Naruto: A Life On The Battlefield

I was addicted. Memorizing and completely understanding an explosive tag took me less than an hour. In my inventory I had multiple different ones from separate shopping sprees. It came to a point that I could judge them by quality as not all sealing script was the made same.

The first set of five I ever acquired were of a significantly lesser grade than what I had bought from a higher end ninja store. 

The difference was a denser and finer script. But from what I learned I could tell that the more well made ones would be more resistant to tampering and have a higher explosive yield.

One just seemed sloppy and more 'home made'. I could tell that the first ones I received were made by a novice while the others were made by someone more advanced.

Before I knew it I was going through the fine script around the ridge of a storage scroll. There was no comparison. The storage scroll seemed like a way more advanced and trickier creation. More than one 'law' was required while the elements were nearly abandoned. Those being mass and space.

Only earth was included, which instead of a 'reaction' kanji which was a basis for the explosive tag. There was a different 'command' Kanji, fold. Earth to fold into earth creating mass, folding mass to create space. Supplying chakra 'folded' the items placed in the scroll.

To fold mass and create a pocket space inside of a scroll? And this was one of the lowest applications of fuinjutsu, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a more specialized bit of seal work.

But based on what I learned could a sufficiently mastered earth affinity be able to fold and affect space? I've heard tales of earth ninjutsu that affect mass but never space. Could that be the secret to the particle release, which made the Second and Third Tuchikage so famous? It was a mere footnote and I barely skinned through it in the bingo book, yet I felt I was on the right track.

I had truly spiraled. Before long I was prepared to summon Mufuso to go ask to take a look at the contract scroll before a soft knock reverberated through the house.

"Sage it's morning already? Who the hell is knocking at the crack of dawn…" I said grumpily as I left my mess and headed towards the front door.

I swung the door open with slightly squinted eyes only to see my uncle standing there with his arms crossed.

"Couldn't come see your dear uncle and aunt on your first day home," he asked as his eyes squinted just like mine. Honestly he had a point.

"Sorry, since I've been home it's like I've been pulled away at least three different times, I honestly barely had time to stop by their grav…" I was going to continue making excuses but his smirk told me he was merely messing with me.

"I'm joking Tometsu, though, I'd used to having less and less free time. Your names spreading through the village at a rapid pace, it's unsettling." Koshu said with a small frown as he began looking me over.

"I can see the war is beginning to change you," he said with a small frown as he judged my appearance. I was still fully armored and prepared to be deployed at any moment. Yet I wasn't close to uncomfortable, it just felt normal now.

"Maybe you're right…." I said with a small frown, not like that I really found anything wrong with being armed. Though it was normal to see shinobi walk around in everyday civilian attire when on leave.

"All the better in most cases. A sharpened sword is always better than a dull one. Though on the other end of the spectrum a blade is only as strong as its wielder's mind." Koshu said sharing a rare bit of wisdom, or just continuing to mess with me. I understood what he meant, a seasoned shinobi is only as powerful as his mental fortitude.

"What's got you in the mood to share such words of wisdom with me?" I asked as I wiggled my brows, successfully wiping the smirk off my uncle's face.

"Well it's not everyday a nephew of mine is requested to spar with the head of the clan," Koshu said with a proud smile.

"So that's why you've come before dawn, can't keep the clan head waiting after all." I said as I stepped out and locked the door behind me. Uncle nodded and motioned for me to follow him down the Uchiha district main road.

"I knew you'd make a wave when you returned, that or you would've died. There were only ever two options, wasn't there, Crimson Mirage?" Uncle Koshu asked as his proud smile turned into a perturbed frown. He seemed to have been a nervous wreck, I felt bad but I didn't regret it. 

"No, there really wasn't." I replied.

"Well as your surrogate parent I can say I'm happy. Anything below a kage level combatant can't kill you anymore. You have even drawn the interest of every power in the village and from my point of view it's a great thing." Koshu changed the topic.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They want you to grow, from Lord Third, Lord Kagami and Sakumo Hatake. You have a backing now, you are protected until you grow into your potential. That is a rare and valuable thing to have in the shinobi world."

