Chapter 3: The Birth of Homies

A distance of about 20 kilometers was hardly anything to a ninja.

Even though the Konoha ninjas had gone all out, laying countless traps to slow the enemy down, the joint forces of Kumogakure and Sunagakure still arrived in just half an hour.

Konoha was nestled within towering mountains and dense forests—natural defenses in themselves.

And more than that, they were also the ideal battleground. No ninja village was more skilled in forest warfare than Konoha.

As soon as the allied forces arrived, they sent in elite squads. Without any reservation, they unleashed their chakra and used powerful ninjutsu to forcefully blast open Konoha's protective barriers.

This was a coordinated surprise attack. The frontlines of both the Kumogakure and Sunagakure battlefields were synchronized for this operation. The longer the battle dragged on, the worse it would be for the allied forces.

Hiruzen wouldn't be able to send reinforcements in the short term, but if they delayed too long, those reinforcements would arrive. If the allied forces hadn't broken through Konoha's defenses and stormed the village by then, they'd be crushed in a pincer attack from front and rear.

Once the barrier was broken, the allied army restructured into formations: squads as the base unit, grouped into platoons, then into larger battalions. With clear organization, they charged toward Kikyo Mountain.

If Kikyo Mountain fell, the ancient landmark city of Kikyo—on the very edge of Konoha—would be next, and the deeper they went, the more destruction they could inflict.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Boom, boom, boom…

Traps of all kinds were triggered within the lush forest—kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and those tailored to specific ninja techniques.

In an instant, the serene, vibrant forest turned into a brutal and bloody battlefield. Explosions and screams rang out as wild animals fled in a panic.

Despite taking some casualties, the allied forces pushed through most of the traps and drew closer to Kikyo Mountain. There, organized Konoha defenders launched their counterattack—and the life-or-death battle truly began.

Even after losses, the allied army still had around 1,200 troops—200 more than Konoha's defenders—and their morale was high.

Konoha, however, held the advantage in elite combat power. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had joined the fray. With their home on the line, the defenders fought with fearless resolve.

The clash quickly reached a fever pitch—fierce, intense, and absolutely brutal.

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In the Uchiha clan's sector of the forest, Uchiha Gen stood silently on a thick tree branch, concealed by camouflage invisibility jutsu, watching waves of enemy ninjas pass beneath him without making a move.

He wasn't strong enough yet. Better to pick off the weak ones first. Once he harvested a few souls, he could afford to go a little bolder.

Not many Iwagakure ninjas had mastered camouflage jutsu, but in the long years of war, the Uchiha had copied it with ease.

A few minutes later, a Kumogakure three-man squad passed by. Uchiha Gen, ever the cunning opportunist, made his move—three shuriken sliced through the air just as the squad leapt forward.

"Watch out!"

One of the Kumo ninjas—a dark-skinned teen, maybe seventeen or eighteen, with an average face—twisted midair and swung his sword. Clang! He deflected a shuriken.

But the other two weren't so lucky.

They lacked awareness and reaction speed. The shuriken struck their lower backs—blood bloomed, screams followed, and they plummeted to the ground.

Uchiha Gen revealed himself, drew his sword, and charged at the surviving Kumo ninja. The ninja landed on a branch, undeterred, and leapt to intercept him.

As they crossed midair, Gen's eyes suddenly turned crimson—Sharingan, double tomoe.

The Kumo ninja gasped, "Crap!" and tried to avoid eye contact—but it was too late.

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

With two tomoe, his Sharingan could already enhance genjutsu.

The Kumo ninja's expression turned vacant. His blade-arm dropped limply. As they passed each other in midair, a slash opened across his chest. The pain broke the genjutsu—BAM! He crashed to the ground, dazed and groaning.

Uchiha Gen had deliberately held back, so none of the three received fatal injuries. They struggled to their feet, weapons in hand, gritting their teeth.

Gen sheathed his sword, jumped down, and as he landed, he formed hand seals.

Demonic Illusion: Hell's Vision!

A D-rank genjutsu—its effect was simple: it showed the victim their worst nightmare.

Though low-ranked, it wasn't something mere Genin could resist.

All three Kumo ninjas were instantly affected. Their faces twisted in horror and fear.

Seizing the moment, Gen activated his Soul-Soul Fruit ability. A formless yet real power engulfed the trio.

From the tops of their heads, translucent blue souls and glowing white life-orbs emerged and flowed into Gen's body. The three collapsed like sacks of mud.

Gen unsheathed his sword—technically, a katana, though in the ninja world, swords and blades were treated the same—and stabbed each one through the heart or throat to make it look like they had died from normal wounds.

Then he quickly vanished, hiding inside a hollow tree he had scouted earlier.

Inside the tree hollow, heart pounding with excitement, Uchiha Gen took out all his shuriken and ninja sword, laying them across his lap.

Soul infusion.

Gen extended his right hand. Soft, dumpling-sized white orbs emerged from his palm and merged into the weapons.

These weren't ordinary soul-orbs—they contained both soul and life force.

Soon, eerie eyes appeared on the black shuriken and silver-white katana—they seemed almost alive.

"Mama… mama… mama…"

The shuriken and sword suddenly spoke, each voice different, chattering away.

Gen's face darkened. "I'm a guy! Don't call me mama! Call me—no, not dad—just call me Master!"

After all, he was only thirteen. Becoming a "dad" this early didn't feel right…

"Master… master… master…"

Satisfied, Gen nodded. "Good. Now shut up. Don't speak unless I say so. And close those eyes!"

The weapons obeyed instantly, their mouths and eyes snapping shut.

Only two small notches had formed on the weapons—hardly noticeable from a distance.

Gen grinned. With such obedient Homies, his shuriken now had auto-targeting and homing capabilities.

Dodging? Useless. At best, one could delay. Eventually, they'd have to take the hit.

And his ninja sword? It was basically a flying sword now—an auto-attacking flying sword.

The only way to stop them was to destroy the soul vessel or wait for their lifespans to run out. Otherwise, they would never stop.

With a surprise attack like that, even a Jonin might suffer heavy losses—or die.

Of course, until he grew stronger, he had to be careful not to expose this ability.

Konoha's Uchiha were famous for their throwing techniques, but there were still limits.

How would you explain living shuriken?

Summoning beasts? No one would buy that.

In truth, Gen had long since been able to use his own soul to create Homies.

But he felt normal shuriken and swords weren't worthy of his soul—it'd be a waste.

Only something like the Kusanagi Sword deserved that level of investment.

More than weapon Homies, Gen wanted to create elemental Homies—those were far more advanced and powerful.

Wouldn't an elemental Homie be amazing?

Of course, his soul was nowhere near the level of BIG MOM's from One Piece. That woman's sheer strength and monstrous aura meant her soul was terrifyingly powerful.

So Gen had to use his own soul wisely.

He needed to harvest as many souls as possible, to strengthen his own soul, and create powerful advanced Homies—his ultimate trump card for surviving and thriving in the brutal ninja world.

Stowing away his transformed weapons, Uchiha Gen stepped out of the hollow tree—and resumed the hunt.