[Our clan has declined.]
[After a night of crimson conspiracy, the name of Uchiha has been tarnished and withered.]
[Now, as the last bloodline of the clan, you shall reclaim its glory at any cost—make the Uchiha great again.]
[Detected that the host has reached eighteen years of age; the Strongest Family Revival System has been loaded.]
Tendo stared at the translucent panel slowly emerging before him, holding his breath slightly.
He shook his head, squeezed his eyes shut, and then snapped them open.
It wasn't an illusion; the panel was still there!
A roaring sound echoed in his mind, and Tendo felt his head buzzing a little.
Tendo had lived in this place called the Hidden Leaf Village for eighteen years.
His parents were obscure Chunin who had passed away years ago. His aptitude was also very ordinary, and he had only become a Chunin by putting in the years; his future seemed bleak.
He had no family secret arts, no special physique, and an average amount of Chakra. Aside from being very handsome, he excelled in neither the literary nor the martial arts.
For these eighteen years, he had lived a plant-like life: waking up at seven in the morning, having a simple workout before heading to Ichiraku Ramen or eating at home for breakfast, then going to work at the Hokage Building. Dinner was usually home-cooked and light, and he was always in bed before eleven to ensure a full eight hours of sleep.
He had once thought he would continue along this path where the end was visible at a glance.
Until this moment.
The system panel floated silently, emitting a stable and unquestionable presence.
However, there seemed to be a problem with the type of this system.
"System?" Tendo muttered in his mind, trying to communicate with it. "Are you sure you've got the right person?"
"The Uchiha Clan was wiped out four years ago. The only survivor in Konoha is Uchiha Sasuke, who should still be playing pretend Ninja at the Ninja Academy right now, right?"
[Host identity confirmed: Uchiha descendant.]
[Core objective of this system: Revive the Uchiha Clan. Primary step: Increase strength and restore clan prestige until reaching the 'Kage-level' standard, raising the Uchiha banner once more in the Ninja World.]
The system's response was mechanical and direct, completely ignoring Tendo's doubts as it refreshed the system requirements on its own.
At the same time, some small text appeared under the 'Kage-level' judgment criteria.
['Kage-level' is the comprehensive judgment standard of this system. Basic qualification condition one: Awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. Condition two: Defeat at least one individual publicly recognized in the Ninja World as possessing 'Kage' strength or status. Meeting either is sufficient.]
[All rights of interpretation belong to this system.]
"Mangekyo..." Tendo felt a wave of wordlessness at the system's idiocy.
Listen, buddy, I don't even have a Sharingan, and you're already demanding a Mangekyo? Is this system specifically designed to piss me off? Maybe I should just uninstall it.
Just as Tendo was about to give up, the system panel refreshed again.
[Phased growth mode activated. Current host strength assessment: Genin.]
[Novice guidance mission issued: The Peak of Genin.]
[Mission Content: Defeat the currently recognized 'Strongest Genin' of the Hidden Leaf Village in a direct confrontation—Uzumaki Naruto. Prove to the system that you possess the potential and capacity worthy of the Uchiha name.]
[Mission Reward: One-Tomoe Sharingan.]
Then again, the system had only just awakened, so it was normal for it to be a bit slow.
The key was, big brother, are you really giving out the reward?
Tendo's heart began to beat uncontrollably fast. Eighteen years, a full eighteen years!
These eighteen years really hadn't been a life for a human. The world of naruto was purely a legend of bloodlines; if you weren't related to the Otsutsuki family, the world would really screw you over.
Wanting to rely solely on hard work without a bloodline?
Setting Guy aside for a moment, the ability to work as hard as Rock Lee was itself an amazing talent. If an ordinary person tried to follow that training, they'd probably break themselves before long.
Not to mention that in the original story, even Rock Lee eventually faded into the crowd.
So, System-bro, you weren't wrong. I've actually been a member of the Uchiha Clan all along. From today on, I am Uchiha Tendo.
After swearing loyalty to the system in his heart, Tendo turned his gaze out the window.
Almost at the same time, a burst of piercing, hearty laughter—sounding like a prank had just succeeded—came from the nearby Hokage Rock.
Tendo walked to the window and pushed it open.
The sound became much clearer, mixed with exasperated shouts and chaotic footsteps. Looking up, his gaze passed over the rows of roofs and landed on the distant Hokage Rock.
On top of the head of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama's statue, a conspicuous orange dot was moving actively, seemingly holding some kind of bucket.
Streaks of discordant colored marks were spreading from the First's cheeks to the rock statues of the Second and Third. Although it was too far to see exactly what was painted, combined with that signature laughter and the colors, he could guess who it was with his toes.
"Naruto-kun, my first pot of gold..." Tendo muttered to himself.
The future Child of Prophecy, the hero who would save the world, the Seventh Hokage of Konoha, and the 'Strongest Genin' labeled by the system.
However, the future was the future, and the present was the present.
The current Naruto was just a 'dead last' with terrible Chakra control, pathetic Ninjutsu theory, and nothing outstanding in the Ninja Academy except for physical strength and perseverance.
Most importantly, he hadn't yet learned that Naruto-exclusive cheat from the scroll of seals—the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
He could only be described as a 'Lite Version of the Strongest Genin'.
At this moment, many alarmed villagers and a few idle Ninjas had already gathered below the Hokage Rock. Shouts, complaints, and urgings blended together.
