I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 136 Crystal Escape Crimson Lotus [Seeking monthly votes at the end of the month]

Under the cover of night, a small village glowed with a fiery red light, and thick smoke billowed out, the smell of war lingering in the air even from miles away.

"There's a nice kid in the small village ahead at night."

On a small hill several miles away, Uchiha Yoru and Orochimaru watched from afar what was happening in the village. They had become quite accustomed to this scene.

The ninja world is extremely chaotic. Even small villages within the five great nations are constantly being looted and burned by roaming ninjas and bandits. The situation is relatively better within the great nations, but outside of them, it is a complete mess.

"Hehe, a promising talent praised by the teacher must possess a very promising bloodline."

As Uchiha Yoru spoke, he kept recalling in his mind, but he still couldn't recall which promising candidate Orochimaru had found at this time.

Orochimaru was now completely absorbed in his research on perfect immortality, and especially after hearing about the clues to soul ninjutsu, he had no time to care about anything else and immediately revealed a hoarse smile.

"You are indeed a very promising child. Consider this a gift from your teacher."

Orochimaru's unique, hoarse laughter echoed as his body slowly turned into a puddle of mud, prompting Uchiha Yoru to smile helplessly. "It seems you've discovered traces of the Uzumaki clan's ruins, even the ones who came here were clones."

In the original work, Orochimaru later found the ruins of the Uzumaki clan and the Shinigami who devoured his arms among the Shinigami masks in that area. So when exactly did Orochimaru find this place?

Before this, Orochimaru had been sealed away, so it can be inferred that he must have found the method long ago, but didn't have a way to get the Shinigami for free. Then he was sealed away by Itachi. After he came out, he obtained chakra and some information through Kabuto, which led to his later trick of getting the Shinigami for free.

It would be a lie to say Orochimaru wasn't interested in the secrets of the Uzumaki clan, so this time he was tasked with starting the search for the Uzumaki clan's ruins ahead of schedule.

"Who could be the child who you praised so highly for their potential, teacher?" Uchiha Yoru squinted, his eyes filled with curiosity. He was like a curious cat, wanting to know whether this child appeared in the original story or not.

……

Flames filled the sky, and the wooden village was engulfed in flames. The cries and screams of agony were abruptly silenced, with only the crackling of houses burning in the fire.

It was an extremely eerie scene. Although there was a distinct smell of blood in the air, there was no sound at all, as if it were an empty village.

Inside the burning house, the firelight illuminated Uchiha Yoru's face. He stared at the corpse inside with an astonished look, or rather, at the corpse that, even in its dying moments, still conveyed disbelief as if time had stood still.

All the corpses were encased in pink crystal, each one sealed alive within the crystal. In the enclosed space, having lost the air, ordinary thieves would obviously have died; they had all been sealed in the crystal for longer than their limit of endurance.

"Crystal Escape! So it was you."

Upon seeing the pink crystal, Uchiha Yoru finally recalled a ninja who had appeared infrequently but was almost forgotten. His stunning appearance was also Orochimaru's first candidate for a reincarnation vessel.

Bloodline Limit: Crystal Release Female Ninja 'Crimson Lotus'.

Her appearance was absolutely stunning, and her strength was also very strong. According to her battle record in the original work, it can be said that Guren's overall strength was close to that of a Kage. After all, she fought against all the ninjas of Konoha and even went toe-to-toe with Kakashi Hatake from Shippuden. Her strength far exceeded that of ordinary Jonin. It is estimated that her strength was at least around that of an elite Jonin or even a near-Kage.

Although it has a fatal flaw, namely that Crystal Release is completely countered by sonic ninjutsu, it cannot overshadow Crimson Lotus's brief moment of brilliance.

"He is indeed a ninja with great potential, though his talent has been wasted."

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru suddenly realized that among the ninjas Orochimaru had taken in during this period, only Guren fit the description, since Kimimaro and the others' ages did not match the current time.

Although he was a ninja who didn't appear much due to being buried in the plot, he was indeed outstanding.

Looking at the crystal in his hand, Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes and revealed a meaningful smile. "A very promising bloodline limit. Orochimaru-sensei, your gift is very good. I accept it with pleasure."

Inside the village engulfed in flames, a little girl stared in terror at the lifeless landscape, empty tears welling in her eyes.

