The scent of grass steamed by the intense heat filled the air.
The unceasing cries of cicadas tormented everyone who heard them.
He slowly opened his eyes.
A sea of green greeted Yanbai.
The mountain forest wind battered his eardrums.
Faint sounds like footsteps on dry leaves kept echoing in his ears.
"Are you hurt, Lord Shinobi...?"
Yanbai poked his head out from behind the bushes, trembling.
He had just been watching the battlefield from a distance, hiding here to wait for someone. Luckily, he had found a severely wounded member of the Uchiha Clan.
The man wore a dark robe, with a ninja tool pouch at his waist. Blood and grime covered his face, and the fan emblem on the back of his clothes had long since been obscured by blood.
The man's expression was calm and stern. He kept one eye shut, trying to suppress his increasingly labored breathing.
Despite his dire injuries, his expression remained calm and stern.
Reflected in his one open eye was a trembling "little girl" standing in the lush forest.
To this Uchiha man, the child before him was a little girl with silver hair as beautiful as moonlight and ruby-red eyes, looking like an exquisite doll.
The "little girl's" clothes were faded from washing and bore no clan crest. He looked like an ordinary child from a poor family.
Wars between Shinobi clans had displaced countless civilians.
To find protection, civilians either moved to the prosperous capital of the Land of Fire or found a powerful Shinobi clan to take them in, tending its fields and surviving the chaos through the value of their farming and production.
Had this child been caught up in a clash between the two clans and become separated from his family?
Perhaps...
The man had little sympathy to spare. Severely wounded, he dared not trust anyone lightly. He carefully surveyed his surroundings, and once he found no enemies, he prepared to turn and leave.
He was too far from his Clan Grounds. If he encountered an enemy in his current condition, his chances of survival would be slim. He could barely hold on any longer.
This Uchiha could never have imagined that the beautiful "little girl" before him was actually a boy-and a member of the Senju Clan.
"Are you hurt, Lord Shinobi...?" Yanbai gazed innocently at the blood-soaked Uchiha before him, then reached out with a small, soft, pale hand and suddenly caught the hem of the man's robe.
The Uchiha narrowed his eye slightly, his guard rising.
Yanbai's little body trembled, tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes. His heaven-sent beauty was already beginning to show.
The Uchiha could not help thinking, When this child grows up, he'll be a calamity who drives countless men mad.
He was as fragile as a hothouse flower. It seemed the slightest force would be enough to crush that slender neck.
Yet it would truly be a shame for such a beautiful child to wither away here.
What a weak little child...
The man from the Uchiha Clan could not help sighing. He could barely protect himself, let alone help this poor child.
He carefully reached out to pat the little girl's head, but the blood on his hand stained the "little girl's" striking silver hair red.
Warm blood slowly trickled from the child's head, running down Yanbai's pale cheeks.
Bright red blood contrasted with the child's innocent young face, silvery hair, and porcelain-white skin.
Even the coldest heart could not help being stirred.
Then Yanbai said softly, "Lord Shinobi, you're badly hurt. Let me heal you."
Yanbai's smile was like sunshine melting winter snow, warming a person all the way to the depths of their heart.
Along with that moving smile, the Uchiha Shinobi saw a pale yellow light appear beneath the child's small hand, flowing through his injuries.
As the light flowed, his wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
At this miraculous sight, his formerly black eye turned scarlet, a single tomoe spinning wildly within his only open eye.
This child...
There's no sign of chakra flowing.
This isn't ninjutsu. Is it... some unknown innate gift?
Such a miraculous, heaven-defying healing ability.
Take him. I have to take him. I have to bring this child back to the clan!
A voice roared and screamed madly inside the Uchiha's mind.
But...
In the instant he lost himself in the sight of the "little girl," he felt a chill at his neck.
Before spots completely overtook his vision, he saw an expression of terror and fear spread across the "little girl's" face, those thin lips opening and closing as the child called to him, "Lord Shinobi, Lord Shinobi, no, no..."
He wanted to know what the little girl was trying to say, but prolonged fighting and severe injuries had already exhausted him. Even at the very end, he never knew how he lost consciousness.
His final thought before death was, What a shame. This child...
What he never knew was that after he fell to the ground, his eyes still open in death...
A white-haired boy in green flexible armor knelt beside the Uchiha, repeatedly driving the blade in his hand precisely into the joints of his neck. He did not stop his brutal dismemberment until the head had been completely severed.
This white-haired boy was none other than Tobirama Senju, the future Second Hokage.
He was still only a boy, yet he showed no hesitation in mutilating the corpse. He looked furious, his hawklike eyes glaring at Yanbai the entire time.
Yanbai trembled with rage, inwardly cursing the self-righteous Tobirama Senju in every way he could think of.
After all that effort!
After all that effort, I finally found another badly wounded Uchiha.
A lone, severely wounded Uchiha wasn't easy to find!
I was so close to copying his skills. If I got lucky, I might even have copied his Uchiha bloodline directly.
And then that bastard Tobirama Senju showed up again and ruined everything!
This was already the third time.
Bastard!
Once Tobirama Senju had made certain the Uchiha on the ground was thoroughly dead, he still made sure to destroy the man's eyes with his sword.
The scene was utterly brutal.
As he stabbed the eyes, Tobirama Senju turned his stern face toward Yanbai and angrily scolded him. "You're healing members of the Uchiha Clan again. How many times have I told you? They're the enemy. You should stay in the Clan Grounds."
Yanbai did not answer Tobirama Senju. He covered his mouth as though about to vomit, turned, and ran.
Tobirama Senju cursed, immediately put away his blade, and chased after Yanbai.
"Hey, stop running around! Get back here! Do you hear me?" Tobirama Senju quickly caught Yanbai and dragged him in another direction, ignoring his struggles.
Before long, Tobirama Senju had hauled Yanbai back to the Clan Grounds.
The sun sank in the west.
Yanbai sat upright beside the low table in his room. Looking at the dried fish topped with grated white radish and the bowl of white rice before him, he had no appetite whatsoever.
Sitting across from Yanbai was the person he hated most: Tobirama Senju.
That jerk Tobirama Senju showed no lingering effects from killing someone. He simply held his rice bowl and ate with gusto, his face expressionless.
Putting down his chopsticks, Tobirama Senju seemed to finally notice that Yanbai had not eaten a single bite. He asked without expression, "Why did you heal a member of the Uchiha Clan? Why did you save them?"
Yanbai seemed to ignore Tobirama Senju, with no intention of answering.
Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes. "Do you realize your actions bring shame on the Senju Clan? If Father found out about this, do you know what would happen to you?"
Faced with Tobirama Senju's questions, Yanbai remained silent.
With a bang, Tobirama Senju slammed his palm onto his own low table and said darkly, "Answer me. Right now!"
Before you continue