Chapter 9

"Mom's body has already recovered quite a bit and can live for a long time yet, so don't push yourself too hard."

"No matter how terrible of a future you see, Mom is here."

"Mom is always the backing behind you, able to shield you from the wind and rain."

Hearing these words and looking at Uchiha Chisato's earnest expression, Xunjing felt a warmth in his heart and responded with a smile, "Mn, I know, Mom."

"Still, how did you figure out that I know about the future?"

"Heh."

Uchiha Chisato smiled, extended her index finger, gently tapped Xunjing's forehead, and teased, "Underestimating your mother, aren't you?"

"You didn't really hide things from Mom much beforehand, so Mom could guess a thing or two."

"Tell me, what on earth do the Uchiha of the future and the future Ninja World look like? What could make you so anxious to save my life and so desperately want to grow stronger?"

Uchiha Chisato genuinely wanted to get to the bottom of it.

It wasn't just about wanting to share the pressure for her son; she even more wanted to see through the situation in advance so she could pave her own path. She was someone who never fought unprepared battles, and every step had to be calculated beforehand.

"Mn."

Uchiha Xunjing fell silent for a fleeting moment. After his mother placed a layer of soundproofing seals around the room, he finally spoke up: "In the future, the Uchiha Clan was driven to a dead end by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo. In the year 55 of Konoha, the entire clan was finished..."

Next, he poured out everything he knew about the future, detail by detail.

The Second Shinobi World War, the Third, the Fourth, one decline after another. The fact that Madara Uchiha was still alive, Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, the Otsutsuki Clan... he said it all.

He told his mother everything.

Uchiha Chisato was someone he trusted absolutely. Favorability at the max value of one hundred was no joke. From the moment the Space-Time Gate bound to him, this figure had never dropped, so he didn't need to worry at all about his mother turning against him. The same went for if any accidents happened.

"I never imagined the future would be a situation like this."

After listening, Uchiha Chisato furrowed her brows: "Madara Uchiha is still alive, stirring up trouble in the Ninja World, and behind him is some Black Zetsu, an old fox lurking for a thousand years?"

"Even aliens and the Sage of Six Paths have popped up?"

"No wonder you, child, are under so much pressure."

"Indeed, based on the current strength of myself and the entire Ninja World, the people you just mentioned are nowhere near enough."

"Fortunately, though, there is still time, and the resources of the Pirate World are not lacking."

"Mother has confidence that sooner or later, I can grow to the point of going toe-to-toe with Madara Uchiha, or even surpass him."

"So don't be too anxious; the two of us just need to charge forward together."

If she lacked the resources of the Pirate World and her son's cheat, she truly wouldn't have any confidence. But now that both mother and son had cheats, why fear a mere Madara Uchiha or Otsutsuki?

"Mn."

Hearing this, Uchiha Xunjing hooked the corner of his mouth: "I've never lacked confidence; I just feel that time is tight and the pressure is heavy."

"Still, even if we can't beat them, at worst we can first hide in the Pirate World to lay low for a spell, then come back and slaughtering our way through once our strength is sufficient."

"From the day I awakened the Space-Time Gate, we had already won."

"Heh, well said."

Uchiha Chisato chuckled along: "It seems I worried for nothing. Little Xunjing, you have a crystal-clear head. Excellent."

"As for Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo and their crowd... Heh."

When Uchiha Chisato reached this point, her voice suddenly paused, her expression turned cold, and she said through clenched teeth, "I genuinely never expected them to carry things to such an extent in the future. Fine, they really have some nerve!"

"Put simply, it's still because I was too soft-hearted in the past and gave them too much face."

"If it weren't for the fact that I didn't think I had long to live back then, and was considering the future path for you and the Uchiha, I never would have made so many concessions."

"Things are different now, though."

"Just you wait and see; I'll definitely make them pay dearly!"

"You want to wipe out my Uchiha? I'll uproot you Sarutobi and Shimura families first, hum!"

She was no easily kneaded soft persimmon.

She was Uchiha Chisato.