The firelight illuminated his face as Honglian collapsed to his knees on the ground, making no sound except for tears streaming down his cheeks. His empty eyes gazed at the village, and at that moment, it seemed as if he were the only person left in the world.

However, at that moment, a figure slowly appeared inside the crackling, burning house. Protected by powerful chakra, the ordinary flames could not harm the figure at all.

A figure slowly emerged from the burning house. It was a person wearing a loose white robe and black trousers. The chest was open, slightly revealing the eye-catching muscles. Dark black arm guards covered the forearms and extended to the palms. A black leather belt was tied around the waist, and a ninja straight sword was inserted horizontally.

When she saw the figure emerge, Honglian's eyes were empty and lifeless. At this moment, she had lost all hope in the world and had lost all ability to resist. Perhaps anyone could easily kill her.

As Uchiha Yoru emerged from the flames, he naturally saw the limp little girl and a hint of pity appeared in his eyes. In this chaotic world, despair had become the dominant theme in the face of such tragedies; it was a distorted world.

Uchiha Yoru slowly walked up to the little girl, revealing a seductive smile. "I'm very interested in your power. Come with me."

As the captivating voice lingered in her ear, Honglian's empty eyes trembled, and her dazed pupils began to refocus.

As if emerging from the darkness, Honglian slowly raised her head and saw that handsome face with a gentle smile, gazing at her sincerely.

In the darkness, she seemed to see a beam of light descend upon her, filling her body and soul.

"My name is Uchiha Yoru, and I need you."

With her unique charm and alluring voice, she sounded like heavenly music in this distorted ninja world. As if she had grasped something, her limp body seemed to regain its strength, and her trembling hand slowly rose to grasp that gentle hand.

At this moment, warmth descended, and it seemed she had found her purpose in life.

"Master Ye."

Right now, Guren is still just a little girl of about ten years old. Uchiha Yoru held her cold little hand and showed a compassionate and gentle smile on his face. "Let's go."

A surge of power welled up within her, and Honglian trembled as she slowly rose to her feet. She didn't even realize that her small hand was tightly gripping the warm hand that had given her warmth, as if she never wanted to leave it for the rest of her life.

Two figures, one tall and one short, slowly walked out of the village and stood outside the village. Looking at the raging fire, Honglian's eyes were filled with endless sorrow and despair; her home was gone.

However, after feeling the warmth from the palm, Honglian slowly turned his head and looked at the figure that gave him warmth. A light called hope appeared in his black eyes.

Uchiha Yoru gazed at the burning village and sighed softly, "The ninja world has always been chaotic like this."

Earth Escape·Huangquan Marsh

With a single hand seal, the ninjutsu was activated instantly, but it brought an unforgettable visual shock to the young Guren standing to the side.

The village was instantly transformed into a vast swamp. Houses, burning fiercely in the fire, collapsed one after another, but the entire village was slowly sinking, or rather, being submerged by the swamp.

In a short while, the firelight illuminating her cheeks slowly disappeared. All of this seemed like an illusion to Honglian's shocked eyes. If it weren't for a cool breeze in the air that dispersed the heat wave from the burning, she probably would have thought it was all a dream.

The original village was swallowed up by the swamp and turned into a flat plain, as if nothing had ever happened here, as if the village had never existed.

"When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. I hope they can be reborn into a relatively peaceful country in their next life."

Uchiha Yoru sighed softly, took Guren's hand, and slowly disappeared into the darkness. As they parted, Guren couldn't help but look back with shocked eyes at the village where she had lived and which had vanished.

Power! A power that shakes me to my core, the power I want to possess as Lord Night!

At this moment, a resolute look appeared in the child's small, dark eyes; it had already taken root and sprouted.

……

Inside the simple wooden hut, illuminated by a campfire, Honglian lay on those warm laps, completely captivated by the scent and sensation.

"So that's how it is."

Through Guren's explanation, he learned everything. In the chaotic ninja world, some villages still raised children who knew chakra. Even if they didn't know ninjutsu, those who possessed chakra would have power far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Children who could refine chakra became extremely precious. Since Guren's parents died in the war, she was raised by the village. After she gained the talent to refine chakra, she naturally received support from the village.

Unfortunately, the village encountered a group of bandits this time. In the fear and anger of the village's destruction, Honglian's bloodline awakened in full. At the same time, the uncontrollable bloodline killed all the bandits, and she also lost everything.

