The Uchiha Compound

Uchiha Chiba felt the scent of blood gradually filling his body. It was the final contribution from the withered corpse on the ground, which also replenished a small portion of his chakra. Though not much, it was enough for his needs. Incidentally, his current blood reserves had reached one-fifth capacity, meaning a half-step Kage Level individual could provide roughly one-tenth of his total reserves.

"That was the Flying Raijin Technique. Cool, right?" Uchiha Chiba decided to show off for once.

Minazuki Kokona merely nodded coldly, her tone sounding perfunctory as she clapped her hands. "Cool. Ah, so cool. Great, ah..."

Chiba: If you don't love me, don't hurt me.jpg

"So, your clan is welcoming you back in this manner. What will you do?" Minazuki Kokona asked calmly. This little girl was definitely not as simple as she appeared; she thought about things deeply and comprehensively.

"Then I'll go see what the Uchiha Clan is actually up to. I don't think this is anything out of the ordinary. After all, my parents died in the war, and I was an abandoned pawn sent to the battlefield... Now that I've returned with military merits, even if my reputation in Konohagakure isn't quite on par with Orochimaru or Sakumo Hatake, it's reached the point where many people know who I am..." Uchiha Chiba paused, formed hand seals, and casually tossed a fireball to reduce the withered corpse to ashes.

Then, he continued: "Either they need my strength, or... they don't want me getting too close to those at the center of Konohagakure's political power. But then again, how could they possibly control me?"

Minazuki Kokona blinked. She looked at Uchiha Chiba's back and followed him, a strange emotion flashing through her watery eyes. No one knew what the little girl was calculating.

At the very edge of Konohagakure, in the area known as the village's gateway, lay the residential district of the Uchiha Clan.

It was an area shrouded by time and lush greenery, surrounded by tall, dense forests. The branches were intertwined, allowing sunlight to filter through the layers of leaves only in dappled patches, as if draping a mysterious veil over the land.

"It's so big. Much larger than the Yuki Clan's territory," Minazuki Kokona said, her feelings complicated as she looked at the vast, seemingly boundless Uchiha territory before her (in reality, it was mostly because of the excessive forest).

"That's because the Uchiha territory isn't just the shrine; the central area is where the clan members live." Although this was Uchiha Chiba's first time here since transmigrating, explaining this wasn't difficult given his memories of anime and novels from his past life.

Then, two Uchiha clansmen approached Uchiha Chiba.

"Lord Chiba, we have been waiting for quite some time under the orders of the elders," the two clansmen said respectfully. The Uchiha Clan revered the strong, and since Uchiha Chiba had made a name for himself during the Second Shinobi World War, they would not slight him just because of his youth.

"Lead the way."

Uchiha Chiba and Minazuki Kokona followed the two clansmen into the territory.

At the entrance stood two massive stone pillars, carved with ancient Uchiha crests and runes. Erosion from the years had left them somewhat weathered, yet they still exuded an aura of ancient majesty.

Deepening their path along the winding trail, traditional Japanese-style buildings were arranged in an orderly fashion. The wooden structures emitted a faint scent of agarwood, and the black roof tiles shimmered with a cold, hard luster under the dim light.

In the courtyards, exquisite stone lanterns stood silently. Their wicks had long since been extinguished, yet they seemed to be whispering of past glories. The walls were adorned with murals depicting the history of the Uchiha Clan; those battles, those honors, and the past stained with blood and tears were all presented through the brushstrokes.

To the north of the territory stood the Uchiha Shrine. Its heavy doors were tightly shut, with fresh offerings placed before them. Inside the shrine, the spirit tablets of past Uchiha members were enshrined. The flickering candlelight illuminated those names, as if their souls were still here, guarding the clan's legacy.

The center of the territory was the residential area. Aside from a few tall buildings in the middle, the rest were low-rise wooden houses. It was said that the tallest one was the Konoha Police Force headquarters, where the current head of the Uchiha Clan worked.

Uchiha Chiba looked into the distance.

A flash of azure light caught his eye.

That was the eastern side of the territory, where a tranquil lake lay. The water was clear yet cold, much like the deep, stern gaze of the Uchiha clansmen. The occasional ripples on the surface seemed to be recalling the figures of Uchiha ninjas who once practiced their techniques here—the clash of blades and the water's movement weaving together into a long-sealed legend.

"Lord Chiba, we have given you a general tour of the Uchiha territory. We hope this helps soothe any longing you felt for your family while on the battlefield," the clansman said with a smile. He then whispered a few words to his companion, though the content remained unknown.

As for Uchiha Chiba and his companion:

"A sense of belonging..." Minazuki Kokona looked at Uchiha Chiba with a very strange and subtle expression.

"..." Uchiha Chiba remained silent.

Are you kidding me?

I was nearly killed on the battlefield, and no one cared about me.

The original owner of this body was sent to the battlefield by these very people who called themselves his kin. Longing for the family?

Are they insane?

Then, during Chiba's silence, the clansman stepped forward and said respectfully, "Please, Lord Chiba, feel free to do as you wish. After all, this is your home. Just remember to go to the Uchiha Shrine in three days; the elders will be waiting for you there."

Watching the two clansmen walk away, the sun began to set. The golden sunset seemed to turn a fiery red, spilling across the world.

The two of them stood there in silence.

"Where are we going?" Minazuki Kokona tilted her head, her tone indifferent.

"How should I know..." In the memories of the original Uchiha Chiba, he had never lived within the Uchiha territory. Did they expect him to walk for several hours back to Konohagakure? Are they joking?!

Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded behind Chiba.

"Is... is that little Chiba?"

Uchiha Chiba turned his head.

An elderly woman with gray hair was looking at him in disbelief.

"It is me, but, who are you?" Uchiha Chiba's brain seemed to hold no memories of this person.

"Me? I was the only neighbor your family had. I remember that year, your parents took you and left the Uchiha territory in such a hurry... Sigh, not long after, news came that they had died in the war. After that, I tried to find out what happened to you, but..." The old woman offered a bitter smile.