32 Chapter 31

They had been in the village for a few days after their return and everything was back to how it was, except for one thing…a war was coming.

Everyone was getting ready. The warriors sharpened their blades even more than before. Sparks between the fighters had become more frequent to polish their skills.

In relation, the regime at the academy had become even harsher and stricter than before. They had also introduced weapon handling early into the curriculum so it wasn't weird to see an a young child fiddling with a sword or spear.

Those who had family members who were warriors were advised to seek them for training. That would speed up the learning process and increase the capabilities of the fighters the village could produce.

During all this, it was to be noted that Reid was no longer attending the academy. Not because the academy was inadequate or anything but because Miko was going to train him personally, not that anyone was aware of that.

To the other kids and villagers, it looked like the clan leader pulled her child out of the academy to protect him and keep him away from the war while sacrificing them and their children. These were their thoughts but they obviously couldn't speak them out.

They couldn't be more wrong but Reid didn't seem bothered enough to correct them. He had been more focused on leveling his skills than paying attention to what others had to say.

A lot of his skills leveled up by one or two but the one that took too priority to him was [Lightning Aura Transformation] which was now at level 12.

Although he focused on this skill didn't mean his mother didn't take her time to teach him a few things. [Combat Mastery] and [Sword Mastery] were now at level 33 and 7 respectively.

Yes, his chosen weapon was a sword. It felt right in his hand rather than the spear and axes that the other kids chose. Most of them chose said weapons because they thought it would look cool. It didn't, especially when they have no idea how to use them.

At the moment, Reid was on his way to the weapons shop. Throwing stones at opponents, while okay, wasn't practical. It was about time he got a proper set of throwing weapons.

"What are you doing here you coward!' His peaceful stroll was interrupted by a familiar but unwanted voice. He turned back slightly to face Haze, the boy who fought with him in the finals of the academy physical exam.

"Who are you?" He said, half in confusion and the other half to annoy him. It worked as Haze's face faulted for a second before he composed himself.

"So you really did drop out of the academy. What happened? Can't take the heat?" He mocked with a smug grin.

"Think what you want. It doesn't concern me." Reid replied dismissively and turned to continue walking. The already present anger and feeling of humiliation grew as Reid treated him like he was nothing. He clicked his tongue and let out a laugh that had no hint of humor behind it.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're a dropout. A weakling who would rather hide and run than train to defend our village. You don't deserve to lead our clan." He spat out each word bitterly.

Reid finally stopped his steps and turned around.

"And you think you deserve to lead the clan?" Reid prodded to which he answered immediately.

"Of course! The Uchiha don't need a weak leader. And I will never follow a coward.!" He answered with passion and pride as his eyes turned scarlet. By now a crowd had gathered around them as they were out in the open.

Reid was only mildly surprised by the fact that he had awakened the clan's eyes. The only question on his mind was how.

'From what I know, he has nobody close to him besides his mother and she's still alive and healthy. So what stimulated its activation?' He pondered.

"These eyes are proof that I am superior to you." Haze said proudly, gesturing to his one tomoe sharingan.

"So you managed to unlock it…good for you." Reid spoke condescendingly, as if it was nothing to not to be proud of.

"But…" He trailed off as he disappeared from view in a blur. Haze's eyes widened in shock as his sharingan couldn't fully follow his movements.

"…you're still weak." He continued, now behind Haze as he spoke into his ear.

"Attaining those eyes doesn't make you strong. Your eyes don't matter if you can't keep up." He finished as he turned and continued on his way. The crowd that had gathered could only look towards him in awe and shock.

As he walked away, he was deep in thought as he felt something amiss.

'After unlocking my [Sharingan], I was able to follow mother's movements during our spars. The speed I used is nothing compared to that so why couldn't he follow it. Is there some other factor that determines the strength of the eyes.' He mused as he continued towards his destination.

He filed it away for later thought as he reached the shop where weapons were made. Upon entering, the sound of the beating of iron sounded from deep inside.

"I'll be out in a moment!" A rough voice yelled from the room where the sounds originated. While the voice who was most likely the owner of the shop was busy, Reid decided to take a look around to see the kind of items he had.

Hung on the wall were weapons of different forms and sizes. The first weapon he saw was a halberd that looked professionally made. Touching it, the body was smooth and comfortable to touch. The blade looked sharp enough to easily cut through wood.

'I definitely made the right choice coming here.' Before he could continue admiring the other weapons, a voice spoke from behind him.

"What're you doing here kid? This isn't a play ground." The familiar rough voice spoke, sounding confused and tired as if this wasn't the first time a kid wandered into his shop.

Without seeming surprised at the sudden sound, Reid spoke without turning to face him.

"I need your help in crafting a weapon." He said, ignoring the second part of the man's question. The main raised an eyebrow at the blatant disregard of his question.

"Hey, kid! I'm being seri-" His voice left him as Reid turned to face him. The man's face froze in shock at the face of the customer. Everyone in the village knew about the genius child of their leader.

"R-reid! I'm sorry I didn't know it was you. What do you need my help with?" He spoke as his voice shook.

Ignoring the fear in his voice, he repeated his previous request.

"I need your help in crafting a weapon." He spoke, now looking him in the eye.

"O-of course. We have many options for you to select from." The burly man stuttered out.

"I'm not interested in any of those. I have a specific design that I need made." Reid said bluntly.

"Well what's the design?" He asked. Reid pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. He unfurled it in front of him, revealing a sketch work of a kunai.

The weapon-smith took it and looked at it with interest. Now he was more interested than before.

"I've never had to make something like this before." The man spoke but Reid interjected.

"It shouldn't be too heavy or too light. The blade must be as sharp as possible." Reid explained before he could start asking questions.

"That's…specific. How many if it do you need?" He asked Reid, only to be stunned at the answer.

"I want a hundred of them." He answered, causing his mouth to hang stay open in shock. In his shock, he didn't realize he was now alone in his shop until he heard the sound of the door closing.

'How the hell am I supposed to make that much. If you think about it, he didn't give me a time limit so I can take my tim-' His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening again.

"Also I need them by next week." Reid said as his head was peeking inside the shop. He then closed the door, leaving the man frustrated, tired and depressed.

'I'm not sure if I'll be able to move when I'm done.' He thought as he fell to his knees in depression.