Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 147 The Abacus Rings Loudly (4000 words)

Not long after, Zhu Rong flew down with Orochimaru.

"Wow, you defeated the enemy so quickly and even got the spoils."

"Xuan, your strength is probably already on par with mine. Truly, a hero emerges from among the young."

Uchiha Gen smiled faintly and said, "The waves of the ocean push the waves forward, and the student surpasses the teacher. A great teacher produces a great student. You should be happy, teacher."

"Hehe... I'm happy, but if I'm surpassed, it'll be quite embarrassing for a teacher."

"It seems I'll need to spend more time improving my skills in the future."

Uchiha Xuan smiled, said nothing more, and with a swift movement, leaped onto Zhu Rong's dragon body.

"Zhurong, absorb the flames below, then go to the lake surface."

"Yes, Master."

Zhu Rong descended swiftly from the crimson flames to a suitable height above the sea of ​​fire, where the heat was not scorching.

Zhu Rong opened its dragon mouth and began to inhale the flames. The towering, verdant tree had transformed into a fiery tree enveloped in raging flames, and streaks of orange-red fire surged into the dragon's mouth like rivers flowing into the sea.

"Tsk tsk, what a strange elemental creature. I'd like to study it."

Even though it wasn't the first time he'd seen it, Orochimaru was still amazed.

Zhu Rong swayed her body in dissatisfaction upon hearing this, but fortunately Orochimaru had anticipated it and rode steadily.

"Hehe, I was just saying, don't mind it."

"snort!"

Zhu Rong snorted coldly and stopped swinging.

After absorbing one spot, it ran to another and spent about three minutes absorbing all the open flames, leaving only a fire scene with wisps of smoke, sparks, and charred black spots.

Zhu Rong then flew over the melted lake and arrived at the center of Red Moon Lake. Uchiha Gen jumped off the dragon's body, walked over, and picked up the corpse of the White Zetsu who had been blown up.

"It's a pity it's dead; it would be better if it were alive," Orochimaru said, shaking his head.

"Even the dead have their uses."

As he spoke, Uchiha Gen took out a sealing scroll from his ninja tool pouch and sealed the White Zetsu's corpse inside.

Sealing scrolls are expensive, and the larger the space inside, the more expensive they are. Moreover, the best sealing scrolls have extremely limited space and cannot be used to transport conventional war supplies.

After carefully storing the sealing scroll, Uchiha Gen jumped onto Zhu Rong's dragon body and began his return to the Konoha camp.

Uchiha Gen studied the Uchiha fan throughout the journey, and spoke up when they were almost at the Konoha camp.

"Teacher, I will personally deliver the report back to Konoha this time. It's also a good opportunity to return the Uchiha fan."

He didn't trust anyone else to escort this top-tier ninja tool, passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan, back.

In other words, the Uchiha clan is currently unaware of this, otherwise they would certainly have dispatched a heavyweight force to the front lines.

He originally intended to try to study whether he could transfer the Uchiha fan's rebounding ability to Wusheng, but after a little research, he gave up the idea.

Even if it succeeds, Wusheng's abilities don't really match.

Using a fan to deflect ninjutsu seems normal, but using a slender Kusanagi sword to deflect it feels rather awkward.

The awkwardness of the form is secondary; the most important thing is that Uchiha Gen discovered through research that the fan contained additional techniques arranged by Uchiha Madara.

This technique makes it impossible for anyone other than Madara Uchiha to fully unleash the power of the fan.

In the original work, the fan could only deflect Rasengan in Obito's hands, but in Madara Uchiha's hands, it could form a chakra shield and deflect mini Tailed Beast Balls.

The domineering Madara Uchiha turned the Uchiha fan, passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan, into a semi-exclusive weapon.

To break free from these constraints, one must expend a great deal of effort to decipher the techniques left behind by Madara Uchiha.

It felt like a losing proposition after all. He already had his own tools, so why be so persistent?

It would be better to take it back to the clan to enhance one's reputation. Even if some of the credit is attributed to Orochimaru, the rest will still benefit him greatly.

"Sure, but come back as soon as possible. There are still many experiments to be done at the research base."

Orochimaru agreed without hesitation, but he didn't forget to urge Uchiha Genjin to come back quickly to share the military affairs.

"No problem, but I plan to go back in a couple of days."

Why?

"The Uchiha clan's monthly gathering is in two days."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru instantly understood Uchiha Gen's intention, and shook his head with a laugh, saying, "You kid... you really are cunning."

"No, I have no intention of being wary of the Uchiha higher-ups. I'm just thinking about maximizing my profits."

Uchiha Gen smiled faintly.

Haha, you still say you weren't on guard?

Orochimaru isn't stupid!

……

Hidden Mist Village, Mizukage Building, Mizukage's Rest Room.

