Slaying Monsters and Leveling Up

"Uchiha Tenshu? A genius? Hmph, nothing more than a stroke of luck! Those little inventions are mere parlor tricks, entirely irrelevant to the big picture. My elder brother Hashirama could easily construct a granary that would outclass his technology by who knows how many years! It's just that food supplies were scarce before, and no one had thought of it until now!"

Tobirama Senju looked on with disdain, dismissing Uchiha Tenshu's so-called genius inventions. Unconsciously, his words drifted toward his elder brother, Hashirama Senju, filled with a sense of conviction and praise.

"As for this mission of his, I have already reviewed it. Investigating the corruption and bribery appearing everywhere following the sale of alcohol? Hmph, typical of the naturally evil Uchiha; their actions are steeped in malice. We must never allow them to touch the political affairs of Konoha in the future, or they will surely embezzle the village's funds."

As he spoke.

Tobirama Senju squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples.

Beside him, an Anbu operative looked up and asked, "Then, shall we take this opportunity to eliminate him? A Genin who happens to lose his way and vanish in the Ninja World—it wouldn't attract any attention at all!"

"Forget it. Eliminating this boy now might alert the Uchiha Clan."

"After all, the operation against Uchiha Raimon just failed. If we act again, and since this Uchiha Tenshu is a protégé of Raimon, it would surely startle the snake and cause them to overreact! It would be better to wait until the Ninja Academy is built and observe his conduct then! Besides, compared to the Uchiha Clan, the Tsuchigumo Clan is currently causing me more trouble!" Tobirama Senju slowly shook his head, rejecting the Anbu's proposal, then, as if remembering something, he mentioned the Ninja Academy.

In truth, Tobirama Senju had already conceived the idea of establishing a Ninja Academy to bring the children of all Konoha's clans under one roof for training.

This move would not only cultivate fresh combat power and a foundation for Konoha, but it would also allow this newborn village, surrounded by various clans, to possess power that truly belonged to the village itself.

Especially after spending the last two years taking over the management of Konoha's affairs from his elder brother, Hashirama Senju, he had faced these ninja clans who wrapped themselves in cocoons, each maintaining their own independent affairs. The village had almost no real administrative control over them; everything had to be negotiated.

"This is unacceptable. As members of the village, they must be unconditionally loyal to Konoha. Only by becoming a collective and integrating into Konoha can the village survive permanently. Unfortunately, these relics of the Warring States period do not understand this!"

"That said, now is not the time to deal with these matters; I must leave it for the future."

At this point.

Tobirama Senju could not help but feel irritated.

"I truly never expected that the Tsuchigumo Clan would actually possess a forbidden technique with such massive destructive range!"

Tobirama's voice betrayed a sense of disbelief; he simply could not understand how they had managed to hide such power until now.

For several hundred years, had they never thought of dominating the Ninja World like the Senju Clan?

Tobirama could not fathom it, but the problem was now right in front of him. Thinking back to how he had personally forced them to flee, did he have to go and apologize to them?

"Absolutely not!"

Tobirama Senju immediately dismissed the thought.

After all, his Anbu, hidden in the shadows at the time, had personally heard them say that they wanted him to kneel before the Tsuchigumo Clan's family crest.

At the mere thought of it, Tobirama Senju's eyes widened, staring fixedly at the intelligence report on his desk, a surge of intense rage and killing intent rising in his heart.

His pupils turned a deep crimson, as if burning with a raging fire—a fire fueled not only by the Tsuchigumo Clan but also by his own frustration at his negligence.

Just a few days ago, the Tsuchigumo Clan had suddenly departed, which put Tobirama on high alert. He immediately dispatched his trusted subordinates to the site of the ambush on Elder Uchiha Raimon, hoping to gather information about the clan.

However, when his men arrived at the destination, the scene they witnessed left them shocked.

What should have been a peaceful area had been transformed into a massive crater over seven kilometers in diameter!

The crater was stark; the ground within a range of nearly a kilometer had been completely overturned, and the surrounding land looked as if it had been trampled by a giant beast—a scene of utter devastation.

Such terrifying destructive power was beyond imagination! Tobirama knew well that this could not have been caused by an ordinary ninjutsu. Even his elder brother, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, could not produce such a massive area of effect with standard Wood Release without using Sage Mode. Even if he forced such a wide-range technique, the intensity of the attack would inevitably be diluted to an unknown degree.

Yet, the opponent had maintained the intensity of the attack while covering such a vast area. Furthermore, according to the information from his subordinates, this attack method formed in an instant, meaning that even if the enemy were six and a half kilometers away, they could be struck instantaneously.

With such a forbidden technique as their trump card, even if it wasn't a technique they could cast at will, Konoha would never be able to withstand two or three such strikes. Not to mention, if they could not resolve the hostility of the Tsuchigumo Clan, they would inevitably face a terrifying new enemy.

