Generous Rewards

Partings are always sorrowful.

As a deep blue gate opened before Uchiha Kei, Hashirama and the other three could not hide their sadness at the farewell.

"Teacher, you must come back to see us."

"Teacher, rest assured, Hashirama and I will achieve peace!"

"Teacher..."

"Teacher..."

Looking at the four teary-eyed brats, Uchiha Kei felt a touch of melancholy himself.

"Train hard, and remember, you must never turn your blades against your own kin, no matter the circumstances, never!"

Uchiha Kei's gaze was stern. After taking one last deep look at the four of them, he stepped resolutely into the gate.

The gate closed, and with a distortion, it vanished from their sight.

"Madara, the teacher is really gone."

Hashirama was crying his heart out, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Although the teacher has left, his will remains. I will firmly remember the teacher's words and inherit his will!"

Madara's gaze was profound.

End war with war, end killing with killing!

Only slaughter could bring about lasting peace!

"Mm-hmm, I will also firmly remember the teacher's words! Upholding his will!"

Hashirama hurriedly wiped away his tears and snot.

If absolute fairness could not bring back peace, then if one side possessed strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, could that not bring about peace?

The four little ones exchanged glances, their eyes burning with a strong desire for power.

"Let's fight!"

"Come!"

A wave of dizziness washed over him, and Uchiha Kei appeared in his new home.

He raised his hand, looking at his thin, small palm, and felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

He was back.

Ding, host's Space-Time Mission complete.
Space-Time Mission completion rate: 100%
Mission reward: Rinnegan.
100% completion bonus: Jonin-level chakra, Fire Style Mastery.

In an instant, a massive surge of chakra poured into his body, violently tearing through his meridians before finally converging in his dantian, expanding the space that had originally been so frail.

Fortunately, this process only lasted a few minutes.

Uchiha Kei was drenched in sweat, panting as he lay on the floor, his face deathly pale.

Ding, host has completed the first Space-Time Mission, Shock System will now upgrade.
Time required for upgrade: three years.

"System, are you just looking for an excuse to go idle?"

Ding, system is upgrading and cannot process host inquiries.

"Fine then."

Uchiha Kei lay flat on the floor.

He didn't find the system's three-year upgrade time particularly hard to accept.

He was, by nature, a lazy person who didn't like to move.

Moreover, he had already obtained the strongest cheat, the Rinnegan, and combined with Jonin-level chakra, it was more than enough for the current stage.

Looking at the familiar yet strange surroundings, Uchiha Kei sighed.

Everything was exactly as it had been when he left; not a single thing had changed.

This meant that the efforts he had made had not changed anything in the future.

Hashirama still founded the Ninja Village.

Madara still chose the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan.

The battle at the Valley of the End still took place.

He felt a bit irritable, yet also somewhat relieved.

Scratching his head in frustration, Uchiha Kei sat up and looked out the window.

"Since you're already here, come on in and take a seat."

As the words fell, a lean figure vaulted in through the window.

"Where is Shisui?"

"Off completing the task you assigned him."

Itachi's face remained buried in the shadows, making his expression impossible to read.

"Well, I see."

A strange, eerie silence instantly descended upon the room.

"Alright, if you have anything you want to ask, go ahead."

After a long while, it was Uchiha Kei who finally broke the unsettling quiet.

Itachi looked up, his blood-red pupils fixed directly on him. "I admit, your words have truly enlightened me. I can see a path that truly belongs to the Uchiha."

"But how on earth did you know about those things? You're only eight years old!"

"And another thing—where did you go today? You couldn't be found anywhere in the village; it was as if you had vanished into thin air!"

So, a month in the Space-Time Mission only amounted to a single day in reality.

Uchiha Kei, who had been worrying about this, finally felt his concerns ease.

"Age doesn't mean anything. Konoha may look calm on the surface, but there are undercurrents surging beneath. For someone like me who has tasted such hardship, knowing these things is hardly surprising."

"As for my eyes..."

Uchiha Kei raised his gaze, his Sharingan—shaped like sharp blades—abruptly snapping open.

"When I was three, my father died in battle. At four, my mother followed him in death, unable to bear the grief."

"From then on, just to survive, I wandered Konoha day after day."

"If I hadn't awakened my eyes under such circumstances, wouldn't I have been a disgrace to the Uchiha name?"

Itachi's lips moved, but the words he wanted to say ultimately remained unspoken.

"Making you the Fifth Hokage is the only salvation for this village! You must understand..."

"The one who wants to destroy Konoha and the Uchiha most of all..."

"Is me, Itachi!"

A cold, murderous aura permeated the room.

Looking at those blade-shaped Sharingan, a chill inexplicably ran down Itachi's spine.

It was true. As the son of a war hero, he should have been cared for by both the village and his clan, yet he had struggled to survive at such a tender age.

One could only imagine how deep his hatred for the village and the clan must run.

"Even so, how did you find out about Danzo's secrets?"

Itachi lowered his head in thought for a moment before asking the question that weighed most heavily on his mind.

From the moment Kei revealed his strength, Itachi had been utterly baffled. How could an eight-year-old child possibly know so many hidden secrets?

Uchiha Kei pointed to his own eyes. "I've had these eyes since I was four. Would the village ever be on guard against a four-year-old child?"

Four years old!

Itachi's pupils contracted violently.

He had awakened his eyes at eight and was hailed as the greatest genius of the new Uchiha generation, showered with glory.

Yet Kei, who had been labeled "the Uchiha Clan's once-in-a-century failure," had awakened his Mangekyo at four!

The gap was simply too vast.

For a moment, Itachi didn't even know how to speak to the Kei standing before him.

"I left the village today."

Itachi nodded blankly.

Ninjas were forbidden from leaving the village; any unauthorized departure was considered treason, and the village gates were guarded by several Jonin.

But for those who possessed the Mangekyo, leaving the village was simple.

Hadn't Shisui just left to complete the task Kei had given him?

"I intend to build our own faction outside the village."

Itachi frowned, waiting for Uchiha Kei to continue.

"Because of my appearance, Danzo and the Third Hokage can no longer sit still. Consolidating our power within the village alone is too conspicuous."

Itachi fell into deep thought.

It was true. The Third Hokage and Danzo operated in the light and the dark, respectively; nothing that happened in the village escaped their notice.

But building a faction was not so simple.

To establish a force, one needed not only massive financial backing but also the ability to recruit various talents and powerhouses.

Wanting to build a faction...

Difficult!

"I know what you're worried about."

Uchiha Kei patted him on the shoulder.

"Funds, talent, and power—we will have them all. What we need is time."

"As long as you and I are still in the Anbu, they won't dare to make any overt moves. As for their petty schemes in the shadows..."

"They are merely clowns, not worth worrying about."

Itachi looked up at Uchiha Kei.

Two pairs of Mangekyo glowing with crimson light collided, and a chill suddenly permeated the mild air.