At the Hokage Building.
Two masses of chakra swirled around Sarutobi Hiruzen's fingertips, continuously colliding under his control...
There was already the faint shadow of an initial fusion...
And on the crystal ball atop the desk, the sights and sounds of the Uchiha clan compound were being broadcast live.
'Chakra fusion is tedious work. Only through constant repetition can you occasionally catch a spark of inspiration...'
'Good thing there's a show from sensei to watch. Listening while training counts as balancing work and rest...'
Even though Hiruzen said that—
When he heard Tobirama righteously declare that he would inherit Madara's will and fuse it with the Will of Fire...
Even Hiruzen, the Hokage, had nearly failed to keep a straight face.
You're playing big, sensei!
After putting on a mask and taking off the Hokage robes, Tobirama's way of thinking had become even wilder than before...
After all, he was no longer the Hokage. The person on the stage had too much to consider and always had to mind the impact.
'Sensei is integrating into the Uchiha even faster than I imagined...'
'Looks like he's really enjoying his current life...' Hiruzen silently watched Tobirama.
Even he, if he did not know that this "genius Uchiha boy" had been revived by his own hand...
Would probably have been fooled for the time being.
Obsessive enough, extreme enough, and idealistic enough—it fit the character profile from every angle.
'He's trying to seize the authority to interpret Madara's will, and use that to consolidate the Uchiha's centripetal force for himself internally...'
With his other hand, Hiruzen tapped his pipe and exhaled a puff of smoke.
'But if he only debates doctrine within the Uchiha, the influence and effect it can produce will still be very limited...'
'In the end, it would just be minor commotion inside a closed body.'
'What the current Uchiha need is recognition from the outside. Only by spreading the discussion throughout the entire village can the Uchiha's consensus be further concentrated around Tobirama-sensei...'
'So then, that will be my part in this.'
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, picked up a sheet of paper, and swiftly wrote several questions on it.
In one month, it would be the ninja academy's midterm exam.
Naturally, there would also be questions about the Will of Fire.
Normally speaking, as a ninja academy student, no matter how one answered on a test paper, it would not produce any real effect...
Even if the answer was complete nonsense, at most it would just earn a zero.
But under the manipulation of the Hokage's great hand, nothing was impossible...
For example, he could personally review and grade the papers, then pick out Tobirama's paper from among them.
Then, based on its contents, he could take the next step and choose a suitable way to increase his exposure.
The Hokage could manually grant traffic...
As for Madara's will, Hiruzen did not understand it very well. He was the First Hokage's successor, not an Uchiha.
But combining what Tobirama had said—that it was meant to resolve the hidden dangers of the Uchiha and even the village—
And adding in the conduct of "Uchiha Seisui" since arriving in the village...
Hiruzen's many years of experience gave him a certain intuition.
'I just have a feeling... sensei will probably use Danzō as material...'
'An Uchiha being targeted by the Hokage's advisor, yet taking the initiative to confront him first—that's enough to create discussion. And Danzō's long-standing reputation in the village also makes him a naturally suitable opponent to take the stage against...'
'So long as he can withstand the pressure.'
Naturally, the vast majority of ninja would not dare deal with Danzō like that.
Even Orochimaru had to wait for the right time, because Danzō's reputation and methods were no empty boast.
The Darkness of the Shinobi truly did have some skill.
But the problem was that Tobirama really was exactly as he himself had said—he simply would not care about Danzō...
He truly did not care. Truly was not afraid in the slightest.
The Uchiha's reputation in the village was fairly poor.
If he went and picked a fight with Hatake Sakumo, Hyūga Hizashi, and the like...
Leaving aside that their conduct had very little flaw to begin with—
Even if they did, they each had people who supported them, and neutral ninja would still lean more toward them than toward a newly arrived Uchiha boy...
But Danzō was different...
'Konoha's ninja have suffered under Danzō for a long time'—that description would not have been excessive two or three years ago.
'If that's the case, Danzō, then you're still too slow...'
Hiruzen shook his head with a chuckle and said inwardly, 'Trying to target the Number One Speed in the Shinobi World, yet still waiting for an opportunity instead of striking first...'
'You're about to get taught a lesson by sensei!'
Danzō was still pondering when to deal with "Uchiha Seisui"...
But as the Hokage's advisor and head of the Anbu, he believed the initiative was firmly in his own hands.
Because in all his years in Konoha, aside from Hiruzen, when it came to anyone else, it had always been Danzō making the first move—never Danzō being forced to answer one.
'How interesting, how interesting...'
'I inherited the First Hokage, but sensei wants to become the spokesman for Madara's will?' Hiruzen suddenly kneaded the two masses of chakra on his fingertips together.
The wind- and water-nature chakra fused a little more deeply.
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
Cause trouble, go on and cause trouble!
As long as he was here, some minor turbulence in the village would never overturn the heavens...
And within the Uchiha clan compound—
The battle between Fugaku and Tobirama had also begun.
Fugaku brandished his ninja sword. He had mastered Uchiha-style taijutsu and swordsmanship with great proficiency...
Although Isshin always criticized him for lacking brains.
He still acknowledged Fugaku's talent. This was a gifted Uchiha...
"Well then, Seisui?"
Fugaku laughed loudly as he blocked one of Tobirama's slashes. "Your speed is indeed astonishing, but my Sharingan isn't so slow that it can't keep up with you..."
"When it comes to strength, I have the advantage. After all, I'm much bigger than you!"
Fugaku suddenly exerted force, gathering chakra into the blade and forcing Tobirama back...
But the Uchiha present, Fugaku included, were all inwardly alarmed...
How many days had Seisui even been eating his fill? How long had he been training?
Give him another two or three years to fully develop...
If Fugaku stood still and made no progress, then in the future, facing off against "Seisui" would be no different from facing Uchiha Yashiro.
"But there's no helping it, Seisui..."
"With the honor of the Uchiha clan at stake, even if you're a genius, I can't step aside for you."
The three tomoe in Fugaku's eyes spun rapidly as he drew in a deep breath, chakra gathering in his chest...
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
Fugaku held nothing back. Flames swept toward Tobirama like a sky-covering tide.
This was also one of the techniques he had trained in to pay tribute to the great clan head.
'With Seisui's current chakra and Fire Release attainments, he can't outmatch my Fire Release head-on...'
Fugaku calculated inwardly: 'I'll use this move to wear down Seisui's chakra, then continue suppressing him from range with Fire Release. His speed and chakra will drop..."
'At that point, I'll close in and use my eye power to defeat him in a single move!'
'Though fighting like this is unfair, this isn't child's play. If one wants a voice in the Uchiha clan, being young isn't a reason others should yield...'
Tobirama narrowed his eyes and also began using Fire Release, testing the limits of this body.
'This body has excellent compatibility with fire-attribute chakra. Given time, mastering deeper nature and shape transformation will not be difficult.'
'But the time has still been too short. After all, I've only invested two months into Fire Release...'
'Fugaku is using the scale of his chakra and his level of proficiency to drag me into an attrition battle.'
'So in the end, I'll still have to use the old method...'
Just as Fugaku had thought—
In a direct Fire Release clash, "Uchiha Seisui" was not his match and could only retreat step by step.
And this scene also made the Uchiha onlookers begin to worry.
Isshin watched the scene with a complicated expression.
Although he had been the one who told Fugaku not to hold back, now that "Seisui" was about to lose...
Isshin still found it hard to feel good about it.
He also very much wanted to hear how this boy blessed by the ancestors intended to combine Madara's will with the Will of Fire...
That had stirred the expectations of a cultured man like Isshin.
"Come on! Nii-san! Come on!" Obito clenched both fists and shouted himself hoarse.
"Nii-san, use that move! Use Ancestor Kagami's secret technique on him!" Shisui's little face had gone red with anxiety. He cupped his hands around his mouth like a tiny megaphone.
"You can't keep using Fire Release!"
Shisui and Obito were very loud.
And because of that, the Uchiha around them were taken aback...
Uchiha Kagami was no minor figure, but if one asked what secret technique he had, nothing came to mind at once...
He had been a well-rounded ninja.
"Kagami-senpai? Could it be some kind of high-level Fire Release chakra technique..."
"That's no issue. I can do that too!"
Fugaku raised his concentration to the limit and continued pouring in more chakra, maintaining his Fire Release suppression over "Seisui"...
'Good boy, you stumbled right into it!'
