After arriving at the village, Uchiha Hikaru discovered that the people living here were just ordinary civilians.
There was almost no trace of chakra flowing through their bodies.
But Hikaru wasn't surprised.
After all, during the Warring States Period, there were no such things as hidden villages or organized countries—only ninja clans and land-owning nobles staking out territory.
Hikaru still didn't understand how powerless nobles managed to control such vast swaths of land.
All he could do was chalk it up to the leftover ideological dregs from the time of the Sage of Six Paths...
Once he revealed his fully matured Sharingan—three tomoe spinning in each eye—the villagers immediately bowed and fawned over him.
Only then did Hikaru realize this was one of the Uchiha clan's grain-producing villages.
No wonder they were so respectful upon seeing him. They had recognized the red-and-white Uchiha fan crest on his back.
Some even tried to flatter him, inviting him into their homes. A few bold villagers called out their daughters, parading them in front of him.
They clearly hoped this would be their chance to leap into prosperity, like a carp jumping over the Dragon Gate.
But Hikaru had no interest in that sort of thing. Compared to the future, living standards in this era were far worse. The women looked malnourished and short.
They were likely only around 1.4 or 1.5 meters tall—barely above a child's stature.
Hikaru made up a random excuse, saying that he was an Uchiha who had been on a long-term secret mission and had only just completed it. Now that his assignment was over, he was hurrying back to the clan.
They found this entirely believable. After all, the chaos of the Warring States era was on another level compared to the future.
Especially among top clans like the Uchiha and Senju, infiltrating enemy territory to gather intel was standard practice.
From them, Hikaru successfully learned his current location.
As for the exact location of the Uchiha clan's main settlement, they didn't know—nor would they likely be allowed to.
But Hikaru wasn't worried. The Uchiha were unlikely to abandon their ancestral territory, and they were almost certainly still settled near the Naka Shrine.
Based on what he'd gathered, Hikaru estimated he was somewhere south of the shrine—likely dozens of kilometers away.
So he set off immediately, heading due north.
A journey of a few dozen kilometers was nothing to him now.
Still, since he was approaching the Uchiha heartland, Hikaru didn't plan to barge in with brute force. If possible, he preferred to handle things quietly.
Before long, a large settlement came into view.
Judging by its size, it was about a quarter the size of modern-day Konoha.
But that was no small feat. Konoha could accommodate hundreds of thousands of civilians, and even within the village, the Uchiha clan had only occupied a small district near the Naka Shrine—about one-fourth the size of this stronghold.
It really drove home how apocalyptic the battle between Madara and Hashirama must've been before the founding of the village…
But Hikaru didn't dwell on that.
After all, there was no Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama in this era—only the current Uchiha and Senju still locked in a life-or-death struggle.
At present, the Uchiha were in the lead thanks to their secret weapon: a mysterious girl with a Mangekyō Sharingan.
This made Hikaru's interest peak.
If he could find a way to absorb part of her ocular power, and use the energy of the Ryūmyaku to understand her technique…
Then one day, he could duplicate her dojutsu and fight Uchiha-style with Ōtsutsuki-level magic. Hehe ~ (¬‿¬)
At that moment, two young Uchiha guards stood lazily by the gates of the clan settlement, yawning from boredom.
"Renjiro, when do you think we'll be done with this stupid gatekeeping job?"
"It's already been two years since we graduated from the clan academy. I'm twelve now, and that secret-weapon girl? She's only fourteen."
"Why the hell is there such a huge gap between us if we're both Uchiha?"
The short-haired boy next to him looked annoyed.
"Taichi, don't lump me in with you. I've already awakened my two-tomoe Sharingan."
"If I weren't worried about my family's safety, do you think I wouldn't be out there fighting the Senju?"
"How do you expect to awaken your Sharingan with that attitude? Go get some sleep."
The long-haired boy next to him—Taichi—couldn't respond.
He just sighed quietly, full of self-loathing and frustration.
They were both Uchiha, so why was the genius girl with the Mangekyō already the clan's trump card at fourteen, while he couldn't even surpass Renjiro?
They had grown up together. In the academy, his grades had always been better.
Why… was the world so unfair?
Just as Taichi wallowed in his thoughts, darkness suddenly fell over them both.
Uchiha Renjiro instinctively reached for the ninja sword on his back, preparing to shout a warning to Taichi.
But before he could, something struck the back of his neck, and he collapsed with a weak whisper:
"Taichi, run…"
But Uchiha Taichi didn't escape either.
As Renjiro blacked out, he too fell unconscious.
The one responsible?
Uchiha Hikaru.
Hikaru swiftly tied up the two boys, then gently opened Renjiro's eyelids and cast a genjutsu to extract their memories.
Soon, he had all the information he needed.
Uchiha Renjiro—twelve years old, two-tomoe Sharingan, grandson of the current Fourth Elder of the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Taichi—also twelve, no Sharingan, grandson of the former Fourth Elder, whose parents and grandfather had died fighting the Senju.
From Renjiro's mind, Hikaru learned that the current Fourth Elder had once been a close friend of Taichi's grandfather. That was likely why Renjiro had been assigned to guard the gate with him—out of respect and sentiment.
Hikaru couldn't help but be moved.
People always talked about the Senju being the clan of love.
But if anyone truly understood love, it was the Uchiha.
After that, Hikaru created two shadow clones. He transformed himself into Taichi's appearance and took his place at the gate alongside one clone.
The other clone took the unconscious Renjiro and Taichi to a nearby grain village, planting a genjutsu in their minds—making them believe they had received orders to reinforce the village's defenses.
If Fugaku had seen this level of gentle, stealthy manipulation, he would've been shocked beyond belief.
He'd probably declare that Hikaru had been possessed or something!
But the truth was simple: Hikaru had observed the Uchiha clan from a God's-eye view.
Until the founding of Konoha, the Uchiha were remarkably united.
And that, perhaps, was why their later fall had felt so tragic.
Even Madara… had once tried to stay.
…
…
(*￣︶￣)
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