"Uchiha Tenshu? A genius, huh? Hmph, he just got lucky! Those little inventions are nothing but clever tricks, completely irrelevant to the bigger picture. The granaries my big brother Hashirama can build with ease are countless years ahead of his technology! It's just that there wasn't enough food before, so nobody thought of it!"
Tobirama Senju scoffed at Uchiha Tenshu's so-called genius inventions. Without realizing it, he brought up his big brother Hashirama Senju, praising and trusting him wholeheartedly.
"As for his latest mission, I've already read the report. He's investigating the corruption and bribery that have cropped up in various places since alcohol went on sale? Hmph, just as you'd expect from the inherently evil Uchiha. They're always up to something wicked. We absolutely must never let them get involved in Konoha's affairs in the future, or they'll steal the village's money."
As he spoke,
Tobirama Senju shut his eyes and rubbed his temples.
Beside him, an Anbu looked up and asked, "Then should we deal with him now? He's only a Genin. If he happened to take a wrong turn somewhere in the Ninja World and disappear, no one would pay much attention!"
"Forget it. Dealing with him now might make the Uchiha Clan suspicious."
"After all, our last operation against Uchiha Raimon just failed. If we act again, Uchiha Tenshu is someone Raimon trained. We'd inevitably alert them and provoke an overreaction! Better to wait until the Ninja Academy is built, then see how he behaves. Besides, compared to the Uchiha Clan, the Tsuchigumo Clan is causing me far more trouble right now!" Tobirama Senju slowly shook his head, rejecting the Anbu's suggestion. Then, as if remembering something, he brought up the Ninja Academy.
Indeed, Tobirama Senju had already conceived the idea of establishing a Ninja Academy, where the children of Konoha's various clans could be brought together and trained.
This would both provide Konoha Village with a new generation of fighters and a strong foundation, and give this new settlement, surrounded by clans, a force that truly belonged to the village itself.
Especially after spending the past two years taking over various village affairs from his big brother Hashirama Senju, he'd had to deal with these ninja clans, each keeping to itself and managing its own affairs. The village had almost no power to govern them. Everything had to be settled through discussion.
"This really shouldn't be the case. As members of the village, they must be loyal to Konoha without question. Only by becoming one and integrating into Konoha can they ensure the village's survival for generations to come. It's a shame these old holdovers from the Warring States Period don't understand that!"
"But this isn't the time to deal with it, so we'll have to leave it for the future."
At this, Tobirama Senju couldn't help growing angry.
"I never imagined the Tsuchigumo Clan really possessed a forbidden technique with such an enormous range of destruction!"
Tobirama Senju's voice betrayed his disbelief. He couldn't understand how they could have hidden such power until now.
Over the course of several hundred years, had they never thought of trying to dominate the Ninja World, as the Senju Clan had?
Tobirama Senju couldn't understand it. But now the problem was right in front of him. He had personally forced them to leave. Did that mean he had to apologize to them?
"Absolutely not!"
Tobirama Senju immediately dismissed the idea.
After all, the Anbu he'd had concealed nearby had personally heard them say they wanted him to kneel before the Tsuchigumo Clan's crest.
The moment he thought of it, Tobirama Senju's eyes widened. He stared hard at the intelligence report on his desk, a powerful surge of anger and murderous intent rising within him.
His pupils turned crimson, as if blazing with fury. He was angry not only at the Tsuchigumo Clan, but also at himself for being so careless.
Just a few days ago, the Tsuchigumo Clan had suddenly left. This had put Tobirama Senju on alert, and he'd immediately sent trusted men to the place where they'd ambushed Uchiha Raimon's elder, hoping to learn more about the Tsuchigumo Clan.
However, when his men reached the site, what they saw left them utterly shocked.
What should have been a peaceful stretch of land had become a gigantic crater, more than seven kilometers in diameter!
The crater was impossible to miss. Nearly a meter of earth had been completely torn up inside it, and the surrounding ground was a mess, as if trampled by a colossal monster.
The destructive power was so terrifying it beggared belief! Tobirama Senju knew this wasn't something an ordinary ninjutsu could do. Even his big brother, Hashirama Senju, hailed as the God of Shinobi, couldn't create such a vast area of destruction with ordinary Wood Release without using Sage abilities. And even if he forced a technique to cover that much ground, its attack strength would inevitably be reduced to who knew what degree.
Yet the enemy had affected an area that large without reducing the attack's strength. In particular, according to the information his men had sent back, the attack had formed in an instant. In other words, even from 6.5 kilometers away, they could hit their enemies in an instant.
