NOVEL WEB Chapter 52: CHAPTER 52
Chapter 52: Reward Yourself
Over 900 meters above the earth, the high-altitude air grew razor-sharp, slicing across his skin like senbon. Uchiha Gen's black hair whipped in the wind, and his long robes flared behind him like trailing banners. Narrowing his three-tomoe Sharingan, he looked downward with composure.
Beneath him stretched a verdant sea of motion. The so-called "waves" were rolling crests of treetops, a living ocean of green. This was no water it was the boundless canopy of the Land of Fire's great forests, stretching as far as his eyes, chakra-enhanced or not, could see. Life pulsed below like chakra itself, vibrant and surging.
This was the first time he had allowed Zhu Rong, his fire dragon Homitz, to reveal his full form and exert nearly all of his flight capacity.
Back in Konohagakure, he had occasionally summoned Zhu Rong to glide low through the inner forest under the cover of night stealth was always paramount.
But there had never been a chance to soar freely in battle to fly boldly in the open sky as if he were born to it. This flight? It was indulgent. And exhilarating.
Although he wasn't flying under his own power, it didn't matter. Riding Zhu Rong felt no less awe-inspiring.
The only shortcoming was Zhu Rong's altitude ceiling. The dragon couldn't fly higher than about 1,000 meters a limitation of Homitz physiology. He was formidable, yes, but he wasn't a true Ryūmyaku-born dragon or a Sage-beast tied to celestial chakra.
Perhaps one day, he could transform thunderclouds into flying Homitz beings infused with wind and lightning attributes to reach even greater heights.
The red silhouette of the dragon weaved through the sky, searching for banks of cloud to cloak its presence. Though the speed was far from supersonic hovering around 270 kilometers per hour, comparable to a standard Kumo reconnaissance rotorcraft it was fast enough to satisfy.
Whenever the dragon pierced through clouds, Uchiha Gen extended his hand to brush against the vapor, smiling with unguarded wonder. There was no trace of his usual cold calculation only the joy of discovery, like a child given wings.
Then again, when one really flies above the trees and touches the sky, there's little difference between the dreams of a child and the awe of an adult.
It was his first true flight in open sky, not as a fugitive or as a ninja in hiding but as himself. Every moment delighted him. He drank in the scenery like he was parched for beauty. No matter how far he traveled, the land below never bored him.
In his previous life, Uchiha Gen had always enjoyed staring out the window on long journeys. Be it by car, train, or plane, he preferred scenery over screens. He never slept on the road, and found no joy in idle entertainment only the unfolding world outside.
Three hours later, a familiar shape surfaced on the horizon—Konohagakure.
With his vision sharpened by chakra and his innate Uchiha perceptiveness, he could make out the distant silhouettes of the Hokage Rock, where the faces of the First, Second, and Third Hokage were carved into stone. The Fourth had yet to take his place it was not that time yet.
Without hesitation, Uchiha Gen directed Zhu Rong to veer off, dropping altitude. They descended toward the dense forest that surrounded the Hidden Leaf Village like a green moat.
As they approached the canopy, Zhu Rong shrunk his immense form, his body contracting with practiced grace until he could coil around Gen's left forearm like a living tattoo. The flame dragon Homitz, clearly exhausted, slumbered silently.
With Zhu Rong resting, Gen turned his attention to his cargo: two unconscious Uchiha clansmen Yuichi and Mori each kept in deep genjutsu and sedated with custom Orochimaru-formulated compounds.
He began scouting the forest terrain for a temporary shelter, somewhere discreet and defensible. Eventually, these two would be transferred to a secured experimental site for the Sharingan evolution project.
Thirty minutes passed.
Deeper into the woodland, he discovered a secluded cave, its entrance half-covered by hanging vines and the telltale stench of recent animal activity. After a brief but fierce confrontation, he drove out a pair of chakra-hungry forest cats beasts that had adapted to feed on small summons and familiars.
With the cave cleared, Uchiha Gen dragged the unconscious bodies inside. He peeled back their eyelids to verify chakra flow, then activated his Sharingan again to reinforce the genjutsu coma on both of them. Neither would awaken until he willed it.
Satisfied, he left the cave to prepare his next tools.
Drawing the Kusanagi Sword his living blade, resonating with wind chakra he began felling trees. The blade sliced cleanly, silently. He carved with a master's precision, manipulating the chakra threads between his fingers to hollow, notch, and construct.
Within half an hour, two new wooden Homitz figures stood in the clearing more refined and humanoid than the last batch. Their joints were smoother, their frames sturdier, their design clearly an evolution.
He drew forth two glass flasks, each holding soul fragments and measured lifespans previously stored. With the precision of a scientist and the reverence of a priest, he inserted the spirits into the respective constructs.
The wooden Homitz shuddered. Their carved eyes flickered open with dim chakra light.
Newborns.
Still groggy from awakening, they looked around in mild confusion like sleepwalkers not yet aware of their purpose.
Uchiha Gen gave them a brief glance and said, "From now on, your names will be Mu Yi and Mu Er."
He tossed two cloaks at them. "Put on your clothes. Go clean and prepare the cave."
"Yes, sir."
They caught the cloaks and dressed quickly, then jogged off toward the cave without delay.
After completing his work in the cave, Uchiha Gen changed into a low-profile disguise a transformation jutsu shaped to match his past life's appearance: an average-height samurai with brown hair, modest chakra levels, and a faded traveling kimono. With his identity secured, he headed to the nearest trade town, located just outside the Land of Fire's neutral zone.
His objective: gather a variety of supplies food, sealing materials, medical tools, chakra ink, experimental instruments, and clothing. The procurement spanned multiple markets over several hours. To avoid suspicion, he bought in small, manageable batches, disguising himself as a wandering merchant with eccentric tastes.
Once the goods were acquired, Gen transported them in stages to a remote grove concealed by a minor genjutsu seal, about three kilometers from the town's outer edge. The sheer volume of items exceeded what he could carry using chakra reinforcement alone, so he summoned Zhu Rong, his dragon Homitz companion, to assist with delivery.
The dragon, partially shrunk to reduce chakra signatures, helped ferry crates of materials flying low and only at dusk to remain undetected.
Back at the forest cave, Gen continued his work. Using leftover wood from the earlier construction, he crafted two large wooden crosses. They weren't ornamental they were frames for chakra-binding seals and physical restraint. With practiced hands, he affixed custom devices sourced from the town's black market mechanisms often used in ANBU-level detention ops, modified for civilian suppression.
He then brought the two unconscious Uchiha captives, Yuichi and Mori, and bound them to the crosses within the cave. The bindings were reinforced with chakra-threaded coils and Fuuma Clan paralyzing seals, preventing sudden flare-ups of Sharingan activation.
By the time the setup was done, sweat dripped down Uchiha Gen's brow. It wasn't difficult not for a shinobi trained in both Fuinjutsu and Homitz manipulation but the process was tedious.
Still, he thought, if you seek power, you can't be afraid of effort.
Yes, he possessed the Soul-Soul Fruit, a golden ability, but this wasn't some wish-fulfilling "system" that handed out cheat items for free. Every edge he claimed had to be earned.
After wrapping up, he fetched water from a naturally seeping spring within the cave's rear chamber, gathered some dry wood from the forest outskirts, and lit a fire using basic Katon chakra channeling. Soon, water was boiling.
He prepared two buckets of instant noodle soup, a luxury salvaged from the town's trade district. Sitting just outside the cave entrance, Uchiha Gen slurped them down slowly, savoring the warmth as twilight settled into darkness.
"If you can't eat and drink properly," he mused, "then you're not really surviving you're just enduring."
Once dinner was finished, he began reinforcing the cave's perimeter. He set up a sequence of detonation tags, primarily focusing on the main entry paths. The explosive seals were wired with trip-triggered chakra threads, arranged with the same precision the ANBU used for border defense lines.
His expression remained neutral throughout, but Zhu Rong's inner fire provided a gentle illumination, bathing the cave area in a faint red glow, allowing Gen to work effortlessly even in total darkness.
His goal wasn't just defense it was deterrence.
If nearby predators kept triggering explosions, eventually the wildlife would begin to avoid the cave altogether, instinctively treating the zone as cursed. Beasts weren't dumb. They learned fast.