After all, if Guren hadn't awakened her bloodline limit before, how could she have been targeted by Orochimaru? It's probably because the village knew they couldn't protect the existence of bloodline limit ninjas and would rather sell them for a good price.

Like Mizuki Haku, he revealed his bloodline ability but did not fully awaken it. Under the fear of death, he fully awakened the Ice Release bloodline.

"Lord Ye, from now on I will become your strength, your strongest tool. Please do not abandon me."

The distorted ninja world has also distorted the humanity here. Young Guren seems to have found a purpose for the rest of her life. Her eyes are filled with tears of hope as she weakly murmurs to herself.

Looking at Guren, who had suffered such mental trauma at such a young age, Uchiha Yoru nodded and said softly, "Alright, you will become my strength from now on, and I hope you won't let me down."

As if she had received some kind of promise, Honglian's eyelids could no longer hold on and slowly closed under the warm air.

With such a young body, having experienced this, and with the awakening of the bloodline limit, it's already a miracle that the mind didn't break down.

Although he had grown accustomed to this ninja world, he still couldn't help but sigh every time he witnessed such humanity—a distorted ninja world.

With his hands shimmering with the pale green chakra of medical ninjutsu, he slowly probed and healed Honglian's frail body. After all, she was a self-taught practitioner; although she had cultivated chakra to strengthen her physique, no one had noticed any hidden injuries or anything like that.

Fortunately, Guren was still young and had not participated in any battles. Her body had not been overdrawn, nor did she suffer any major internal injuries. After all, chakra not only strengthens the body but also nourishes it. Minor injuries from bumps and bruises are greatly improved by a chakra-rich constitution.

"She is already twelve years old, but her body is malnourished due to being a woman, so she is rather thin and weak. However, her foundation is good, especially since her potential has been activated after awakening her bloodline limit."

After carefully examining Honglian's body, Uchiha Yoru smiled with satisfaction and came to the conclusion that male chauvinism is human nature.

Although women can cultivate chakra, they are more often regarded as noble objects for procreation, since children born from parents who both possess chakra are bound to be children as well.

Therefore, women with chakra are considered precious. Only some powerful female ninjas can obtain the corresponding status through their strength. The five great ninja villages, being more stable, are naturally more open-minded. However, many ninjas secretly hope that their other half is also a woman with chakra.

As the sun rose the next day, Honglian opened her eyes with a look of horror. The scene around her made her realize instantly that last night's nightmare was not a dream.

"Master Ye!"

With no one around, Honglian panicked and hurriedly opened the wooden house door. In the instant that she opened the door, fear appeared in her eyes.

Gale!

A strong gust of wind brushed against her cheeks, and Honglian couldn't help but swallow hard. Her legs trembled slightly, and her terrified eyes stared into the abyss. She had almost fallen in and been smashed to pieces!

This is a wooden cabin built on a sheer cliff. As the door opens, you can see eagles soaring high in the sky.

"Master Ye."

An eagle carrying Uchiha Yoru appeared in front of the cabin. When Guren woke up and was startled, she saw the figure on the eagle's back and smiled with relief, as if to tell him that this was not a dream, but a real existence.

The person who gave him warmth was real, not a dream.

"Were you scared?"

The home of the Spirit Beast Eagle was built on a precipice thousands of feet high. It was a small family of Spirit Beasts, with no more than twenty members in total.

"No, no." Looking at Uchiha Yoru's gentle smile, Guren blushed and hurriedly shook her head to explain, as if she was afraid of being looked down upon because of her timidity.

"Lord Ye, Miss Honglian."

The eagle summoning beast was very respectful, even its words conveying a sense of humility. Uchiha Yoru was their powerful master, and Guren, as a ninja favored by their master and a bloodline ninja, was destined for greatness. Therefore, the self-aware eagle was very respectful.

"I." It was obvious that Honglian was still a little bewildered by the scene before her, while the eagle, as if it were a matter of course, folded its wings, grabbed the hard wall with its talons, and crawled down. Uchiha Yoru chuckled and stepped off the eagle's back.

"Lord Ye, please give us your orders. We will also take good care of Miss Honglian."

The eagle nodded respectfully, then spread its wings and circled in the sky, its cries echoing across the heavens.

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(End of this chapter)