Naruto:The System's Shadow

A sturdy cedar table was cleaved in two by a single palm strike. A middle-aged man in long robes surveyed those present with an enraged expression. His usually pure white eyes burned with fury, and veins pulsed at his temples.

"Can any of you offer me an explanation?!" The middle-aged man's voice thundered with rage.

This was the inner sanctum of the Hyuga clan, and the speaker was Hyuga Tenjin, the clan's current leader and its most powerful member.

Eight people were seated below him, their ages varying. The eldest, his face etched with wrinkles, appeared to be past sixty, while the youngest looked to be only in his twenties. They were the strongest members of the Hyuga clan below the clan leader, all peak-level jonin.

Yet, none of the eight dared to speak, merely bowing their heads in silence. Only the oldest among them calmly sipped from a cup of tea, as if the events unfolding in the hall were of no concern to him.

"A jonin, two special jonin, and ten chunin completely annihilated by a group of Uchiha children? Hah! How can our Hyuga clan possibly maintain any semblance of dignity among the other clans? How can we even hold our heads high before the Senju clan?"

Hyuga Tenjin roared. Seeing that no one below spoke, his anger gradually subsided somewhat. He sat back down, reaching for the cup of tea to soothe his throat, only to find that the table had been shattered by his palm strike, and the tea had spilled all over the floor, further aggravating his frustration.

Those below breathed a collective sigh of relief as the clan leader quieted down. One of them spoke, "Lord Clan Head, we miscalculated this time. We did not anticipate that the Uchiha clan would produce two such monstrous talents in this generation. Please grant us another chance."

Hyuga Tenjin ground his teeth, "Give you a chance? Will the Uchiha clan give us a chance? This time, we have thoroughly offended the Uchiha clan. Given their temperament, they will surely launch a ruthless retaliation. What will our Hyuga clan use to defend ourselves?"

The eldest member, sitting at the front, coughed softly and said, "Lord Clan Head, please calm your anger. It is done, and harming your health will do no good. While the Uchiha clan is powerful, our Hyuga clan is not a small clan to be trifled with. The best course of action now is to seek aid from the Senju clan. The Uchiha clan has suffered a defeat on the main battlefield, and the Senju clan's morale is high. With them to restrain the Uchiha, the Uchiha clan will not have much power to target us."

Hyuga Tenjin sighed lightly, "That is the only option now, but doing so will mean bowing our heads to the Senju. Alas..."

After a moment of silence, he raged again, "Regardless, Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Kaito must die! Who will handle this matter?"

The eight members below exchanged glances but remained silent. Madara and Kaito were not to be feared. They were confident that they could easily eliminate them. However, the two were currently within the Uchiha clan compound, and the Uchiha clan's experts had just returned from the battlefield. Going now would be akin to seeking death.

Seeing that his subordinates remained silent, Hyuga Tenjin grew even more infuriated. Just as he was about to speak, a gentle, young woman's voice echoed from the back hall, "Father, why not entrust this matter to me? I am also quite interested in geniuses from other clans!"

A girl in white robes walked out from the back, exuding an air of competence. A smile graced her face, like a blooming white lotus, captivating in its beauty.

Hyuga Tamamo, the princess of the Hyuga clan, was eight years old.

Seeing his daughter's sudden appearance, Hyuga Tenjin was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he nodded slowly. He acknowledged his daughter's strength.

"Very well, I will entrust this matter to Tamamo. I will provide you with three elite jonin from the clan for your command. However, do not venture into the Uchiha clan compound; it is too dangerous. Find opportunities to ambush them during missions. Waiting a few more years is acceptable."

Hyuga Tamamo nodded with a smile.

The other eight members present looked at each other, regretting that they didn't have to sneak into the Uchiha compound. They had likely left the clan leader with the impression that they were cowardly and fearful, and couldn't help but feel a little regret.

Time flew by, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

The Uchiha clan compound.

A child of around five years old stood on the surface of a vast lake, his three-tomoe eyes clearly visible. In his right hand, he held a kunai, carefully engraved with tadpole-like jutsu formulas.

Suddenly, the child hurled the kunai forward with a "whoosh." He then instantly formed hand seals, completing the ninjutsu in less than a second.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" A massive fireball hurtled after the kunai.

The child's gaze was stern, his Sharingan locked onto the fireball as if preparing for something. In a flash, he vanished. It was not a high-speed movement technique or anything of the sort, but a genuine disappearance, leaving no trace behind.

"Rasengan!"

With a loud shout, the child suddenly appeared beside the kunai, which was flying through the air. In his hand, he held a sphere of condensed chakra, directly striking the fireball. The massive fireball was instantly dispersed, scattering into countless tiny sparks that fell into the lake, extinguishing with hissing sounds.

Uchiha Kaito exhaled lightly. The tomoe in his eyes gradually faded, returning to the color of ordinary eyes. He retrieved the specially crafted kunai and placed it in the ninja pouch on his waist, a hint of joy on his face.

"It's been a week since I recovered, and I can finally use the Flying Thunder God Technique proficiently!"

After whispering to himself, Kaito returned to the shore and stretched for a while. He quietly assessed his current strength.

"My main means of attack are still primarily C-rank Fire Style techniques. I only know two types of B-rank Fire Style techniques and one illusionary technique. Plus, with the limitations of my age and chakra, my true strength is around the level of a special jonin. Combined with the Sharingan, I'm probably stronger than a special jonin but haven't reached the level of a jonin."

"However, now that I've learned the Rasengan, combined with the Flying Thunder God Technique, I might even be able to kill an unsuspecting jonin instantly. And as long as I kill a few more jonin, I'll have enough points to exchange for some powerful ninjutsu..."

Thinking this, Kaito's heart grew excited. A strong urge arose to return to the clan and accept missions. Now that he had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, as long as he didn't seek death, not many people in the entire Warring States Period could threaten him.

As long as he killed enough ninja from other clans and accumulated enough points, Sage Mode, Mangekyō, Eternal Mangekyō, Rinnegan, Sage Body—they would all be within easy reach.

Just as he was immersed in his own fantasies, a calling voice came, "Lord Kaito, Lord Kaito...!"

Kaito looked up and saw Chiya Hotaru running towards him. Reaching him, she said slightly out of breath, "Lord Kaito, the clan leader is convening a clan meeting and wants you to attend."

"Wants me to go?" Logically speaking, their generation shouldn't be attending clan meetings yet. He asked, "Is Madara going?"

"Lord Madara has already arrived."

"I see. Let's go then!" Kaito smiled and pinched Chiya Hotaru's slightly flushed face, before heading towards the clan grounds.

Chiya Hotaru touched her face, her cheeks flushing slightly, and hurried to catch up.