He emptied his ninja tool pouch, using every last detonating talisman. Once done, he summoned Mu Yi and Mu Er, his two newly infused wooden Homitz.
He gave them precise instructions: patrol times, observation methods, chakra signature tracking, emergency retreat protocols.
Then, Gen climbed atop Zhu Rong, who had finished resting, and soared into the night sky, the dragon's body blending into the dark horizon like a fleeting ember.
More than three hours passed before they approached the lights of the town again. By then, midnight was approaching. Streets glowed with chakra lamps, and signs of nightlife flickered like fireflies.
He descended in a quiet alleyway and dispelled his earlier transformation, replacing it with a new one: a more rugged, muscular man with a weathered expression, carrying a battered katana and the look of a seasoned traveler.
He stepped forward.
Colorful neon signs glowed above a large building marked "Pink Flower," the largest custom house in town. Though a minor border town, it was a refuge for weary ninja and travelers alike.
Uchiha Gen hesitated briefly then entered.
"Hey, handsome, don't think I've seen you before. First time here?" A middle-aged madam, draped in vibrant robes and smelling faintly of perfume and alcohol, approached with practiced sway and a confident smile.
"This is my first time at Lantern Flower, yes," Gen said smoothly, his tone casual, his face calm. "I trust you won't disappoint me."
Underage in appearance and legally restricted in the shinobi world's public eye, Gen had no choice but to rely on disguise jutsu when engaging in activities like drinking or entering adult establishments.
He smiled faintly. After a long day of experimentation, security measures, and soul infusion, why not relax?
"Oh, don't worry, darling," the madam cooed. "Our establishment is the pride of the region. We only offer the finest entertainment, cuisine, and companions."
She handed him a folded scroll a chakra-sealed service menu, written in poetic script with coded euphemisms. She leaned close and patted his chest, the rich perfume enveloping him. "We take pride in pleasing our guests."
He glanced over the list, then said dryly, "Start with a table of your best wine and food. Then bring a singer. After that, prepare a bath with two good-looking girls to assist."
The madam's eyes twinkled. "My, my. A man of culture."
"I didn't come here to waste time sipping tea," Gen replied. "Let's see if you can live up to your reputation."
"If you satisfy me," he added, raising a hand and slapping it lightly across her backside with a crack, "I'll come again and I tip well."
"Ugh! You naughty rogue!" she cried in mock protest, pouting and sauntering away to make arrangements.
Moments later, other attendants arrived and led him to a private chamber. There, Gen feasted on fragrant grilled eel, hot sake, and seasoned rice, all while listening to a trained singer strum a shamisen and sing of ancient shinobi legends.
The wine flowed, the music soothed, and when it was time, the two bath attendants a pair of cheerful girls with average chakra and pleasant demeanors led him to a tiled hot spring room.
They disrobed and helped him into the water, washing and massaging his arms and shoulders. The fatigue of the day seemed to melt from his bones.
Once done, Uchiha Gen dressed, paid generously, and left the Pink Flower behind, stepping into the stillness of the early morning.
He made his way to a clean inn nearby and reserved the top floor room. It was quiet, spacious, and perfect for a few hours of uninterrupted rest.
By the time the sun rose, Uchiha Gen felt fully refreshed his chakra restored, his body relaxed.
He left the inn, grabbed breakfast from a street stall steamed buns, pork rice balls, and a cup of thick green tea then wandered through the town for a while. Stalls reopened, people bustled, and for a few moments, it felt like the war had never touched this place.
Peace returning, one brick at a time, he thought.
While the town bustled, its scale and security could not compare to Konoha, which despite being called a village was now the size and complexity of a small city-state, complete with multiple districts, industrial zones, and a burgeoning commercial sector.
Around mid-afternoon, Uchiha Gen finally made his way back to the Konoha forward camp, situated just beyond the borders of the Village proper.
No sooner had he arrived his clothes not even fully settled than a messenger shinobi arrived at his tent.
"Uchiha Gen," the messenger said, bowing. "Lord Orochimaru requests your presence immediately."
Gen raised a brow. He wasn't sure what was coming next… but when Orochimaru summoned you directly, it was never ordinary.
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