To reduce the chances of Yagura being discovered by others, Obito planned to keep Yagura in seclusion and even set up a lounge in the Mizukage Building.

Many ninja from Kirigakure were moved by the Mizukage's diligence, unaware that a nightmare awaited them in the future...

A spatial vortex appeared in the lounge, and Obito Uchiha, as well as Zetsu in black and white, appeared one after another.

"Obito, what are you doing?"

"Not only did we fail to achieve our goal, but we also lost Madara's fan."

As Black Zetsu, who was playing the role of Madara's will, he immediately confronted Obito upon his appearance, his voice deep and resonant, his tone filled with obvious accusation and displeasure.

Obito wasn't buying Black Zetsu's act at all. He casually sat on the bed and said nonchalantly, "I just lost it, so what?"

Although it was all an act, Black Zetsu couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed when he saw Obito's attitude.

What's with the attitude?

He's just a pawn among pawns!

Seeing this, White Zetsu quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Obito, you must have had a hidden reason for not taking back the fan, right?"

"Look at Tobi, he's the embodiment of Madara's will, isn't he as smart as him?"

That bastard, isn't he as smart as Ah Fei?

Although Tobi is one of the few high-ranking White Zetsu, he is still a White Zetsu after all. To put it nicely, he is a high-ranking commander of Mother's army; to put it bluntly, he is a high-ranking servant.

Who is he?

He is his mother's third son. His mother's eldest son, Hagoromo, and second son, Hamura, have already betrayed her. He is the eldest son and the young master!

The difference between master and servant is like heaven and earth!

He was just pretending. He's lived for a thousand years, what kind of situation hasn't he seen?

Black Zetsu was internally ranting, but his face remained expressionless as he said, "You'd better be able to convince me of your intentions."

Seeing that Black Zetsu had taken a step back, Obito did not press his advantage. Black Zetsu also had a certain level of authority over the talisman in his heart, and besides, Black Zetsu's help was indispensable to completing the plan.

"I wanted to bring Uchiha Gen into the organization, so I gave him the fan as a gesture of goodwill."

"However, I don't deny that there is indeed a reason why the other party is not easy to deal with."

Bai Zetsu exclaimed in surprise, "Is he that strong?"

"He only has a three-tomoe Sharingan. While his Fire and Wind Release techniques are decent, they shouldn't be enough to give you any trouble, right?"

"That dragon-shaped spirit beast named Zhurong is with us."

"You're wrong. That's not some dragon-shaped spirit beast. It doesn't have any aura of flesh and blood on it. It's more like..."

Black Zetsu paused to organize his thoughts, for he had never seen such a strange creature in his thousand years of experience.

"It's more like a dragon-shaped flame that has developed intelligence and gained self-awareness."

"What? There are such strange creatures?"

White Zetsu had great faith in Black Zetsu's perception abilities, and upon hearing this, he immediately believed it and exclaimed in surprise.

"I see. No wonder that dragon could devour and control flames, and even fly."

Obito Uchiha muttered to himself for a moment, then his expression turned serious and his voice became solemn.

"The Kusanagi sword in Uchiha Gen's hands has also developed sentience and has its own consciousness. It can launch continuous attacks from all angles without human control."

"I even heard Kusanagi Kenshin speak with my own ears; his name is Musei."

"That guy used it to dispel the illusion, pretending to be under an illusion, and almost got me caught."

"That's when I lost the round fan."

Black and White Jue stared at each other, their eyes meeting like cross-eyed chickens.

"Can swords talk?" Bai Jue asked.

"This is amazing," Black Zetsu said.

"If I hadn't seen and heard it with my own eyes, I think I would have been skeptical myself."

"Could it be the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Black Zetsu asked.

"It shouldn't be."

"If you awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, how could you not use it against me, a formidable enemy of Konoha?"

He nodded slightly upon hearing this, finding it to be true.

"According to Gen Uchiha, this ability was created by his own talent combined with Orochimaru's help."

"Although we don't know how wide the scope of this ability to grant intelligence is, it seems that it can at least grant intelligence to flames and swords."

"Other elements and weapons will most likely work as well, and even if they don't, it's still pretty good."

"This ability is a huge advantage in battles against ninjas."

Black and white Zetsu understood Obito's meaning.

Most ninjas need to form hand seals to use ninjutsu, so they are at a disadvantage against Zhu Rong and Wu Sheng, who can attack automatically and continuously without hand seals.

They might get killed before they can even unleash a single ninjutsu, which is far superior to puppets that require ninja control.

"Yin Release uses spiritual energy to create all things, while Yang Release infuses all things with life. This ability is very much in line with the meaning of Yang Release."

"The Uchiha clan is clearly skilled in Yin Release, but their mastery of Yang Release is only at an average level, yet they have produced such an interesting ability..."

