Ugh, that good old pain throughout my body—how I didn't miss you.
Opening my eyes, I found myself still in the same place where the old man had brought me. It seems it was Shunshin—the Body Flicker Technique. I should ask him to teach me that later; it'd save me a ton of time. If they're even planning to teach me anything at all.
It all started abruptly, about three hours ago. After that mood-killer knocked me out, I ended up at one of the training grounds. We were alone, not a soul around. Back when I was three and a half, I was very interested in the training sessions the young Uzumaki held here. I thought it'd be useful to know what to aim for in the future, but after watching the same thing for a month, I quickly realized they were doing something not particularly useful for me. I was already doing physical exercises almost every day since I started gaining some control over my body. Of course, Akihiko was against it, but she gave in under my persistence. As she said, it was better for me to do it properly under supervision than to injure myself. Just regular exercises.
Maybe their training was useful, but for me, someone banned from using chakra and without a teacher to explain anything, it wasn't worth experimenting. I understood that clearly.
And now here I am, in front of the old man, writhing in pain and trying to provoke him. The elusive Joe, played by the gray-haired man, simply dodged and kicked me in the back or the butt, knocking me to the ground every time. He's already beaten my entire back, the jerk. And my mouth is full of dirt.
This, by the way, wasn't my idea—fighting an experienced killer with my five-year-old body. Maybe in the future, if I learned something, I could put up a fight. But not now.
The killing machine with the gaze of a murderer, after I woke up here, ordered me:
"Attack."
No "hello," no "I'm your Heavenly Sensei who will show you the world of cultivation, and we'll refine your dantian for years," no "Harry, you're the chosen one and must defeat the Dark Lord."
Nothing.
I get that I was rude to him by local standards. But still, beating a kid for three hours straight seems a tad cruel, even by local customs.
I looked at the old man's massive figure and ran at him again, swinging.
I didn't have much choice: by the end of the first hour, when I was just lying there, he simply walked up and kicked me in the ribs. I had to get up and fight back. I didn't let him just beat me senseless.
I don't understand what a five-year-old kid did to deserve this treatment, but I hope after this sadistic session, I'll find out why.
---
"This is how this island was created, and our clan, through collective efforts, moved our home to this corner of the world. Now ask your questions," the old man finished his story about the creation of the Uzumaki island. Mountains of chakra and ninjutsu. For a whole half-hour, he brainwashed me with patriotic tales of the clan's greatness and superiority over others.
I lasted another twenty minutes of fighting—or rather, getting beaten. After that, I told the sadist I was done, I couldn't go on. Beat me as much as you want.
Surprisingly, he didn't. Instead, he passed a green glow over my body, and I felt better. It didn't heal me completely, but I could at least sit. The Mystical Palm Technique, which I'd seen when I was one and now, intrigued me more and more with its possibilities.
I couldn't even imagine the prospects this opened for me personally. Having worked as a scientist for thirty years, studying medicine among other things, I knew for sure that even by 2054, Earth hadn't invented a universal healing practice. And these barbarians, compared to modern medicine, could achieve such heights with just one technique—and there wasn't just one, but an unknown number of them. I sincerely wanted to learn medicine from the masters here.
But that's for the future. For now, I'll ask.
"Why?" I asked the burning question.
The old man looked at me questioningly.
"What do you mean, 'why,' young wolf? Why did we make this corner our home? If you're interested, listen…"
I interrupted him.
"No, not that." I looked into his blue eyes and said, "Why do you, being so strong, beat a five-year-old kid who can't even land a hit on you? Where are my parents or any relatives? Why am I, a child, living in a prison called the Uzumaki Clan? Why does the Uzumaki Clan have the right to lock me in a house and restrict my freedom to a few streets? Answer my questions, or I refuse to be an Uzumaki and live in this world."
I stared firmly into his eyes, knowing that if he refused, I'd find a way to end my life. Better death than a prison you can't escape. Maybe I'd get lucky and transfer to another body again. Let's find out.
He fell silent and closed his eyes. He looked at the sky.
I thought he'd just ignore me or send me home. Yes, even though I didn't identify as a clan member, all these stories and patriotic views on the clan didn't affect me. I could never proudly say I'm an Uzumaki because I'm not an Uzumaki or anyone else in this world. But that house in the distance, the one I saw, became closer to me than I thought. Akihiko became something dear in this cruel world. But if there was a chance, I'd take it.
My desires remained unchanged. I wanted to return to my Earth, or whatever this planet is called. To my home, to my children. To my experiments. I had discovered a new element that could have pushed humanity forward. But alas, I didn't have time. I don't know how, but I must find a way to return.
