Chapter 2 — I Defect
Boom!
A wave of heat hit Asuka's back, and he stopped, turning around to look in the direction he had come from.
The sky above the Nanga Shrine was dyed a deep red by flames, and fireballs exploded intermittently in the air like fireworks, a spectacular sight from a distance.
It seemed those old men hadn't convinced anyone.
"Um..."
Just then, Asuka suddenly heard a child's voice from the nearby bushes. Looking in that direction, he saw three children holding cameras, their faces filled with terror as they looked toward the Nanga Shrine, their voices trembling.
"Big… Big brother, have the enemy invaded?"
Asuka walked up to the three children, reached out to touch their heads with a slight smile on his lips, and shook his head.
"No, that's the Uchiha clan's shrine. They're discussing something."
Really?
Looking at the constantly exploding fireballs in the sky, the three children looked at Asuka with suspicion.
No matter how they looked at it, it didn't seem like a normal discussion—it was terrifying.
However, the handsome older brother probably wouldn't lie to us.
"By the way!"
Asuka looked down at the three children and the camera in their hands, and asked in confusion,
"You're not from the Uchiha clan, are you? What are you doing here?"
"Um..."
One of the children waved the camera at Asuka, his fear gradually replaced by excitement.
"The Hokage's wedding day is coming up soon, and we want to find a beautiful place today to film a short blessing video for the Hokage.
Big brother, would you like to do one?"
Hmm?
A blessing video...
He had never even met Minato Namikaze. What exactly was there to bless him for?
Seeing the expectant looks in the three children's eyes, Asuka straightened his hair and said,
"Okay."
After the camera was turned on, he gave a peace sign to the lens and recited the blessing he had prepared beforehand.
"Fourth Hokage, Lady Kushina, congratulations on your marriage."
"Alright!"
After saying that, he waved to the three children and left.
He went back to pack his things, planning to escape during the Fourth Hokage's wedding—after all, the defenses wouldn't be as strict back then.
The people were kind and the scenery beautiful; Konoha, a village that blended technology and tradition, was so captivating that it was hard to leave after just a few glances.
Asuka, of course, didn't want to leave either.
But not only did he lack any special abilities—his innate powers were several levels below those who destroyed Konoha at the age of eight—he was also clumsy with words. Having traveled eighteen years, he hadn't managed to use his persuasive skills effectively.
Back on the battlefield, when he tried to use words of persuasion, he had even been stabbed with a kunai.
Moreover, even if he changed one Uchiha Itachi, who knew if a second Uchiha Itachi might appear?
These things were impossible to guard against; the key lay with the elders of Konoha.
After 18 years of arduous training, he still didn't know if he could defeat Danzo. He was certain he couldn't beat "Lady Kushina" now, though.
Just as Asuka was lost in thought, he heard many villagers respectfully greeting someone ahead. Looking at the source of the sound, he saw Kushina, with long red hair, standing in the middle of the street, holding a small basket filled with baby supplies.
Looking at the maternal glow emanating from that red chili pepper, Asuka's lips twitched, a sense of urgency rising within him.
"Has Naruto Uzumaki already prepared to come?"
Passing by Kushina, he greeted her, bought some food, and headed home.
Kushina was pregnant, which meant that the Night of the Nine-Tails was less than ten months away.
A month later, on the morning of the wedding—
Thump!
Asuka slammed the package he was carrying onto the table, looked around the empty room, and sighed softly.
In the past month, he had sold everything he could, exchanging all the money at Granny Cat's for kunai, explosive tags, and other weapons.
Rogue ninjas paid significantly more for everything than regular ninjas, and those black market merchants preyed on their greed.
They were certain you wouldn't cause trouble; if you did, they would report you.
It was a pity he couldn't sell the house; otherwise he'd have some money left to buy necessities.
During this month, he had watched Kushina's belly grow bigger every day, his heart filled with anxiety, unease, fear, regret, and sorrow.
Even though he hadn't even touched Kushina's hand,
and the child wasn't his, he was an Uchiha.
After the Nine-Tails' night, the Uchiha clan's survival rate would drastically decline. Without a god's-eye view, the appearance of the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes was inexplicable.
And throughout the ninja world, even children knew the Sharingan belonged to the Uchiha clan.
Years later, Itachi, that devoted son, would once again raise his sword and gaze out the window at the clan's territory, etching the familiar scenery deep into his mind. Then, he would pull out the Konoha headband from his robes and mutter to himself,
"Don't worry, I'll burn paper money for you during festivals!"
With that, Asuka began examining the headband.
After all, being a rogue ninja for the first time, he had little experience. Should he draw horizontally or vertically on it?
[Ding]
[Host information detected, Counterattack System activated]
[Name: Uchiha Asuka]
[Age: 18]
[Identity: Uchiha Clan Ninja]
[Strength: Jonin]
A mechanical voice rang in Asuka's ears.
He subconsciously drew his kunai and looked around warily, but after hearing the voice in his mind, Asuka paused, a feeling somewhere between excitement and helplessness rising within him.
"Does this system only bind to me after I've made up my mind to become a rogue ninja?"
Regardless of the system's trigger conditions, it still had to be activated.
[This system is the Counterattack System, assisting the host in successfully overpowering Uzumaki Naruto and becoming the strongest ninja in the world.]
[Accept Newbie Gift Pack?]
Looking at the system's brief introduction, Asuka's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Just from that description, he knew this thing was very powerful.
It could actually make him the strongest ninja in the world!
With excitement, Asuka directly opened the newbie gift pack.
"Accept!"
As soon as he spoke, several items suddenly appeared on the empty table.
After taking a few deep breaths, he picked up the item resembling a voucher. Looking at the large characters on it, he subconsciously read aloud:
"Honey Mustard Flavored Fried Chicken Family Bucket – Kids Love It!
Quantity: Unlimited.
How to Use: Crush to Summon."
After reading it, Asuka froze, speechless for a long time.
What connection did this have to becoming stronger?
If he remembered correctly, eating too much fried chicken would make him fat, right?
He then picked up the other items, reading their descriptions one by one.
"Ninja Academy Textbook Knowledge Acceleration Card (3 days). One day can be used as a month, saving you more time for training."
"Detailed Explanation of the Ninja Academy's Will of Fire Course, with annotations and insights from various teachers. Memorize it, and you'll completely escape Danzo's surveillance."
"Complete List of Habits and Hobbies of Various Ninja Academy Teachers. Memorize it and use it flexibly; even if you skip classes for training in the future, the teachers will turn a blind eye."
"A miniature camera with no battery or capacity limit. You can use it to record every minute and second at the Ninja Academy."
Asuka looked at these items on the table with a question mark on his face, utterly puzzled.
"System, I admit the newbie gift pack you gave me is pretty good. But have you noticed this thing seems to be usable only by Ninja Academy students?"
"System, what is my current strength?"
Before he could finish speaking, the mechanical voice responded:
[Jonin!]
"Did you give me the wrong newbie gift pack? I graduated from the Ninja Academy eight years ago—why are you giving me this kind of gift pack?"
[Verified, no error]
"My strength?"
[Jonin!]
"Whose 'newbie gift pack' is this?"
[Ninja Academy student!]
"Did you send it to the wrong person?"
[No mistake!]
"Heh~ heh~"
Asuka looked speechlessly at the items on the table. He put down his backpack, turned, and walked toward the village park.
He'd postpone his defection for now; the Fourth Hokage was about to start his feast, so he'd go mooch a meal first.
(End of Chapter)