The Blind Swordsman of the Uchiha Clan Author: Feng Qing
Reincarnated into Naruto as a member of the Uchiha Clan, a clan obsessed with eyes, Chiba was born blind.
But when the first template unlocked by his God-Level Template System was Fujitora Issho's—
A blind swordsman who would shake the Shinobi World was born.
Though blind, I am a swordsman.
One man, one sword—enough to roam the world!
Chapter 1
The Blind Swordsman of the Uchiha Clan
"Itachi, do you know? The only thing that can make leaves burn... is fire!"
Five-year-old Itachi Uchiha couldn't fully understand what those words meant.
He merely looked at his best friend, Uchiha Chiba, another member of the Uchiha Clan, with some confusion.
Still, from the words "leaves" and "fire," Itachi could roughly guess what Uchiha Chiba was trying to say.
"Chiba, do you mean, 'Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on. The flames will continue to illuminate the village and help new leaves sprout'?"
Those words were a classic Konoha saying, passed down from one generation to the next.
They had been handed down from the First all the way to the Third.
The sentiment behind them was good, but time would eventually make them change.
No, time wasn't what made them change. It was desire, greed, and, above all... the human heart!
Hearing those words, Uchiha Chiba smiled.
"Itachi, do you really think the flames will illuminate the village? No... fire will only grow stronger and burn the whole village to the ground!"
???
Itachi Uchiha's face was full of question marks.
Could those words really be interpreted that way?
Itachi couldn't understand what Chiba meant. He only stared blankly at his friend, who was the same age as him.
Chiba stood with both hands resting on his cane. His black hair fell softly around his face, but a piece of black cloth hid the eyes that were the Uchiha's hallmark, robbing them of their natural brilliance.
His name was Uchiha Chiba, and he was blind.
Yet as Chiba stood before Itachi Uchiha, he radiated an aura of pressure that no blind person should have had.
It was an aura built up over many years.
They had met nearly a year ago, and since then, they had become close friends.
They had sparred and studied together, growing stronger side by side. Yet even when they sparred, Itachi Uchiha had never once beaten the blind Chiba.
Don't let Chiba's blindness fool you.
The cane in his hand wasn't just for finding his way.
The sword concealed inside it struck with terrifying weight.
Though blind, I am a swordsman.
That was something Chiba often said.
One man, one sword—enough to roam the world. What could be more carefree?
That was also why the precocious Itachi Uchiha had come to regard Chiba as his best friend.
Strange words often spilled from his mouth, but they always made you think.
Itachi loved talking with Chiba.
Just like today. Just like now.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, Chiba."
Itachi tilted his head, puzzled.
"If you don't understand... that's fine. But I hope you'll remember what I said. Maybe it's because you're starting school tomorrow, but I've been talking too much. When the time comes, you'll understand."
It wasn't that he didn't know. The time just hadn't come yet.
Starting school meant that Itachi would soon receive an education from Konoha.
His worldview was about to undergo a new baptism—from Konoha.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan and Itachi's best friend, Chiba naturally didn't want to watch Itachi go down the same path as in the original story.
It was a one-way road to slaughtering one's own clan for the sake of a village.
Hearing this, Itachi fell into thought.
Leaves, fire, Konoha, the Uchiha.
At that moment, Itachi seemed to grasp something. He looked up at Chiba.
Chiba, are you... hinting at something?
The village... and the Uchiha?
Itachi was surprised, but not shocked.
Because he knew Chiba.
His eyes couldn't see, but he saw many things more clearly than anyone else.
While Itachi was thinking, there was a sharp tap.
Someone flicked Itachi on the forehead.
It was Chiba's right hand.
"Don't overthink it, Itachi. Sometimes you think too much. There's no need for that yet!"
Not yet...
Itachi rubbed his forehead.
He was good at picking up on what mattered. There was no need for it now—but what about later?
"In these times of war, the only things worth thinking about are how to survive and how to recognize where the real enemy is."
"And are you really set on starting school early? Your father took you to see the battlefield a while ago, didn't he?"
"Starting school early means you might be sent to the battlefield early, too."
In the original story, Itachi was supposed to start school at six. By the time he graduated, the Third Shinobi World War would be nearly over. But now, perhaps because of Chiba, Itachi had decided to start early.
It was currently the Third Shinobi World War.
The Land of Fire was locked in fierce battles with the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water.
You could put it this way—
Everyone outside the village was an enemy!
But the fact that Chiba had stressed the word "real" made it sound meaningful.
Itachi looked thoughtfully at Chiba.
Chiba seems to be trying to tell me something.
Chiba did want to tell Itachi some things. No, more accurately, he wanted to influence the young Itachi.
In the original story, Itachi had chosen Konoha over the Uchiha. That couldn't have been an easy choice.
Chiba could imagine how painful it must have been for Itachi, the Uchiha who was called part of the "Clan of Love," to raise his blade against his own people.
The more important the decision, the more resolute you became once you had made your choice.
No amount of clever words could reverse that.
The moment Chiba, a transmigrator, arrived in the Uchiha Clan, his fate was tied to the Uchiha. That was an unchangeable fact.
The Konoha High Command and the Uchiha were like fire and water.
Their relationship might not have reached that point yet, but it was only a matter of time.
If Chiba were simply a fan of the original anime, he might have sympathized 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 it from happening was the top priority.
And to stop the Uchiha massacre from the original story, he had to start at the root.
The Uchiha's enemy had never been Itachi, the one who massacred the clan.
It was Konoha's corrupt High Command.
"It's getting late, Itachi. Let's call it a day."
"I'll see you at the entrance ceremony tomorrow!"
"And one more thing..."
Whether intentionally or not, Chiba paused.
The boy with pronounced smile lines, waiting to hear what Chiba would say next, quietly looked at his only best friend.
"If anything happens, you can talk to me. As your friend, at the very least... I'll listen carefully."
With that,
Chiba leaned on his cane and felt his way along the path as he walked off in small steps.
Itachi Uchiha watched Chiba's retreating figure, lost in thought.
As... a friend?
Chapter 2
The name Uchiha Chiba carried the hope that he would become one of the thousands of leaves dancing through Konoha.
Chiba's parents hoped he would become one of Konoha's fluttering leaves, growing alongside the village and becoming part of it.
As the Clan of Love, the Uchiha hoped for peace and the village's prosperity more than anyone.
But reality was... when the Uchiha child given the name "Chiba" was born, he was blind.
The Sharingan was the pride and glory of the Uchiha.
So when Chiba was born, the Uchiha Clan became a laughingstock throughout Konoha, the subject of gossip over meals.
The Uchiha Clan had actually given birth to a blind child.
Ridiculous, wasn't it?
The pride and glory of the Uchiha Clan had been rendered worthless by one blind child.
Perhaps it was jealousy, or perhaps it was because the Uchiha of the Police Force had offended too many people.
Chiba's existence was merely the fuse that set things off.
And Uchiha Chiba grew up in that kind of environment.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, having no Sharingan meant a miserable fate.
But—