In her heart, she had already thoroughly turned over the current situation of the Senju Clan, the miserable plight of the Uzumaki Clan in the future, and Uzumaki Mito's situation.

She was already pondering how to join hands with the Senju, the Uzumaki, and Mito's side to step by step deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzo, and their bunch.

She was never someone who passively waited to be beaten and swallowed her anger.

"Old Ma, that sounds spirited!"

Hearing his old ma's tough talk, Uchiha Xunjing immediately gave a thumbs-up.

Having a mom like this made one feel completely secure.

"Heehee."

Hearing this, Uchiha Chisato smiled with her eyes curving into crescents, reached out to ruffle Xunjing's head, and said, "Leave it to Mom. I'll handle this matter."

"Of course, if you have any ideas, tell me anytime, and the two of us will discuss it together."

"Mm-mm!"

Xunjing nodded vigorously.

No problem, absolutely no problem.

"But that brat Itachi Uchiha was truly conned and crippled by Hiruzen Sarutobi and his crowd."

Uchiha Chisato changed the subject again, frowning as she spoke, "To the point of being fooled into slaughtering his entire clan with his own hands."

"His brain is truly broken."

"Right, right, right!"

Hearing this, Xunjing nodded along in agreement again, "And I feel this matter shouldn't be blamed entirely on Itachi Uchiha; Fugaku Uchiha deserves a massive share of the blame too!"

"Taking a three or four-year-old child to the frontline of a battlefield and talking about experiencing the cruelty of war—isn't that sick?"

"Itachi Uchiha was led astray by him from a very young age."

"Later on, he kept retreating and compromising with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, step by step backing the Uchiha into a dead end. He is simply not fit to be the head of the Uchiha Clan."

"And he isn't worthy of Sister Mikoto either."

Uchiha Chisato nodded in agreement through the first half, but upon hearing the final sentence and catching Xunjing's look, her gaze suddenly turned playful, "Then who do you think is worthy of your Sister Mikoto?"

"Of course I... uh..."

Uchiha Xunjing wasn't paying attention, and his inner thoughts slipped right out before he violently snapped back to reality.

Uchiha Xunjing looked toward his mother with a face full of awkwardness, and upon catching her teasing gaze, his face instantly burned hot as he gave two dry coughs, "Ahem! Anyway, that guy Fugaku simply doesn't deserve Sister Mikoto! Mom, don't you agree?"

"You child."

Uchiha Chisato was amused by his clumsy attempt to force a change of subject, reaching out to tap him lightly on the forehead with a hint of banter in her tone, "Mom really hadn't noticed; you're this small and you've already learned to set your sights on a pretty girl?"

"Setting your mind on your Sister Mikoto this early?"

"Still, what you said wasn't wrong; Fugaku truly doesn't match her."

"Judging by that future you mentioned just now, that must have been a scenario where you hadn't awakened your talent, and neither I nor your mother were around."

"But now the fates of both of us have changed, so the future will naturally be different as well."

"Therefore, Mom supports you marrying Sister Mikoto in the future."

"Not just that, Mom also plans to push you up as the next head of the Uchiha Clan."

"So starting today, you need to step up—your strength must increase fiercely, and you must gradually build your prestige within the clan."

"Mom will pave the way for you on this, don't be afraid, keep it up!"

She didn't think a young boy's fondness for women was any big deal.

Besides, he was her own biological son; she actually hoped he would take several wives and father many children in the future to make the Uchiha Clan flourish with descendants.

Over the next two days,

Xunjing practically lived on the ship. He either ate Sea Kings' meat while practicing the Life-Nourishing Art, copied medical texts, or practiced the Meditation Method Uchiha Chisato had given him.

Perhaps because he had lived two lifetimes, the strength of his soul and his spiritual power far exceeded those of children his age, and his memory and comprehension were unusually high.

The moment he got the Life-Nourishing Art that day, he tried it a few times and entered the threshold, successfully writing it into the Talent Panel of Heaven Rewards Hard Work.

Improving it further afterward became much easier.

Two days later, the group successfully arrived at a certain dock in Area 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago.

On the port, Shakuyaku and Rayleigh were already waiting there.