Summer nights are destined to be restless. The singing of insects, the cries of night owls, and the rustling of small animals echoed one after another.
Uchiha Renjiro could not only hear them clearly, but could even perceive more!
He found that his five senses were extremely sharp. He could even feel the moisture in the air increasing as the night progressed.
At first, Renjiro thought it was because of his Uchiha bloodline. After all, in his previous life he had been just an ordinary person.
But when he looked down at his thin, frail body, he dismissed that idea. His current body was far weaker than a normal five-year-old child's.
If it wasn't physical, then it had to be mental.
Thinking it over, he realized: he had inherited the memories of Uchiha Renjiro, and now the spiritual energy of two lives was concentrated in this frail vessel. It was only natural that his senses had reached a supernatural level.
And he was correct—though there was even more to it.
Not only did he carry the spiritual power of two lives, but he had also endured two deaths: his previous life's end and the death-memory of Renjiro.
Two brushes with death had amplified his spirit exponentially.
By the standards of his peers, Renjiro's mental power was already dozens of times stronger than an ordinary child of his age.
Although this advantage would narrow as everyone grew older, there would never be anyone of his generation who could match his spiritual strength.
Of course—if he lived that long.
It was this strange balance of overwhelming spiritual power and fragile physical strength, fused into one, that made Renjiro seem so unusual to Uchiha Junko.
That impression had only deepened when the elder opened his three-tomoe Sharingan.
After all, the Sharingan was a manifestation of Yin Release. It could sense spiritual energy to a certain degree.
There were kind souls in the world, like Ruri or Obito as a boy, who would help without gain.
But Elder Uchiha Junko was not one of those people. Otherwise, he would never have risen to become a elder.
For an elder of the Uchiha, granting nominations was a trivial favor.
That night, despite the late hour, Renjiro didn't feel sleepy. His spirit was too strong.
The second sign of his abnormality was his learning ability. In the darkness, Renjiro put most of his focus into practicing hand seals. The twelve basic seals were simple for him—he could reproduce them after a single glance.
Speed, however, required practice.
Suddenly, he stopped and pulled out a banana, eating while his eyes locked on his courtyard hundreds of meters away.
A shadow had flickered there—swift, but still caught by his sharpened senses.
He had deliberately kept part of his awareness fixed on home. The biggest reason he refused to sleep inside his own house, enduring mosquitoes under the summer sky, was precisely to watch for movements like this.
Ever since he had collected the compensation, one thought had gnawed at him: did his existence even matter to the clan? Did anyone truly remember him?
The answer was clear—no.
Whether he lived or died, the clan would not care. His home was remote, his family insignificant. Even if he were to die quietly, no one would know.
That was exactly why Uchiha Karai had dared to embezzle his father's reward and later threatened him:
"If you dare to take it, aren't you afraid of losing your life to spend it?"
It hadn't been a joke. Karai had meant it.
Twelve thousand ryō wasn't an enormous fortune, but it was the reward for a C-rank mission. Killing a forgotten five-year-old for that much was something many shinobi would do without hesitation.
In this world, darkness outweighed light. Especially among shinobi—whose hands were clean of blood?
Renjiro dared not be careless.
To others, his life was as light as a feather.
All he could do was add weight to that feather—make himself so heavy that no one could control him, so heavy that no one could shake him.
"Just wait. I'll take your life… greedy Chūnin."
He tossed aside the banana peel, shifted into a comfortable position, and drifted into sleep.
The morning mist was hazy when the dew wet his skin and woke him. Six hours had left him refreshed; five would have been enough if he had slept well. When older, he suspected even four hours would suffice.
Renjiro glanced at his yard, then climbed down from the tree. He didn't bother going home—there was nothing left there anyway.
After a bit of exercise, he bathed in a cold stretch of river, changed into clean clothes, and set out toward the clan's market district.
He had a long list of purchases: food, clothes, knives, steel forks, tents, hunting traps, oil, salt, spices, and other necessities. The load would be large, so he decided to leave Uchiha land temporarily to avoid scrutiny.
"Hey, little brother, where are you going with all this? You can't carry so much. Want my son to help? Free delivery!"
The shop owner of a camping supply stall called out warmly. A big sale so early had put him in a good mood.
"Well, I've read some wilderness survival books recently, so I wanted to challenge myself."
"Haha, so that's it! Truly worthy of an Uchiha child, adventurous like a boy should be. Where should we send this? I'll have my son deliver it for you!" The man patted Renjiro's shoulder, laughing.
"Where to send it? I haven't decided yet… do you have a map of Konoha?" Renjiro asked seriously.
"..."
"It's only available within Uchiha clan lands!"
"Huh? You're going back on your word? What about that free delivery? Do you think I'm some kid you can bully? Do you even have a conscience?" Renjiro said flatly.
"If you don't help me today, I'll pitch my tent in front of your house. I'll even spread word you're running a black market cheating children…"
The shopkeeper frowned, then silently pulled out a map and handed it over. He wasn't afraid, only weary. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
And it was true—he had forgotten to say deliveries were clan-only.
Renjiro took the map calmly, studying it as though nothing had happened, which made the shopkeeper roll his eyes.
He turned and called for his son, passing him the goods.
A boy of about thirteen muttered irritably:
"Finally, a day off from missions, and now I get stuck doing this. Do you want me to collapse?"
Renjiro ignored the complaint and pointed at a spot.
"Huh? Kid, do you know this is right by the Forest of Death? That place is dangerous. Are you sure you want to camp there?" the Uchiha boy asked disdainfully.
Renjiro nodded. To avoid more questions, he simply ordered:
"Just deliver it there. Don't concern yourself with the rest."
"Tch, fine. Don't wet yourself in fear later."
The Uchiha boy curled his lips and pulled out a storage scroll, sealing the supplies with practiced ease.
The technique made Renjiro burn with envy.
End of the chapter.