"What kind of forbidden technique is this? To have such terrifying power!" Tobirama Senju gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, blood trickling from his fingertips.

He knew he had caused a major disaster this time.

If he didn't resolve this trouble properly.

And if the other clans in the village found out.

It would inevitably lead to controversy regarding his leadership.

Just as Tobirama Senju was racking his brain to solve his predicament, Uchiha Tenshu, unaware that he had dodged an assassination attempt by Tobirama, had already begun his first step of training in the Ninja World, setting out on his journey.

At the foot of an unnamed mountain stronghold.

The surrounding environment appeared somewhat desolate, with weeds growing wild on the ground and a few withered trees nearby.

Beyond that, there were about thirty heavily armed bandits led by a few wild samurai.

Uchiha Tenshu stood his ground, his figure appearing particularly striking against the desolate backdrop. He wore the black Uchiha attire, his long, jet-black hair fluttering in the wind. With one hand, he formed seals, chanting, "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" His movements were as fast as lightning; the entire process took less than a second to complete.

As his words fell, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from within him, gathering in his open mouth.

Suddenly, fireballs began to expand as they were spat out, flying toward the charging bandits like burning meteors.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" A series of deafening explosions echoed, flames soaring into the sky and smoke filling the air.

When the smoke cleared, the ground was littered with charred, mangled corpses. Some were still smoldering, emitting a pungent, burnt odor, but without exception, all had lost their lives to the Fire Style attack.

Even a simple C-rank ninjutsu was turned into a work of art by Uchiha Tenshu. The Phoenix Sage Fire, typically used to distract enemies and gain the upper hand, was precisely guided by Tenshu's superior control to strike every single enemy, and he could even continuously fire them by consuming more chakra.

This was the tenth day since Uchiha Tenshu left home, and his first time killing someone with his own hands. Yet, there was little expression on his face; the entire process felt as easy and pleasant to him as killing a chicken or pouring boiling water into an anthill on a typical day.

As for those he had killed, they were merely a group of bandits blocking his path. Moreover, these bandits were not impoverished people forced into crime by circumstance, but rather "black gloves" hired by the local power, the Otomo Clan. Under a simple Genjutsu, they had confessed everything quite easily.

Conversely, Uchiha Tenshu had no intention of rooting out the bandit groups composed of poor, displaced people who had lost their land to exploitation. Not to mention that these people were already committing crimes and were targets that had to be purged, he didn't even care to ask why they turned to evil. Compared to killing them, Uchiha Tenshu held even less regard for those who remained silent.

Furthermore.

For Uchiha Tenshu to establish his own faction in the future, whether it be the displaced refugees he required or the vast sums of money, he needed a chaotic Ninja World. Even the people standing before him now were nothing more than obstacles in his path.

That was the only reason Uchiha Tenshu chose to act.

Otherwise, in situations that did not concern him.

Uchiha Tenshu would, in all likelihood, have remained indifferent while leaving them to wreak havoc upon this Ninja Continent.

After all, any so-called heart of benevolence.

Had been exhausted long ago in his previous life.

The current Uchiha Tenshu needed to live for himself.

And.

My speed has increased slightly! Uchiha Tenshu pondered inwardly. While his expression remained as shocked as a turbulent sea, the mysterious fragment in his mind, which had traveled to this world with him, was currently sending out waves of fluctuations, as if telling him it was about to awaken.

Is this a sacrifice of the soul? Or a harvest of the essence of life? Uchiha Tenshu furrowed his brows, struggling to think, but regardless of the reason.

It seems I can no longer sit idly by; I must take action. I will start by attempting more kills! Uchiha Tenshu's gaze was like a torch as he made up his mind.

Immediately after.

Uchiha Tenshu shot up the small hill toward the bandit stronghold like an arrow released from a bow. After a bloody massacre.

The stronghold was already a river of blood, with corpses strewn across the fields.

With the lives of hundreds as the price.

Before Uchiha Tenshu.

A middle-aged man who looked refined and scholarly knelt down in terror, begging for mercy like a frightened rabbit: "Spare me, please spare me! I only handle the accounts and statistics for them; I was forcibly dragged here by them, Ninja-sama! Besides, they are people of the Otomo Clan, and the Otomo Clan has ninja retainers. In exchange for this information, please show mercy and let me go! I pose no threat to you at all!"

Uchiha Tenshu turned a deaf ear to his pleas, yet he did not strike him down. Instead, he cast a Genjutsu with a gaze as sharp as an arrow, causing the man to fall instantly into a coma.

Afterward, Uchiha Tenshu casually pulled over a stool from the side and began to process the information flooding into his brain.