"Hm." It was rare that I'd copy the clan lingo, yet it was nearly impossible to stop. Especially when I was getting annoyed by a conversation. You could even call it a verbal tic in some situations.

{Quest Accepted}

Crimson Mirage Vs.One Thousand Illusions

Objective: End the spar in a draw.

Secondary Objective: Defeat Kagami Uchiha.

Rewards:???,???,???,???,???

I was just about to change the subject to ask what uncle knew about a senju anbu, if anything at all when the quest prompt appeared. Funnily enough it was exactly when we reached the Clan Heads front yard.

Many would say the Uchiha were a lavish and vain clan but looking at their leaders living quarters you wouldn't believe it. A single story twenty bedroom complex that was styled just the same as every smaller house down the Main Street. The only wall being about a hundred yards behind the house is stylized by the Uchiha fan symbol.

It spoke of wealth but nothing close to vanity, well aside from the fact that six people lived there. That I knew of at least. The former clan head, Kagami and his wife. His two kids were his teenage daughter and his young son Fugaku.

The story of his daughter, Fumiko Uchiha was interesting, if only for the fact that she renounced her claim to be the Matriarch. At the age of fourteen and as a Chunnin she decided she wasn't interested in politics. That was a mere two years ago.

It seemed an aide was warned of our approach and waited for us at the front gate.

We greeted the woman as she led us to the back of the complex towards what I would guess was the head family's personal training ground.

She led us most of the way before telling us to continue towards the pond. We found a man meditating on a single plank dock on the edge of the large pond.

A large training ground spread from behind us all the way to the complex.

"Good morning, Koshu and Tometsu," Kagami spoke from his meditation position, back still turned to us.

"To you as well Clan head," Koshu said with a tilt of his head that I mirrored.

They shared a few more pleasantries before the Kagami turned around to address us. Yet my mind was elsewhere, particularly of how seriously I was going to take this spar.

Would I summon an Elder or battle on my own? I was leaning more toward on my own as it felt rude to summon Mufuso for a simple spar. The elder never spoke of when I could summon him but I got the hint he'd be aggravated to be summoned for every small skirmish.

No, today I'd push the limits of my Afterimage step, how powerful was the jutsu I created? And how much further could I push it?

It had an inherent quality I didn't expect it to have. At first I was focused on speed and nothing else. But the afterimages were a bi-product of moving so fast. Misdirection, one of the shinobi's greatest and most subtle tools.

There was another tool in my possession that gained that exact attribute. My sage transformation inherited the traits of the Panthers. Making my chakra signature and scent vanish. Along with muting the sounds I made when I moved. 

Plus the idea Minato gave me, I felt I had a good chance of winning this spar.

And against an Uchiha who was S-rank and had a fully realized Sharingan. This was a chance to really put my movement jutsu to the test.

"Are you ready Tometsu, I was thinking a battle in the pond would be a nice setting," Kagami asked as he turned to me and motioned to the pond behind him.

I had to admit it had an aesthetic. As we were in the fall and a low film of fog had rolled over the pond at this time of the morning. Surrounded mostly by trees on the pond's edges.

"That's fine," I said as I moved for the first time in thirty seconds. I heard Koshu gasp as the afterimage I left behind vanished.

"It seems you're taking this seriously, that's good," Kagami said as appeared in a storm of crows ten feet away from me. "Wouldn't want this to end to fast,"

I smirked at the jab. 

"I disagree," I replied as four clones joined me after a subtle twitch of my right hand. "I prefer fighting as fast as possible," All four clones spoke in unison as they raised a single half seal. That half seal was for a jutsu most if not all shinobi abandon after hitting the Chunin rank.

Each clone used a third of their chakra pool for this jutsu, where there were once only two bodies on the pond now there were well over a hundred. Then they moved and that hundred turned into a thousand.

"Oh... this is going to be annoying," Kagami said as he ducked under a katana swing and kicked out. Hitting nothing but air as the afterimage disappeared. He was forced to jump as seventy different attacks came simultaneously. There was no way to tell which ones were real leaving him one option, run.

But could a seasoned S-rank shinobi continue to run? 

