Raising Crows

Gathering the supplies could not be done overnight. They still had to wait for the Sand Village jonin to arrive; only once both sides were assembled could the transport begin.

This was to prevent either side from playing dirty.

The schedule was estimated for one week later.

"With a jonin protecting you, there won't be any problems."

Tsunade anticipated the pressure brought by a high-level mission. Half-crouching to meet his gaze, she offered some reassurance.

"You'll only be responsible for treating the people in the team. You might even get a high-level mission for free."

"If you encounter danger, make sure to stay close to the jonin."

Unless the other side deployed elite personnel and dared to make enemies of both Sand Village and Konoha, there was absolutely no chance of danger arising.

"All right."

One week was enough time for him to prepare. He needed to train the crows until they could be used.

After leaving Tsunade's laboratory, Uchiha Yū needed to buy a few things.

At this stage, the prices of ninja tools did not fluctuate much. The Hokage could keep them in check, and weapon shops would not dare try to fleece people during wartime. There was no point making money if they would not live to spend it.

The title Hero of Shinobi had not been earned for nothing. Of course, as long as prices were raised within a reasonable range, everyone would turn a blind eye.

"Explosive tags, kunai, and shuriken are necessities. Tsunade will prepare the medical equipment."

"Money... I'm poor again."

Those three items alone cost quite a bit. Being a ninja was a high-expense, high-return profession. As one's strength increased, one could earn more money, but one would also spend more.

At present, the only way to make money was by taking missions.

He had some ideas, but the current situation and his age kept him from putting them into practice.

The best ways to make money were all written in Konoha's criminal code!

After returning home, he fed the crows. These crows had all been trained and could carry out simple tasks.

Displaying the power of his Sharingan, a scarlet gleam flashed in Uchiha Yū's eyes. He could see the crows' eyes beginning to synchronize with his Sharingan.

This method effectively allowed the crows to perform certain commanded movements.

Bird Clone Technique!

Attaching his chakra to the crows, ten of them gathered together and formed a clone identical to Uchiha Yū.

Compared to an ordinary Clone Technique, this clone could catch people off guard. Unless someone watched carefully, they would never notice when he had used crows to create a clone.

It also consumed far less chakra.

"Whew!"

"The results are better than I expected."

However, when he dispelled the clone, he noticed that something was wrong with the crows.

Feathers began falling from the ten crows. Uchiha Yū caught one in his hand and parted the fallen feathers, discovering a layer of fine down growing beneath them.

"The place where I live contains a large amount of radioactive elements. It seems the crows have been affected by radiation."

Unsure whether the crows' changes were good or bad, Uchiha Yū did not rashly move them somewhere normal.

If they adapted to their surroundings, it would clearly help improve You's strength.

He imagined ten crows containing uranium elements landing on an enemy. A high-intensity radiation source could instantly rob them of their ability to fight.

Nurturing them with utmost care, Uchiha Yū formed hand seals with both hands, and his Sharingan began a new round of interaction.

Over the next few days, Uchiha Yū did not go out. He seized the time to increase his strength and raise those crows.

However, things did not go exactly as he had expected. The crows' development went smoothly at first, but later, nine of the ten crows rapidly deteriorated.

Unable to withstand the invasion of radioactive elements, their bodies warped into monstrous shapes before their cells ruptured and died.

Uchiha Yū carefully observed the one that survived. Its body was already somewhat different from that of an ordinary crow.

It was a size larger than normal crows, and its eyes contained shapes resembling tomoe. It would actively devour objects containing radiation sources, using them to grow stronger.

As for its claws and beak, any place scratched by the crow would suffer radioactive decay.

Unlike poison, no one in the ninja world besides him could remove radioactive elements. Even Tsunade's medical ninjutsu could only maintain a balance and barely keep someone alive, while they endured the torment brought by illness.

"The results are better than I imagined. It's a shame there's only one."

After experimenting on quite a few animals, he could now confirm that crows had a stronger resistance to radioactive elements than ordinary animals. There would be no problem using crows as his summoned beasts!

"Once this mission is over, I'll be able to buy more crows."

The Uchiha Clan's crows were very expensive. They were excellent breeds cultivated and selected by hand, then cared for by the clan's jonin.

Expanding the scale was certainly possible, provided one had enough money. If he only bought several dozen, they would not bother with him.

Sand Village's efficiency was faster than expected. These supplies were not important to Konoha, but to the impoverished Sand Village, they were like aid in a snowstorm.

They could cultivate quite a few high-quality ninja.

After Ebizo returned, the Third Kazekage dispatched an elite jonin to lead the team. There were two jonin and three chunin in total.

Konoha also sent two jonin, one of whom was specifically assigned to protect Uchiha Yū.

With the luxurious lineup of four jonin, they could easily handle S-rank missions. Transporting these supplies would not be a problem.

Among the transport team, Uchiha Yū spotted a ninja with whom he had a grudge.

It was Uchiha Shuiyun!

The other man hid in a corner of the group and shot him a venomous glance, only for his eyes to meet Uchiha Yū's.

"There's actually him in the chunin team Konoha sent?"

To be honest, once Uchiha Clan ninja awakened their Sharingan, their strength improved tremendously. It was no surprise that he had been selected.

But having this man in the team would only make Uchiha Yū uncomfortable.

After the entire team had assembled, Uchiha Yū found a pile of grass at the back and flipped himself onto it. None of the ninja present had much to say about what he did.

Before departure, it had already been made clear that Uchiha Yū was a medical ninja. Who knew whether danger would arise during this mission? The role of a medical ninja was no less important than that of a jonin.

No one would pick a fight with a doctor.

Uchiha Shuiyun kept his distance from him, but that cold, sinister gaze never left Uchiha Yū.

Damn You, just you wait!