Land of Fire — Valley of the End
Watching the two Root operatives descend into a fistfight fueled entirely by personal grudges, Asuka led the three little Uchiha back toward the clan compound.
Not every Uchiha child was like Itachi.
Not every child could calmly think about the complicated world of adults.
Ordinary children were still children.
The Uchiha's children were no exception.
At that moment, one of the boys hugged a family-sized bucket of fried chicken to his chest, looked at Asuka with shining eyes, and shouted,
"Big Brother!"
Although he hadn't understood a word of Asuka's explanation earlier...
He did understand one thing.
The chicken wings were delicious.
And after finishing one bucket...
There was another.
This is even better than Grandpa!
"Sigh..."
Asuka folded his hands behind his head, looked up at the drifting clouds, and let out a helpless sigh.
"When you get home..."
"Don't mention anything that happened today."
"If anyone asks why you're soaking wet..."
"Just say you accidentally fell into the river while fishing."
"Make sure all three of you tell the same story."
"And don't mention that I kicked you off the cliff."
"I just spent an entire afternoon getting scolded by the Grand Elder."
"That old man has been looking for excuses to criticize me lately."
"Yes, Big Brother!"
One of the boys hesitated before raising his bucket.
"Big Brother..."
"...Can this really be refilled?"
"My grandpa has bad teeth."
"The chicken is really tender."
"I want to eat the skin..."
"...and save the meat for Grandpa."
...What a filial child.
Had Asuka not noticed the drool dripping from the corners of all three boys' mouths...
He might actually have believed them.
"Oh, right."
He casually refilled all three buckets before patting each of them on the head.
"Since you came all the way to the Valley of the End today..."
"I'm guessing you wanted to admire Lord Madara's greatness."
"Tomorrow night..."
"Come to the Naka Shrine."
"You can bring your friends too."
"I'll teach you all about Uchiha Madara's Will of Fire."
"I'll tell you how Lord Madara used the Will of Fire to persuade the First Hokage..."
"...and how the two of them conquered the world together."
"...?"
The three children tilted their heads in perfect unison.
Their faces were full of confusion.
Uchiha Madara...
The legendary Will of Fire ninja...?
Wasn't he a missing-nin?
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Asuka merely smiled mysteriously before adding another temptation.
"There'll be fried chicken."
"And drinks too."
"We'll listen to stories..."
"...while studying the true, orthodox Will of Fire personally developed by Uchiha Madara."
"Ohhh!"
"Yay!"
Although they still had no idea what he was talking about...
They understood one thing perfectly.
There would be endless fried chicken tomorrow night.
That was enough.
Clicking his tongue softly, Asuka glanced at the three excited children before turning toward Konoha.
Since I decided not to defect...
It's time to save the clan.
At the very least...
I hope the next generation becomes merely crazy...
Instead of crazy and stupid.
As for the Will of Fire...
I'll make a few adjustments to it.
---
The moment Asuka stepped through his front door, he immediately called out in his mind,
"System."
During today's battle, he'd sensed the system tremble slightly.
Since he'd been busy fighting the Root operatives at the time, he'd ignored it.
Now, looking at the familiar interface floating before him, his eyes landed on the large words displayed across the top.
Mission Complete
Asuka raised an eyebrow.
"...Already?"
The system responded immediately.
«Congratulations, Host.
Through diligent training and a hard-fought battle, you successfully defeated Uchiha Naoki and recruited him as your subordinate.
Would you like to claim your reward?»
"..."
Asuka slowly nodded.
He finally understood.
Uchiha Naoki...
That must've been one of the kids I kicked off the cliff.
...Does that actually count as defeating him?
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Still, he sat down and answered seriously,
"Claim it."
Boom!
The instant he spoke, a warm current flowed into his eyes.
Then...
It vanished almost immediately.
"..."
Resting his chin in one hand, Asuka muttered thoughtfully,
"I once heard..."
"The pain Lady Mikoto endured during childbirth..."
"...was dozens of times stronger than this."
Whenever an Uchiha experienced intense emotional stimulation, their Sharingan evolved.
Based on what he'd just felt...
If I had to put it into numbers...
Before: 3000 / 10000
After: 3000.5 / 10000
"..."
He silently did the math.
At this rate...
I'd need around fourteen thousand missions to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Even if I somehow completed five missions every day...
It would still take about 2,800 days.
Roughly...
Seven-point-seven years.
According to the original timeline...
The Uchiha Clan only had about six and a half years left.
"...What a wonderful system."
Asuka praised it sincerely before standing up to tidy his belongings.
Seriously...
Without the Mangekyō Sharingan...
Am I supposed to headbutt Itachi during the massacre?
---
Clatter.
Something dropped onto the table.
A scroll.
Asuka picked it up and slowly opened it.
Then...
He fell silent once again.
"...What a wonderful system."
He slowly read the title aloud.
«Chidori Senbon
Rank: A
A technique that transforms Chidori into countless lightning senbon capable of striking multiple targets.
The number of senbon created depends on the user's chakra reserves.
When combined with the Sharingan, it can precisely target an opponent's vital points.»
After reading it several times, Asuka looked up at the ceiling with a completely speechless expression.
Leaving aside the fact that he didn't even possess Lightning Release...
Even if he did...
He still hadn't learned Chidori.
...What?
Did the system just assume I'd definitely learn Chidori someday...
...so it skipped ahead and rewarded me with its upgraded version first?
"Sigh..."
Letting out another long sigh, he casually tossed the scroll into a cabinet.
He could always trade it to a Lightning Release shinobi.
Or use it later to earn someone a favor.
After all...
He couldn't use it.
---
So...
The very first mission of the Strongest Reversal System...
Had officially ended.
And he had successfully reversed...
Absolutely nothing.
---
A new notification appeared.
«New Mission
The road to becoming stronger is always filled with hardships. Unfortunately, destiny has arranged far too many for you.
In your future battle against Naruto, one reason for your crushing defeat—aside from your slightly inferior cheat and the Sage of Six Paths favoring Naruto—was the poor quality of your friends.
Naruto is currently being ostracized by the villagers.
Please befriend Nara Shikamaru instead.
His outstanding intellect perfectly complements your overwhelming combat ability.
If you become close friends now, he may also refrain from using that brilliant intellect against you after you eventually become Naruto's enemy.
This mission may be abandoned.
Mission Rewards:
• One increase in Sharingan awakening progress.
• One Mysterious Exchange Scroll.
• One Letter from a Stranger.»
After reading the mission, Asuka slowly turned toward the direction of the Nara Clan.
"...Nara Shikamaru?"
Of course he knew who Shikamaru was.
He'd even shared drinks with Shikaku Nara several times.
But...
If I remember correctly...
Isn't Shikamaru still inside his mother's womb?
Abandon the mission?
Looking at the listed rewards, Asuka shook his head without hesitation.
"Accept."
---
Visit Patreon For More...