The truth was that if I had only used the afterimage step and the shadow clones he could follow my movements. The only reason I could move at these speeds was due to my Sharingan. As he had one two and trained it for decades longer I had no doubt he'd be able to keep up. 

Yet when the afterimages and a hundred normal clones joined the fray? I had no doubt his head was spinning to try and keep up with the shadow clones, let alone my true position.

He dodged and blocked. Parried and striked. In a few of the thousands of exchanges I traded a few true blows with the man to test his swordsmanship against mine. I found myself lacking in most of the exchanges but my clones were there to back me up. 

He dodged an afterimages overhead slash, turned and blasted off a monsterous great fireball jutsu. There was nothing but ethereal clones and afterimages in the epicenter.

He broke in a storm of crows to avoid a pincer attack and continued forward. Trying his best to get off a genjutsu to turn a clone against one of the rest. Yet finding a real shadow clone or even myself in the sea of afterimages and clones was no small feat. Practically impossible.

The clash continued as the destroyed clones were easily returned. Thousands of feints, hundreds of false attacks, tens of true attacks and even a few jutsus were added to the mix.

The main part of this strategy? Do not let the man complete a lengthy sequence of seals. A wide spread area of effect ninjutsu was the only viable way to counter my now. It was a good thing that I had thousands of body's ready to interrupt any jutsu over six seals without fail.

It was honestly a badge of honor that the man lasted two entire minutes.

"Concede," I said calmly in five different directions. The flat of my blade pressed against the back of his neck. Two shadow clones and two afterimages mirrored my actions as we surrounded the man.

"Why would I do that?" He asked with what I'd bet was an infuriating smirk.

"Because I know you're a shadow clone, tell the original hiding under the water that I have a fully powered great breakthrough jutsu poised from three directions ready and waiting for his resurgence." I said truly as I flipped my wrist and decapitated the clone.

Moments later the true Kagami rose from the water with his hands in the air. Shocked and completely out of breath as he regarded the thousands of Sharigan that locked eyes with him.

"I concede," Kagami said as the ethereal clones and afterimages faded. Leaving only myself and two other clones, he had only managed to put one under a genjutsu who another shadow clone sacrificed himself to dispatch it.

-

{Quest Completed}

Crimson Mirage Vs.One Thousand Illusions

Objective: End the spar in a draw.

Secondary Objective: Defeat Kagami Uchiha.

Rewards: 1 perk point, 2 perk points 80,000xp,175,000xp.

-

[Level up X10... 100 stat points added]

-

Level 38 (18,000/35,000) 

Name: Tometsu Uchiha

Chakra: 10,200/10,200

Title: Sage of Panthera- Absorb natural energy twice as fast as a normal sage.

(Secondary) Title: Prodigious Killer- Boosts stats by twenty percent when fighting an enemy of a higher level than yourself

Strength:49

Dexterity:67

Agility:62

Endurance:40

Intelligence:204

Stat points:70-(170)

Perk Points:0-(3)

-

A battle that had lasted a mere three minutes left Kagami covered in sweat and filled with superficial cuts all over his body. Where I myself still had a third of my chakra and a mere cut on my left cheek.

One quest had returned my investment into fuinjutsu. Along with more stat points than I ever had. In less than six months I've pushed myself into the realm of S-rank.

'My jutsu is complete, Eternal Mirage Formation. Sage Art: Afterimage step used by myself and shadow clones, combined with the normal clone jutsu. A combination jutsu that defeated an S-rank ninja in single combat'

"You are a dangerous shinobi Tometsu Uchiha, a complete counter to my fighting style at least. Sakumo must be one hell of a teacher." Kagami admitted, my eyes drifted to my uncle who stood frozen on the single plank dock. More shocked than Kagami but a proud smile nearly hid it all when his Sharingan met mine.

"Not really, he forgets my name every other day," I said in jest as I let my clones and Sage mode fall away. I was surprised when Kagami walked up to me and dropped both his hands on my shoulders. Forcing me to look up to him and pray for my growth spurt to hit soon.

"Tometsu Uchiha, The Crimson Mirage. This coming era is truly yours to do with as you see fit," Kagami said with a smirk. His eyes shone almost as if he could see the future and he was content with the outcome.