Chapter 2

"That... all right, young master. Wait here while I go check out the surroundings!" Lianhuo said helplessly. Since his mission this time was in a relatively peaceful, prosperous region, and the general in charge kept the area fairly secure, he agreed to Mingye's request. After all, no one wanted to live a hard life.

A few minutes later, Lianhuo returned to Mingye's side, hoisted him onto his back, and set off again. They leaped down from the steep mountainside and disappeared into the woods.

After another hour or so, they finally reached a village. It had no more than a dozen wooden houses, and Mingye had been frowning uneasily ever since they entered.

After they checked into an inn and settled in their room, Lianhuo grew curious about Mingye's troubled expression and asked, "Young Master Mingye, did you notice something wrong with the village?"

"How come there isn't a single able-bodied young man here? I haven't even seen any children." Mingye stared out the window, hoping to spot even a newborn child. Yet aside from a few elderly men, there wasn't a single male in the village—not even among the elderly. He had only seen three old men.

"Heh! Young Master Mingye, this place is within the Land of Fire, in General Honda's territory. The Land of Fire is full of generals, all vying to become the most powerful person beneath the Daimyo. Any men here would be forcibly drafted!" Lianhuo gave a quiet snort and explained once he understood Mingye's confusion.

"Then what about the people here...?" Mingye was astonished. In his previous life, he had never experienced war and had no idea how cruel it could be. In this era, he was only five or six years old, and so far he had yet to truly take part in a battle as a Uchiha shinobi. He had no way of understanding what the harsh reality was like.

"Young master, none of this has anything to do with us." Knowing what Mingye was about to say, Lianhuo cut him off with a faint smile. It seemed he was remembering his own younger, more naïve days. Innocence was natural for a child, but society and reality had no room for it. That was the Warring States period.

"I understand." Mingye got the point and said no more. The two awkwardly went to sleep under cover of night.

"You're awake, young master!" Just as Mingye was chiding himself for being lazy, the door slid open and Lianhuo entered, carrying two bags of food that smelled of meat.

Mingye got up, his gloom swept away. He took the bags from Lianhuo and opened them. "Pheasants! I didn't know you understood your young master's tastes so well, Lianhuo!"

"I went to gather some medicinal herbs earlier and spotted a few pheasants in the mountains. I caught them and traded the rest for supplies, then cooked these two birds to bring back. Hurry and eat, young master. We'll be heading to the next village soon." Lianhuo smiled. He knew Mingye liked meat, and catching the birds had been no trouble. After Mingye praised him, he smiled and explained.

"Mm-hmm! I know!" Mingye tore off a piece of chicken, stuffed it into his mouth, and hurried over to the table to begin the arduous mission of devouring the meat.

After going out with Lianhuo and returning, Mingye was left alone in his father's study. Looking around at its furnishings, he couldn't understand why his father had told him to sit there and reflect by himself. The rows of books on the shelves piqued his curiosity, so he put the question out of his mind, went over to the shelves, and began carefully examining the books and ninja scrolls labeled with their names.

"Fire Release... Fire Release... Water Release... Lightning Release... Fire Release... Water Release... There are so many. When it comes to the number of techniques, maybe no ninja clan can compare with the Uchiha Clan... No, there's no 'maybe.' No clan can compare with the Uchiha Clan at all. Being part of a clan like this is both lucky and unlucky!"

Mingye idly flipped through the scrolls. Suddenly, a thin booklet tucked into a corner of the shelf caught his eye.

"Poison?! What is this? Chakra Poison? Damn, it uses the five types of chakra as poison to attack. Is that even possible? Whatever. Dad probably won't spank me over one book, right? Yeah, I've made up my mind!" Curious about the booklet's contents, Mingye slipped it into his clothes, then sat back down on the cushion and waited for his father.

A short while later, Tajima entered the study and took his seat at the head of the room. He looked at Mingye. "What did you think about during this trip?"

"I don't know what you're asking, Father." Mingye shook his head.

"The strong rule the weak. Those with ability can get further in life than the incapable. In the four villages you and Lianhuo visited, did you see even a dozen young men altogether?" Tajima could tell Mingye was playing dumb, but didn't call him out. Instead, he asked another question.

"No," Mingye replied, shaking his head again.

"You learned to refine chakra at three, and you picked it up immediately. Your ability to learn even surpasses that of your two older brothers. So why have you achieved nothing in three years? You have barely enough chakra for two Fireball Jutsu." Tajima stood, walked over to the bookshelf, picked up a scroll, and tossed it beside Mingye before demanding an answer.

"I'm not very gifted, Father." Mingye knew what his father meant, but he truly didn't want to train in chakra. Later on, chakra would become a fatal weakness. Wouldn't it be better to find another way to train while he was still young? Clinging to that naïve idea, Mingye tried to play dumb with his father once more.

"Could someone untalented learn the Fireball Jutsu without anyone teaching him how?"

"..."

"If you want to smile and enjoy yourself whenever you please in this world, then you need strength far beyond that of ordinary people. Without it, you can only live like a dog. You can live so comfortably for now because you're my son, but have you ever thought about what comes next? The Uchiha Clan has no need for trash!" Seeing Mingye silenced by his rebuke, Tajima sighed and shook his head as he warned him.

"I understand, Father."

"I only asked you to sit here and reflect today, but you haven't given it any thought at all. You won't be having dinner."

"Yes, Father!"

After Tajima left, Mingye sat cross-legged on the floor and looked at the scroll Tajima had tossed him. "Great Fireball Technique, a C-rank ninjutsu! What a headache. Why do I have to learn such an advanced Fire Release technique? And I have to master it in one night! What bad luck!"

Thump!

An apple struck Mingye on the head. He looked up and saw Madara hiding on a beam, keeping an eye on the room. "What did Dad want you to do? I just heard him tell Mother you had to sit here and reflect."

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Mingye didn't answer. He carefully studied the hand seals in the scroll, tossed it aside, abruptly stood, and formed the seals rapidly before spitting toward Madara on the beam. What followed was awkward: a wisp of gray smoke came out of Mingye's mouth, but not even a spark.

"!!!"

Madara stared at Mingye, wide-eyed and speechless. Mingye was deeply embarrassed too. He dusted off his hands, calmly sat back down, and sighed.

"Sigh! I knew it wouldn't work!"

Madara came to his senses, jumped down, stood beside Mingye, and smacked him on the head, glaring. "Are you crazy? You actually used Fire Release on me! This is Dad's study. If you set it on fire, Father will tear us limb from limb!"

"I was just trying it out. You saw for yourself that I couldn't do it!" Mingye looked up at Madara, rubbed the spot where Madara had hit him, and answered calmly.

"That's not the point!" Seeing Mingye's attitude, Madara flew into a rage. He kicked Mingye over and yelled at him.

Mingye thought he had already mastered the Great Fireball Technique, and that the Fireball Technique was just an enhanced version of it. So he formed the seals again.

Madara heard Mingye making hand seals too. He quickly turned his head and saw a flame no thicker than a strand of hair flying toward him, then skimming past his cheek. A vein-shaped mark appeared on Madara's forehead.

"Practice properly!"

Madara then punched Mingye on the head.

Beside a lake, Mingye brought his hands together and spat out a huge fireball. Then he gave a thumbs-up and proudly turned to Madara, who was dozing behind him, shouting mockingly, "Tremble, mortals! I, the Great Immortal, am a once-in-a-million-years genius! I mastered such a powerful Fire Release technique in just one night! Now come over and bow before me!"