"Lord Shin!"
"Shin!"
Seeing Uchiha Shin return with Mikoto, Kanako and Konan immediately shouted in surprise.
The two little ones rushed forward, their small, bare feet pattering against the floor before they threw themselves into Uchiha Shin's arms.
Feeling the warmth of their soft bodies pressing against him again, Uchiha Shin smirked slightly before patting their heads. "Alright, I have something serious to take care of this time."
Hearing his tone, the two immediately returned to the sofa, their large, watery eyes fixed on him in anticipation.
Uchiha Shin wasted no time. He first implanted the Cursed Seal of Heaven into each of them and carefully explained its purpose. When they seemed to understand—at least on a surface level—he turned his gaze toward Uzumaki Kanako, who was still clad in a little maid outfit.
"This time, Kanako, you're coming with me."
"Huh? Ah! Really?"
Kanako instinctively nodded, then widened her eyes in shock.
She never expected Uchiha Shin would take her along this time.
Konan, sitting beside her, looked up at him expectantly.
Shin met her gaze but shook his head. "Konan, I'll be enrolling you in the Academy. You'll study there for now and live with Kushina."
Konan bit her lip, her expression shifting to one of disappointment. She understood that this was the best decision, but she still felt a tinge of regret.
Uchiha Shin chuckled at her reaction and reached out, gently pinching her round cheeks, which had become a little chubbier lately.
"Konan, you have incredible potential, but you're still too young. Train hard and keep yourself safe—I'll need you in the future."
As he spoke, he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. The six-year-old immediately brightened, nodding eagerly.
She didn't really believe she had such great potential, but if Uchiha Shin said so, she was willing to give it her all!
With that settled, Uchiha Shin hosted a farewell dinner that night.
Before departing the next day, Uchiha Shinji pulled him aside and whispered, "Shin, when you reach the frontlines against the Sand Village, stay away from Uchiha Fugaku and the others."
His expression was particularly grim. He had received troubling reports.
Fugaku had been fighting on the battlefield for a while now, and rumors claimed that he had maintained his Three-Tomoe Sharingan for an extended period. Moreover, many Uchiha hawks were present, and Uchiha Shinji feared they might harbor ill intentions toward Uchiha Shin.
"I will, Grandpa Shinji," Uchiha Shin responded calmly.
To be honest, he didn't care about Uchiha Fugaku. If the man dared to move against him, he'd simply crush him. Even if Fugaku awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan mid-war, it wouldn't change a damn thing.
Seeing Uchiha Shin's composed demeanor, Uchiha Shinji refrained from nagging further.
For his second deployment to the frontlines, Uchiha Shin felt more confident than ever.
This time, he took Uzumaki Kanako along—not just to broaden her experience but also because of her unique ability, Kagura's Mind Eye.
He anticipated situations where he wouldn't be present personally, and with Kanako's sensory prowess and Mikoto's combat abilities, he was confident they could handle most threats on their own.
Still, something about the Sand Village's movements troubled him.
"New puppets… What the hell happened in the Sand Village?"
On the way, he pondered over the reports.
With the Sage Mark's abilities, he could distribute his chakra to any area within a ten-kilometer radius of his body. With this, their three-person team reached the battlefield between Konoha and the Sand Village in just a day and a half.
Rather than heading straight to the Konoha camp, he first decided to survey the battlefield.
"Senjutsu: Flight Technique."
Uchiha Shin entered Sage Mode, manipulating his Senjutsu chakra to defy gravity, soaring thousands of meters into the sky.
From this vantage point, he observed the battle below.
"You've gotta be shitting me. Konoha's getting its ass handed to them?"
The battlefield was nothing like he expected. Sand Shinobi were controlling an army of clay puppets, while thick clouds of poison gas choked the air.
"So… the Sand Village has upgraded from wooden puppets to clay puppets?"
The mere existence of these clay constructs wasn't what shocked Uchiha Shin.
What intrigued him was how, when a clay puppet was destroyed by an explosion tag, it instantly reformed—purple chakra threads knitting it back together seamlessly.
With his heightened perception, Uchiha Shin identified something strange at the core of each puppet, providing them with this insane regenerative power.
And even more concerning—this ability didn't seem to consume the puppet masters' own chakra.
Using Kagura's Mind Eye, Uchiha Shin examined them more closely. Each clay puppet contained a distinct chakra signature.
"This chakra signature… it's somewhat similar to natural energy?"
His eyes narrowed.
To fully understand, he'd have to capture and dismantle a couple of these things.
With puppets that didn't fear death and constantly regenerated, it was no wonder Konoha was struggling.
"Logically speaking, only a handful of Sand Shinobi should be proficient in puppetry. But there are too many of them on this battlefield."
Frowning, Uchiha Shin decided not to dwell on it further. He had seen enough.
After confirming the battlefield situation, he led Mikoto and Kanako toward the Konoha camp.
As soon as they arrived, a guard recognized him and grew visibly excited.
"Lord Uchiha Shin! I fought alongside you in the last battle. It's great to see you again!"
"…Oh? Oh, right. Yeah, long time no see."
Uchiha Shin squinted at the Konoha ninja, but he had no memory of him whatsoever. The only ones he ever remembered were pretty girls.
After exchanging some small talk, the guard led him toward the central war tent.
As he approached, the sound of heated arguments leaked from within.
"Why the hell are the Uchiha always put on the front lines?!"
"We have no choice! We have to hold the line!"
"You're not the only ones suffering casualties!"
…
…
Amidst the bickering, Uchiha Shin strode in, pushing aside the curtain.
The room fell silent.
Everyone turned to stare at him.
"…Why are you all looking at me?" Uchiha Shin grinned and casually dropped into an empty seat. "I'm just here to watch the show. You guys keep going."
His complete lack of concern immediately darkened the faces of Uchiha Toyama and Uchiha Fugaku, who were seated near the front.
Noticing that Uchiha Shin had deliberately avoided sitting near them, both men scowled.
"Tch."
Given Uchiha Shin's growing reputation, they didn't dare voice their irritation outright. But deep down, they cursed him for not showing any loyalty to the Uchiha clan.
For Uchiha Shin, though? He couldn't care less.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones