The Growth of Strength

"A mission to the Land of Wind?!" After finishing his sparring match with Kakashi, Uchiha Yuzhen's expression brightened upon hearing the news.

He was currently in desperate need of money.

There was no helping it...

The Flying Thunder God was incredibly powerful, but the technique had a "fatal flaw."

It was expensive!

Specialized Kunai were not cheap!

Over these past few days, in order to train, he had already spent every last cent of his previous commission.

Now that he was strapped for cash, hearing this news made him quite happy.

An out-of-village mission meant that the commission fee would be substantial!

"That's right, that's right! We accepted this mission together with Teacher Minato, so let Lord Obito explain it to you!" Uchiha Obito, as if the silence from just a moment ago had stifled him, hurriedly jumped out to give Uchiha Yuzhen a full explanation.

The rest of Team Minato was happy to let Obito seek attention.

After all, this kind of behavior from Obito helped liven up the atmosphere.

Following Obito's explanation, Uchiha Yuzhen roughly understood the nature of this mission.

The current Ninja World was far from peaceful.

The economic problems left over from the Second Ninja World War years ago had not been resolved by the various nations.

Now, the consequences were surfacing.

All human conflicts ultimately revolved around one point.

Profit!

For Sunagakure, economic interests were particularly urgent.

Despite the Land of Wind's vast territory, ninety-nine percent of its land was desert.

Barren land meant weak national strength.

Weak national strength meant insufficient support for the hidden village.

For Sunagakure, which was currently in its most prosperous era, this was intolerable.

Sunagakure knew that the Daimyo was limited by the nation's strength.

Even a wealthy landlord had no surplus grain, and the Daimyo truly could not provide much financial support.

So, what could they do?

It was simple: invade others.

When both the Daimyo and the Kazekage reached this conclusion, the neighboring Land of Rivers appeared very tempting.

Unlike the Land of Wind, the Land of Rivers bordered the Land of Rain but did not suffer from the constant downpours that plagued its neighbor.

It was rich in water and fertile in land.

Furthermore, as a neighbor to the Land of Fire, it held a massive advantage in commerce.

Though the Land of Rivers had a smaller territory than the Land of Wind, its national strength was not inferior in the slightest!

In response, Sunagakure took action.

The Daimyo of the Land of Rivers and his son were kidnapped by the Third Kazekage himself.

Now, the rescue request from the Land of Rivers had reached Konoha.

Konoha immediately arranged for the available combat-ready force on hand.

That was Namikaze Minato!

With Namikaze Minato at the center, he would lead a team of Jonin consisting of the Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans to carry out the rescue operation!

After receiving this mission, Namikaze Minato consulted with the Third Hokage.

He felt that within the team he led, there were two Jonin-level combatants: Kakashi and Yuzhen.

And then there was Obito, who was no slouch either.

His reputation as a "dead last" was earned within the Elite Class.

A dead last in an Elite Class would never truly be weak.

He still possessed the basic competence of an average Chunin.

After all, he was a clan ninja, at the very least.

His starting point was already far superior to that of a civilian ninja.

Coupled with the fact that Rin Nohara was a medical ninja, the type of ninja that was essential to bring along, Team Minato joined this operation after finalizing the details with the Third Hokage.

After listening to Obito's explanation, "We're setting off this afternoon, right?" Uchiha Yuzhen asked, lifting his eyelids to look at them.

"That's right, rescue operations must be swift."

Hearing this, Yuzhen felt a sense of relief.

He squeezed the Ninja Blade that had just been pressed against Kakashi's neck.

This blade—

was a Ninja Blade crafted from chakra metal.

It had been delivered by Fugaku a few days prior.

Yuzhen was very satisfied with this new weapon.

It was unexpectedly easy to use!

Not only was it incomparably sharp, but it also possessed an excellent chakra conduction frequency.

After he equipped the [Vampiric Immortality (Blue)] affix, he had even tested it out.

It had become just like the Kubikiribōchō; even if it sustained damage, it could restore its blade by absorbing blood.

This blood was not limited to humans.

As long as it was a carbon-based lifeform with iron in its blood, it would work!

By now—

the upgrade to his weapon had long been completed.

His own strength, through the integration of the Flying Thunder God Technique over the past few days, had also undergone a heaven-shaking transformation!

That's right!

His strength was already at the Elite Jonin level.

His panel had now changed.

Host: Uchiha Yuzhen

Gender: Male

Age: Twelve

Strength: Elite Jonin

Affixes: [Eye of the Divine Realm (Red)], [Child of Time and Space (Gold)], [Genius (Gold)], [Phantom Fate (Gold)].

[Uchiha (Purple)], [Scorch Release (Purple)], [Steel Training (Purple)].

[Sharingan (Blue)], [Fire Style (Blue)], [Wind Style (Blue)], [Yin Style (Blue)].

[Uchiha Style (Blue)], [Natural Energy Affinity (Blue)], [Flying Thunder God Technique Formula (Blue)].

Combat Points: 170.

Ever since he integrated the Flying Thunder God Technique, the strength assessment on his panel had reached Elite Jonin.

Moreover, the ceiling for his Elite Jonin level was very high.

At the lower end, he could instantly kill an average Jonin, just like he had done to Kakashi moments ago.

At the upper end, he could use the Flying Thunder God to remain invincible and maneuver against Kage-level opponents.

"At this stage, or rather... before this mission, my strength has likely reached its limit."

Kakashi's challenge just now had earned him 100 Combat Points.

Unfortunately, all the Affixes currently on his panel were blue or higher.

He didn't have enough to upgrade any of them.

However, Uchiha Yuzhen was very clear on one thing.

His current strength was already sufficient to face any challenge.

The confidence granted by the Flying Thunder God Technique Formula was just that immense.

As for his next goal, Yuzhen had already mapped it out.

The integration of the Flying Thunder God and Uchiha Style.

That fell under the category of 'Ninjutsu'.

Once he pushed that aspect to its absolute limit, he would begin to focus on the realms of 'Genjutsu' and 'Taijutsu'.

He believed that after this mission, by continuing to delve into the Affixes extracted from Shisui and Guy, he would definitely be able to bring his strength...

To a state of flawless power across all three dimensions: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu!

"Yuzhen? Yuzhen? Are you listening? What are you thinking about..." Namikaze Minato's puzzled voice interrupted Yuzhen's train of thought.

Pulling himself back from his reflections, Uchiha Yuzhen saw the confusion on Namikaze Minato's face and said with a sheepish smile:

"I was just thinking, since the Third Kazekage has been deployed, is there any more detailed intelligence?"

"After all, a team led by a village leader shouldn't be composed of nobodies, right?!"

Hearing Yuzhen's words, Namikaze Minato's expression turned serious:

"You're right, Yuzhen, your assessment is spot on. The intelligence this time indicates..."

"It's not just the Third Kazekage... he has also brought the Puppet Corps of Sunagakure."

"Among them is Sasori of the Red Sand, that genius puppeteer from Sunagakure."

"As the leader of the Puppet Corps..."

"He is not to be underestimated!"