"I knew. I knew from the reports that you're an unusual child. I knew you'd be curious about the clan's treatment of you, about my treatment. So be it." He slapped his knee, covered by his pants. I heard the fabric nearly tear from the force of the blow. Seems someone's emotional. "Listen carefully, because this story will be long."
I looked at the sun, already sinking toward the horizon. I hope I make it back for dinner. Akihiko said she'd make my favorite shrimp dumplings.
---
"I was blind, Okami, blind to my own blood. Blinded by love and longing. My wife, Akiko, was half-Uzumaki, half-Senju. I was with her since our youth. Our clans have always been friendly and connected. We went through a lot together. We are descendants of the same blood. The Senju, like the Uzumaki, were gifted with abilities tied to their bodies. We're stronger, more resilient, and superior in the Yang component of chakra among other clans. Our bodies are special, Okami: the larger the chakra reserve, the longer we live. This trait is passed down only through the Uzumaki bloodline. The Senju, despite having similar chakra reserves, lack this. Fate is unfair."
Setsuna sighed heavily.
"My Akiko was half-blood. With only half Uzumaki blood, she lacked our clan's longevity, and when I was ninety, I looked only forty. She, however, was already an old woman. I loved her as she was, but she couldn't bear to see herself like that next to me; she weakened. It's partly my fault. One day, I learned she had taken her own life. A warrior didn't want to die in bed, waiting for the Shinigami. She didn't take her own life directly but went on a one-way mission and died somewhere in Uchiha territory. I never found her body.
I sought justice and revenge, but the Clan Head and elders forbade military action against the cursed clan. I could have started a rebellion and gone against the clan's will, but I didn't. I was one of the key Fuin masters, one of the thirteen whose death could weaken the clan. One life isn't worth thousands. That's what I decided. I was forbidden from any contact with the Uchiha. I quelled the fire raging within me.
Akiko and I had two children, Yoshito and Kazumi. Both were full-fledged warriors. I burned with vengeance, and my rage passed to my children. Yoshito, twenty years older than Kazumi, was consumed by revenge and wouldn't let it go. He begged the Clan Head for more and more missions, all kinds, but always near the Uchiha. I didn't mind, as it soothed my rage, knowing the cursed bastards would taste the feelings I experienced. Blind fool. Yoshito was a top-tier warrior and assassin. He was the standard, my personal triumph. He always returned with Uchiha bodies. I raised such a skilled fighter that, in a moment of blindness driven by his revenge, he attacked the main branch of the cursed clan. Alas, he didn't return. He miscalculated his strength.
That's how I lost another loved one. Seeing where my foolishness led, I completely forbade Kazumi from even thinking about getting within a kilometer of the Uchiha. But Kazumi had his mother's willful nature and didn't listen to me for a second. He lost not only his mother but also his brother. One day, while I was with the other masters reinforcing the clan's barrier, a messenger arrived with bad news. Kazumi had fled. I had taught him many Fuin techniques, and he knew many methods of concealment. But he didn't know the main thing: I had placed a Fuin seal on his body. I was mere hours too late. The Uchiha were already there, along with my last son's dead body. I tore apart every Uchiha and took his body, along with the bodies of all those involved. I needed evidence for the council to start a war. I wanted to go all the way this time. But among them was a girl. She was sealed by Kazumi, and I was about to kill her. Just erase the scroll to dust. With that method, everything in the scroll would vanish. But something stopped me. Intuition or the Shinigami himself. I don't know.
She was pregnant. Pregnant with my son's child. I checked multiple times. It was impossible. Kazumi would never have raped anyone, let alone an Uchiha, and neither Kazumi nor this Uchiha would have done it willingly. But it happened. I took her and temporarily went into seclusion. Only the Clan Head and my subordinates knew she existed. They monitored her health and assisted with the birth. After the child was born, I considered killing the cause of my son's death. The girl was unusually calm. But I didn't have time to do anything. She escaped, killing all the staff who helped her. Escaping a trap surrounded by enemies is hard but not impossible. Perhaps someone helped her; we couldn't figure it out. She simply vanished. Ruthlessly and monstrously. An Uchiha, no matter what kind of mother she was, proved she was cursed. Especially since the main family of that clan was always known for its upbringing. She left the child behind. As if the life she gave birth to meant nothing. Only a monster could abandon their child. The Clan Head then suggested turning the child into a scarecrow and setting it against the Uchiha. Making it a weapon in our hands. I hesitated, I thought. I thought a lot about the child's fate. Literally every day, I held the thought of what to do.
Chance decided for me. The child unexpectedly awakened the Sharingan—the Uchiha clan's dojutsu—after just a month of life. And then I knew what to do. His magnificent potential and the eyes that gave him vast possibilities couldn't be limited by the Clan Head or me.
