"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"After finishing his ninjutsu, Uchiha Haruki fired five cross-shaped shuriken, battling while gradually moving the fight toward Konoha.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!""Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"The enemy immediately retaliated with a combination of water-style jutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"Haruki launched a massive fireball and then sprinted furiously toward Konoha. The enemy was hot on his heels, refusing to let up. The two clashed repeatedly, and Haruki's body became more and more covered in injuries.
Boom!Haruki made a single-hand seal, triggering the explosive tags he had planted earlier on the enemy's left side. As the blast erupted, three shuriken shot out from behind him.
"Lightning Release: Angry Thunder Tiger!"The enemy gathered a massive amount of lightning chakra around his body, forming it into a huge, electric-blue tiger that charged at Haruki with terrifying speed. The next second, Haruki was struck by a powerful electric current.
Poof!The "Haruki" that got hit exploded into a chunk of wood.
"Uchiha Shuriken Jutsu!"Haruki fired off more shuriken as he continued sprinting toward Konoha.
He was injured—despite the quick Substitution Jutsu, the enemy's attack had been too fast. He spat out a mouthful of blood, grimacing. If this keeps going, I'm not gonna make it. There's no way I can hold out until reinforcements get here.
"Hey, old man! We've got reinforcements coming! You still have time to leave! Look, the people we rescued are gone. Your mission's already failed, so why keep going? What's the point of fighting to the death?" Haruki yelled back as he ran, desperately trying to stall with some good old-fashioned trash talk.
The enemy Jonin was clearly hardcore. Not a word left his mouth—just relentless shuriken throwing and ninjutsu bombardment. His expression was like, I'm not stopping until you're dead.
Well, I guess it's a fight to the death, then. No other choice...Haruki clenched his teeth and steeled his resolve. His attacks became more aggressive, his strikes fiercer. But the more they fought, the more exhausted he became. Wounds piled up one after another.
Suddenly, in the midst of their life-or-death clash, chakra surged into Haruki's eyes.
In that moment, everything changed. He could see the opponent's movements more clearly—each step, every hand sign.
Although he was still at a disadvantage, struggling and barely holding on, his movements became more fluid, more precise. His opponent noticed the change too. In his confusion, he stared at Haruki's eyes.
Sharingan. Uchiha!
Well, this mission wasn't a waste after all, the enemy thought. Even if I didn't bring back the Jinchuriki, taking back a Sharingan will definitely make up for it. I wasn't even the leader of this mission, so I'll come out ahead.
"Hey, kid. Thanks. I'm taking those eyes of yours," he said, his voice full of sinister satisfaction.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"He surged forward. "Lightning Release: Lightning Body Flicker!"
The streak of lightning and his body arrived almost simultaneously in front of Haruki.
"I think you shouldn't thank me just yet. I might just give you a dog collar for your next birthday!"
Suddenly, a few voices rang out from behind.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!""Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!""Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!""Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The enemy reacted quickly, but even with his sharp instincts, he got caught by the barrage. After evading the ninjutsu, two Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan appeared, pinning him to the ground with their ninja blades.
"Left eye has one tomoe, right eye has two. Not bad, kid. You sure know how to live dangerously," said the handsome Uchiha man who had appeared. He hoisted Haruki up onto his shoulder and started heading back toward Konoha.
"Dad, did you see the blond kid and the red-haired girl? What about En and Retsu?" Haruki asked weakly.
The handsome man, Uchiha Ieyasu, glanced at him and replied, "Those two are hot property. At first, they were with us, but then Root came to demand them. I had to rush off to find you, so I'm not sure what happened after. But trust me, no one takes anything from the Uchiha. As for your two brothers, I'm not sure. Your Uncle Nobunaga and Captain Mei were chasing them down another path."
Ieyasu stopped walking, squinting at the crowd ahead. "Well, well...looks like a lot of people showed up! Two of the Sannin, huh? Jiraiya, which one's your kid?" Ieyasu called out, smiling as he looked at the ANBU and Root squads facing off against the Uchiha.
"Come on, Ieyasu, don't start spreading rumors! I don't even have a girlfriend yet—don't ruin my reputation," Jiraiya protested.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at Ieyasu's words, instantly catching on that he was trying to ease the tension. After all, they were all from the same village. The Jinchuriki was safe; there was no need for more conflict.
"Jiraiya, your reputation can't get any worse than it already is," Orochimaru chuckled, licking his lips. He pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Uchiha Ieyasu. "Uchiha Ieyasu, by order of Lord Hokage, please hand over the red-haired girl."
Just as Ieyasu caught the scroll, the Root squad captain stepped forward and said, "I am also here under orders. Danzo-sama has decreed that Uzumaki Kushina is to be placed under Root's supervision."
Orochimaru snorted with a sly grin, tossing an emblem to the Root ninja. Under the watchful eyes of the Uchiha, he took Kushina away.
Jiraiya waved at the blond boy, signaling him to come back. The blond boy bowed respectfully to Uchiha Haruki, then returned to the ANBU squad. With that, the three factions went their separate ways.
"Wait, you awakened your Sharingan too? Haruki and I got beaten half to death before ours activated, and you don't even have a scratch on you!" Uchiha Retsu grumbled angrily on their way back.
