The correct way for the Uchiha to rise

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Unlike its previous use, Uchiha Kiyoshi's Great Fireball Jutsu was relatively normal this time. A large fireball, one meter in diameter, was spat out from his mouth and blasted towards the ground in front of Huang Tu.

Perhaps sensing something, the earthen wall of Huangtu has not yet been removed, and Uchiha Kiyoshi did not confront it head-on. The Great Fireball exploded directly on the ground in front of Huangtu, raising a cloud of dust.

This is the method of using the Great Fireball Technique that Uchiha Kiyoshi discovered. It uses special control techniques to make the fireball explode. Uchiha Kiyoshi also used it when he fought Orochimaru right after graduating.

At this point, the loess soil dismantled the earthen wall, and the surrounding area was full of dust with very low visibility.

Uchiha Kiyoshi also took the opportunity to use the Shadow Clone Technique to set up an array around the yellow earth.

(To be corrected here: the clone technique allows for control of movement, but it lacks a physical form and disappears upon contact.)

By the time the dust settled on the yellow earth, Uchiha Kiyoshi had multiplied into four.

Although he can control the movement, it does require a lot of energy and even requires multitasking. Maintaining three clones at the same time is already Uchiha Kiyoshi's current limit.

Looking at the four identical Uchiha Kiyoshi, Huang Tu also had a headache. He didn't like battles that required thinking; it would be much better to fight head-on.

Four Uchiha Kiyoshi, wielding kunai, charged towards Huang Tu. Faced with the attack from four Uchiha Kiyoshi, none of whom were the real ones, Huang Tu forced himself to remain calm.

Uchiha Kiyoshi, holding a kunai, was the first to approach Huang Tu and slash down with it.

Huang Tu ignored him and instead pulled out a knife, sweeping it towards the Uchiha on the left, where there were more openings.

Uchiha Kiyoshi on the left was clearly surprised and quickly raised his kunai to block.

"Ding!"

Uchiha Kiyoshi on the left was hit by the yellow earth and took three or four steps back before finally regaining his footing.

"What incredible strength!"

The other three clones also dissipated at this time.

Huang Tu didn't stop, seizing the opportunity to launch a frenzied attack. Due to his initial lack of strength, Uchiha Kiyoshi was constantly restrained and at a disadvantage, and his body was covered in wounds.

On the other side, Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku were also fighting back and forth against two other Iwagakure genin.

Fighting alone, Sarutobi Saku did not use ninjutsu in order to conserve chakra, and instead relied on taijutsu and swordsmanship to barely suppress his opponent.

Nawaki's side was even more relaxed, using a large number of ninjutsu, which was quite advantageous for a genin with low chakra. The Iwa ninja on the opposite side was cursing inwardly. "How much chakra does this kid have? How many ninjutsu has he used already? Is he trying to kill me? I only have enough chakra for two or three ninjutsu. It's really infuriating to compare yourself to others."

In the battle between the two teams, the two members of Konoha's Team 3 had the advantage, while Uchiha Kiyoshi's team seemed to be struggling and was being overwhelmed by the yellow earth.

Uchiha Kiyoshi was also suffering in silence. The earth was too strong, and having lost the initiative, he could only barely hold on.

Huang Tu was also surprised. With his superhuman strength, he had never encountered a peer who could fight him in close combat before. This was the first time he had fought someone for so long. Therefore, Huang Tu fought with increasing ferocity, each strike more ruthless than the last, specifically targeting Uchiha Kiyoshi's weakest points.

Uchiha Kiyoshi was also forced to retreat continuously by the force of the yellow earth blade.

Finally, Huang Tu saw his opportunity, channeled his chakra into his hands, and thrust forward with force.

Unfortunately, at this moment, Huang Tu did not see Uchiha Kiyoshi panic. Instead, he saw Uchiha Kiyoshi raise his head and reveal a strange smile.

"not good!"

An instinctive feeling struck Huang Tu, and he realized something was wrong, but it was too late. A thrust delivered with all his might was not so easy to stop.

"Pfft."

The knife pierced Uchiha Kiyoshi's body, but no blood flowed from the wound. Uchiha Kiyoshi gripped the knife with both hands, preventing Huang Tu from pulling it out.

Huang Tu acted decisively, dropping his knife and dodging backward.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Spikes pierced the ground, and even with Huang Tu's agile movements, he was still injured by the spikes, leaving penetrating wounds on his legs and waist.

Uchiha Kiyoshi, who was holding the sword, turned into a clod of dirt and fell to the ground.

Behind a large tree in the distance, the real Uchiha Kiyoshi emerged.

"So that's how it is. You hid to the side before the dust settled, and the one fighting me was just an earth clone."

