Half an hour later, Gen arrived at a mountain thick with greenery and slipped into a cave.
This was a safe house he had prepared in advance — stocked with food and fresh water, enough for two people to survive for half a month.
The water came from a mountain spring, and the food was bought by Gen while disguised on solo missions to nearby towns: mostly instant noodles, canned goods, and other long-lasting supplies.
After lighting the candles inside, Gen stripped Uchiha Yuichi of all his belongings and secured his wrists and ankles to a wooden cross. Satisfied that his captive wasn't going anywhere, Gen stepped outside.
In the forest, he found a tree as thick as his waist. Drawing the Kusanagi Blade, he channeled pale blue Wind Release chakra along its edge. With a single slash, the tree toppled.
This was the latest refinement in his Wind Release chakra control, increasing its cutting power.
In the original timeline, Danzo had demonstrated this by imbuing shuriken and kunai with Wind Release to slice cleanly through stone.
Gen stripped the branches and cut a section about three and a half meters long, then set to work shaping it.
The blade flashed, woodchips flew, and before long, two wooden humanoid figures took shape.
They were crude, as Gen wasn't a carpenter, but they had a basic human outline.
Sheathing his sword, he extended both hands, sending two white orbs of life force into the wooden figures, temporarily granting them souls and vitality.
A moment later, the wooden constructs twitched to life, kneeling stiffly before him.
"Master," they said in unison.
"You'll find one person inside the cave now," Gen instructed. "There'll be two eventually. Your job is to keep them alive, no starving, no dehydration, and keep the place clean."
"Yes, Master."
"You're weak. Don't wander far. Play outside the cave, but never stray too far."
"Yes, Master."
"When you feed or clean, do not speak to the prisoners. Pretend you're mute."
"Yes, Master."
"Don't take my words lightly. If you ruin my plans…" Gen's voice hardened, "…I'll set you on fire."
At this, Shuryu and Shizukamaru emerged; one twirling its sword, the other breathing fire.
The air filled with the sound of chopping wood and crackling flames.
"No, Master, we'll do everything right!"
"Yes, yes, we'll do it well!"
"Punishment has its counterweight, reward," Gen said. "Do well, and I won't take back the souls and life I've given you."
"Thank you, Master!" they chorused, fear melting into delight.
"Wait here."
"Yes, Master."
Gen returned to the cave, leaving Shuryu and Shizukamaru to loom over the wooden men like enforcers.
"Remember," Shuryu hissed, "if you fail, I'll burn you to ashes — nothing left."
"And I'll cut you into pieces," Shizukamaru added flatly.
"Yes… yes…" The wooden men clung to each other, trembling.
They could sense the power of these veteran Homies, a power they could never resist.
Soon, Gen returned and tossed two black hooded cloaks at them.
"Put them on."
"Yes."
The cloaks turned them into faceless figures under the shadow of their hoods.
"Shuryu, Shizukamaru, clear the wild beasts from the mountain," Gen ordered.
These two were far stronger than the new wooden men, who were barely tougher than normal humans. In this world, wild beasts were far more dangerous than in his past life.
"Yes, Master."
Shuryu transformed into a two-meter-long fire dragon, Shizukamaru hopping onto his back before the two vanished into the sky.
"You two, come with me," Gen told the wooden men. "I'll show you the tools and how to feed people."
"Yes, Master."
The extra trouble was intentional, Gen didn't want his fellow clansmen's lives on his conscience. Otherwise, it would've been simpler to kill them after his research.
Gen knew he was self-centered — kidnapping his own people for power was proof enough — but he had lines he wouldn't cross.
If there was no conflict of interest, especially with his own clan, he preferred to spare lives.
He believed keeping some conscience was essential; without it, in the ninja world's darkness, you'd stop controlling power and start being controlled by it.
He couldn't dictate others' morality, but he could control his own.
According to his intel, Uchiha Yuichi lived in a warm home with parents, younger siblings, and a happy family life. Why destroy that?
He would let them suffer a scare, then restore what was lost.
After finishing his research, he'd stage a mission encounter with Hidden Mist ninja, 'rescue' Yuichi, and leave behind evidence that the imprisonment was Kirigakure's doing.
If all went well, Yuichi's gratitude could even gain him two loyal Uchiha subordinates.
Troublesome? Yes.
Profitable? Definitely.
Half an hour later, the wooden men had learned how to use the tools and prepare food. Shuryu and Shizukamaru returned, the mountain's beasts eliminated.
Only then did Gen leave the mountain, returning to the Konoha front-line camp to complete his mission.
The delay was long, but as a Uchiha prodigy and Orochimaru's student, the mission officer let it slide.
Once done, Gen approached Orochimaru to request a solo mission. In wartime, missions weren't negotiable, but with Orochimaru's influence, exceptions were easy.
The excuse was simple: solo missions allowed him more rest between tasks. Orochimaru wouldn't care about a little laziness.
Soon after, another Uchiha, Uchiha Mori, was 'captured' by a Hidden Mist Jonin during a mission.
The clan was furious at the loss of two Sharingan-wielders in quick succession, sending out search teams that included Shisui, Gen, and two elders, never suspecting the real culprit was in their midst.
In the end, the searches turned up nothing…