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During the Warring States period, what was a clan's most important resource?
It wasn't territory, nor rations, nor Jutsu. It was children.
Only with children did a clan have a future. Only then could they even talk about the future; otherwise, it was all bullshit. Because of this, even though the cruel pressures of the era forced clans to send growing youths to the battlefield, the age limit was strictly kept above ten years old. Exceptions were incredibly rare.
Xuan's expression turned incredibly gloomy. If the Hyuga clan's plan succeeded, the Uchiha's next generation would suffer catastrophic casualties. In ten years or so, there would be a massive gap in their forces, potentially shaking the very foundation of the clan.
"How many people are coming?" Xuan asked.
"I don't know," the spy replied. "But even though your Uchiha clan lost the right flank, you still retained half your strength. Sending too many people would trigger an alarm, and my clan can't spare that many experts right now anyway. I estimate it will be an elite squad: one Jōnin, two Special Jōnin, and around ten Chūnin."
Xuan rubbed his chin, carefully calculating the enemy's strength, and silently agreed with the spy's assessment. "One last question. How did you hide your Byakugan? I remember the Byakugan can't revert to normal eyes like the Sharingan can."
"It's a secret medicine developed by our clan," the ninja explained. "It conceals all traces of the Byakugan. It only works on our Dojutsu, so it's useless to you."
"Oh." Xuan sounded disappointed. He had thought it would be some kind of special secret technique. "Forget it. Seeing as you've been so honest, I'll give you a quick end."
"Wait—"
The ninja looked terrified, never expecting Xuan to be so decisive. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a kunai slashed across his throat. His vision went black, and he never spoke another word.
Ding!
[Killed a Hyuga Clan Chūnin. Reward: 1,000 Points.]
"Huh?"
The sudden sound of the System prompt made Xuan freeze. For the past two years, he had almost forgotten this System even existed.
So I can earn Points by killing enemy ninjas! Then what the hell was I doing grinding away like an idiot in the compound for the last two years?
Xuan let out a bitter laugh, internally cursing the godforsaken System, and turned to sprint back toward the clan compound. Now was not the time to get tangled up with the System. Knowing that he could earn Points by killing enemies meant he'd have plenty of opportunities in the future. Right now, he just prayed the Third Elder hadn't left yet.
On the way back, he opened the long-neglected System interface and directly browsed the Jutsu available for exchange.
In the Behind-the-Scenes Boss System, Jutsu were priced according to their rank:
S-Rank: 10,000 Points
A-Rank: 5,000 Points
B-Rank: 1,000 Points
C-Rank: 500 Points
D-Rank: 100 Points
Looking at his balance of 1,000 Points, Xuan pondered his options. He could afford one B-Rank Jutsu or two C-Rank Jutsu. He had to choose carefully; if the Third Elder had already left, tonight was going to be incredibly dangerous.
The B-Rank Jutsu I currently know are Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb and Fire Style: Flame Slash. Both are offensive Jutsu. Given my age, my total Chakra reserves are still low. Learning another B-Rank Jutsu won't significantly boost my combat strength. I'm better off learning two C-Rank Jutsu focused on survival.
Thinking of this, a specific technique suddenly popped into Xuan's mind. He hurriedly scrolled through the C-Rank section. Unfortunately, there were simply too many C-Rank Jutsu to sift through manually. He decided to just ask the System directly: Hey, System, can I exchange for the Crow Clone Jutsu?
[Crow Clone Jutsu. Rank: C. Cost: 500 Points. Would you like to exchange?] The System's calm voice echoed in his mind.
Xuan's heart settled. Exchange! Exchange immediately!
This so-called Crow Clone Jutsu was a technique originally invented by Uchiha Itachi in canon. It was a seamless blend of Genjutsu and Clone mechanics—flashy, handsome, elusive, and top-tier for survival. Back when he watched Naruto, Xuan had always coveted it.
A moment ago, he had been worried that since this was the Warring States period and Itachi hadn't even been born yet, the Jutsu wouldn't be available. But it seemed the System truly lived up to its name; it could even provide techniques from the future.
A warm current flowed into Uchiha Xuan's body. In an instant, he fully mastered the Jutsu, and his Points dropped by 500.
With his remaining 500 Points, he exchanged for a Genjutsu called the Sly Mind Affect Jutsu.
Upon returning to the compound, Xuan rushed straight to the meeting hall. Not seeing the Third Elder anywhere, his heart sank. Clinging to a sliver of hope, he bolted directly to Madara's room. The moment he saw his cousin, he asked, "Where is the Third Elder?"
Uchiha Madara gave him a strange look. "The Third Elder took the garrison ninjas to reinforce the battlefield. Weren't you there when he made the decision?"
Xuan's heart plummeted. Holding onto a final, desperate thread of hope, he asked, "How long ago did he leave?" It had taken him two hours to chase down the Hyuga Chūnin, an hour to subdue and interrogate him, and another two hours to rush back. Five hours in total. He could only hope the Elder's group hadn't gotten far.
"He left three hours ago. Did something happen?" As expected of a future legend of the ninja world, Madara sharply caught the edge of panic in Xuan's voice.
Xuan let out a helpless sigh. Three hours... at a ninja's travel pace, it would be nearly impossible to catch up to them now. Disappointed, he sat down and relayed the intel he had just acquired to Madara.
Xuan and Madara are officially on their own against a Jōnin-led strike team.