"Using a smokescreen to strike swiftly, dividing forces to intercept, threatening their food supply to force their hand, sacrificing a little to gain a lot, risking death for a fatal blow, befriending distant factions while attacking nearby ones, and dragging the enemy into a quagmire... Do you understand any of this?"
In the courtyard of his estate, Uchiha Xuan sat cross-legged in front of a low desk, pointing at a fully unrolled map as he eloquently spouted tactical jargon.
Uchiha Madara stared blankly at the map. His face was completely slack, practically screaming the words: I have no idea what you're saying, but it sounds incredibly impressive.
"I figured you wouldn't understand." Having thoroughly dazzled the future Ultimate Boss of the Shinobi World, Xuan smugly took a sip of his green tea.
Madara turned his head away in embarrassment. "Give me the simple version," he muttered defensively. "What exactly does all that mean?"
"Simply put, the Hyūga are about to suffer a massive loss. And it's not just them—the Senju are going to suffer a massive loss, too. We'll probably take back the Kazama River Valley. The Kaguya, on the other hand, are going to be in deep trouble. That's about it."
Lately, the two of them had been sparring every few days. Whenever they got tired, they would sit down, drink tea, and chat about everything from Ninjutsu theory and the mission system to Warring States politics and clan secrets. Today, the topic had shifted to the war against the Hyūga, leading to a strategic debate—one where Madara was currently being thoroughly intellectually suppressed.
"Why?" Madara asked, frowning. "The Kaguya are pretty strong, and their Kekkei Genkai is top-tier. Especially when they start fighting, they act like absolute maniacs. How did you deduce they're going to be in trouble?"
"When two tigers are locked in a death match, the absolute worst thing a pack of wolves can do is sit on the sidelines and watch," Xuan explained calmly, taking another sip of tea. "And if those wolves can't control themselves and actually jump into the fray right when the battle is at its most intense... it's practically suicide. The Senju will never swallow this insult. I just hope the Kaguya don't end up too miserable."
Xuan remembered that in the original canon, the Kaguya were a major clan in the Land of Water, eventually leaving Kimimaro as their sole survivor. Right now, they were a major clan within the Land of Fire, which didn't match the original timeline. He guessed they were either going to be driven out to sea during this exact conflict, or Hashirama Senju would finish the job later on.
While the two brats spent their days living leisurely at home, the situation on the frontlines took a sudden, violent turn.
The six-month-long siege of the Hyūga compound abruptly ended. In a single day, the Uchiha army rapidly withdrew, pivoting their entire force and marching straight for the Senju encampment at the Kazama River.
When Senju Rakan and Senju Unma saw the massive Uchiha main force bearing down on them, their expressions were incredibly colorful. Under the combined, overwhelming assault of three Kage-level powerhouses—Uchiha Tajima, Uchiha Fujin, and Uchiha Tō—the Senju lines broke. They suffered a miserable, chaotic defeat. The Uchiha relentlessly pursued them, not only securing a massive tactical advantage but also successfully recapturing the Kazama River Valley, restoring the original stalemate with the Senju.
Shortly after, the Hyūga clan announced they were sealing their borders to recuperate and would not participate in the Warring States conflicts for ten years. They formally ceded the Xindong Mine within their territory to the Uchiha. Their vitality had been severely crippled.
When Senju Butsuma received the news, he was so furious he nearly coughed up blood. Enraged, he wanted to march out and fight the Uchiha to the death, but he forcefully restrained himself. Instead, he pivoted and unleashed all his wrath upon the Kaguya clan. If those bastards hadn't suddenly popped out of nowhere, none of this would have happened!
Historically, the Senju clan had always maintained a relatively moderate and diplomatic stance in the Warring States, unlike the aggressively sharp Uchiha. But this time, when they were truly enraged, the sheer power they unleashed was equally terrifying. The Kaguya clan experienced a profound tragedy.
They were beaten into a miserable, total rout. Fleeing back into their own territory wasn't enough; the Senju shinobi relentlessly pursued them across their borders. It was only after losing a full third of their ancestral lands that the Kaguya barely managed to stabilize the frontline. With casualties among their Jōnin and Elite Jōnin exceeding thirty percent, the Kaguya Clan Head was practically weeping blood. Their only solace was that the Uchiha had kept their promise and officially handed over a copper mine.
And just like that, the grueling, half-year-long three-clan war finally drew to a close.
