No matter how brutally the meat grinder spun on the front lines, it had absolutely nothing to do with Xuan. He was currently completely immersed in his peaceful, leisurely lifestyle, and he couldn't be more satisfied with it.
Every day, he supervised his little maid's progress in condensing chakra. After offering a few pointers, he would head to the Uchiha clan's training grounds and dedicate himself to instructing the new generation. This was a long-term investment; he needed to slowly and organically engrave his prestige and benevolence into the hearts of his peers.
After finishing his tutoring sessions, Xuan would leave the compound entirely to practice his own Ninjutsu in solitude. He would scatter custom kunai across a massive clearing and frantically chain the Flying Raijin Jutsu, conditioning his body to adapt to the violent spatial tearing.
Simultaneously, he began researching ways to upgrade the Rasengan. His immediate goal was to expand its size into the Big Ball Rasengan. He also experimented with injecting his chakra nature transformations into the sphere, hoping to independently recreate the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. Unfortunately, progress on that front was painfully slow.
Naturally, he had also secretly tested the destructive power of his newly acquired Kamui.
He had focused his left eye on a massive boulder, twisting the space around it until it was completely shredded and sucked into the Kamui dimension. As an absolute trump card, its lethality was flawless. However, the side effects were terrifying. Xuan vividly remembered the agonizing, burning pain that had erupted from his three-tomoe Sharingan immediately after the test; the sheer agony had almost convinced him he was going blind on the spot.
Fortunately, his vision fully recovered the next day, but the experience had left him drenched in cold sweat. Upon reflection, it made complete sense. Kamui was a Mangekyō-exclusive ocular jutsu. The physical strain it placed on the optic nerve was immense. Even a true Mangekyō user risked total blindness if they spammed their abilities too recklessly, let alone someone forcing the Jutsu through a three-tomoe eye. That terrifying deduction nearly scared Xuan out of ever using Kamui again.
It wasn't until he casually browsed the System shop later and discovered an item that completely restored visual prowess that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to worry about permanent blindness anymore. Even when he inevitably unlocked his true Mangekyō, he could spam his abilities without fear—though the price was painfully steep at 10,000 points per restoration.
Days turned into weeks, and an entire month quietly slipped by. Xuan's mastery over his Jutsu grew increasingly profound. His research into the Big Ball Rasengan was finally bearing fruit, and he was confident he would perfect the size expansion soon. As for injecting a nature transformation, that was still a long road ahead.
Deep within a secluded forest, Uchiha Xuan stood perfectly still. The three tomoe in his eyes spun lazily as he gripped three shuriken in each hand. Several tiny target boards were hidden behind thick tree trunks and concealed in his peripheral blind spots—positions that were geometrically impossible to hit with a straight throw.
A stray leaf detached from a branch above. The exact moment it drifted down to his eye level, Xuan vanished.
He reappeared in midair, violently whipping his arms. He released the shuriken in two distinct volleys. The first three blades sailed forward, only for the second volley to overtake them. The six shuriken violently collided in midair, striking each other with pinpoint precision to completely alter their trajectories.
Xuan landed silently on the forest floor. He glanced up just as the falling leaf finally touched the dirt.
All six shuriken had embedded themselves dead-center in the hidden bullseyes.
"Whew. Time to head home."
Xuan retrieved his shuriken and target boards, casually tossing them into his Kamui dimension. Wiping an imaginary drop of sweat from his brow, he began the trek back to the compound.
He had maintained this daily routine of practicing shurikenjutsu and Taijutsu without fail. His shuriken throwing had reached a level of absolute perfection; by his own estimation, he was likely on par with Itachi Uchiha from the original story. As for his Taijutsu... well, in his own words, it was 'adequate for his current level.'
When he stepped through the gates of his manor, his little maid was busy sweeping the fallen cherry blossom petals in the courtyard. The falling petals were stunningly beautiful, but because they fell constantly, cleaning them up was an absolute nightmare.
Upon seeing Xuan, Hotaru immediately pointed toward the Wind and Rain Pavilion on the left. She puffed out her chest and tilted her chin up in a dramatically arrogant pose. Xuan couldn't help but burst into laughter. He instantly knew Uchiha Madara had arrived. He had to admit, the little maid's impression was spot-on.