That's when I decided I'd make it so he could choose his own fate. A blind man can't tell a sighted one what to do or show him the path. My rage hasn't faded over the years of loss, and the child, an innocent, pure child, can't become someone consumed by my hands.
It was hard for me to watch you being kept like a beast, but I couldn't do anything drastic. I needed time, and you gave it to me with your confinement.
Over these last five years, I did everything to ensure you, Okami, would be free. I gave up a lot, including my service, so you could become who you're meant to be. Now, we're being exiled from the clan, grandson. Now we're alone, without the clan's support. I will train you, and when we're done, only you will decide your fate. That is my will, by the right of the strong.
---
Well, what can I say? Just a string of curses, not words.
I was in complete shock when I heard this entire tirade. Uchiha-Uzumaki, an exile from the clan, and abandoned by my own mother. A full package for the protagonist of a revenge and justice novel. But, of course, I didn't care about my biological mother.
The last words about the "right of the strong" I interpreted as something like: if you can defeat me, do whatever you want. But I feel it'll take me a long time to get there.
After that, my Grandfather, with a capital G, took me out of the clan. He just picked me up and carried me beyond the island. I didn't even have time to look at the clan; everything blurred as we moved incredibly fast, as if fleeing from someone. I hope these will be peaceful times in these turbulent years when everyone fights everyone. All I wanted was to study medical jutsu and live here longer. Dying of cancer wasn't pleasant, and I don't want to repeat that. Hm, do they have cancer here?
---
*Third-Person Perspective. Clan Head's Residence. Head's Office.*
"Ashina-sama, Elder Setsuna has left the clan with his grandson; the barriers let him pass." A faceless mask and a uniform covering the entire body, with only short red hair sticking out like a hedgehog—this was the head of the clan's intelligence and counterintelligence. "Should we pursue the elder?"
He stood before a desk piled with papers, awaiting orders.
Scouts usually didn't ask such things of the Clan Head, as all scouts knew the elders carried out the will of the council and the Head when leaving the clan. But a recent order from the Head had been clear: report any actions of Elder Setsuna. Ashina Uzumaki seemed lost in thought, as if not fully present, contemplating the situation.
"Old fox, you outsmarted me after all. But those emotions—even I believed them. An actor. You never hated that child. And you'd never let anyone control your grandson or turn him into a weapon. Sigh, such a loss. He could have changed a lot and perhaps led the clan. Now the situation is more chaotic. He'll raise a monster, clear as day. And as it happens, monsters always seek their kin. Let's just hope he doesn't bring trouble to the clan."
"No, and don't try to stop him. He'll kill anyone who gets close. Issue an order to all our observers and contacts outside the clan to report on Setsuna and his grandson's movements. Issue an order to the chancellery: I'm removing Setsuna Uzumaki from his position and declaring him a rogue. No bounty. Issue an order for the council of elders to convene. I have news for them."
"Understood."
The head of intelligence vanished as quickly as he appeared.
A light breeze wandered through the Clan Head's office, and only quiet words escaped the old Uzumaki's lips:
"Good luck, old friend."
---
*Black Zetsu*, or the Third Son of the Rabbit Goddess, known in common parlance as Kaguya.
Watching the old man and his grandson move deeper into the continent, Zetsu pondered. A plan that had been a mere improvisation was starting to take shape, a framework on which a game could be played and won. Here, temper the old man's rage so he doesn't destroy the scroll; there, nudge the girl who craved adventure and fled; and there, the boy burning with vengeance. Lust and rage create terrible things. Bringing them together and amplifying their emotions was simple. And here's the result: a child of Uzumaki and Uchiha. Getting into Uzumaki Clan territory was difficult, and for the past five years, Zetsu could only observe the child indirectly. The red-haired ones had learned to set up barriers well, and a mistake from two hundred years ago still haunted him. Time moved too quickly. And the child required close observation.
The child was born at a very convenient time. Asura and Indra, in a way. If the current reincarnations fail again, this specimen could be used. He was unique because the main Uchiha branch traditionally married other Uchiha. The Uzumaki left their mark in many places, but not with the main Uchiha branch. A unique opportunity, but a backup.
Perhaps in a few decades, he'd finally free his mother. Time will tell. Zetsu had waited too long to rush. Everything needed to be done thoroughly. After all, there were the main pawns.
Recently, the spirits of Indra and Asura were spotted. Just a few days ago, the wives of the Uchiha and Senju leaders gave birth. A new cycle began. What joy—if Zetsu's smile could be called an emotion—for the last incarnations of his mother's grandsons didn't tread the earth long. One killed himself against a Tailed Beast; the other was no longer relevant. And again, the tedious wait.
This time, he'd personally oversee these fools who constantly clashed. He'd have to forget about the Uzumaki for now. Zetsu only hoped the child wouldn't die some idiotic death.
---