The Spirit of the Middle Kingdom Passed Down

"The Land of Water, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning—these great nations are not among my options."

Uchiha Tenshu immediately ruled out these major powers.

Given his Uchiha bloodline, if he were to arrive in their lands, he would either be conscripted as cannon fodder for the front lines or treated as a breeding stud to propagate his Kekkei Genkai. He reckoned that within a few years, he would end up a withered husk, dying in a bed somewhere.

Although I appreciate beauty, that doesn't mean I'm indiscriminate; I won't just swallow any dish set before me!

"Furthermore, small nations near the borders of the great powers, like the Land of Rain, are even less viable. Whether considering development potential or the danger of becoming a battlefield for the great nations, they are entirely off the table."

"On the contrary, the Country of Roran on the edge of the desert, the Land of Snow in the far west, and the Land of Demons could actually serve as backups. For one, they lack the resources that normal ninjas covet, which helps avoid the ambition and scrutiny of outsiders. For another, Roran's Dragon Vein, the technology of the Land of Snow, and the shrine maiden abilities of the Land of Demons are all quite unique treasures—it's just that the people of the Ninja World don't know their value!"

As for development potential, beyond the factor of war, these three nations possess natural defenses that small countries like the Land of Rain or the Land of Rivers lack. Whether it is Roran's vast desert, the icy mountains of the Land of Snow, or the terrifying canyons of the Land of Demons, their borders are essentially isolated. They are perfectly capable of holding off dozens with one, providing a strategic advantage in defense.

Don't even mention resources, food, or population.

For Uchiha Tenshu, who transmigrated from the Middle Kingdom, these are hardly issues. While he might not personally know how to solve them, he knows the methods to do so. As long as he gathers enough scientists and manpower, he can directly implement large-scale magical terraforming!

With the black technology of the Ninja World, simply replicating the technological applications of his past life would be enough to solve the land and resource problems.

Uchiha Tenshu had no doubts about the black technology of this Naruto World; he held it in high regard.

Combined with the ninjutsu of ninjas, so-called environmental constraints were not a big deal at all.

It was merely a matter of having the spirit of the "Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountains" and an unyielding attitude. If it couldn't be done in one or two years, then three or five; if not three or five, then seven or eight. As long as one persisted, success was inevitable.

In his past life, the people had been able to stop the encroachment of the northwestern deserts step by step, even pushing back with reforestation.

Now, with the aid of superior black technology and supernatural powers, could he really be inferior to the common, hardworking masses?

"It is only these ninjas with their small-minded, short-sighted views who fail to develop their own homelands, only envying the fruits of others' labor, stealing and robbing—truly shameless to the extreme."

Uchiha Tenshu thought with disdain.

Yet, he felt no qualms about his own plans to undermine Konoha.

Therefore, for Uchiha Tenshu of the Middle Kingdom, the challenges and sacrifices of a barren region were no deterrent; he would never lack the courage and spirit to act.

This was the unique, inherited spirit of the Middle Kingdom that one would never forget, even after transmigrating to another world.

Otherwise, Uchiha Tenshu wouldn't have been thinking about running away to start his own business at the age of seven.

After all, it's time for me, the successor, to inherit the great cause! Uchiha Tenshu thought to himself.

"Besides, now that I have a clear target for relocation, the next step is to accumulate capital and recruit various talents. As for Konoha, I shouldn't let it go to waste; it would be best to lure some reliable hands over to work for me."

Uchiha Tenshu's gaze shifted, and many ideas took root in his mind.

As the center of the Land of Fire, Konoha attracted countless ninja clans, large and small. Even the weakest clan here consisted of elites who had survived countless years of war and attrition. In other small nations, they would be regional powerhouses. If he could truly pull these people away, they would undoubtedly become his greatest assets.