Despite the pain in his left leg, Huang Tu, barely able to stand, clutched his waist and looked at Uchiha Kiyoshi, who was walking out unhurriedly. He then voiced his guess and smiled bitterly.

"As expected, I'm not suited for this kind of intellectual combat."

Just as Uchiha Kiyoshi was about to make his move and end the battle, two powerful auras erupted.

Orochimaru and Tsuchishi, who had just gone far away, returned. Judging from their appearance, neither of them had gained an advantage, but in the end, Orochimaru was younger, more than twenty years younger, so it was a draw. Therefore, if we really had to say who won, it would be Orochimaru.

"Let them leave. This is the Land of Earth, the territory of Iwagakure. If we really fight to the death, we may not be able to gain the upper hand."

Uchiha Kiyoshi also stopped his attacks and ceased his assault on Yotsuchi. Meanwhile, Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku also stopped fighting upon seeing this.

Led by Tu Shi, the Loess Team quickly left the area.

Uchiha Kiyoshi stepped forward, picked up the knife that Huang Tu hadn't had time to take, and happily put it away.

"This knife can withstand such a strong blow from the loess, so it must be pretty good and worth a lot of money. At the very least, it's good to keep it for yourself."

Meanwhile, Huang Tu, led by Tu Shi, returned to Iwagakure. He kept thinking about the battle the whole way, then turned back to look in the direction of the recent fight.

"A Konoha ninja? A mere earth clone managed to fight me in close combat for so long. As expected, Konoha produces geniuses. Although I don't know who it is, I still look forward to fighting you again."

Chapter Forty-Nine: Return

Although their side had the advantage in this battle, in order to avoid the arrival of reinforcements from Iwagakure, the third squad returned to the caravan's location and hurried on their way.

They traveled day and night until they reached the border of the Land of Fire before slowing down.

Half a month later, the third escort team returned to Konoha with the caravan.

"This mission took the longest, but it was safe and the reward was relatively high. We were a bit of an accident this time, as we ran into an Iwa ninja team returning from the same mission. They even had a Jonin in them. We repelled them, and according to the rules, the caravan will give us an extra reward of 260,000 taels."

"Yes, 200,000 taels for stopping a Jonin, and 20,000 taels for a Genin."

Yukito Ishimura explained the situation to Team 3 in detail. The caravan had suffered a huge loss from this encounter with the Iwa ninja squad; the mission reward was increased by 260,000 ryo, and the mission level had to be upgraded.

A sudden increase in mission difficulty can easily lead to the accidental death of ninjas carrying out the mission. Ordinary cannon fodder might be okay, but if it's an elite, it could be disastrous. Therefore, if someone who issues a mission deliberately conceals its difficulty or lies about the mission, Konoha will not only refuse to accept their missions in the future, but in more serious cases, they might even be wanted by the authorities.

Fortunately, this encounter with the Iwa ninja squad was purely accidental, and there were no casualties. After reporting it to the mission department, the increased mission difficulty and extra rewards will not be pursued by Konoha.

As for any accidents that occur and result in casualties, Konoha won't pursue them relentlessly. After all, in such a situation, either the entire force is wiped out, or some Konoha ninja escape; there's no third possibility—only the person who issued the mission survives.

Even if the entire army was wiped out, the Konoha ninja who escaped back to Konoha would bring back information about this mission. Given the significant casualties, the intelligence involved would be of great value.

The third class divided up the spoils from this trip.

Orochimaru made it clear from the beginning that he wouldn't participate in any missions, including those in the near future, unless something unexpected happened, and naturally wouldn't accept any rewards. Orochimaru wasn't short of money.

However, since Orochimaru had stopped the Jonin from Iwagakure this time, the extra 200,000 ryo was still given to Orochimaru. Orochimaru didn't stand on ceremony; he had done the work, so it was only right that he get some money. Although the 200,000 ryo wasn't even a tenth of what he needed to buy one of his devices, Orochimaru understood the principle of accumulating little by little.

After increasing the difficulty of the mission, the reward for this mission also changed. The reward remained the same on the way there, 70,000 taels, but increased to 130,000 taels on the way back, rounding it up to a whole number. Including the extra reward of 150,000 taels from the bandits they killed or drove away along the way, the three members of the third team earned a total of 350,000 taels this time.

Based on their contributions, Uchiha Kiyoshi, who was always the strongest enemy he faced, naturally received the largest share, taking 40%. Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku each took 30%.

In other words, Uchiha Kiyoshi earned 140,000 ryo from this mission. Earning 140,000 ryo in a month isn't exactly a lot or a little. Ignoring the reward, just considering the training effect, Team 3 probably won't choose safe escort missions like this again. This was just Orochimaru giving them a taste of what's to come. Assassination, intelligence gathering, or escort missions to dangerous locations—like escorting someone to the heart of a major power, or where the person being escorted might be hunted by Chunin or Jonin—these will be Team 3's main objectives going forward.

