Hatake Sakumo didn't want Uchiha Shin to take on the mission of destroying the enemy's rear production line.
If he could use that level of Lightning Release every day, they could push the entire battlefront forward with ease!
"Uchiha Shin, I don't think you need to take this mission—"
"That jutsu consumes too much chakra. I can't use it repeatedly. I'll need at least a month to recover."
Uchiha Shin cut him off immediately, not even giving Hatake Sakumo a chance to argue.
Right now, he was more interested in how Sunagakure had acquired these clay puppets.
He didn't care about what was happening on the Konoha front. Looking at Uchiha Shin—who didn't even seem out of breath—Hatake Sakumo wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or just making an excuse.
But since Shin had already spoken, there wasn't much he could do. Forcing him would be pointless. Hatake Sakumo had no choice but to drop the matter.
Uchiha Shin's gaze swept over the shinobi standing around Hatake Sakumo—Uchiha Toyama, Uchiha Fugaku, and the others—all of whom immediately lowered their heads.
They were utterly shaken by the power Shin had just displayed, fear gripping their hearts.
Uchiha Fugaku, in particular, was paralyzed with unease. He vividly remembered Shin's words from before. The younger Uchiha had made it clear—he would make Fugaku pay for past grievances, little by little.
And now, Shin had grown so powerful that Fugaku didn't even dare to stand against him. The realization filled him with humiliation and a deep, gnawing fear.
Shin looked at the trembling Fugaku with disdain before turning away.
He would settle old scores in due time. But before that, he would ensure that Uchiha Fugaku lived in perpetual fear, day after day.
"It'd be best if you had two children soon, so I can awaken my Mangekyō Sharingan and have all my eyes gouged out."
The way Uchiha Shin looked at Uchiha Fugaku at that moment was more like a breeder assessing livestock than one shinobi looking at another.
He had absorbed the remains of fallen Uchiha, which greatly benefited his Sharingan's recovery. And now, after discovering a new method to enhance his power, he wanted to try absorbing Mangekyō Sharingan energy itself.
This was merely an experiment for his future—before he set his sights on Nagato's Rinnegan.
Uchiha Shin withdrew his gaze. In front of Fugaku, he wrapped an arm around Uchiha Mikoto's slender waist while pulling Kanako, the Uzumaki girl, close with the other. Together, the three of them walked away, the sight making Fugaku's blood boil.
Watching the woman he had long admired lean so willingly into Shin's embrace—while Shin had another girl from the Uzumaki clan at his side—was unbearable.
Seeing Uchiha Shin walk off with two beauties in his arms, Uchiha Fugaku's face turned green with rage.
He knew this was a deliberate provocation. But right now, he didn't even have the courage to lift his head and glare at Shin's departing figure.
Fear had crushed his pride. All he could do was lower his gaze and watch the dirt beneath Shin's steps.
His father, Uchiha Fushan, clenched his fists at his son's disgraceful display, his face twisting with fury.
"Fugaku! You're an elite jōnin now—hold your head up!"
"…Yes, Father."
Only after Uchiha Fushan barked at him several times did Fugaku dare to raise his head.
Realizing that Shin had disappeared from sight, he finally exhaled, as if a crushing weight had been lifted from his chest.
A few shinobi nearby, well aware of the conflict between Fugaku and Shin, couldn't help but snicker.
"Hmph! What the hell are you laughing at?!"
Uchiha Toyama snapped, his three-tomoe Sharingan glaring at them like daggers.
Silence fell instantly, but Fugaku knew all too well that he was being mocked. Toyama's attempt to defend him only deepened his humiliation.
The emotions boiling inside him eventually transformed into resentment toward Uchiha Shin.
Meanwhile, Shin found a secluded camp to rest for the night.
Once only Mikoto and Kanako remained with him, he moved his fingers slightly.
A small sphere of iron sand wrapped around several chakra cores emerged from the ground.
These were cores he had secretly collected while destroying the clay puppets earlier.
Observing the swirling purple chakra inside the cores, Shin extended a finger and touched one lightly.
Threads of purple energy seeped into his body, making his eyes widen.
"What an interesting chakra… It contains even greater power."
"…Purple chakra… Could this be the Dragon Vein?"
The sensation was eerily familiar.
The real reason he had rejected Hatake Sakumo earlier was that he suspected these puppets contained Dragon Vein chakra.
The Dragon Vein was a natural energy source from the ancient kingdom of Roran—an energy exclusive to this planet, capable of incredible feats.
In the original timeline, it was even used to travel through time and space.
Shin compared the current events to what he knew of the future.
"If the time-traveling villain from the original story arrived during the Third Shinobi War, then why is Sunagakure using Dragon Vein chakra now, during the Second Shinobi War?"
If his guess was correct, then the course of history was already shifting beyond his expectations.
He had to go to the Land of Wind and investigate. There was something happening with Sunagakure that wasn't supposed to happen yet.
"How did the Sand Village get access to the Dragon Vein so early? This level of development is absurd."
While Shin was deep in thought, news of his devastating attack on the Sand ninja forces had already reached Sunagakure's command base.
"What?! You're telling me all of our forces were wiped out?!"
In the main tent, Chiyo, the chief commander of the Sand front, shot to her feet, roaring in disbelief.
Things had been going so well, and now, everything had been turned upside down in an instant. Who could tolerate such a disaster?
Suppressing her anger, she turned to her second-in-command.
"From now on, no matter how many of those clay puppets we send, make sure they're fully reinforced."
"Lady Chiyo, you know our current relationship with Roran is… delicate. Only their queen has the ability to control the Dragon Vein's power, and she needs to cooperate willingly for us to speed up production."
The adjutant hesitated, then added, "However, the village is planning to tighten its grip on Roran. Soon enough, their queen will have no choice but to obey."
"I don't care how you do it. This is the key to Sunagakure's rise. We must ensure it stays under our control!"
Chiyo already understood the implications of the adjutant's words, but she didn't hesitate.
They had discovered Roran by accident in the deserts of the Wind Country.
And through ancient records, they had learned that Roran's royal family controlled a unique and powerful chakra source—the Dragon Vein.
After years of covert operations, Sunagakure had infiltrated Roran's leadership and gradually gained access to its chakra.
Now, they were one step away from full control.
--------
Dear Readers
Join Patreon for Complete Novel (240 Chapters) and 100 Early Chapters
https://www.patreon.com/dd44
--------
Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones