Chapter 408: How One's Mentality Collapses
The Uzumaki clan mobilized in full force, with over sixty ninjas rushing to the battlefield.
In those years of continuous warfare, this was the maximum number of clansmen the Uzumaki clan could field. Even so, this was considered a thriving population during the Warring States period.
Of course, compared to the major Warring States clan, the Uchiha, the gap was still immense.
The Uchiha only sent around twenty ninjas, led by a 'minor elder' who ranked low in the Uchiha hierarchy, yet it made the entire Uzumaki clan face a formidable enemy.
"Speaking of which, what was the reason for that war again?" Masahiko murmured softly, concentrating on listening to Hideo negotiate with the Uchiha ninjas.
However, all he heard was garbled noise.
Masahiko's memory didn't contain the content of the negotiations between the two sides, so naturally, he couldn't recall it. Back then, his attention had been drawn by other things.
Of course, what attracted him wasn't Naori Uchiha, although she could be considered the first 2D beauty Masahiko had seen in the Naruto world. Among a group of black-haired, black-eyed Uchiha clansmen, that sky-blue, shoulder-length hair was very eye-catching. But Masahiko wasn't the kind of person who couldn't walk when he saw a beautiful woman; as an otaku, he was well-informed...
Little Masahiko's focus was on the few 'one-eyed dragons' within the Uchiha ranks.
"Izanagi... what era have I actually arrived in?"
No one could answer his question. Because he was immersed in his own thoughts, he was almost hit by a kunai thrown tentatively at him.
"Masahiko, don't be nervous!" Hideo Uzumaki frowned and reminded him: "Have you pinpointed your opponent?"
Little Masahiko's eyes gradually focused, locking onto Naori Uchiha's small face: "Don't worry, she's so pretty, how could I get the wrong target..."
Hideo Uzumaki was accustomed to Masahiko's occasionally unreliable tone and gave one last warning upon hearing this: "Beware of genjutsu."
"Mm, I know."
"Charge! Proceed according to the original plan!"
The so-called original plan was an even distribution of manpower, ensuring three against one. After all, an Uchiha ninja of the same level was almost unbeatable one-on-one, and their genjutsu was very annoying...
The battlefield was thus divided, and Little Masahiko easily faced off against Naori Uchiha.
Adhering to the 'Might Guy tactic'—don't look at the eyes when fighting an Uchiha—Little Masahiko's gaze remained fixed below Naori Uchiha's neck...
The battlefield was, after all, different from a normal spar. Besides the opponent in front of him, he had to guard against kunai and ninjutsu shot from the enemy or even his own side. Moreover, Naori Uchiha's strength was relatively high, making Little Masahiko unable to pour out the 'flirty words' welling up inside him, which was very uncomfortable.
After his long sword clashed with her kunai for the umpteenth time, Little Masahiko finally gradually adapted to the rhythm of the battlefield and soon gained the upper hand—he really was very strong among his peers back then.
The turning point occurred inadvertently.
A burst of loud laughter echoing across the entire battlefield made Masahiko pause his movements: "Hahahaha! Did you think you killed me just now?! Die under my Great Self's Izanagi!"
"Shizuma!"
"Uncle Shizuma... is dead?" Little Masahiko murmured, his movements freezing for a moment.
Hesitation on the battlefield is fatal, but fortunately, Naori Uchiha's next strike also lost its proper standard, allowing Little Masahiko to narrowly parry it.
Masahiko now knew, of course, that she lost her accuracy because she disliked Izanagi, but Little Masahiko back then didn't know. For a moment, he thought 'the girl opposite me has taken a fancy to me'.
To further confirm this, he secretly raised his eyes and met that pair of Sharingan...
"So that's how it was. I was saying Great Ancestor wasn't that unreliable; how could I use the 'Sexy Jutsu' on the battlefield? Back then, I... actually fell under a genjutsu!" Masahiko was dazed.
That pair of two-tomoe Sharingan glowed bright red, making Little Masahiko's hands uncontrollably form three seals, executing the 'Sexy Jutsu - Naori Version' right before Naori Uchiha's eyes...
Although, like Naruto, the critical parts were censored with smoke, Little Masahiko could sense the air on the battlefield solidifying for a moment.
