When returning to the Uchiha clan's assigned defense zone, the clan members were cleaning up the battlefield. The area was pocked with craters, and the marks of ninjutsu bombardments were everywhere.
Looking around, the forest near Kikyo Mountain was almost entirely broken, as if the green edges of a cake had been bitten off. Further away, the sea of trees was filled with hollows, as though the cake had been dug out, with many places still smoking.
Behind Kikyo Mountain, Kikyo City also had smoke rising, with many houses either completely collapsed or partially destroyed, leaving almost nothing intact.
Although the battle at Kikyo Mountain had only lasted a little over half a day, its intensity had been extremely high.
The Leaf Village had suffered heavy losses, and just repairing Kikyo City would require a large sum of money.
As Uchiha clan ninjas passed by, none of them seemed happy about their victory. All of them had grim expressions, with sadness hidden in their eyes.
Influenced by the atmosphere and his clan, Uchiha Gen also put on a stern face. In this situation, it felt inappropriate to be happy.
"Captain, I'm back," he said.
Uchiha Hachidai, who was resting on the grass with one arm hanging, looked up at the sound.
Seeing Uchiha Gen, the talented youth he had high hopes for, return unharmed, Uchiha Hachidai was pleased, though his expression remained neutral. He nodded and said in a calm tone, "Mm, go get to work."
"Yes," Uchiha Gen replied, bowing slightly before leaving.
Most Uchiha clan ninjas were quite proud, with some even having sharp tongues. In short, they were very self-centered.
This wasn't as obvious among their own clan, but it was more evident when interacting with outsiders.
This was one of the reasons why Uchiha clan ninjas weren't particularly liked. People who were too self-centered were generally unwelcome, regardless of their background.
In times of crisis, their emotions were more exposed, but outside of those times, they were very reserved and often quite stubborn.
However, ordinary members of the Uchiha clan were still quite normal since they weren't affected by the Sharingan.
Ninjas were a profession that valued efficiency, so it didn't take long for the battlefield to be cleaned up.
Because the Uchiha clan was responsible for the police department, they were the first to leave the battlefield and return to the Leaf Village. However, this didn't mean they were resting.
The Uchiha clan had to guide the villagers from the shelter back to the village. By the time everything was finished, night had fully fallen.
The ninjas of the Uchiha clan, exhausted, returned to their compound to rest. Some of the more unfortunate ones had to continue on duty and wouldn't be able to rest until their shift was over the next morning.
Uchiha Gen, who was not yet part of the police department, belonged to the frontline combat unit. Since he was a genius, he didn't need to do regular shifts and could go home to rest.
When he got home, Uchiha Gen removed his ninja tools, armor, tight-fitting clothes, and boots. He changed into loose homewear and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
He had been busy since last night, only eating some soldier pills and drinking water. Now that he was in a growth phase, Uchiha Gen was hungry and tired.
Being both hungry and tired, he didn't feel like making anything too fancy. He cooked a pot of rice, fried some shredded potatoes with meat, and made a small plate of pickles.
Uchiha Gen wasn't someone who would neglect himself. Whenever he had free time, he made sure to enjoy his meals. If he could eat well, he wouldn't settle for anything lesser.
Thanks to the inheritance left by his parents and the additional income from awakening his Sharingan, Uchiha Gen wasn't exactly rich, but he was certainly not poor.
In modern terms, he could be considered middle class.
In the brightly lit dining room, Uchiha Gen was seriously eating when he suddenly heard the sound of crying. He looked through the open window and into the clan grounds.
The crying seemed to be coming from within the compound...
Had bad news arrived?
It wasn't just the Uchiha clan; the entire Leaf Village was probably shrouded in mourning tonight.
Although there were no concrete numbers, judging by the intensity of the battle, the Leaf Village had likely suffered substantial losses.
Sighing lightly, Uchiha Gen went back to eating.
"Man is iron, rice is steel. If you don't eat one meal, you'll feel awful. There's no point in worrying about things you can't change."
After finishing his meal, Uchiha Gen had no intention of washing the dishes. He placed the plates and chopsticks in the sink to soak before going to wash up and prepare for bed.
The night passed without incident. As the saying goes, if you're not in the position to make decisions, you shouldn't worry about them. Some things were simply beyond Uchiha Gen's control.
...
After a good night's rest, Uchiha Gen woke up refreshed the next morning. He quickly made a simple breakfast, cleaned the dishes from last night, and left the house.
Since he had woken up early, there weren't many people on the clan streets. However, he did run into some police department ninjas who had just finished their shifts and were looking exhausted.
"Gen, up so early? Where are you going?"
"To the forest to train."
"Gen, you're really hardworking. You truly are a genius of our Uchiha clan."
"Too much praise. Go get some rest; you've been at it for a long time."
"Yeah, you're right. See you."
After sending off the ninjas he had encountered, Uchiha Gen left the compound and made his way to the depths of the forest at the edge of the Leaf Village, which belonged to the Uchiha clan.
Looking at the lush green sea of trees, Uchiha Gen quickly formed hand seals and gathered his chakra.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!
A bright orange flame shot from Uchiha Gen's mouth, forming into a round ball that rolled forward under his control.
Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
The wind fueled the flames, and Uchiha Gen's rapid actions soon set the entire forest on fire.
That wasn't all. Uchiha Gen continued using Fire and Wind Style techniques to make the flames even more intense, minimizing the smoke to avoid drawing attention.
He didn't stop until his chakra reserves were nearly exhausted. Looking at the vast sea of flames stretching before him, the air distorted from the heat, Uchiha Gen nodded in satisfaction.
The only downside was that the flames were created by chakra transformation and could be countered by techniques like the Rinnegan's absorption abilities.
But that didn't matter. This flaw would soon disappear. All he needed was for the newly born Homiz to devour natural flames, as it was a creature that fed on fire.
Absorption techniques like the Rinnegan couldn't absorb natural flames, which was why mixing in natural flames made it similar to Fire Style Jutsu using Sage Chakra.
"Come forth, my little one!"
Uchiha Gen yelled enthusiastically, his face filled with excitement.
At the same time, he reached into his body and extracted a portion of his soul and most of his lifespan. A glowing white ball of light appeared, and he flicked his arm to send it into the sea of flames.
For a brief moment, the blazing fire paused. Then, a massive, eerie face appeared within the flames, followed by a creepy, manic laugh. The fire quickly shrank and turned into a streak of light flying off.
All that was left was a large area of scorched earth, with no smoke or remaining flames.
Uchiha Gen extended his left arm, and the streak of light stopped, revealing its form.
It was a tiny red fire dragon, about a foot long, with features resembling a deer's horns, camel's head, rabbit's eyes, snake's neck, clam's abdomen, fish's scales, eagle's claws, tiger's palms, and cow's ears.
"Master," the little fire dragon said, its bright eyes gazing at Uchiha Gen. Despite its small size, its voice was mature and deep.
"Do you want a name?" Uchiha Gen asked with a smile.
"Yes."
"From now on, your name will be Zhu Rong."
In Western mythology, Big Mom's fire Homiz was called Prometheus, the god of fire theft. So, his first advanced Homiz had to be equally prestigious.
"Zhu... Rong. Zhu Rong. I'll be called that."
"Zhu Rong, don't speak or appear without my permission. My strength isn't strong enough yet, and this isn't your time to fully manifest."
"I understand, master."
Seeing the obedient Zhu Rong, Uchiha Gen was satisfied. But he also had a dilemma—how should he carry this thing around?
Should he put it in his ninja tool pouch or hide it in loose clothing? During wartime, loose clothing could hinder combat, and the tool pouch would be uncomfortable...
This advanced Homiz, created from his own soul, would never betray him. It was more like a child than anything else and shouldn't be treated poorly.
"Zhu Rong, do you have a way to stay close to me without being detected?"
"Since my soul is one with the master, I can attach my body to a part of your body and rest my soul there, so I won't be detected."
Ah,
this little one was intelligent. Uchiha Gen smiled and took off his gloves to let Zhu Rong attach itself to his palm, which wasn't likely to be noticed unless someone looked very closely.
Now, Zhu Rong could follow Uchiha Gen wherever he went without being noticed.
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