The Uchiha clan was all smiles. They had brutally educated the Hyūga and successfully reclaimed the Kazama River Valley. Sure, abandoning their northern and southern borders had allowed a few minor clans to opportunistically snatch some minor territories, but it didn't matter. The Uchiha's towering prestige was so deeply ingrained that those minor clans didn't dare go too far. Now that their hands were free, they just needed to march over and kick them out.
The Senju clan had swallowed a bitter loss. After Senju Butsuma threw a massive fit and thoroughly vented his rage on the Kaguya, he finally calmed down. Ultimately, the Senju hadn't suffered any catastrophic, substantive losses; the geopolitical map had basically just reset to how it was before. But the feeling of being played was incredibly infuriating.
The Kaguya clan was brutally beaten and suffered devastating casualties, but they acquired the mine they so desperately wanted. Previously, their territory had lacked any mineral veins, forcing them to spend astronomical amounts of money importing weapons and armor, which severely restricted their clan's growth. Now, armed with a copper mine, they were highly satisfied. They were confident that once they recovered, they would rise to become the third greatest clan in the Warring States. Although they had forged a deep blood feud with the Senju in the process, the overall gains outweighed the losses.
The only truly miserable party was the Hyūga clan. Their shinobi had suffered horrific casualties, they had lost their foundational economic pillar—the Xindong Mine—and their prestige had plummeted into the abyss. They had no choice but to seal their borders and lick their wounds, mirroring the exact fate of the Chiba clan twenty years prior.
The Uchiha army returned home in triumph. Uchiha Fujin and Uchiha Tō received massive rewards and supplies before redeploying to the northern and southern borders. They still needed to clean out the minor clans who had caused trouble while the defenses were empty.
Standing on the second-floor balcony of his pavilion, Xuan quietly observed it all. Right now, he still didn't have the qualifications to participate in this grand, continent-spanning wrestling match between giants. When people spoke of him, they merely called him the "Genius of the Uchiha." But true powerhouses shed their "genius" halos in the shortest time possible to forge their own legends. He firmly believed that day wasn't far off.
He had 20,000 points saved up from his previous mission. He hadn't redeemed any new Ninjutsu or ocular abilities; he was strictly hoarding them. He had decided to save up for the true Mangekyō Sharingan. It cost 100,000 points. He only needed 80,000 more.
After such a wildly chaotic, continent-spanning war, the Warring States Era finally seemed to want a breather. A rare period of perfect tranquility settled over the land.
During these three months of peace, Xuan maintained his daily rhythm. He finally perfected the application of the Big Ball Rasengan, and his proficiency with the Flying Raijin Jutsu grew even deeper, though he unfortunately couldn't break through to the second stage just yet. He really wanted to practice Kamui, but considering that every single use was basically burning thousands of System points for recovery, he forcibly restrained himself.
Before he knew it, he saw Uchiha households beginning to hang up short bamboo poles, straw ropes, white paper, and fruit decorations. He was startled to realize it was already time for the New Year.
In the brutal Warring States Era, safely surviving another year was a massive cause for celebration, and the New Year was treated with immense reverence. His little maid, Hotaru, bustled about the estate for days—tailoring new clothes, making New Year's rice cakes, hanging bamboo decorations, and even bringing home a small household shrine to pray for peace and safety.
Xuan watched it all with a warm smile. He had been in this world for five years now. In the past, he had spent every New Year alone in his cramped, cold room; it had never felt like a real holiday. Now, with a little maid bustling around to prepare everything, his home finally felt alive. It made this violent, bloody world feel just a little more real.
On New Year's Day, wearing the new clothes Hotaru had made, he walked with her through the bustling streets. Feeling the genuine, heartfelt joy radiating from his clansmen, he found himself infected by the festive spirit.
At midnight, shinobi launched specialized Fire Style jutsu into the sky, creating stunning, firework-like explosions. The entire Uchiha compound boiled over with excitement. Various festive performances lit up the night, praising the gods, praising the earth, and praising the Uchiha.
It was a brilliant night of dancing dragons and blooming lights!
After a wonderful New Year, Xuan found himself another year older. He was now officially six years old.
Two months later, the little maid finally broke through, officially attaining Genin-level combat strength. Xuan offered her some warm encouragement, urging her to keep up the good work.
However, over the past few days, Uchiha Madara had suddenly stopped coming over to sponge free meals. Xuan felt uncharacteristically out of sorts without him around, so he sent Hotaru to secretly poke around and gather some intel.
When she returned with the news, the teacup in Xuan's hand slipped from his fingers, shattering into pieces on the wooden floor.
Uchiha Madara had recently taken a liking to visiting a distant river far from the clan compound to "relax." He was spending his time... skipping stones.
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