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Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: Kaien’s Way of the Ninja

"More fighting? What am I even supposed to do in the Land of Rain? Konoha's not gonna let me operate alone anyway."

"If I go slaughtering people on the frontlines, won't that just blow my cover?"

"Not all three-tomoe Sharingan are created equal, you know. I'm way stronger than the average user. You know that better than anyone, Grandpa Madara."

"What, am I supposed to go assassinate Hanzo the Salamander or something? No way! I'm not strong enough to take that guy on yet!"

"I'd be better off sparring with the Third Mizukage again. Once I can beat him one-on-one, then I'll go after Hanzo..."

Uchiha Kaien rambled on and on, but it all boiled down to one thing: he didn't want to go. He just wanted to slack off. All the while, he kept kneading Madara's shoulders with practiced ease, trying to earn himself a few more days of peace.

The more Madara listened, the deeper his frown grew. Just as Kaien's nonsense started going completely off the rails and Madara was about to shut him up, Kaien suddenly went quiet.

Madara glanced over—still massaging, still dutiful. The kid was being filial, after all. His irritation faded a bit.

[Affection from Uchiha Madara +1]

"I'm not asking you to go out there and change the tide of war. I just want you to experience what it's like on the battlefield. Follow Konoha's orders this time."

Faced with a brat like this, even Madara could only sigh and explain things again.

You could say Kaien was mischievous, but he listened. And you could say he was obedient, but sometimes the stuff that came out of his mouth made you want to activate Susanoo and give him a proper beating. Still, whatever task he was given, he completed it flawlessly.

Madara genuinely couldn't understand how Kaien ended up with a personality like this. He used to be such a sweet, quiet kid. What changed?

Was it really the side effect of some genjutsu?

Madara sank into thought.

When Kaien finished his round of shoulder rubs, Madara waved him off to bed.

"Aw, come on, Lord Madara, already kicking me out? And here I thought you were enjoying my massage..."

Kaien huffed dramatically and darted over to a nearby White Zetsu. As the Zetsu began to envelop him and sink into the ground, Kaien called out one last jab:

"Crusty old man is still a crusty old man! No way I'm staying underground with you—my nice warm bed is calling me!"

Crack—

Madara's knuckles popped. Just when he'd started to feel touched, the kid had to ruin the mood by calling him a crusty old man again.

But Kaien had already vanished with Zetsu, slipping away before Madara could do anything about it.

...

"Nice work, Zetsu."

Kaien patted White Zetsu on the shoulder. They'd been partners for a while now, and Zetsu was always the quickest when it came to making a clean getaway. Kaien had a soft spot for that.

"Whew, glad we didn't have to go back. Lord Madara definitely would've cut me in half, hahaha."

"Don't worry. As long as I've got your back, no one's cutting you in half."

Kaien said it with a grin, reassuring as ever.

He dismissed Zetsu to move freely for now and threw himself onto his bed, closing his eyes to check in with the system.

A year had passed, and he'd gained quite a bit. He'd pulled a handful of traits—some useful, some not, ranging from green to blue. A minor power-up was still a power-up.

What caught him off guard, though, was that traits could be duplicated.

[Affinity] had shown up again one day, upgrading his original [Affinity] to [Affinity +1].

The effect wasn't anything groundbreaking. It just made him a little better at winning over strangers. Nothing special.

Although Namikaze Minato had teased him about how his scent seemed more... alluring. Kaien had socked him for that, putting him out of commission for a day.

Minato got a full-day pampering session out of it—Kaien feeding him by hand and everything. It was unclear who really won that round.

When Minato smiled like he was enjoying himself, Kaien gave him a look like he was human trash.

Host: Uchiha Kaien

Current Status: Kekkei Genkai (Three-Tomoe Sharingan) — Still evolvingNinjutsu: Various from all five natures, assorted genjutsu, Summoning: Lightning Flash Blade CreationChakra: 6000Spirit: 270Body: 65Strength: 80Agility: 95Chakra Attributes: Fire, Lightning, Wind, Water, YinTraits: [Affinity +1], [Summon: Phantom Beast], [Vivid Performance], [Illusion Immunity], [Alluring Gaze]... others hidden.

It was steady progress. His chakra reserves had doubled again. Honestly, he had so much chakra now, he didn't even know what it felt like to run out.

But that was all part of the plan. To pilot a mecha someday, you needed massive chakra reserves to match the output.

Without enough chakra and ocular power to back it, Susano'o was just a fancy decoration. A plastic bag with limbs.

Kaien could feel the power within his Sharingan. If he wanted, he could awaken the Mangekyō right now—he just needed some intense negative emotions.

And where to find that? Killing Minato would do it. They'd been best friends for years. That bond would definitely be enough.

But Kaien scoffed at the thought.

He didn't need that kind of darkness. If he kept building up his ocular power for one more year, he could evolve his Sharingan on his own. With the system's help, even that timeframe would shrink.

A Mangekyō Sharingan without the taint of despair... What would such eyes be capable of?

He was genuinely curious.

Good and evil, pain and peace—it was all just a matter of perspective. Whatever negative emotions he'd once had, Kaien had long since purified them.

Now, even without activating [Vivid Performance], his Sharingan no longer carried that ominous vibe. He'd abandoned the old morality—enemies were just ants to be crushed, trash to be discarded. No need for emotions.

The deeper he got into the shinobi world, the more certain he became.

Even the warmest, kindest "little sun" could smile while cutting down enemies, never changing that gentle expression. He treated his foes as garbage too, didn't he?

There were no rules in war. That was Kaien's way of the ninja.

"So... next stop is the Land of Rain, huh."

Kaien murmured to himself, eyes half-lidded.

Would he get to witness the legendary battle that made the Sannin famous?

If Nawaki became a master of explosive tags... would he still fall to that clumsy, staged "death"?

If Konoha only lost one person, would Tsunade still spiral into despair?

The Land of Rain—truly a place full of hope...

Kaien raised his hand and made a loose fist, a soft smile tugging at his lips as anticipation filled his eyes.

"Come on, tomorrow... hurry up and get here already."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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