The Advantage of Children

This...

I don't want this!

I want to stay in Konoha and be with Mikoto!

But it was too late for such realizations; Fugaku had already declared before everyone that he would go to the Land of Rain, and he could not go back on his word.

He looked at Uchiha Kurohane's smile, his anger mounting with every passing second.

Damn it!

A mere dead-last dares to frame me? Do you take me for an idiot, thinking I'll just let this slide?

You're coming with me!

Fugaku's eyes darted around as he conceived a plan for retaliation.

"I have no problem going to the Land of Rain, but Kurohane-kun, as the culprit behind this, you'll be coming too, right?"

Fugaku cast a malicious gaze toward Uchiha Kurohane, smirking as he waited for his response.

He intended to apply pressure, forcing Uchiha Kurohane to head to the Land of Rain.

Fugaku believed that with his Sharingan, he could escape if he encountered danger, ensuring his own safety.

On the other hand, Uchiha Kurohane possessed no Sharingan; he would be left to wait for death!

Uchiha Kurohane watched Fugaku's sinister expression and found him truly naive.

He looked straight into Fugaku's eyes and answered earnestly.

"I'm not going."

Fugaku nodded with a wicked grin.

"Exactly, you definitely have to go... wait, no, what did you say?"

Fugaku assumed that under these circumstances, it was impossible for Uchiha Kurohane to even consider backing out, and he thought he had misheard.

"I said I'm not going."

Fugaku was stunned, unable to comprehend Uchiha Kurohane's line of thinking.

"What are you talking about? You started this whole mess, you're the culprit! As a man, you must take responsibility and go to the Land of Rain!"

How can your skin be so thick? Are you even a man?

Fugaku was a man who cared deeply about his reputation; despite his inner fury, he maintained his composure, swallowing the insults he desperately wanted to hurl at Uchiha Kurohane.

Facing Fugaku's agitated questioning, Uchiha Kurohane replied with a flat expression.

"I am only nine years old, just a student at the Ninja Academy. I will not be going to the battlefield."

He actually has a move like this?

Fugaku's eyes widened in shock.

He was deeply unconvinced and immediately wanted to retort, but he couldn't find a reason to argue; he opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Seeing that Fugaku did not agree, Uchiha Mikoto interjected at this moment.

"Fugaku, what are you thinking? Kurohane-kun is just a child; how can you ask him to go to the battlefield?"

Seeing Mikoto speak up for Uchiha Kurohane made Fugaku feel even more enraged.

I'm only fourteen, I'm a child too!

Why am I the one who has to go to the battlefield?

You can't have double standards!

And why is Mikoto helping him?

She's my childhood sweetheart!

Fugaku felt as though Mikoto had betrayed him; he bit his lip until it bled, his face turning a faint shade of green.

Uchiha Kurohane continued after Mikoto's remark.

"I will not shirk my responsibilities. Once I become a Genin, I will go to the battlefield."

It was currently the final year of the Second Shinobi World War, and the conflict would soon be over.

Uchiha Kurohane was only nine years old; even at the fastest pace, he wouldn't graduate for another two years. By the time he became a Genin, the war would have long since ended!

Because Uchiha Kurohane's words made sense, the gathered Uchiha clansmen nodded in agreement.

Although the Uchiha clan was extreme, they were not brainless.

This was no longer the dark era of the Warring States Period; no matter how difficult things were, they would not send a nine-year-old child to the battlefield.

Besides, that conflict was taking place in the Land of Rain, outside of Konoha.

Essentially, it was a war of aggression by Konoha against the Land of Rain, and it was inherently unjust.

If the Uchiha clan sent people to participate, a victory would be credited to Sarutobi Hiruzen sitting in his Konoha office, while a defeat would mean the Uchiha clan would have to take the blame.

This was the very reason the Uchiha clan was unwilling to send anyone to the Land of Rain.