"It's that Demon Fox kid again!"
"My fruit stand! He just ran past and knocked over half of it!"
"Where is Iruka-sensei? Hurry up and catch him!"
"What did he draw on the Hokage-sama's faces this time? This is simply unforgivable!"
"The Sandaime-sama is too kind; such a nuisance should be strictly disciplined!"
"Hey, look, were the Sandaime-sama's whiskers painted into cat whiskers? It's quite... unique?"
"Stop talking and catch him! He ran that way!"
In the crowd, Iruka Umino, with a scar across his nose, was sweating profusely as he directed a few colleagues to try and flank him, while he himself struggled to chase the orange figure jumping like a monkey across the roofs, shouting as he ran: "Naruto! Stand still! Stop causing trouble!"
Uzumaki Naruto turned a deaf ear, instead looking back to make a face and laughing even more arrogantly: "Hahaha! Come and catch me, Iruka-sensei! Doesn't the Hokage Rock look particularly artistic today!"
He had just finished the final "finishing touch" on the statue of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—an exaggerated funny face—and was about to make his getaway. The escape route he chose happened to pass by the building where Tendo was.
Tendo observed calmly and discreetly, estimating the distance and speed. Just as Naruto leaped and was about to flash past the window—
With a loud shout, Tendo directly subdued Naruto.
"Caught you, Naruto-kun."
A slightly teasing voice rang out from above.
Naruto struggled to lift his head. The sunlight was a bit dazzling, so he squinted his deep blue eyes to look.
First to enter his sight was a head of slightly messy blond hair that shimmered faintly in the sun, then a handsome face, and finally those eyes... Naruto froze. He had seen too many gazes directed at him—cold, hateful, pitying... but rarely one like this.
This person's... gaze actually looked somewhat friendly.
Of course it was friendly, because Tendo saw the notification of mission completion through Naruto.
[Mission Complete: One-Tomoe Sharingan has been issued, please claim it in time.]
Tendo felt a sense of relief; it was done.
"You... who are you? Let go of me!" Although the person in front of him looked a bit familiar, Naruto snapped back to his senses and began to struggle.
"Just a helpful passing villager, remember that," Tendo replied casually. His gaze swept over Naruto's cheeks and clothes stained with various paints, then he looked up at the mess on the distant Hokage Rock. He had known of Naruto's mischief for a long time from reading the original story in his previous life, but no matter how many times he saw it with his own eyes in this life, it was still a bit hard to keep a straight face.
The corner of Tendo's mouth twitched imperceptibly as he casually offered a few tips on pranking:
"Ink can be washed away with a few buckets of water. Next time, try using oil paint instead."
Naruto was stunned. Wait, buddy, whose side are you on?
Just then, the panting Iruka finally caught up: "Naruto! You... eh? Tendo-kun?"
Without much small talk with Iruka, Tendo handed Naruto over to him, asked his female superior for some time off, and went to a training ground he frequently visited.
The training ground was semi-surrounded by a small grove of trees. The ground was packed earth, with several heavily worn wooden posts and targets standing, and some discarded Ninja tools piled in a corner. The afternoon sun cast mottled spots of light through the gaps in the leaves, and the surroundings were silent.
After confirming no one was around, Tendo walked to the center of the training ground and slowly closed his eyes.
[Claim Mission Reward]
The moment the command was given, a scorching torrent suddenly erupted from his heart, splitting into two streams.
The larger stream followed the vessels in his neck and flowed precisely into his eyes. A sore, burning sensation came from around his eye sockets, as if something was taking root, sprouting, and breaking through the soil deep inside his eyeballs.
His vision blurred slightly at first, then became exceptionally clear. He could even see the finest veins on distant leaves and the tracks left by insects crawling past. The world seemed to become more vivid in his "eyes," and the layers of color were much richer.
One-Tomoe Sharingan acquired.
The other, smaller stream washed through every corner of his body along his blood vessels and meridians.
Tendo could clearly feel his physique being improved. Some old injuries from years of cultivation were also being repaired. He removed the bandages wrapped around his palms; some of the old calluses had disappeared, and the skin on his hands became smooth again.
He walked up to a wooden post. Without forming any hand seals, he just willed it and tried to refine Chakra. The process was so smooth it almost made him want to cry.
The system always managed to bring him some surprises; the reward of the One-Tomoe Sharingan actually implicitly included the strengthening of the Uchiha Clan physique.
"Now I lack nothing."
Tendo worked hard to refine Chakra, testing his limits.
In an instant, he felt his Chakra surge, skyrocket, and explode. A sense of invincible dominance naturally arose from deep within Tendo's heart.
Just as he was about to burst into laughter, the increase in Chakra suddenly stopped.
"It's about 0.5 Kakashi."
His realistic logic quickly returned: "I still need to keep practicing."
He didn't plan to test the specific abilities of the Sharingan here for the time being. It had only been four years since the Uchiha massacre, and the aftermath hadn't settled. If he displayed it casually here, some eye in the shadows might see it.
As an Uchiha remnant lurking in the dark, Tendo was very aware of his situation. The enemy was in the light while he was in the dark; he had to make good use of this advantage. Once he passed the development period, it wouldn't be too late to act like an overlord.
Just as he was immersed in thought, a voice that sounded bright and sunny on the surface rang out from the edge of the woods not far behind him:
"Yo, Tendo-kun, you've made quite a bit of progress lately."