"Sensei's wife, your cooking is delicious!"
"Sensei's wife, the clothes you made are beautiful!"
"Sensei's wife..."
It took White Bone Momotao two days to go from blushing furiously to accepting it with a smile.
As for Uchiha Kei, he was completely at a loss when it came to the four little troublemakers.
Scolding them was pointless; their skin just kept getting thicker.
Beating them only made them grow stronger faster, thanks to Bloodline Enhancement.
In fact, that was a major reason they kept provoking Uchiha Kei.
"Get out of here!"
With a furious roar, the four figures darted out of the wooden house.
They were all sporting bruises and swollen faces, yet, strangely, each wore a happy smile.
"Hashirama, my chakra's at Chunin level now!"
Uchiha Madara exclaimed excitedly, the area around his left eye black and blue.
"Hmph, I'm at Chunin level too. What's there to brag about?"
Senju Hashirama replied nonchalantly, the area around his right eye black and blue.
"Big brother, I've reached Chunin level too! And my Sharingan has awakened!"
Little Uchiha Izuna, with blood streaming from his nose, bounced around excitedly. A One-Tomoe Sharingan spun eerily in his eye.
"Even with your Sharingan, you still can't beat me. Hmph!"
The most battered of the four was Senju Tobirama. Not only was his face swollen and bruised, but his clothes were in tatters, making him look like a beggar.
"You! You little brat! How do you know you can beat me if we haven't fought? Take this!"
Uchiha Izuna shouted and suddenly aimed a sneak attack at Senju Tobirama's groin.
"Ow! I'm going to kill you today!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Uchiha Kei shook his head helplessly.
He had been with the White Bone Clan for half a month. During that time, the four boys' strength had improved by leaps and bounds, thanks to the combined effects of Yin-Yang Release and Bloodline Enhancement.
"We have another half a month left. It's time to take them out for some training."
Uchiha Kei murmured.
White Bone Momotao was startled. "Benefactor, you... you're leaving?"
"It's about time. No other clans have come around all these days, so I doubt you're in any danger now."
Uchiha Kei smiled at White Bone Momotao. "Besides, you already have the strength of an elite jonin. That should be enough to deter anyone."
"Benefactor..."
White Bone Momotao trembled, her eyes brimming with tears.
Over the past half month, the refined and gentle Uchiha Kei had completely won her heart.
At first, she had only wanted to repay his kindness. But now, she truly couldn't bear the thought of him leaving.
"All right, we might still see each other again someday."
Uchiha Kei patted her head, stood up, and walked out of the wooden house.
"Remember what I told you. The White Bone Clan must not take part in the Shinobi World's conflicts, and you must not let outsiders know that the White Bone Clan exists."
White Bone Momotao gazed wistfully after Uchiha Kei as he left, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Teacher, where are we going?"
On the road, Madara asked curiously.
"We'll look around. Your chakra may be at Chunin level, but you lack real combat experience."
"A ninja can't rely on chakra alone."
The gap between a Genin and a Chunin could be made up for with more chakra, but there were many factors separating a Chunin from a jonin.
Gathering intelligence.
Fighting methods.
All of these required extensive combat experience.
Uchiha Kei had brought them out to hone their combat skills.
Of course, his most important goal was to make Madara awaken his Sharingan!
"From now on, you have three hours to bring me your prey. I'll use it to assess the results of your training. Understood?"
"Understood!"
The four answered seriously, then scattered in search of prey.
Uchiha Kei sat lazily on the ground and plucked a blade of grass to chew on.
Half the mission period had passed. Senju Hashirama and Madara had both become Chunins, and they were close to reaching jonin level.
"Once I complete the Space-Time Mission, I'll get the Rinnegan. With Yin-Yang Release on top of that, there'll be plenty I can do."
Uchiha Kei had been in the Naruto World for two years.
Because of his lack of talent, he had spent those two years helplessly coasting along, riding Naruto's coattails.
Even after the Shock System had helped him make incredible leaps in strength, he still couldn't shake his laid-back attitude.
The fifteen days he had spent in the Warring States Period had been the turning point.
He had witnessed too much bloodshed and experienced what it meant to be weak and get beaten. A seed of determination to grow stronger had taken root in his heart.
Ten years. There were only ten years left before the Shinobi World underwent a massive upheaval.
Even if he made it through the Fourth Shinobi World War, what about the Boruto Era?
Could someone with Six Paths-level strength really make it safely through the Boruto Era?
The answer was probably no.
The Otsutsuki Clan's brazen invasion and Kara's steady advance would give even someone with Six Paths-level strength plenty to worry about.
If he wanted to survive, he had to keep getting stronger.
Strength was what gave him confidence!
"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"
A piercing cry rang out without warning.
Uchiha Kei's expression turned grave, his face darkening.
"That chakra..."
Uchiha Kei shot forward, racing toward the cries.
In the forest.
"Big brother, run! I'll hold it off!"
Uchiha Izuna gripped a gleaming Ninja Blade, breathing hard.
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm your big brother. If anyone's leaving, it's you!"
Madara's eyes turned bloodshot, and he grew agitated.
"I have the Sharingan. I can keep it busy for a little while. Go!"
Uchiha Izuna shouted as his One-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly.
Ahead, a massive creature hovered dozens of meters in the air. It let out a piercing cry and plunged toward them.
"Clang!"
Uchiha Izuna swung his Ninja Blade, and it collided with the creature's head.
"Bang!"
The enormous difference in strength knocked the Ninja Blade from Uchiha Izuna's hand. His body was hurled away.
"Izuna!"
Madara roared and rapidly formed hand seals. A thin stream of fire shot from his mouth, then abruptly swelled as it neared the massive creature, becoming a fireball about five meters in diameter.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The fireball engulfed the creature's head. With a cry, it shook its head violently.
Not a scratch!
Madara immediately changed position after his attack, forming hand seals as he ran.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Once he finished the seals, Madara abruptly stopped and drew in a deep breath. His chest swelled as he spat out a vast stream of solid flames, flowing like water.
The flames instantly engulfed the massive creature, and its cries rang out without end.
"Boom!"
A vast cloud of steam rose, shrouding the area within a hundred meters.
Madara didn't dare linger. He raced toward the spot where Izuna had been thrown.
"Cough, cough... Big brother."
Blood trickled from the corner of Uchiha Izuna's mouth as he staggered over to Madara.
"Run!"
Madara knew this wasn't the time to talk. He grabbed Uchiha Izuna and fled.
Just as Madara was about to pull Uchiha Izuna away, countless glowing specks surrounded him.
"Boom!"
The specks collided and instantly expanded.
The moment Madara's pupils dilated, the specks exploded.
Flames engulfed Uchiha Izuna.
"Izuna!"
Despair and fury filled Madara. His blood-red eyes changed, and three tomoe appeared in each iris.
Three-Tomoe Sharingan...
Awakened!
Before you continue