The Uchiha clan was only willing to protect the territory of the Land of Fire and had no desire to participate in the battles in the Land of Rain; they all identified with Uchiha Kurohane's perspective from the bottom of their hearts.

They also began to persuade Fugaku from the sidelines.

"Forget it, Fugaku. He's so young, how could he possibly go to the battlefield?"

"He's not like you. You are a genius of the Uchiha clan with formidable strength; it's too dangerous for him to go to the Land of Rain!"

The more the clansmen tried to persuade him, the angrier Uchiha Fugaku became.

Just then, a critical question suddenly occurred to him.

Wait a minute, this guy is only nine years old and the dead last in his class. How did he defeat those three fourteen-year-old Genin?

The Pumpkin Head trio were Uchiha Fugaku's classmates, and he knew their strength well.

The Shuriken Hell they unleashed in coordination was terrifying; even Uchiha Fugaku himself wasn't confident he could dodge it.

How could this kid possibly have defeated them?

"That's not right. Those three Genin are my classmates, and they are quite strong. How were you able to win?"

The gathered clansmen also realized the problem, and the venue became noisy once again.

A nine-year-old dead last defeating three fourteen-year-old Genin?

That was impossible!

Uchiha Kurohane needed to continue playing weak to avoid being sent to the battlefield.

"They looked down on me and were careless. They didn't dodge, so I ambushed them."

"An ambush can only take out one. What about the other two? Are you saying you managed to ambush them three times?"

Uchiha Setsuna spoke up coldly at this moment.

"He must have awakened the Sharingan."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately expressed their understanding.

"So that's it, he awakened the Sharingan. The Sharingan can significantly increase a ninja's strength; no wonder he was able to win... Wait, no, he's only nine years old!"

Awakening the Sharingan at nine was even more inconceivable!

One had to realize that the Sharingan wasn't something one could awaken just by wanting to.

Many Uchiha clansmen went their entire lives without ever awakening the Sharingan.

Even those who could awaken it generally did so only after reaching adulthood.

Awakening the Sharingan at nine was a first since the founding of Konoha!

Uchiha Kurohane had transformed from the dead last into the Uchiha clan's number one genius in the blink of an eye!

Uchiha Kurohane had even awakened his Sharingan earlier than Uchiha Fugaku had.

Listening to the clansmen's praise for Uchiha Kurohane, Uchiha Fugaku's eyes turned red with rage, and he clenched his small fists until they were bruised.

What Uchiha Fugaku found most unacceptable was the look of admiration and adoration in Uchiha Mikoto's eyes as she looked at Uchiha Kurohane.

This caused Uchiha Fugaku to completely lose his composure.

My goddess is actually admiring that dead last?

Damn it, damn it all!

Why does that loser have such good luck, actually awakening the Sharingan!

As Uchiha Kurohane basked in the praise of the Uchiha clansmen, a cry from Ji echoed in his mind.

[Ji~ Host has gained Uchiha Fugaku's jealousy, achieving the milestone "Uchiha Fugaku's small fists are bruised," and obtained the trait "Fugaku's Chakra Control Ability A."]

(Fugaku's Chakra Control Ability A: Fugaku is a genius of the Uchiha clan, possessing powerful chakra control. Host has acquired his chakra control ability.)

Chakra control was extremely important in the world of the Hokage.

For instance, in the early stages, Naruto possessed vast amounts of chakra, but due to the conflict with the Nine-Tails' chakra, he couldn't control it and could barely even perform the Three Basic Jutsu.

In contrast, Haruno Sakura possessed a powerful talent for chakra control and learned the Strength of a Hundred in just three years, gaining the ability to maintain eternal youth.

Without a doubt, the Strength of a Hundred was a powerful ninjutsu second only to Orochimaru's body-swapping technique.

After transmigrating, Uchiha Kurohane had made up his mind that he would definitely learn the Strength of a Hundred.

Because, aside from maintaining youth, this ninjutsu had another ability—activating cells to keep the body's functions in their peak state.

This ability was extremely useful for a man...