Heading to the Coastline of the Land of Fire

"Huh? Tsunade-sensei, I..." Uchiha Yuzhen, his arm caught, turned his head in surprise, but the scene that met his eyes made him snap his mouth shut.

He saw Tsunade's eyes wide open, her pupils trembling slightly.

Her lips quivered as she spoke:

"What is going on with this chakra of yours? I recall... you are an Uchiha, aren't you!"

Tsunade felt as though her entire worldview had been shattered into pieces.

She had detected a familiar fluctuation coming from an Uchiha!

The unique chakra signature of the Senju of the Forest...

She could never be mistaken about this!

The reaction from the necklace around her neck, her grandfather's heirloom, could not be wrong either!

Yet, it was precisely this that made it so hard for her to believe!

Hearing Tsunade's confusion, Yuzhen finally realized what was happening.

This was caused by the Bloodline Affix on his body.

However, he found it difficult to explain this issue.

Yuzhen's gaze darkened: "Tsunade-sensei, my chakra is perfectly normal. I haven't noticed anything unusual when using it."

Hearing Yuzhen's response, Tsunade snapped back to reality.

She asked urgently: "Are both of your parents Uchiha?"

The Uchiha clan had a certain characteristic.

They didn't play the pure-blood game!

If an Uchiha woman married out and her child awakened the Sharingan, the child would be granted the Uchiha surname immediately.

Conversely, it was even easier to understand.

According to the customs of this land, a woman would take her husband's surname upon marriage.

She wanted to know about this kid's parents.

Which side, exactly, had the... possibility of being a Senju of the Forest!

"Huh?" Hearing this puzzling question from Tsunade, Yuzhen was also at a loss: "My parents died early, so I don't remember the details very clearly."

As these words fell, seeing the change in Tsunade's expression, Yuzhen continued, feigning ignorance:

"Also... Tsunade-sensei, why do you ask?"

Upon hearing this counter-question, Tsunade felt a headache coming on.

That's right...

She had spent the last few days investigating this brat's growth history.

Parents died early, entered the Ninja Academy, then graduated into an ordinary squad.

After the rest of his squad died, he followed Kakashi and joined Team Minato.

And then...

His strength grew by leaps and bounds!

His speed in mastering techniques was unique.

His talent for combat was also terrifying.

He was able to tangle with Sasori of the Red Sands... the grandson of that detestable old hag from Sunagakure.

But none of that could hide the fact that, half a year ago, he was still a bottom-tier ninja.

An Uchiha...

Would never have such a shocking growth curve after awakening the Sharingan.

And the remarkable chakra he possessed...

This was not the amount an Uchiha should have!

This was the amount only a Senju or an Uzumaki could possess!

However, she couldn't ask so bluntly.

She would just have to investigate these questions slowly, while the kid was away on the battlefield!

Clearing her thoughts, Tsunade exhaled a long, heavy breath.

"Whew... it's nothing. I just thought of something, don't worry about it!"

"Let's continue treating the fish!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzhen responded calmly:

"Yes! Lady Tsunade."

He did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble at this moment.

He immediately lowered his head and began to treat the fish.

However, Tsunade was no longer concerned with the results of this test.

After casually telling Uchiha Yuzhen that he had "passed," she took out a pile of books, packed them into a Space Scroll, and shoved it into his hands.

She told him to carry out his mission well before hurrying out of Konoha Hospital.

Uchiha Yuzhen watched Tsunade's retreating figure.

He knew she had misunderstood something.

He shook his head with a faint, amused smile.

Asking about my parents? I suppose she wants to check if there is any Senju blood in my lineage.

But this is the divine power of the system; it would be a miracle if you could find anything!

Sighing to himself, Uchiha Yuzhen did not idle away his time; he packed up the books and scrolls.

He then began to head toward the Ninja Tool Shop.

He needed to prepare supplies for his mission.

"Military Ration Pills, kunai, shuriken, Special Steel Wire, Explosive Tags... very good, everything is in order."

After confirming that all his supplies were foolproof, Uchiha Yuzhen stood up and strode out of the room.

Bang!

Closing the door behind him, he headed toward the Military Police Force.

He had received notification of this mission two days ago while at Konoha Hospital.

This time, he was to follow the main Uchiha force.

They were heading to the coastline of the Land of Fire.

They were to guard against the restless Kirigakure.

Uchiha Yuzhen immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Konoha...

Or rather, the climate of the Ninja World.

In any group, identity politics was paramount.

In Konoha, his political identity was...

First and foremost, a student of Namikaze Minato.

Only secondarily was he a member of the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha clan accepted this.

After all, there was the precedent of Kagami Uchiha.

More importantly...

This was the era of hidden villages, not the Warring States period.

Ninjas now had a true lord.

The "Hokage"—

That was the lord of the ninjas!

The lord was always greater than the clan; this was a universal truth!

It was true for the nobility, true for the samurai, and even more so for the lowly ninjas!

So, here was the strange part.

Why was he, a member of the Hokage's direct lineage, being pulled away from Team Minato for this mission?

Why was he being integrated directly into the Uchiha group's operations?

One had to know that for a Jonin-led squad to be disbanded, it usually meant they had been decimated.

The remaining condition was that every member of the squad had to be promoted to Chunin.

So, who was pulling the strings?

He was certain that someone was trying to stir up trouble!

Yuzhen, however, was indifferent to it.

With the Mangekyō Sharingan at his disposal and the blessing of invincible dōjutsu, he was ready.

No matter what schemes or plots he might face later on.

He would simply meet force with force and water with earth!

While lost in thought, Yuzhen arrived at the Military Police Force.

In the plaza of the Military Police Force, the majority of the Uchiha had already gathered.

"Yuzhen, come here." Fugaku, standing on a high platform, spotted Yuzhen and called him over.

"Yes, Lord Fugaku!" Yuzhen gladly accepted the order.

In the Uchiha clan, one could not afford to play the humble card.

Arriving beside Fugaku, he stood at attention, behaving properly.

The Uchiha below who were not part of Fugaku's faction did not jump out to cause any trouble either.

As one of the most formidable clans in the Ninja World for the past millennium.

The Uchiha might have lacked political acumen.

But they were certainly not lacking in tactical sense for war.

Internal divisions and the like had to give way to the war for now!

Besides, they held no resentment toward this Uchiha Yuzhen.

For a clan so deeply obsessed with the position of Hokage.

When it came to an Uchiha who showed promise...

Of becoming Hokage.

Who would be resentful?

Subsequently, after Fugaku finished a speech that Yuzhen found incredibly boring.

The main Uchiha force set out.

Heading toward the coastline of the Land of Fire!

In a gloomy cave.

Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground.

"That brat should have set off by now, right?" Uchiha Madara asked Zetsu with interest.

"Calculating the time, it should be about right."