Chapter 14: Shadows and Silver Fang

  After his brief month of respite, Uchiha Ren returned to the frontlines.

  The warmth of home faded quickly, replaced once more by the cold wind of the battlefield. But this time, he was different. Hardened by war, strengthened by the Mortal Genesis Stage, and driven by the silent promise of a better future—he walked the path of merit and survival.

  For the next year, Ren took on mission after mission.

  Scouting enemy camps, sabotaging supply lines, rescuing captured operatives—each assignment more dangerous than the last. His squadmates changed frequently, most not surviving past a few weeks. Some grew wary of the Uchiha who always returned alone, his face unchanging, his eyes haunted.

  But Ren didn’t complain. Every successful mission brought him closer to Jōnin promotion. Power and position were more than just ambition—they were a shield for himself and the Uchiha name.

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  Yet fate had its own plans.

  One mission took a turn for the worse. Assigned to intercept enemy scroll carriers near the Thunder-Earth border, his squad was ambushed by an elite team of Kumogakure jōnin. It was a trap.

  Three of his teammates were slain instantly. The fourth lost an arm before collapsing beside Ren.

  He fought with everything he had—Sharingan blazing, chakra roaring, instincts sharpened to the limit. But against three elite jōnin, even his Mortal Genesis Stage struggled to keep pace.

  Just as one enemy’s blade was about to pierce his heart—

  —a flash of silver cut through the trees.

  In a blink, one of the enemies dropped, throat torn open.

  Another tried to flee, only for a white blur to intercept and crush his windpipe with a single kunai thrust.

  Standing amid the corpses was Sakumo Hatake, the "White Fang of Konoha."

  Ren, gasping and bloodied, met his gaze. Sakumo said nothing at first. Only offered a hand.

  “You held out well, Uchiha,” he finally said, voice calm but strong. “Too well for someone your age.”

  Ren accepted the hand.

  “Just trying to survive.”

  Sakumo helped him carry the last injured comrade back. In the camp, his presence drew awe and whispers. But for Ren, that night’s lesson was simple:

  Even with power, even with talent… there would always be monsters stronger than him.

  He needed more. More cultivation. More strength. More resolve.

  Because next time—he wouldn’t need to be saved.