"It was a little slower than I expected... It actually took an extra half year."
Uchiha Gen walked across the endless yellow sands. The five people behind him had changed considerably from before; if he had to put it into words, they now carried a sharper edge.
"Set up camp here!"
Upon hearing the order, the five immediately dropped their packs. The sand was loose, so they first neutralized it with Water Release, then used Fire Release to dry it out. In less than half an hour, the camp was set up.
Five tents surrounded a campfire. Uchiha Gen no longer needed sleep; merely closing his eyes to meditate every night left him full of energy.
But tonight would be different. Facing the moon, Uchiha Gen activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. A vague sensation arose within him, and he knew it was resonance with Kaguya Otsutsuki, brought about by the atavism of his genes.
By the middle of the night, the moonlight reflected onto Uchiha Gen's face. The red gleam in his eyes shone through the night before finally settling.
"Eternal Eye... Finally, the Eternal Eye!"
The indescribable excitement in his heart made Uchiha Gen's body tremble uncontrollably. Heaven knew how long he had endured for this day.
"Once Hashirama dies and Madara retires, no one in the Shinobi World will be able to stop me again."
His swelling strength magnified his ambition. Uchiha Gen's expression grew somewhat twisted, and his heart could no longer calm down.
Over the years, the Shadow Clone Technique in Konoha's Root had frequently sent back information about this and that in Konoha, but nothing major had happened. At first, Hashirama repeatedly showed his desire to have the Uchiha Clan take over the Military Police Force. But although the shadow clone was dull, its intelligence remained