Black Zetsu spoke slowly, with a touch of emotion.

"He possesses both Yin and Yang qualities, is very young, has great potential, and is already quite formidable in combat."

"So I want to find a suitable time in the future to bring him into the organization."

Bai Jue said, "The target isn't that easy to win over, is he?"

"I remember he was one of the Uchiha's twin stars, a police squad leader, a frontline deputy commander—he had a very promising future!"

"This is far better than what you did in Konoha before."

Obito Uchiha: "..."

Let's discuss the issue at hand. Why bring up his past?

"Shut up if you can't speak properly!" Obito snapped.

"Obito, what are your thoughts?"

"Heh heh... How about we do another one of our plans against Nagato and the others?"

Hei Jue chuckled sinisterly.

Severing bonds is indeed very effective, and Obito, you can't escape the fate of falling for it either.

"Whether to conduct another trial requires a detailed investigation before a conclusion can be drawn."

"If it's not suitable, then we can only leave the target with no other choice."

"The target is quite loyal to the Uchiha clan and to Konoha."

He once said that he would never follow me unless he absolutely had to leave Konoha.

"We are currently in a period of dormancy and accumulating strength, so there is no rush."

"Keep an eye on Konoha's intelligence and act accordingly."

Hei Jue said, "Alright, we'll do it your way."

"But speaking of which, Obito, you're really generous."

"We failed to achieve our goal this time, wasted our energy, and suffered some minor losses, yet we haven't even considered seeking revenge..."

Obito's eyes flashed, and he sneered, "Heh heh... Who said I don't have thoughts of revenge?"

"Tell me about it?"

"I plan to have the ninjas on the Kirigakure front line give Uchiha Gen a good beating."

"Are you giving me a death order?"

"It wasn't a death order, just harshly worded, instructing the Mist Nether front to plan a targeted operation."

"This is both revenge and a test."

"Heh..." Bai Jue said, "I think it's purely revenge. You've already tested it yourself, isn't that enough?"

Obito Uchiha's face darkened again, and he snapped, "If you can't speak properly, shut up! Nobody thinks you're mute!"

Bai Zetsu chuckled, seemingly unperturbed, and continued, "Do you still want the three-tomoe Sharingan?"

"Of course I want to!"

"It's just a matter of waiting for the storm to pass. Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen will definitely report to Konoha and the Uchiha clan."

"Should I send White Zetsu infiltrate Konoha again after a while?"

"Um."

"By the way, have they found out why the White Zetsu went missing?"

Speaking of this, Afei immediately became depressed.

"No, Konoha didn't find a way to discover the White Zetsu, but those ten White Zetsu just disappeared without a trace."

"We can't find the cause no matter how we investigate, it's really strange."

"Take your time investigating."

"This is the only way."

"Alright, I'm going to rest now. You all do what you need to do."

After saying that, Obito pulled Raiko aside and lay down on the bed in the rest room, not even taking off his clothes, and fell asleep fully clothed.

Upon seeing this, Hei Bai Jue immediately merged into the wall and left.

……

Two days later, Uchiha Gen set off from the Land of Whirlpools back to Konoha.

This time, Uchiha Gen used the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel, making him many, many times faster than Zhu Rong.

If one has enough chakra, one can even teleport directly from the battlefield of the Land of Whirlpools to their home in the Uchiha clan's territory, fighting to the death on the battlefield one second and taking a bath at home the next.

After getting very close to Konoha, Uchiha Gen made a turn and headed towards a nearby town.

Orochimaru had no idea that he possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique. The round trip time was calculated based on Zhu Rong's flying speed, with some time left for handling other matters.

The extra time gained from using the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel should naturally be used to find a place to relax.

Life on the battlefield is too intense. Every day is basically spent handling military affairs, researching ninjutsu, and going out to collect souls. There is not much time to enjoy food.

Uchiha Gen spent the whole day having a great time in town, washing his feet, soaking in a hot spring, getting a massage, and drinking some wine before returning to Konoha at nightfall.

Upon arriving at the gates of Konoha, Uchiha Gen deliberately made himself look travel-worn and exhausted, with bloodshot eyes.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, while the well-behaved child gets little attention.

If he doesn't make himself travel-worn and exhausted, how will the clan leaders and people know his hardships and his sincerity?

In this world, everything depends on acting skills!

When performing, don't hold back on your acting skills, but be careful not to act too fake or overact.

With a pass issued by the Hidden Mist Front, Uchiha Gen successfully entered Konoha and then went to the Hokage Building to submit a report.

At this time of year, not all members of the clan gathering, which is held once a month, should have arrived yet...

No rush. We should prioritize public matters over private ones; otherwise, others will find fault with us.

(End of this chapter)