Watching the crystal ball, Hiruzen curled his lips and thought inwardly: 'You can show it openly now, sensei!'
What they were probably referring to was some unique ninjutsu Senju Tobirama had passed down to Kagami back then...
Tobirama had once taught Kagami many of the techniques he had developed specifically to counter the Uchiha.
He had hoped Kagami could become his embodiment and make good use of his Uchiha identity to suppress troublemakers from within the clan...
But ninjutsu was not something one could use well simply because it had been passed down. Even if Kagami had possessed a pair of highly useful eyes—
There was an indescribable, unexplainable layer of talent between learning a technique and skillfully integrating it into actual combat.
Although Kagami's thinking differed greatly from that of a traditional Uchiha, his combat style and fighting methods had still remained traditional.
Those Water Release techniques, certain forbidden techniques, and genjutsu...
Kagami had never been able to integrate them well into his own combat system.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
And just as Hiruzen had expected—
Tobirama suddenly used an extremely exquisite Water Release...
Interestingly, to keep himself from appearing too practiced, Tobirama had even deliberately formed six hand seals...
But it was still fast enough.
One water dragon after another rose from the ground in this waterless environment.
They crashed toward the fireballs Fugaku was continuously releasing!
"What refined Water Release..." Seeing that scene, the watching Uchiha En instinctively felt discomfort.
He once again felt phantom limb pain after a long absence.
"It's still far behind that son of a bitch, but there really is a trace of that charm in it..."
"What is going on? Can the young clan head's style and that bastard's style really both appear in Seisui alone?" En blinked hard.
This fusion was simply too strange...
"This..." Isshin tugged at his beard.
He had never expected this kind of reversal.
So the secret technique of Kagami that Shisui had shouted about was actually Water Release similar to Tobirama's?
If your ancestor knew, he'd cry!
"Oh, no, he wouldn't cry. Uchiha Kagami was a diehard loyalist of Senju Tobirama..." Isshin grumbled inwardly for once, his mood complicated.
Why learn the bad things instead of the good ones!
"Water Release? It's actually Water Release..." Fugaku's pupils contracted.
An Uchiha using Water Release really was overturning the natural order...
A huge amount of mist surged through the battlefield, obscuring visibility.
If he wanted to continue suppressing everything with Fire Release, he first needed a suitable chance to disperse the mist.
Otherwise, he would lose the initiative...
And at that moment, Tobirama charged toward Fugaku, the corner of his lips curving slightly upward.
He had entered his comfort zone...
"The Sharingan is affected by the mist, but that doesn't mean it can't see anything at all..." Fugaku let out a cold laugh and calmly raised his long sword.
Since both of them were Uchiha, then in this kind of environment, the contest of eye power came first.
Whoever had stronger ocular power could obtain more information...
But what Fugaku had not expected was—
Tobirama formed hand seals with incredible speed, and from his position, something spread so rapidly that even the Sharingan could not see through it at once, blotting out Fugaku's vision!
Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique...
This was a version originally created by Senju Hashirama and later improved by Senju Tobirama...
Unless one's ocular power was extremely strong, once struck by it—
Even a three-tomoe Sharingan would lose most of its light, its field of vision suppressed to a very small range.
After this reincarnation, Tobirama's proficiency in genjutsu had risen even further, and he had improved it so that smell and touch would also be suppressed to a certain degree.
'What kind of technique is this?' Fugaku was inwardly shocked. He had never heard of such a genjutsu ocular technique...
Fugaku rapidly retreated, calculating inwardly: 'Breaking this genjutsu comes first, and I also have to dispel this mist properly!'
'Otherwise, I won't be able to see his hand seals clearly and won't be able to guard against this move...'
The three tomoe in Fugaku's eyes spun to their limit as he gathered a mouthful of blazing fire.
But after breaking through the darkness, he discovered in shock that what lay before him was not mist, but dense smoke.
Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique!
This was a move Uchiha Madara had once favored.
It was similar to Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning, but covered a wider area, and after the smoke and dust ignited, its explosive power was even greater...
There stood Tobirama outside the smoke, a wisp of flame curling around his fingertip as he said in a calm tone, "Fugaku-nii, don't move..."
"If you move, I'll ignite both you and the smoke together."
"Admit defeat."
"With these eyes of mine, I have seen your future."
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