Xuan strolled into the pavilion and headed up to the second floor. Madara was sitting comfortably by the open window, a brilliant smile on his face as he poured himself a cup of sake. He looked to be in an exceptionally fantastic mood.
Damn, does this guy really think he owns the place? Xuan grumbled internally at the sight.
Hearing footsteps, Madara turned his head. His eyes lit up when he saw Xuan. "You're finally back! I already poured your drink. Sit."
He casually gestured to the cushion across from him.
Not only does he treat my house like it's his, he's actually acting like the host!
Rolling his eyes, Xuan sat down. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong today. A bright, genuine smile like that simply didn't belong on Madara's edgy face. The entire vibe was completely off.
"Come, come! Drink up!"
Madara happily pushed the cup of sake toward him. Xuan eyed him warily. Sure, having the future Final Boss of the Shinobi World personally pour him a drink gave him a weird sense of accomplishment, but the whole situation felt incredibly ominous.
He wouldn't try to poison my drink just because I refused to go to the battlefield a hundred times, right?
Suspicious, Xuan stared intensely at the cup, even subtly activating his Sharingan to inspect the liquid for any foreign chakra or toxins. When things act out of character, there's always a demon pulling the strings. He couldn't drop his guard.
"What is your ultimate goal here?" Xuan asked suspiciously. "Let me make this clear right now: I'm not going to the battlefield."
Madara threw his head back and laughed heartily, downing his own cup in a single gulp. Logically speaking, since they were still children, drinking alcohol should have been strictly forbidden. But kids in the Warring States Era matured horrifyingly fast, and neither of them had any real self-awareness. Besides, the sake here was basically just fermented fruit juice; they practically drank it like soda.
"Big brother is in a fantastic mood today! Come on, let's just have a few drinks first. Don't worry, we aren't going to the battlefield."
Hearing the sheer confidence in his tone, Xuan finally picked up his cup and downed it. The slightly spicy liquid burned pleasantly down his throat. He could tell Madara was genuinely thrilled today—the specific pronoun he used was a dead giveaway.
Normally, when Madara was feeling neutral, he referred to himself using the standard "I" (ore). When he was annoyed, he would aggressively use "This Old Man" . When he was absolutely furious, he escalated to "This Great Lord" (hon-sama). But when he was in a genuinely fantastic mood, he would refer to himself as "Big Brother" . Xuan had learned this psychological quirk directly from Izuna. Based on his observations, it was a 100% accurate mood indicator.
After sharing a few cups, Xuan finally relaxed. With an entire bottle of sake warming his stomach and a slight buzz clouding his head, he asked, "Seriously, why did you come over today? You're acting way too weird."
"I'll tell you," Madara grinned. "Father issued a mission today, and he wants me to complete it with you. How about it? It has nothing to do with the battlefield."
"A mission issued by the Clan Head?" A sharp glint flashed in Xuan's eyes. Ever since he had been brutally set up at the Fujiwara Iron Mine, he was hyper-sensitive to any 'internal clan missions.' He was terrified of walking into another trap.
Thinking about it for a second, he immediately realized something was wrong. If Tajima wanted both of them to complete a mission, there was zero reason he would only summon Madara to issue the directive. That completely violated protocol. Seeing the guilty, evasive smile plastered on Madara's face, Xuan narrowed his eyes. "Did he really order you to complete it with me?"
Madara laughed awkwardly, trying to dodge the question. No matter how Xuan pressed him, he deflected and changed the subject. Finally, Xuan's temper flared. "I'm not going! Whoever wants to go can go themselves!"
Realizing the jig was up, Madara sighed helplessly. "Alright, fine. The mission was only assigned to me. But after reviewing the details, I felt a lot more confident taking it on with you. It really isn't a battlefield deployment. Don't tell me you won't even help me out with this?"
Xuan tapped his finger against the table. "Show me the mission brief first."
____
PLEASE SUPPORT ME ON PATREON:
Patreon.com/IndifferentVillain
Early Access and + 60 chapter ahead of webnovel monthly, ur support keeps me motivated...thanks and enjoy reading
Chapter 150 is out on patreon
_______________