"Unexpected..."
The translucent panel that appeared in his mind caught Izuna off guard for a moment. Seeing the top heading, this golden finger labeled him as a "player," making Izuna drift into memories.
He had been playing an online Naruto game when he accidentally fell asleep at his keyboard. When he woke up, he found himself transported into this world.
"Is this cheat related to the game I was playing?"
The screen displayed:
[Wind Release: Pressure (acquired, B-rank Wind Release)]
[Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane (A-rank Wind Release, 54 skill points required)]
[Wind Release: Wind Killing Formation (A-rank Wind Release, 50 skill points required)]
[Wind Release: Rasengan (A-rank Wind Release, 66 skill points required)]
[Lightning Release: Earth Walk (acquired, C-rank Lightning Release) →
[Lightning Release: Earth Torrent (B-rank Lightning Release, 26 skill points required)]
[Lightning Release: Grateful Wave (B-rank Lightning Release, 22 skill points required)]
[Lightning Release: Raging Thunder Tiger (B-rank Lightning Release, 26 skill points required)]
Izuna was stunned, quickly realizing that he had something akin to a skill tree in his mind, similar to what he had in the game. Every ninjutsu he had learned was marked as "acquired," such as Wind Release: Pressure and Lightning Release: Earth Walk. Unlocked ninjutsu had higher-level techniques listed behind them, requiring skill points to unlock—just like in the game.
In the Warring States Period, unlike the later era of Konohagakure, ninjutsu wasn't written down in a comprehensive scroll. Each ninja clan had its own collection of techniques, but even the powerful clans like the Uchiha, Senju, and Sarutobi had their limits. For instance, Uchiha had only a few S-rank fire-style techniques, while their mastery over other elemental ninjutsu was limited, with almost no A-rank techniques for the other four elements.
A thought suddenly struck Izuna, and he opened the skill tree again, focusing on the "Bloodline Limit" section. Sure enough, it was displayed:
[Sharingan (acquired)]
[Mangekyō Sharingan (acquired)]
[Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan (unlocked, 300 skill points required, condition: the blood of a loved one)]
[Evolvable: Rinnegan (locked, skill points required: ??, conditions: ??)]
"So, this cheat can eliminate the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Izuna thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
Even though he had just met this world's Uchiha Madara, he could still sense the deep bond between the two brothers. The last thing he wanted was to end up fighting Madara over eye degeneration in the future.
For now, Izuna decided to ignore the drawbacks of the Mangekyō Sharingan and focus on his ninjutsu. While his fire release was typical for an Uchiha, he also had wind and lightning affinities. However, the skill trees for Water and Earth Release were still dim and locked, likely because he hadn't awakened the Rinnegan, which would grant him mastery over all elements.
Although he wanted to unlock the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the 300 skill points required were daunting compared to the pitiful 80 points displayed in the bottom corner of his screen—likely carried over from his time playing the game in his previous life.
If this were a peaceful time, Izuna wouldn't mind slowly accumulating skill points, but they were in the middle of a war, and the Senju could attack at any moment.
In the end, Izuna decided to spend his points unlocking A-rank Wind Release: Rasengan. It was currently the most cost-effective jutsu available.
Immediately, he felt a surge of warmth through his body as he mastered a technique that no Uchiha from this era had ever wielded. After learning the Wind Release: Rasengan, the skill tree updated:
[Wind Release: Rasengan (acquired) → Wind Release: Rasen Shuriken (S-rank Wind Release, 100 skill points required, condition: Sage Chakra, can be thrown)]
Izuna then recalled that these jutsu could be transcribed into scrolls for others to learn. For instance, Madara's chakra affinities included fire, lightning, and water, so it might make sense to give him a lightning-style technique like Lightning Release: Raging Thunder Tiger.
But with the Senju threatening an attack, Izuna pushed those thoughts aside. The immediate priority was surviving this war.
Izuna spent the night studying his newly unlocked ninjutsu and further examining his Mangekyō Sharingan.
The next morning, in the Uchiha main camp, more than ten senior Uchiha, including Izuna and Madara, gathered for a strategy meeting.
"We need to decide who will be responsible for covering the retreat," said a middle-aged ninja from the same generation as Uchiha Tajima, speaking gravely.
"I believe the injured should take that role. Our clan's strength is already severely depleted; we need to protect those who are still able to fight," one elder proposed.
"How can you say that? Those injured are clan members who risked their lives for us! It would be heartless to send them to their deaths!" another argued.
"But we have to think of the clan as a whole. We have no choice but to make sacrifices," said the elder, resolute.
"Sacrifice is inevitable, but maybe... Izanagi could save their lives. Though that would come with its own consequences," suggested another, cautiously.
The higher-ups were divided into two camps: one believed that the injured, who might not even survive their wounds, should make a last stand, potentially using forbidden techniques like Izanagi to hold off the Senju. The other group believed the elite troops should retreat, leaving the injured behind.
As tension filled the room, Izuna spoke up. "If we let the wounded die for us and this news reaches the younger generation, how will they see us?"
His words struck a chord, and silence filled the tent. A high-ranking Uchiha Jōnin who had advocated for sacrificing the wounded spoke up reluctantly, "But if we sacrifice our elite, we'll weaken the Uchiha even further. We won't be able to compete with the Senju."
Izuna knew this argument had merit. Uchiha was already at a disadvantage. In the original story, Madara and the Uchiha clan consistently fell short compared to Hashirama and the Senju, both in terms of power and influence.
Both sides had valid points. The Uchiha simply couldn't afford to lose any more strength.
"Let me go," Izuna said, standing up with his arms crossed, exuding quiet confidence.
(End of chapter).