzzled.

"Not understanding... is correct. However, I hope you can remember these words. Perhaps it's because you're entering the academy tomorrow that I've said too much. When the time comes, you will naturally understand."

It was not that he didn't know, but that the time had not yet come.

Entering the academy meant he was about to receive Konoha's education.

Itachi Uchiha's worldview was about to undergo a new baptism—a baptism from Konoha.

As a member of the Uchiha clan and Itachi's best friend, Chiba naturally did not want to watch Itachi walk down the path from the original story.

That was a road of no return, sacrificing one's clan for the sake of one village.

Hearing this, Itachi Uchiha fell into deep thought.

Leaves, fire, Konoha, Uchiha.

At this moment, Itachi Uchiha seemed to have grasped something, and he looked up at Chiba.

Chiba, are you... implying something?

The village... and the Uchiha?

Itachi Uchiha was surprised, yet he did not show astonishment.

Because he understood Chiba.

Although his eyes could not see, he saw many things more clearly than anyone else.

Just as Itachi Uchiha was deep in thought.

Snap.

Itachi's forehead was flicked.

It came from Chiba's right hand.

"Stop overthinking, Itachi. You think too much sometimes. Right now, there is no need for that!"

Right now, huh...

Itachi Uchiha touched his forehead.

He was good at grasping the key points. If there was no need now, then what about later?

"In this era of raging war, the only thing worth thinking about is how to survive, and recognizing where the true enemy actually lies."

"Besides, are you really planning to enroll early? Your father should have taken you to see the battlefield a while ago, right?"

"Enrolling early means you might end up on the battlefield early."

In the original story, Itachi should have enrolled at six, and by the time he graduated, the Third Great Ninja War would have been nearly over. But now, it seemed that because of him, Itachi had made the decision to enroll early.

Currently, it was during the Third Great Ninja War.

The Land of Fire was locked in a fierce struggle with the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water.

One could say—

Everyone outside the village was an enemy!

However, the word "true" that Chiba had added made it all the more intriguing.

Itachi looked at Chiba, lost in thought.

Chiba, it seems you want to tell me something?

Chiba did indeed want to tell Itachi something—or rather, Chiba wanted to influence the young Itachi Uchiha through his own actions.

In the original story, Itachi chose Konoha over the Uchiha, and that was certainly not a choice made lightly.

Chiba could imagine how painful it must have been for someone from the "Clan of Love" to raise a blade against his own kin.

Therefore, the more significant the decision, the more resolute one became once the choice was made.

That was not something that could be reversed by mere words.

When Chiba arrived in the Uchiha clan as a transmigrator.

His fate was destined to be tied to the Uchiha; this was an unchangeable fact.

The Konoha leadership and the Uchiha were at odds.

Perhaps the relationship hadn't reached that point yet, but that moment would come sooner or later.

If he were just a fan of the original anime, Chiba might sympathize with Itachi's experience.

But as a member of the Uchiha clan.

In Chiba's eyes, Itachi Uchiha was like a demon.

Preventing all of this from happening was the primary mission.

And to prevent the Uchiha clan massacre that occurred in the original story, one had to strike at the root.

The enemy of the Uchiha was never the Itachi who committed the massacre.

It was the corrupt Konoha leadership.

"It's getting late, Itachi. Let's end today's sparring here!"

"See you at the entrance ceremony tomorrow!"

"And..."

Whether intentional or not, Chiba paused.

The young boy with tear troughs waited quietly, looking at his only close friend, expecting what Chiba would say next.

"Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me. As a friend, at least... I will listen carefully."

After saying this.

Chiba leaned on his crutch, feeling his way forward, and walked away with small steps.

Itachi Uchiha stared blankly at Chiba's retreating figure, lost in thought.

As... a friend?

The name Uchiha Chiba was bestowed with the meaning of a thousand fluttering leaves.

Chiba's parents hoped that he would become a leaf dancing in Konoha, growing alongside the village and becoming an inseparable part of it.

As a clan defined by love, the Uchiha yearned for peace and the prosperity of the village more than anyone else.

Yet the reality was... the Uchiha child who bore the name "Chiba" was born blind.

The Sharingan is the pride and glory of the Uchiha.

Therefore, when Chiba was born, the Uchiha clan became the laughingstock of all Konoha, the subject of gossip at every dinner table in the village.

An Uchiha had actually given birth to a blind child.

Isn't that laughable?

The pride and glory of the Uchiha clan were rendered worthless because of one blind child.

Perhaps out of jealousy, or perhaps because the Uchiha, as the Police Force, had offended too many people.

Chiba's existence was merely the fuse that ignited the explosion.

And Uchiha Chiba grew up in exactly such an environment.

Being a member of the Uchiha clan without a Sharingan is a destined tragedy.

However—