448… 449… 450…
Phew.
I stopped slashing and closed my eyes for a few seconds, steadying my breathing and sharpening my focus.
When I opened them again, I nodded.
It seemed my feeling hadn't been wrong after all, my strength had definitely increased, even if only slightly.
I'd already sensed the change when I woke up this morning, but I needed confirmation. That was why I'd decided to train, and the results were… good.
I could grind more than before.
That alone told me a lot.
It wasn't just Zoro's skills being assimilated. I might also be gaining his physique, which was honestly what I wanted the most.
Durability mattered. In this world, surviving a hit often mattered more than landing one.
Grrrrumble.
…Yeah. This was definitely going to increase my food intake as well.
With that thought, I sheathed my blades and turned back toward the camp.
Boom.
A red siren blared through the air.
I froze.
That signal was only used for one thing, an immediate recall of all shinobi to the camp.
Something had happened.
My mind raced through possibilities as I sprinted back, arriving at my tent alongside others who had been training or patrolling nearby.
Even though this was the front line, each battalion was spaced out, with designated patrol zones that allowed some freedom of movement. A recall like this meant the situation had escalated.
The moment I entered the tent, the grim expressions inside only worsened the pressure in my chest.
I walked over to one of the few people I actually spoke to.
"Genma," I asked quietly. "What happened?"
Genma Shiranui, future member of the Hokage Guard Platoon.
Right now, though?
Just another piece of cannon fodder. Same as me.
He clicked his tongue around the senbon in his mouth before answering.
"The squad leader said the Three-Tails' jinchūriki is joining the front line."
…Ah.
No wonder everyone looked like that.
Tailed beasts were walking disasters in this era. Even a partially transformed jinchūriki could cause more devastation than a regular Kage-level shinobi.
And yet—
I wasn't panicking.
Not because I suddenly thought I could cut through a tailed beast bomb with Zoro's template, no, that would take time. Assimilation had only just begun.
I wasn't panicking because I already knew how this would end.
If nothing unexpected happened, the jinchūriki, some nameless background character, would die soon enough.
The Three-Tails, Isobu, would be sealed into Rin Nohara.
And not long after that…
She'd be killed by the boy whom she loved.
…Sigh.
I'd already expected this to happen the moment I heard Kakashi had arrived at the front lines last week. Still, not this soon.
It seemed Madara really wanted Obito to fall into darkness as quickly as possible.
Well, in a way, it was good news for me.
It confirmed that the plot was still progressing exactly as I remembered. No butterfly effect yet and more importantly, I wasn't being targeted by Madara.
That alone was a relief.
After all, I had no interest in getting involved in the Project Tsuki no Me.
Not yet atleast.
"Any orders?" I asked, pulling myself back into the conversation.
"Yes. Stay ready. We may need to pull back at any time," Genma replied, sounding annoyed and clearly uninterested in saying more.
I didn't take it personally.
His attitude wasn't because I was an Uchiha, it was because we were cannon fodder.
Everyone assigned to the border knew the truth. The chances of survival were slim, especially for the younger shinobi. Most of us were nothing more than meat shields meant to slow the enemy down.
Genma knew it.
I knew it.
The others around our age knew it too.
Which was exactly why there was no point in forming bonds here. No pointless conversations, no shallow camaraderie. Instead, everyone focused on themselves training their skills, sharpening their instincts, and keeping their heads clear.
In a place like this, that was the only way to slightly improve one's odds of staying alive.
Of course, since we weren't strong enough to act as lone wolves, no one went around deliberately causing trouble. Cooperation wasn't optional, it was a necessity for survival.
Especially in my case.
Since I'd already awakened my Sharingan, people treated me normally, sometimes even a little better. Sharingan increased not only my own chances of survival, but indirectly everyone else's as well.
Still, it seemed the news about the jinchūriki had shaken Genma more than he let on. The calm, laid-back attitude he usually carried was gone, replaced by a tension he didn't bother hiding.
I nodded to acknowledge his words and moved toward my cushion on the ground.
We weren't here on a holiday, beds were a luxury. Only senior shinobi or those currently being treated by medical-nin were afforded such comforts, like I had been yesterday.
I sat down on my cushion, ignored the gnawing hunger in my stomach, and let my thoughts drift toward the future.
If nothing unexpected happened, then within one or at most two years, Minato would become Hokage.
And within a year after that… he would die as well.
After that, the Uchiha clan's situation would sink lower than that of a stray dog.
Before the system appeared, I'd been planning to leave the village using the chaos of war as cover along with anyone else I could save.
I was an orphan, but years of living in the same place naturally created attachments. Small, seemingly insignificant acts of kindness, things that didn't cost much had still left behind memories.
Because of that, I wanted to save some of them.
Not all. Just the ones who were willing.
Of course, it would ultimately depend on their choice. If they wanted to stay behind and stubbornly wait for slaughter, that was their decision.
Still…
Becoming a rogue Uchiha would paint a target on my back. Every major village would want me my Sharingan, my bloodline some would even see me as nothing more than a breeding tool.
But even that fate was better than remaining a sheep, waiting quietly to be slaughtered in Konoha.
Still, all of those plans were suspended for now.
Because I had a system.
For the first time, I finally had the means to repay Konoha for all the mental trauma it had inflicted on me since the day I was born.
Nightmares had been a constant companion. At regular intervals, I'd relive them, my throat being slit by Root shinobi, my body engulfed in Itachi's Amaterasu, my eyes ripped out by Obito.
Just thinking about it was enough to trigger my PTSD.
Fear had shaped my life here. Made me cautious. Passive. Always choosing survival over action.
But now?
With the gacha system in my hands, I didn't have to live like that anymore.
I could finally stop being scared and finally have some fun.
**********
Kage level Template suggestions.