"I-I thought you were dead! I got so emotional I just… pop! It happened! Shows how deep our bond is, right? Right, Haruki?" Uchiha En laughed joyfully.
Haruki ignored him, his mind already planning. Once I recover, I'm gonna beat him senseless. This guy's got some nerve…
As the two of them bickered, the group made their way back home.
Haruki opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. He checked his body; the pain that had been there yesterday was mostly gone. He figured he could probably get discharged today.
We succeeded in the mission, but I was way too careless. Almost didn't make it back… He shook his head. If we weren't who we are, our bodies would be rotting in a ditch by now.
Thinking back on the past few days, he remembered the news Uchiha En and his parents had brought him. His uncle had ordered the clan to keep it quiet—nobody was to know that both Uchiha En and Uchiha Haruki had awakened their Sharingan. They only announced that Uchiha Retsu had awakened his in a near-death breakthrough.
Smart move. One kid awakening after a deadly fight? Fine. But three? That would freak everyone out. Best to keep it secret for as long as possible.
Haruki thought about it for a while, recalling the news that Uchiha En and his parents had brought him over the past few days. His uncle had ordered the clan members to keep it under wraps—the fact that both Uchiha En and Uchiha Haruki had awakened their Sharingan was not to be disclosed. Officially, only Uchiha Retsu's near-death breakthrough had triggered the Sharingan.
This was a kind of silent protection. After all, it wasn't too surprising for a kid to awaken the Sharingan after surviving a deadly battle. But if three kids did it at the same time, that would draw too much attention and unnecessary trouble. Keeping it quiet for as long as possible, letting their abilities grow under the radar, would only benefit the clan and themselves.
Maybe the secret wouldn't last forever, but the longer it stayed hidden, the better. The more time they had to develop, the stronger they would be when the truth finally came out.
The Third Hokage gave full recognition to the mission's success and expressed his appreciation for the Uchiha Police Force's duty and responsibility. The three Uchiha genin were rewarded accordingly.
All three were granted permission to visit the Third Hokage anytime and request two B-Rank ninjutsu techniques. The trio had officially made their mark in the Hokage's mind.
Additionally, the blond kid had been accepted as Jiraiya's direct disciple, while Kushina, surprisingly, became a student of Koharu Utatane. This was probably a compromise between the Elder Council and the Third Hokage.
Meanwhile, Danzo got absolutely nothing from the whole event. It was just another example of him playing the villain and coming up short. Not only was he used by others, but he also got zero benefits in the end.
As Haruki sat there thinking about which rewards would be the best, a familiar voice came from the doorway.
"Yo~ I brought food! Today we've got curry beef rice, radish beef soup, jasmine tea, and matcha-flavored cake!"
Uchiha En walked in with a big food container. If he were wearing a delivery uniform from Haruki's past life, he would have looked like a takeout guy.
En had been bringing food every day lately, sometimes even letting Haruki and Retsu taste-test some new dishes. And honestly, the food was pretty damn good.
"Thanks. Let's head over to Retsu's room and eat together," Haruki said, getting out of bed, grabbing the food container, and walking with En to the room next door.
While eating, Haruki asked the other two, "Have you guys decided which two B-Rank jutsu you're going to ask for?"
Uchiha Retsu spoke up first. "I've decided. The Third Hokage is called the Professor of Ninjutsu for a reason. I want a B-Rank Earth Release technique, and the other one... I want his personal insights on Earth Release."
Haruki raised an eyebrow. For someone as carefree and loud as Retsu, that was surprisingly thoughtful. A ninjutsu manual? That was actually a pretty smart idea.
Seeing the surprised looks on his friends' faces, Retsu hesitated. "Wait... should I not get the manual? Should I just ask for a Wind Release instead?"
"Get it!"
Both Haruki and En shouted in unison.
"If that's the case, we can make this work," En said excitedly. "Each of us could get a different elemental ninjutsu manual, and then we could pick a combination technique for our team."
Haruki nodded in agreement. "Or better yet, we could get all five elemental manuals, and then one of us could choose a general ninjutsu or a sealing technique."
The three of them excitedly discussed their plans, bouncing ideas back and forth as they ate.
The next day, Uchiha En went to the Third Hokage and returned with six scrolls: the training insights for Fire, Lightning, Wind, Earth, and Water Release (all upper scrolls), along with the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
Even though they were only the upper scrolls, it was still incredibly valuable for the three of them at their current level. Each scroll contained the nature transformation insights for each of the five chakra elements. Even just a quick glance through them revealed that the contents were exceptional. It was clear that the lower scrolls would be even more precious.
The three of them were more than satisfied. After all, they were Uchiha, and getting their hands on even the upper scrolls was likely a gesture from the Third Hokage to curry favor with their clan.
Time flew by as the three studied and practiced the manuals, and before long, Uchiha Haruki was discharged from the hospital. He and Uchiha En then began to undergo secret genjutsu training under Uchiha Mei.
One month later, the team was back together and fully assembled.
This time, Uchiha Mei kept his word and prepared specialized training regimens for each of them.