Although the mission was safe in theory, it wasn't entirely safe either, as an unexpected incident occurred when they encountered the Iwa ninja team. Uchiha Kiyoshi did gain something from his encounter with Yotsuchi.

"First of all, regarding that earthen wall made of loess, although I remembered the hand seal sequence, I didn't know the specific chakra circulation, so I probably couldn't use it. Sigh! If only I had the double tomoe, I could have seen the chakra circulation back then."

However, once the hand seal sequence is known, this ninjutsu itself shouldn't be too complicated, and it should be possible to deduce it.

Also, Huang Tu's physical skills are not weak either, which is a reminder to me.

The ninja world isn't lacking in taijutsu masters, but there are very few ninjas who primarily rely on taijutsu. People like Huang Tu, with their naturally strong physiques, are also quite skilled in taijutsu.

After distributing the spoils, the third team, having been away from Konoha for a month, were all quite tired. They agreed to train together the next day and then went home to rest.

Upon returning home, Uchiha Kiyoshi did not immediately rest, but instead continued to contemplate his training path.

"Perhaps, ninjutsu is not the only path."

This encounter with Huang Tu had a greater impact on Uchiha Kiyoshi than he had imagined. Huang Tu reminded him of others: the Raikage, Hyuga, Kaguya—weren't they all reliant on taijutsu? Who says taijutsu has no future?

It's just that Raikage and other taijutsu masters rely on secret techniques or bloodstains, so many people subconsciously overlook that they are taijutsu masters.

"There are still hidden dangers with chakra. I used to think about finding a way to solve this problem, but now it seems that there is another way."

I possess health cultivation techniques, which give me a significant advantage in physical training. Besides, after so many years of nurturing, my physical potential should be quite good.

Although they are both chakra systems, their taijutsu (body techniques) are different. The biggest vulnerability of chakra is that it can be easily absorbed, or rather, "reclaimed," by the Otsutsuki.

Taijutsu often uses chakra to strengthen the body without releasing the chakra outside the body, so the Otsutsuki cannot directly retract it, thus solving this potential problem.

"Moreover, physical techniques can also harm those at the Six Paths level, and it's currently the only method besides Immortal Techniques that can target them. Until we develop other methods to counter those at the Six Paths level, practicing physical techniques is a good option. We should also have Immortal Techniques; it's safer to have both."

Uchiha Kiyoshi's eyes flickered as he planned his cultivation path.

While taijutsu can be trained, Uchiha Kiyoshi wouldn't emulate Might Guy. The Eight Gates technique not only damages the body but also has a short duration. What Uchiha Kiyoshi needs is sustained combat power, power capable of harming Six Paths level opponents.

Uchiha Kiyoshi did not rest; knowing the future trajectory, he was under immense pressure.

Even though there are still twenty or thirty years left, Uchiha Kiyoshi cannot guarantee that he will be able to reach the Six Paths level; he can only do his best.

Even knowing the potential of the Uchiha clan and the basic evolutionary process of the Sharingan, the Mangekyou Sharingan is the pinnacle for a short period. Further progress becomes extremely difficult, not to mention the inherent side effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan itself, making any further advancement incredibly challenging.

Therefore, Uchiha Kiyoshi did not rush to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan from the beginning.

While one's strength can be improved rapidly, one's character is also ruined. This is not only due to the mental impact, but also the burden brought by the Kaleidoscope itself, making further progress difficult.

Before activating the Mangekyou Sharingan, one should cultivate oneself to the point where one can withstand it. Even if the side effects are still present, one should at least ensure that it does not burden the body when not using the eye technique.

Hashirama cells? If possible, Uchiha Kiyoshi would not want a transplant; injecting other people's cells into his body is very unpleasant.

Uchiha Kiyoshi had five small spheres in his hand; these were tools he had bought a long time ago to train his chakra control.

Over the past few years, Uchiha Kiyoshi has been training in this area. When thinking or reading, he would hold several small balls and control them to swirl in his hands.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll increase the intensity of my physical training. Also, the Eight Gates Formation—although the later gates are more harmful to the body, the first three don't seem to have any major side effects, so learning them wouldn't be bad."

I just don't know if the Eight Gates were something Might Guy figured out on his own, or if they were from Konoha.

Chapter Fifty, One Month

The third shift met at the same place the next day.

Konoha's Seventh Training Ground.

In response to the three men's performance during this mission, Orochimaru devised a new training plan for each of them.

Saku Sarutobi doesn't have much chakra, and there's nothing that can be done about it; he can only accumulate it over time. In another year or two, his body will enter a period of rapid development, and his chakra will increase rapidly. At that time, he won't have to worry about running out of chakra.