Regarding this, Uchiha Tenshu, as a cunning soul reborn, was naturally well aware. Thus, even in his current young body, he had used displays of power, profit-sharing, and psychological manipulation to gather a group of peers from Uchiha-affiliated clans around him. He figured that after some time of tempering, they would slowly become his loyal confidants. While poaching from the clan was a bit unscrupulous, it had to be said: rather than letting these people contribute to Konoha's funeral industry in the coming wars, it was better to take them far away from the start. It could even be considered bringing a new lease on life to the Uchiha clan.

In any case, in the original plot, everything belonging to the Uchiha was wiped out completely.

They became nutrients for Konoha to feast upon.

It would be better to give that to himself, an Uchiha!

Uchiha Tenshu thought with a firm gaze.

After eating and tidying up, Uchiha Tenshu quickly went out and arrived by the Naka River.

"Ah! It's Big Brother Tenshu..." Kamado Taro, who was training, stopped swinging his short sword and hurried over.

Beside him, Shakukotsu Ikki's eyes lit up as he called out enthusiastically, "Big Brother Tenshu, you're here!"

"Big Brother Tenshu..."

Akakagami Taiga said softly and shyly, gazing at Uchiha Tenshu with admiration.

At this moment, on the solid ice of the Naka River, which was frozen crystal clear and reflecting the morning sun, seven youths of the same age were gathered, performing basic ninja training.

These were the "spirited" youths that Uchiha Tenshu had rallied around him. After all, a hero needs help; only by uniting more people could he establish a faction centered around himself. After a series of displays of strength, combat guidance, and psychological conditioning, these people had basically become Uchiha Tenshu's loyal lackeys.

Seeing Uchiha Tenshu arrive, everyone immediately beamed and stepped forward to greet him.

"Kamado Taro, Shakukotsu Ikki, Akakagami Taiga... you all arrived quite early!"

Uchiha Tenshu smiled and nodded in response.

One could tell from their names that, although they were affiliated with the Uchiha clan, they were not part of the Uchiha's direct lineage, not even branches.

They were merely members of small clans that had survived by clinging to the Uchiha for thousands of years.

There were many such clans. Over the millennia, countless families had risen by attaching themselves to the Uchiha, and perished because of them. In the constant warfare of the Warring States period, they were the few small clans that had survived into the era of hidden villages.

In fact, it was easy to see.

Even if the Uchiha clan was individually powerful, they could not possibly contend with the Senju clan—who were known for their unity and numbers—relying solely on their own ninja clan. Even if one clan defeated the other, they lacked the absolute advantage to wipe them out or seize sufficient benefits.

Not to mention, besides fighting and killing, ninjas still had to survive in this world. Even the powerful Uchiha had areas they were ill-suited for, such as commerce, forging, or farming. Since the Uchiha clan specialized in combat and viewed martial power as the highest virtue, how could they devote their energy to things outside of battle? Therefore, the existence of affiliated clans was perfectly reasonable.

Moreover, occasionally, a branch of the Uchiha bloodline would marry into these clans, and who knew, perhaps one day they might awaken the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan.

It was much like the ancestors of Uchiha Tenshu.

His great-grandfather, Toyotomi, had married a woman from a branch family of the Uchiha clan. Although Uchiha Tenshu's grandfather did not inherit the Sharingan, Uchiha Tenshu's father, Toyotomi Yaoguang, awakened the Sharingan during a battle against the Senju clan. He earned the appreciation of the Uchiha high command, who not only bestowed the Uchiha name upon him but also allowed him to marry Uchiha Ningning of the main lineage, eventually leading to the birth of Uchiha Tenshu himself.

That was why Uchiha Tenshu possessed the Uchiha surname and did not inherit his father's earlier Toyotomi surname.

From this, it could be seen that many of the Uchiha clan's affiliated families already had Uchiha blood flowing through them.

The same was true for Uchiha Izumi in later generations; as long as one had not awakened the bloodline and inherited the Sharingan, they would follow their original family name, but once the bloodline was awakened, they were inevitably required to return to the Uchiha.