Looking at the five-year-old child before him, Uchiha Tajima had the uncanny feeling that he was facing Butsuma Senju.
"Boy! Fighting for the glory of the Uchiha is its own reward. Any other reward would profane that glory."
"However, as your clan head, and more importantly, as your father, I will allow you to choose two B-rank ninjutsu after completing the mission. A ninja, after all, is one who has mastered ninjutsu."
"Of course, I have a personal reason for sending you into battle as well. The Battle of Ueno has already proven that your elder brother Madara possesses extraordinary character and talent."
"Through this battle, I also want to see whether you have the potential to become a ninja. After all, I hope the next Uchiha Clan Head will still come from our branch."
"Remember, only the strongest can become clan head!"
"I have high hopes for you, Madara, and even Izuna! Survive, and do not disappoint your father!"
Jing Xiu nodded without saying much, then followed the Hidden Ninja who had delivered the message to the Uchiha Clan's Treasury.
After looking through its contents, he selected quite a few ores suitable for conducting chakra, though in his eyes, chakra was far inferior to the innate qi of his previous life.
Still, as a special form of energy, it could power some of the magical artifacts from his previous life.
With these materials, surviving this trip shouldn't be a problem.
In Jing Xiu's view, no matter the world, any organization that brought people together inevitably had those below serving those above.
And while enjoying the conveniences and privileges an organization provided, one also had to give back and contribute. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch in any world.
As Jing Xiu enjoyed the many advantages of being the Uchiha Clan Head's second son, he also needed to make appropriate contributions to the clan, so he had not tried to refuse this mission.
If he truly did not intend to accept the mission, he could simply offer up some second- or third-rate cultivation methods from his previous life. Those contributions would be enough to let him cultivate undisturbed within the clan for a while.
Unfortunately, in this world, true power ultimately rests with the individual. To the strong, an organization is nothing more than a tool for gathering cultivation resources!
Going out to take a look isn't a bad idea. I want to test the Urn of Life's abilities, too!
Over these past days, Jing Xiu had discovered that the changes in his body were not caused by using Spirit Summoning and Dispatching. After all, he had not devoured the souls of those two Special Jōnin.
The cause lay entirely with the Urn of Life, one of the Three Sacred Treasures in his sea of consciousness.
Jing Xiu suspected that the souls of those two Uchiha Special Jōnin had been devoured by the Urn of Life, forming a thin layer of liquid inside it.
For the time being, Jing Xiu called it the "source of life."
As its name suggested, the source of life could not only heal injuries to Jing Xiu's body or soul, but also slowly elevate the very essence of his life.
Unfortunately, all of this was still only conjecture on Jing Xiu's part.
He had been agonizing over how to get access to ninja from hostile forces so he could use their lives to test his theory.
Just when he needed an opportunity, Uchiha Tajima had handed him one.
The opportunity came with considerable risks, however, so Jing Xiu still needed to prepare.
The mission is set for five days from now. In those five days, I need to make at least two sets of magical artifacts.
Watching Jing Xiu bustle about, Madara Uchiha wanted to dissuade him, and even considered taking his younger brother's place on the mission.
But seeing how serious Jing Xiu was, he abandoned the idea of persuading him and simply asked calmly, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Jing Xiu nodded and handed over the plans in his hand. "Sorry for the trouble, Madara, but I'll need you to find a few of the clan's craftsmen and have them forge the things shown here."
Madara reached out with his right hand to take the plans, but just before his fingers touched the paper, he suddenly changed direction and aimed for Jing Xiu's forehead.
Caught completely off guard, Jing Xiu reacted quickly, but still took a solid flick to the forehead.
"Remember to call me big brother!"
Plans in hand, Madara threw back his head and laughed, leaving an expressionless Jing Xiu standing there in a daze.
Could the future Asura of the Ninja World really be this teenage edgelord?
Jing Xiu began to doubt his own memories. Shaking his head, he continued inscribing the materials in his hands. Only when the cores he was making were combined with the components Madara had ordered forged would they produce their unexpected effects.
After several busy days, Jing Xiu forged two sets of Devouring Pouches according to the sections on magical artifacts in Divine Machine Hundred Refinements.
Each set consisted of a belt and two bracers. The bracer-shaped Devouring Pouches each held nearly thirty cubic meters of space, roughly three meters in length, width, and height.
The belt-shaped Devouring Pouches held over a hundred cubic meters, with an interior measuring five meters in length, width, and height.
Madara and Izuna looked curiously at the equipment Jing Xiu had spent two days making.
Izuna turned one of the specially made bracers this way and that, but could not find anything special about it.
Jing Xiu snatched it back, then handed it to Madara. "Focus your mind on this, just as you would when using the Sharingan to cast a genjutsu."
Madara did as instructed and soon discovered the wonders of the Devouring Pouch.
He was about to speak when Jing Xiu interrupted him. "This set is for you. I suspect Father will have you take part in this mission as well."
Jing Xiu then took out two crystal-like beads and handed them to Madara.
Madara examined the two beads, strung together on exceptionally tough fabric interwoven with steel wire to form a necklace-like ornament, and was thoroughly puzzled.
Jing Xiu looked at Madara Uchiha with utter seriousness. "Whether I survive will depend on how far you've progressed with the Golden Light Mantra."
"These two Golden Light Jewels can store your Golden Light Mantra. If you keep practicing diligently, each Golden Light Jewel should be able to withstand one full-power strike from a Jōnin."
"But if you..."
Before Jing Xiu could finish, Madara fixed him with a piercing stare. "I won't let anything happen to you! There's still some time before the mission begins. Make a few more beads like these."
Jing Xiu gave a bitter smile. "I don't have any materials left! Besides, right now, I can only activate these twice. After all, I'm only five, and I haven't cultivated chakra at all these past few years!"
Madara looked at Jing Xiu with equal seriousness. "No matter what, I'll ask Father to let me join this mission. As long as I'm there, nothing will happen to you!"
Izuna had initially been curious about what sort of mission Jing Xiu would be carrying out, but merely listening to the exchange between Madara and Jing Xiu had sent his heart sinking.
Instead of being his usual lively, exuberant self, he took out the private savings he had accumulated over the years and ran all over the place, preparing plenty of shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags for Jing Xiu.
When Jing Xiu and Madara saw Izuna carrying a large box packed with ninja tools, they were both astonished.
Madara's eyes shone with approval and resolve, while Jing Xiu's held more complicated emotions.
So be it! At the very least, I'll keep you safe in this life. That is how I'll repay this bond of brotherhood and shoulder my responsibility!
As these thoughts passed through Jing Xiu's mind, he checked the last of the supplies he needed to bring.
To make the act convincing, Uchiha Tajima and the others had devised an elaborate "defection."
A certain Uchiha Jōnin with a three-tomoe Sharingan had lost both his wife and child in the Battle of Ueno.
Yet rather than blaming the Senju or the Hyuga, this three-tomoe Uchiha resented his own clan for failing to assign enough guards.
Such reasoning seemed utterly ridiculous, but when it came to the Uchiha, infamous as "red-eyed lunatics," any decision they made somehow seemed perfectly natural.