Time slipped by quietly, and a heavy snowfall made the Hidden Cloud Village look almost like the Land of Snow.
Mikoto Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki were directing several Uchiha clansmen as they moved furniture into the courtyard of their new home.
Yuzuru walked over at an easy pace and spoke gently. "You can leave this kind of work to Konan and Pakura. You should take better care of your bodies."
Mikoto smiled softly. "Yuzuru, a little exercise is good for us once in a while."
Kushina immediately chimed in. "Exactly! If I stay cooped up at home all day, I'll go crazy. I need fresh air."
Yuzuru flicked Kushina lightly on the forehead. "Didn't I just give you all a bigger house?"
Kushina rolled her eyes and huffed. "Only because your wives keep increasing. The old place just couldn't fit everyone anymore…"
Having his thoughts exposed made Yuzuru rub his nose awkwardly. He quickly changed the subject. "You all keep working. I have something to take care of."
He turned and headed out of the clan grounds.
His footsteps crunched rhythmically in the snow, creating a soothing sound.
Seeing the colorful ribbons swaying in the wind, a thought flickered in Yuzuru's mind.
Another clan member was getting married?
As if to confirm his suspicion, a system prompt sounded in his mind.
[ Ding! Special clan bloodline detected among the host's clan: Chinoike bloodline. ]
[ Current Chinoike bloodline evolution: 100%! ]
A warm current surged through his body, gathering in his eyes.
A second later, Yuzuru felt his mind tremble as information about the Blood Dragon Eye surfaced in his thoughts.
"After all this time, it's finally complete."
He couldn't help feeling emotional.
The Chinoike clan was simply too rare, which was why it took him this long to evolve their bloodline to 100%.
But despite the long wait, the gains were worth it.
With the power of the Chinoike bloodline, Yuzuru felt his spiritual energy had at least doubled.
And spiritual power was directly tied to the strength of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
With this boost, Yuzuru felt his Susanoo could probably reach a height of three hundred meters.
And now he had awakened the Blood Dragon Eye as well—by coating an enemy's wound with chakra, he could turn them into a living explosive that could be detonated at any moment.
It wasn't particularly useful to him now, but no shinobi ever complained about having too many trump cards.
Just as he approached the edge of the clan's territory, he heard Fugaku Uchiha call out behind him.
Yuzuru turned and saw Fugaku running toward him in a hurry. He frowned. "Fugaku, did something happen?"
Fugaku said gravely, "Yuzuru, one of our clansmen with a three-tomoe Sharingan was attacked in the Land of Iron. He barely escaped with his life."
Yuzuru paused.
With the effects of Robust and Vigorous and Tailed Beast Without a Tail, every Uchiha had grown significantly stronger.
Though not every three-tomoe wielder had Kage-level power, they were at least on the level of elite jōnin.
For someone like that to almost die… could Sarutobi Hiruzen or Shimura Danzo have acted from the shadows?
He asked, "Do we know who did it?"
"That clansman said the attacker seemed to have some sort of extremely unusual physique—even being stabbed through the heart didn't harm him. Because of that, our clansman was nearly killed."
"Right, this bounty list fell off the attacker."
The moment Fugaku produced the list, Yuzuru already had a strong guess.
Bounty. Heart. Immortality…
These keywords together formed the image of a particular man.
Kakuzu.
A man bold enough to attempt to assassinate the First Hokage absolutely had the nerve to do this for money.
What annoyed Yuzuru was that someone had dared place a bounty on an Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan…
He exhaled slowly. "Fugaku, do you know where the black market bounty halls are?"
Fugaku thought for a moment. "There are many black markets in the shinobi world, and countless bounty halls."
"But the biggest one right now is in the Land of Silence."
"The Land of Silence?" Yuzuru searched his past-life memories but found nothing useful. "Explain in detail."
"Yes," Fugaku said, gathering his thoughts before speaking.
"The Land of Silence borders the Land of Iron. Three of its sides face the sea, and its only land route is blocked by a long mountain range."
"To enter the Land of Silence, one must pass through a place called the Village of Tents."
After describing the geography, Fugaku continued, "The Land of Silence has no shinobi village. After the daimyō system was abolished, the people overthrew their own lord."
"But after his death, factions within the country fought endlessly, plunging it into long-term civil strife."
"When we began subjugating other nations, many rebellious shinobi fled to the Land of Silence. Eventually, it became a lawless zone."
"Today, the Land of Silence is a place outside all law and order."
After hearing this, Yuzuru had a general picture.
"In the shinobi world, a place like that can't be allowed to exist. I'll go to the Land of Silence myself."
"Yuzuru, must you personally get involved?" Fugaku asked quickly.
"Think of it as a break." Yuzuru smiled. "Besides, I'm curious what the biggest black market looks like."
Fugaku said no more.
With Yuzuru's current power, there was probably no one alive who could threaten him.
"Hey! Yuzuru!"
Right after Fugaku left, Tsunade ran over to him.
The heavy fruits of her figure bounced with every step, momentarily distracting Yuzuru.
When she finally reached him, he still hadn't blinked once.
His appreciation for her figure was absolute.
"You perverted brat..."
Feeling Yuzuru's undisguised gaze, even Tsunade couldn't stop a flash of irritation and embarrassment.
But she was used to his personality by now and didn't dwell on it. Instead, she spoke directly. "Yuzuru, things have been boring lately. I want to leave the village for a bit and have some fun."