Konoha: The King of Souls

A forty-mile journey is barely anything for a ninja.

Even though the Leaf Village ninja had done their utmost to set up traps to slow the advance, the combined forces of the Cloud and Sand Villages arrived in just half an hour.

The Hidden Leaf Village is surrounded by mountains and forests, which act as natural barriers.

But they're also the perfect battleground, and no ninja is better suited to forest combat than those from the Leaf.

As soon as the allied forces arrived, their elite ninja launched an all-out attack, pouring chakra into their techniques to forcibly break through the Leaf's barrier defenses.

This was a blitz. Coordinated with offensives on both the Cloud and Sand fronts, the plan relied on speed; the longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for the allied forces.

In the short term, reinforcements from the frontlines—where Hiruzen Sarutobi was stationed—wouldn't arrive, but if too much time passed, the situation could change.

If the Leaf reinforcements arrived before the allied forces could defeat the defenders and breach the village, a pincer attack would spell certain defeat.

After breaking the barrier, the allied forces spread into formation. Small squads formed units, units formed divisions, and they advanced in an organized march toward Kikyo Hill.

Once Kikyo Hill was breached, the allied forces would reach Kikyo Castle, an iconic site at the edge of the village. From there, they could begin causing real damage to the Leaf Village—damage that would escalate the deeper they penetrated.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Boom, boom, boom...

Explosions echoed through the lush forest as a series of traps activated. There were kunai and shuriken traps, explosive tags, and traps based on individual ninja techniques.

In an instant, the forest—teeming with the vitality of spring—was transformed into a cruel, bloody battlefield. Animals scattered in panic as chaos erupted.

The allied forces pressed forward despite sustaining casualties. Their numbers steadily whittled down as they dismantled most of the traps and drew closer to Kikyo Hill.

At the same time, the Leaf Village ninja launched a counteroffensive in full force, and the battle entered its most brutal phase—a life-or-death struggle.

Even after suffering losses from the traps, the allied forces still had around 1,200 soldiers, 200 more than the Leaf's defenders, and their morale was high.

However, the Leaf held the advantage in high-level combat power. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi personally took to the battlefield, leading defenders who fought with reckless abandon to protect their home.

The fight quickly reached a fierce stalemate, with casualties mounting on both sides in a bitter, relentless clash.

In the Uchiha clan's assigned sector of the forest, Uchiha Gen stood silently atop a sturdy tree branch, concealed by his camouflaging jutsu, as wave after wave of enemy ninja passed below him. He didn't make a move.

He knew he wasn't strong enough yet. He'd have to pick off the weaker ones first, collect some souls, and then begin to act more boldly.

This camouflage jutsu was rarely used by the Stone Village ninja, but the Uchiha had copied it during the long years of war.

Minutes later, a three-man Cloud team came into view. The ever-cunning Gen seized the opportunity. Just as the three leapt forward, three shuriken whizzed through the air.

"Watch out!"

A dark-skinned, plain-looking Cloud ninja, about 17 or 18, shouted a warning as he spun and swung his blade, deflecting the shuriken with a loud clang.

His teammates weren't so lucky.

The other two weren't as alert or quick to react, and the shuriken struck their lower backs. Blood sprayed as they let out cries of pain and tumbled to the ground.

Gen revealed himself, drawing his blade as he charged toward the unscathed Cloud ninja. The Cloud ninja, standing on a tree branch, showed no fear and jumped to meet him.

Mid-air, Gen's eyes turned crimson, forming the two-tomoe Sharingan.

"Damn it!" The Cloud ninja yelled, trying to avert his gaze. But it was too late.

Sharingan Genjutsu!

With two tomoe, Gen's Sharingan could amplify his genjutsu significantly.

The Cloud ninja's face went blank, his sword arm going limp. As they passed each other, a thin line of blood appeared on his body. Pain broke the genjutsu, and with a scream, he crashed to the ground, disoriented and heavily wounded.

The three Cloud ninja, spared from fatal injuries due to Gen's deliberate restraint, gritted their teeth and stood back up, weapons in hand.

Gen sheathed his sword and leapt down, his hands forming seals midair. The moment he landed, his jutsu was ready.

Demonic Mirage: Descent Into Hell!

This low-level genjutsu forced its victims to witness their worst fears.

Though only a D-rank technique, it was more than enough to overwhelm three lowly Cloud ninja.

Their expressions twisted in terror as they fell under its spell.

Seizing the moment, Gen activated his Soul-Soul Fruit ability. An invisible yet tangible force engulfed the three.

From their heads emerged translucent blue souls and glowing white orbs—representing their life spans. The energy quickly flowed into Gen's body, leaving the three to collapse lifelessly, like discarded puppets.

To cover his tracks, Gen drew his blade and plunged it into their hearts or throats. Though the initial injuries hadn't been lethal, this made sure there was no suspicion.

He immediately fled, retreating to a hollow tree he'd scouted earlier.

Inside, he carefully placed his shuriken and sword on his lap, his heart racing with excitement.

Infuse Soul!

With an outstretched hand, white orbs resembling glutinous rice balls emerged from his palm, sinking into the weapons.

These weren't ordinary life-energy orbs; they contained both life spans and fragments of souls.

Before long, the black shuriken and silver sword sprouted eerie, glaring eyes, as if they had come to life.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!"

The weapons chirped in various tones.

Gen's face darkened. "I'm a man, damn it. Don't call me 'Mom.' Call me... Dad—no, call me 'Master!'"

After a brief pause, they obediently chanted, "Master, Master, Master..."

Satisfied, Gen nodded. "Good. Now shut up and close your eyes unless I say otherwise."

The sentient weapons complied, closing their eyes and mouths. From a distance, the faint markings from their transformation were unnoticeable.

With such obedient tools, Gen was thrilled. His shuriken were now self-guiding, capable of locking onto targets.

Dodging them would only buy time; eventually, the enemy would have to face them head-on.

His sword, too, had become a "flying sword," capable of autonomous attacks.

These enhancements made it nearly impossible to escape his weapons unless their soul anchors were destroyed or their lifespans depleted.

However, he couldn't use these powers recklessly—not until he was strong enough to avoid suspicion. After all, self-aware weapons couldn't be explained as simply "sharpened Uchiha skills."

Perhaps summoning beasts? Nobody would buy that.

Though Gen had long been capable of creating Homies from his own soul, he deemed ordinary weapons unworthy of such a sacrifice.

At the very least, a legendary blade like the Grasscutter Sword might be acceptable.

More importantly, he preferred creating elemental Homies, a higher-tier power.

Wouldn't an elemental Homie be incredible?

Compared to the sheer strength of Big Mom from One Piece, Gen's soul was limited. Big Mom's monstrous physical prowess and "steel balloon" body nurtured her powerful soul.

Thus, Gen had to use his own soul sparingly.

His goal was to harvest as many souls as possible to strengthen himself, paving the way for powerful Homies that would become his trump card in this war-torn ninja world.

Stashing away his transformed weapons, Gen left the tree hollow and resumed his hunt.