Then, an explosive uproar!
All the Uchiha clansmen desperately wanted to rush over and kill Little Masahiko, while the Uzumaki clansmen desperately intercepted them...
Naori Uchiha also froze in place.
She had indeed cast a genjutsu on Masahiko, a simple interference genjutsu intended to find Masahiko's weak point, but how could she have expected Masahiko to have such a weak point...
"Bastard!"
It was the first time Little Masahiko heard Naori Uchiha's voice. It was as sweet as her appearance, but unfortunately, her Sharingan evolving from two tomoe to three tomoe proved her mood wasn't very sweet...
Then came Naori Uchiha chasing and hacking, Little Masahiko fleeing, and his incoherent apologies.
"Ah, no, I'm not..."
"My hands wouldn't listen to me just now..."
"Uchiha girl, I'm sorry, I'll take responsibility for you! Ah, don't slash!"
Masahiko's unreliable personality was displayed to everyone for the first time, until he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of his father being pierced by a long sword, and he froze in place.
"This is a battlefield, a battlefield where people can die at any moment. What am I... doing?"
This was Little Masahiko's last thought before falling unconscious. During this momentary daze, Naori Uchiha gave him a vicious slash... fortunately, it didn't disfigure him.
...
When he woke up again, it was already three days later. He was lying side by side with his father and eldest brother, recuperating... It was his eldest brother who had desperately saved him.
As for his father, he had luckily survived due to internal Uchiha issues. The great merit of killing the Clan Head of the Uzumaki clan was worth using Izanagi to alter reality into one favorable to oneself...
Therefore, in the end, the Uzumaki clan secured a victory without any major mishaps.
Regarding Little Masahiko's act of using the 'Battlefield Sexy Jutsu', his father and some elders showed great tolerance, even praise, and regretted that he simply lacked experience and failed to kill Naori Uchiha when she was stunned... One should resort to every conceivable means on the battlefield!
Many of his peers, however, were somewhat dissatisfied with his action, but at most, it was just "using such methods in front of a girl, shame on you".
But Little Masahiko, as a reborn modern man, couldn't overcome the hurdle in his heart and realized his incompatibility with this world...
"Father, I want to marry Naori Uchiha as my wife," Little Masahiko said.
"What nonsense are you spouting? That's the enemy! Moreover, Uchiha girls never marry outsiders, let alone the fact that she's the second daughter of the Uchiha Clan Head!"
Little Masahiko naturally knew this, but he felt he had 'ruined the girl's pure reputation' and had to do something.
That was his naivety and innocence. He didn't know the Uchiha would never allow such news to spread. Even if it did spread, it was just Masahiko Uzumaki transforming into a 'naked woman' on the battlefield; no one knew who he transformed into. From then on, Masahiko became the laughingstock of the Land of Fire...
In order to increase his strength faster, he started taking shortcuts. He abandoned all ninjutsu training and only practiced the Basic Three Jutsu and Shuriken Jutsu.
Little Masahiko didn't believe that the golden finger of a dignified transmigrator like him only had such limited functions. He wanted to train these two to the max level, expecting these minor skills to 'turn the rotten into something magical'.
In the eyes of outsiders, it naturally appeared that he, the genius of the Uzumaki clan, had been broken by rumors and gossip. More and more people looked down on him, but Little Masahiko stated he could still endure this...
However, when he was twenty, hearing that Naori Uchiha died in an internal family conflict, his mentality collapsed for the first time...
At twenty-two, he finally honed those minor skills to the max level, but only obtained a few special skills, and his ninja rating merely became 'Tokubetsu Jonin'. This time, his mentality completely collapsed.
This collapse lasted until he was 33. When Mito was born and he discovered the first familiar character from the original story, he felt he still had a chance to see the establishment of Konoha, and only then was he able to regain his inner strength. His goal was simply to survive, to live happily.
He resumed training, only to find his former talent was no longer there. It wasn't until he was 48 that he finally became an 'ordinary Jonin'...
...
"My little heart was truly fragile back then." Masahiko sighed softly. "To think it was just because of a small interference genjutsu that Naori Uchiha... My mentality is going to collapse again now!"
"Sigh... hold on! The days of headwind have finally passed, now it's time to ride the tailwind and make waves!"
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