With a forbidden technique like this as their trump card, even if the Tsuchigumo Clan couldn't use it at will, just two or three attacks would be enough to overwhelm Konoha. Worse still, the Tsuchigumo Clan was already hostile. If he couldn't resolve that hostility, they would become a terrifying enemy.
"What kind of forbidden technique is this? How can it be so powerful?" Tobirama Senju said through gritted teeth. His fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms, and blood trickled from his fingertips.
He knew he'd made a huge blunder this time.
If he didn't resolve this trouble properly,
and the village's other clans found out,
they would inevitably question his actions.
While Tobirama Senju racked his brains to resolve the mess he'd made, on the other side, Uchiha Tenshu—unaware that he'd escaped an assassination attempt by Tobirama Senju—had already begun his first trial in the Ninja World, taking the first step on his journey.
At the foot of an unknown mountain stronghold,
the surrounding area looked desolate. Weeds choked the ground, and a few dead trees stood in the distance.
Apart from that, there were a few wild samurai leading around thirty fully armed bandits.
Uchiha Tenshu stood there, his figure especially conspicuous against the desolate backdrop. He wore black Uchiha clothes, his long, dark hair fluttering in the wind. He formed Hand Seals with one hand and murmured, "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" His movements were as swift as lightning; the entire sequence took less than a second.
As soon as he finished speaking, powerful Chakra surged from his body and gathered in his open mouth.
Suddenly, one fireball after another swelled as they shot from his mouth. Like burning meteors, they streaked toward the bandits charging from the distance.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Deafening explosions rang out as flames soared into the sky and smoke billowed everywhere.
When the smoke cleared, bodies lay scattered across the ground, burned beyond recognition. Some still smoldered, filling the air with a pungent charred stench. Without exception, every one of them had died beneath the Fire Style attack.
Even a simple C-rank ninjutsu became something extraordinary in Uchiha Tenshu's hands. The Phoenix Flower Technique, usually meant to distract enemies and create an opening, was under Uchiha Tenshu's powerful control, striking every enemy with precision. He could keep firing the flames, too, as long as he had Chakra.
It was the tenth day since Uchiha Tenshu had left home, and the first time he'd killed someone with his own hands. Yet his face showed little emotion. To him, the whole process felt as easy and pleasant as killing a chicken or pouring water on an anthill.
As for the people he'd killed, they were just a group of bandits who'd blocked his way. And these weren't poor people driven to banditry by desperation. They were hired thugs working for the Otomo Clan, the local power. Under a simple Genjutsu, they'd confessed everything with ease.
By contrast, Uchiha Tenshu had no intention of drawing his weapon against the bandits and refugees made up of impoverished people who'd lost their land to exploitation. Never mind that these people had done evil things and might need to be killed; setting aside the reasons they'd turned to crime, Uchiha Tenshu had even less respect for the silent people who did nothing.
Besides,
Uchiha Tenshu's future plan to build his own faction would require both refugees and a great deal of money. To get them, the Ninja World had to remain chaotic. Even the people standing in his way now were merely blocking his path.
That was why Uchiha Tenshu chose to act.
Otherwise, if they had nothing to do with him,
he would probably have left them to plague the Ninja Continent without lifting a finger.
After all, his so-called compassion
had already been used up in his previous life.
Now, Uchiha Tenshu had to live for himself.
And besides—
The rate has picked up! Uchiha Tenshu thought to himself, his face rippling with shock like a vast, turbulent sea. The mysterious fragment in his mind had crossed over to this world with him. Now, it was continuously sending waves through him, as if announcing that it was about to awaken.
Is this a sacrifice of souls? Or a reaping of the very essence of life? Uchiha Tenshu furrowed his brow and pondered hard, but whatever the cause—
It looks like I can't sit back any longer. I have to do something. I'll start by trying to kill more people! Uchiha Tenshu's gaze burned as he made up his mind.
Then,
Uchiha Tenshu shot up the mountainside like an arrow loosed from a bow, heading straight for the bandits' stronghold. After a bloody massacre,
the stronghold was awash with blood, and corpses littered the ground.
At the cost of hundreds of lives,
Uchiha Tenshu stood before
a middle-aged man who looked scholarly and refined. His face was full of terror as he dropped to his knees like a frightened rabbit and begged, "Spare me! Please, spare me! I only kept their books and tallied their finances. They forced me to come here, ninja-sama! Besides, they're with the Otomo Clan, and the Otomo Clan has ninjas in its service too. If you'll spare me for telling you this, I'll be no threat to you at all!"
Uchiha Tenshu ignored his pleas, but he didn't kill him either. He merely fixed him with a sharp Genjutsu gaze, and the man instantly fell unconscious.
Then Uchiha Tenshu casually pulled over a stool and began receiving the information transmitted into his mind.
Before you continue