A year later, on the border of the Land of Fire.
"How unlucky to run into you, Konoha Demon..."
A Sand Ninja uttered his final words weakly as a large hand plunged deep into his chest.
Fuma frowned, grabbed the ninja's clothes, wiped the blood off his hands, and muttered to himself, "Why hide? You've just gotten me all bloody. Bursting your head would've been painless."
Walking back to the camp, Fuma looked at the messages from Konoha and sneered.
In the year since the war began, Fuma had slaughtered a large number of Sand Ninja scouts, nearly dismantling the entire Sand Ninja intelligence department.
Fuma's [Predator's Malice] sense allowed him to easily detect ninjas within several kilometers, and combined with his close combat skills, Sand Ninja spies stood no chance of survival. Even Jonin encountered in the wild were merely heading to their deaths, unable to even delay him.
The Sand Ninja had spontaneously dubbed Fuma the 'Konoha Demon', a man who inevitably brought death to anyone he encountered.
Six months ago, to curb Fuma's growing war achievements and potential threat to the Hokage position, the Third Hokage ordered the recall of civilian ninjas from Fuma's unit, instead dispatching several ninja clans, under the guise of "expanding success."
Ostensibly, this increased the strength of Fuma's unit, but the grown civilian ninjas were dispersed again, and the dispatched clan ninjas were carefully selected by the Third Hokage.
The Third sent two teams: one from the Hyuga branch family and one from the Aburame clan. The Hyuga and Uchiha clans had a long-standing, irreconcilable conflict dating back to the Warring States period, and the Aburame clan was subtly leaning towards the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage's intention was for these two clans to share in Fuma's war achievements and to earn their loyalty.
Essentially, Fuma was fighting on the front lines while the Third Hokage was doling out favors in the rear. The front was tense, but the rear was feasting.
However, the Third Hokage hadn't anticipated that this battlefield, officially a three-nation melee, would trigger a full-scale ninja war if Konoha showed any sign of weakness.
Sensing the Third's intentions, Fuma began to slack off on the battlefield, leading the Uchiha in a training-style war.
Though he wasn't interested in the Hokage position, that didn't mean the Third could use him as a tool for favors.
With news of the Konoha, Sand Ninja, and Rain Ninja skirmishes spreading, the Cloud, Stone, and Mist villages intensified their covert operations. The Cloud Village even deployed organized units, patrolling the Land of Fire's borders, waiting to pounce.
Fuma added fuel to the fire by intentionally leaving a gap, allowing Sand Ninja units to contact other major nations' covert teams.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was at his wit's end. The reason the other three major nations hadn't made a move yet was due to the legacy of Tobirama Senju, who led Konoha in the First Ninja War, taking on four opponents at once and earning a formidable reputation.
Konoha's prestige still lingered, but after twenty years, the other villages were starting to test the waters.
In the year since the war began, Konoha had failed to secure significant victories, and its accumulated prestige was slowly waning.
Twenty years of peace had given Konoha a golden era of development but had also seen the passing of many seasoned warriors from the Warring States period. These veterans were Konoha's true foundation.
The new generation of Konoha ninjas, except for geniuses like Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Sakumo Hatake, lacked the fighting spirit of the impoverished Sand and Rain ninjas.
Once the other three major nations sensed Konoha's fragility, they would swarm in.
Fuma sneered at the Third Hokage's urging orders, feeling that he'd been slacking off for the past six months.
A cheerful shout interrupted Fuma's thoughts.
"Fuma-sensei, we're back!"
Kushina and Nawaki returned, dragging several large black bears and wild boars, while Minato leisurely trailed behind, ensuring no Sand Ninja followed.
"Prepare the food. I'll call everyone back."
After giving orders to the cooking team, Fuma's eyes sharpened, and his predatory domain expanded, filling the entire forest with a bloody scent.
In the distance, Uchiha Fugaku, in the middle of hunting down Sand Ninjas, felt a chill, gritted his teeth, and sped up to catch the Sand Ninjas ahead.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
The agile and surging flames consumed the Sand Ninjas ahead, leaving only a charred corpse as the fire dissipated.
Fugaku, satisfied with his work, instantly left and found the hidden Iron Fire on lookout.
"Let's go, Tetsuka, Fuma-nii summoned us back."
"I sensed it too. I'm really looking forward to today's meal, Fugaku-deputy~commander!"
"Shut up!"
The two, enduring the pervasive blood scent of the forest, couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
No matter how many times they experienced it, Fuma-nii's abilities were truly extraordinary. What kind of Kekkei Genkai was this?
Fuma's [Predator's Malice] grew stronger with continuous killing. When fully unleashed, it could cover an area equivalent to four or five Konoha villages.
Under the shroud of blood scent, unless Fuma filtered them out, all living creatures' chakra would be gradually eroded, affecting their minds as well.
Fuma didn't filter out his allies but instead let the Uchiha thrive in the blood-scented environment.
Battles inherently brought the most direct growth to the Uchiha, and under the catalysis of the [Predator's Malice], it greatly stimulated the awakening of their Sharingan.
The battlefield had now become a sacred ground for the Uchiha to awaken their Sharingan under Fuma's guidance.
Setsuna watched waves of clansmen return from Fuma's training, most of them having awakened their Sharingan, grinning ear to ear.
The younger generation of the clan had begun to idolize Fuma. After all, who wouldn't want to follow someone who could help them awaken their Sharingan?
The special slacking off by the hunting unit greatly displeased the Third Hokage, but there was currently no one to replace Fuma.
After all, Fuma wasn't giving his all, but his current achievements were already beyond others' reach.
Fuma had lost all hope in the Third Hokage.
First, he hindered Fuma's training in the Eight Gates, then threatened him with Minato and Kushina's situation. Fuma's last bit of affection for Konoha was slowly being worn away.
"Fuma-nii, is dinner ready?"
Fugaku and Tetsuka, covered in blood, approached the dining hall with bright smiles.
Seeing Fuma and others already enjoying their meal, they complained, "Next time, wait for me. Kushina eats too much, and if I'm not full, I'll kill fewer Sand Ninjas."
This combination of straightforwardness and brutality was a characteristic of the Uchiha clan.
Hyuga Yuto kicked Fugaku, calmed Kushina, and handed him a large bowl.
"Stop complaining. Following Fuma, you get delicious stews. If you don't like it, go to the Rain Ninja battlefield and eat ration pills."
The Hyuga branch family, sent by the Third Hokage, surprisingly got along well with the Uchiha.
Thanks to Fuma, the Uchiha lost their peculiar arrogance.
Hyuga and Uchiha no longer needed to debate the "strongest eye technique" in the ninja world. After all, the current strongest member of the Uchiha clan hadn't even awakened the Sharingan.
Minato took a large ladle and served a hefty portion of stew to Tetsuka and Fugaku.
"Thanks a lot!"
Fugaku and Tetsuka began devouring their stew, grimacing from the heat.
Hyuga Yuto watched and sighed inwardly, "Who would've thought the battlefield would be more liberating than being in the clan?"
As a Hyuga branch member, he was taught from a young age about the distinctions between the main and branch families and the importance of clan etiquette.
Experiencing freedom for the first time, Hyuga Yuto deeply loved this feeling.
Here, he didn't have to bow, salute, or grovel like a dog in front of the main family. He just had to do his job well, with a strong backer protecting him.
Hyuga Yuto looked at Fuma, his eyes growing complex. A seed was planted in his heart, waiting to sprout.
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