Under countless gazes—some filled with admiration, some with reverence, and others with open awe—Uchiha Kaien casually returned to the lineup. He was more than used to this kind of attention.
Go ahead, bask in my brilliance.
Watching the affection points roll in on his panel, Kaien felt this fight had been well worth it.
Most of his classmates couldn't generate affection, but this class had plenty of shinobi clan kids. Even one or two civilian students—not including Namikaze Minato—had contributed a few points.
Kaien didn't mind making friends with them.
His strategy of analyzing others' potential to farm affection allowed him to easily identify who was worth his time. It helped him avoid pointless socializing.
No one thought it strange that Kaien treated people differently. Everyone had those they were closer to—that was just human nature.
The Uchiha clan respected only those with strength. If you wanted an Uchiha to speak to you properly, fine—beat them in a fight. Crush them effortlessly, and you'd find them practically clinging to you.
Others often viewed the Uchiha as aloof, difficult to approach—but that was just the Uchiha. No matter how strange their personalities were, it was seen as normal for them.
Ironically, that cold reputation actually worked in Kaien's favor.
At the very least, he wasn't like those other Uchiha who ignored the weak entirely. And with the support of his [Affinity] trait, it was rare for anyone to dislike him upon first meeting.
[Affection: 101]
One more draw unlocked.
Unfortunately, he was still far from the guaranteed reward threshold. All he could do now was hope tonight's pull gave him something good.
...
Land of Rain.
Amegakure.
A tall man, always seen wearing a breathing mask, listened quietly as his subordinate reported the latest intel.
Salamander Hanzō sat cross-legged, his scythe-and-chain weapon—his trusted companion through years of battle—resting by his side. Even without speaking, he radiated authority.
"Lord Hanzō, at present, Konoha has already clashed with both Kumogakure and Kirigakure. Sunagakure and Iwagakure are still on the sidelines..."
The Ame-nin finished his report and stepped back respectfully, eyes filled with admiration and unwavering trust.
This was none other than the leader of Amegakure—the man who'd formed a pact with the legendary salamander summon and mastered both Water Release and kenjutsu—Lord Salamander Hanzō!
"A name of legend. The shinobi who stood at the summit."
That was how the world saw Hanzō, the man known as the "Demigod."
As for the title of "God of Shinobi," that belonged to Senju Hashirama. Anyone who'd seen Hashirama in action had been left in awe of his overwhelming power.
"A towering peak that kindled the fire of peace across the world."
That was the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
Compared to him, Salamander Hanzō was merely the pinnacle of what a ninja could be. Hashirama transcended that title. With power capable of reshaping landscapes, he was a true god—something no ordinary man could ever match.
That was why Hanzō dared call himself a "demigod," and not more.
But the new generation of Ame-nin—who had never witnessed Hashirama's power—believed Hanzō was the strongest. In their eyes, his strength was unparalleled.
His rise had elevated Amegakure to incredible heights. Compared to the minor nations, Amegakure's strength was off the charts—enough to challenge even the Five Great Shinobi Nations, at least for a time.
And the one responsible for that growth?
Lord Hanzō himself.
To the shinobi of Amegakure, Hanzō was almost a deity. They believed he would lead them to even greater glory.
And in truth, their hopes weren't misplaced—Hanzō's ambition extended far beyond this.
To be known as the strongest village below the Five Great Nations?
No—that wasn't enough. Amegakure would become the sixth great nation!
The Five Kage would become Six Kage!
And the new title would belong, without question, to Salamander Hanzō.
He would become the Rain Kage.
That was the scope of his ambition. Most of the powerful shinobi from Hanzō's generation were already dead—only the strongest had survived.
Hanzō, who had successfully implanted the poisonous sac of a black salamander in his youth and trained relentlessly for years, now possessed combat strength on par with the Five Kage.
But he wasn't acting recklessly. He was waiting—waiting for the perfect moment to announce himself to the world.
...
After academy, as usual, it was Hatake Sakumo who oversaw Kaien and the other two students.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
He had three kids to look after, and nothing managed time quite like shadow clones.
The real Sakumo personally guided Uzumaki Kushina in managing her massive chakra reserves, helping her use it more efficiently. Meanwhile, his clones trained Uchiha Kaien, and Namikaze Minato in speed and reflex drills.
A blade-wielder must have unwavering conviction.
"It's not enough to wield a sword and call yourself a kenjutsu user. Only those who channel their will into the blade and manifest a cutting edge beyond the norm are true swordsmen."
"Thanks to chakra, sword shinobi can infuse their will into their blades—reaching the state known as 'man and sword as one.'"
Chakra opened countless doors for a shinobi, combining spirit and body into a unified force—granting it innate conductivity.
In theory, coating a blade with chakra meant the user's will would be directly infused into it. That synergy could unleash terrifying power.
So, mastering control over one's will and seamlessly managing one's spirit energy? Entirely possible.
And that was exactly what Kaien was striving for.
...
Back home, Kaien wasted no time rolling his reward. It was only one spin—but the anticipation was real.
He wouldn't get some useless junk. Whatever it was, it'd at least offer some sort of improvement.
As his excitement peaked, a small green orb of light emerged.
[Summoning: Lightning Flash Blade Creation]
A B-rank jutsu.
Kaien immediately recognized this one.
Wasn't this the same summoning technique Sasuke would eventually use to summon ninja tools?
By inscribing a summoning seal onto a special tag, you could bind the jutsu to a specific body part—making tool access lightning-fast and completely unexpected to enemies.
With this, he wouldn't need a gear pouch anymore. Just etch the seal onto his wrist and be done with it.
He'd just been worrying about where to keep his wire spool without compromising quick access—and now that issue was gone.
Even better, this jutsu wasn't part of the inheritance he'd received—making it a perfect complement to his current toolkit.
But that wasn't all...
Kaien's gaze fell to the bracelet given to him by Uchiha Madara. It was likely crafted with Yin-Yang Release, meaning it could handle a much more powerful summoning seal than a regular tag.
Woo woo woo~
Grandpa Madara really was the best.
A high-quality bracelet combined with his new summoning technique? This was basically a budget version of a storage bracer!
Sure, he'd still need to pre-inscribe the summoning seal on each item he wanted to retrieve—but that was a small price to pay.
The system could only store items it generated—now, his loadout had been significantly upgraded.
Kaien was already looking forward to seeing Madara tonight.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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