The next moment, the three Kirigakure ninjas instinctively stepped aside in unison. It was not a misjudgment of distance but rather that the seemingly stationary tree trunk had suddenly shifted.
Boo hoo hoo...
As the three mist ninjas stepped onto thin air and lost their footing, eight shurikens shot out swiftly and precisely from the shadows.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the special jounin and two chuunin barely had time to react. They hastily drew their ninja swords and kunai, bracing themselves for a counterattack.
Ding ding ding...
The eight shurikens clashed mid-air, abruptly altering their trajectories. This unexpected change caught the Kirigakure shinobi off guard once more. Before they could react, they were struck, their screams echoing as they collapsed to the ground.
Before the injured ninjas could recover, thick wooden branches shot out, wrapping tightly around them.
Jiejiejie...
Whoosh whoosh...
Hee hee hee...
Sinister laughter filled the air as eerie human faces appeared on the towering trees. Their expressions were malevolent, their twisted forms swaying, branches writhing as if alive, their gnarled limbs resembling grasping claws.
"The tree is alive?"
"A jutsu?"
"What kind of monster is this?!"
The three Kirigakure shinobi, hardened veterans of the Bloody Mist, felt an uncharacteristic chill of fear creeping in.
As the shifting shadows wove together, a figure emerged like a chameleon revealing itself. With a single step forward, the wooden branches reformed into a descending bridge. At the same time, the bound Kirigakure ninjas were hoisted into the air.
Amid their growing terror, Uchiha Gen materialized, his Sharingan spinning. He activated the Soru Soru no Mi ability, and the souls and lifespans of the captured mist ninjas were forcibly extracted against their will.
Transparent blue souls and glowing white orbs representing life essence flowed into Uchiha Gen's body. The three mist shinobi went limp, their terrified expressions frozen in eerie silence.
"Come back."
At his command, three specialized Homies shuriken withdrew themselves from the wounds and fell from the air. Uchiha Gen caught them, casually wiping the blood off onto the fallen Kirigakure ninjas' uniforms before returning them to his ninja tool pouch. As for the standard shurikens, they were not worth retrieving.
Uchiha Gen traced a finger along one of the Homies shuriken, a nostalgic smile playing at his lips. These were from the first batch he had ever created.
"Put them down."
"Zhu Rong."
Obeying his command, the tree Homies released the lifeless bodies. High above, Zhu Rong materialized in mid-air, the dragon's maw gaping open. A torrent of blazing fire surged forth, reducing the three Kirigakure ninjas to charred remains.
With a mere thought, Uchiha Gen activated the Soru Soru no Mi once more. Wisps of white light, remnants of their stolen lifespans, flew out from the surroundings and merged back into his body.
Unlike Big Mom, who had an abundance of souls and lifespans from her vast territory, Uchiha Gen was meticulous. The souls and life essence he granted to temporary Homies were imbued with a failsafe, allowing him to withdraw them at any time.
Only his two high-level Homies and the original batch of Homies were granted permanent souls and lifespans.
"Mission accomplished. Time to move on."
With a seamless Henge no Jutsu, a cloud of white smoke enveloped Uchiha Gen. When it cleared, he had completely transformed into the very special jounin from Kirigakure he had just eliminated.
---
An hour later, deep in a dense forest north of Konoha's frontline camp, Chunin Uchiha Yuichi and his three subordinates raced through the treetops, swiftly returning from their mission.
"Enemy sighted! Prepare for battle!"
Uchiha Yuichi's sharp eyes caught a shadowed figure moving ahead. His expression hardened as he gave the command.
At his signal, the three Konoha genin swiftly drew their weapons, landing on sturdy tree trunks, bodies tensed for an ambush.
"Tsk. What unfortunate brats. A narrow road indeed."
The disguised Uchiha Gen licked his lips, his eyes gleaming coldly as he sneered menacingly.
"Don't underestimate us!"
Uchiha Yuichi's eyes flashed, his dark irises transforming into the crimson of the Sharingan. A single tomoe swirled in each eye.
"Ah, an Uchiha, huh? Perfect. I've been meaning to study the Sharingan up close."
Before he finished speaking, Uchiha Gen vanished in an instant.
Yuichi barely had time to react before a powerful kick sent him hurtling into a tree. His back struck the bark with a sickening crack, blood spilling from his lips.
The three genin were shocked but resolute. Two launched a feint attack with shuriken, while the third, the most skilled in taijutsu, lunged in for a direct strike.
Unfortunately, the difference in skill was insurmountable. Uchiha Gen effortlessly dodged the projectiles, then dispatched the taijutsu user with a single punch. Before the remaining two could react, he moved again, sending them sprawling with well-placed strikes.
Unlike the genin from the Chunin Exams, who were the elites of their generation, these were standard wartime recruits—barely above the level of academy graduates. Their taijutsu was rudimentary, their shuriken techniques basic, and many likely had limited mastery over even the fundamental Three Basic Jutsu.
"I'll hold him off! Get out of here!"
"He's a jounin! We can't win! Go, now! Don't throw away your lives!"
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!
With desperate resolve, Uchiha Yuichi formed seals faster than he ever had before. His chest swelled as he exhaled a massive, scorching fireball that roared forward.
Uchiha Gen sidestepped effortlessly, avoiding the attack. With a flick of his wrist, three shurikens flew toward Yuichi.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The shuriken embedded themselves into a tree as Yuichi narrowly evaded. He retaliated immediately, flinging kunai and shuriken with rapid precision.
Fuuton: Daitoppa!
Uchiha Gen exhaled a powerful gust of wind, dispersing the projectiles effortlessly. The sheer force lifted Yuichi off his feet and sent him crashing into the ground below.
"Kuh...!"
Yuichi coughed violently, blood splattering from his lips as pain wracked his body. He knew he had lost. As a last resort, he reached up to destroy his own Sharingan—
—but darkness claimed him before he could complete the act.
The three Konoha genin fled in tears, obeying their captain's final order.
Uchiha Gen did not pursue them. There was no need. Firstly, he had no interest in exterminating Konoha's next generation. Secondly, witnesses served his purpose.
Gazing at the unconscious Uchiha Yuichi, a calculating glint flickered in his eyes.
A single tomoe Sharingan might yield two chances for study. With luck, four. But he needed more certainty.
To be safe, he would capture another Uchiha with a single tomoe Sharingan.
Four trials, maybe even eight. That should suffice.
Once the war ended, most of the Uchiha clan would be relegated to the Police Force, making further acquisitions difficult.
But during war?
Disappearances could easily be blamed on the chaos of battle, with Kirigakure taking the fall.
With that thought, Uchiha Gen hoisted Uchiha Yuichi onto his shoulder and vanished into the shadows, heading toward a prepared safehouse...
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