A sudden gust of wind swept across the clearing, stirring the fallen leaves and carrying the faint smell of damp earth through the forest.
Under the sharp and dynamic perception granted by the Sharingan, Tsunade's movements appeared painfully clear to Uchiha Su. Every motion of her shoulders, every tightening of her muscles, and even the slightest shift in her stance was visible to him.
To an ordinary person, Tsunade's speed would have been overwhelming. But through the crimson lenses of the Sharingan, her attacks unfolded almost in slow motion.
Uchiha Su stepped lightly to the side, effortlessly avoiding her punch.
"If I felt like it," he said casually, a playful smile appearing on his face, "I could take your life right now."
The words were delivered with a mischievous tone.
In truth, the line wasn't originally his. He simply felt like quoting something dramatic—something that sounded cool. For some reason, the phrase from Uchiha Sasuke suddenly came to mind, and he couldn't resist saying it.
Tsunade's delicate brows immediately knitted together.
Yet the strange thing was that once she entered battle, the sorrow she had been carrying seemed to fade for the moment. The situation reminded her strongly of their sparring sessions back at the Ninja Academy.
"Where did you learn that ridiculous line?" she asked while launching another attack.
Uchiha Su sidestepped again.
"What's wrong with it?" he replied with mock offense. "Don't you think I look cool when I say it?"
"No!" Tsunade shouted without hesitation.
Her expression turned fierce as she suddenly accelerated forward.
"I think you look incredibly stupid when you say that!"
Then she added mercilessly,
"Even stupider than Jiraiya!"
With perfect timing, Tsunade threw a powerful punch.
This time, however, things were different.
Even though Uchiha Su clearly saw the trajectory of the attack through his Sharingan, Tsunade's speed had increased dramatically.
His mind could follow the movement…
But his body could not react fast enough.
In that instant, Uchiha Su made a quick decision.
He leaned slightly to the side and instantly drew his Kusanagi sword, raising the blade just in time to block the incoming fist.
The impact was enormous.
A terrifying amount of force surged through the blade like a raging tide.
Uchiha Su could clearly see the Kusanagi sword bending into a dangerous arc under the pressure, as if the blade might snap in half at any moment.
"What terrifying strength," he said sincerely.
Tsunade's strength was truly monstrous.
"Are you joking with me?" Tsunade snapped angrily. "Even now you're still mocking me?"
Her expression became even more ferocious.
"Alright, Tsunade," Uchiha Su sighed lightly. "Playtime is over."
The tomoe in his Sharingan began spinning slowly.
At that exact moment, Tsunade happened to look directly into his eyes.
That was her mistake.
The Sharingan possessed a natural form of genjutsu, a hypnotic power embedded deep within the Uchiha bloodline.
As long as someone made eye contact with the Sharingan, they could be pulled into a hypnotic illusion.
For countless years, a saying had circulated throughout the Ninja World:
If you encounter an Uchiha one-on-one, do not hesitate—turn and run.
Only when there are two people, one attacking from the front and one from behind, do you have any chance of winning.
"In battle," Uchiha Su said softly, "you should never look directly into the Sharingan."
"Have you become this careless, Tsunade?"
Tsunade's body suddenly stiffened.
The fierce determination in her eyes faded, replaced by a blank expression.
She had fallen into the hypnotic genjutsu.
Uchiha Su gently supported her as her body weakened and lowered her carefully beneath a nearby tree.
Her breathing gradually slowed as she drifted into a peaceful sleep.
After ensuring she was comfortable, Uchiha Su straightened and turned his gaze toward the distance.
Far away, the confrontation between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had seemingly ended.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that it had never truly begun.
"So they're just talking now?" Uchiha Su murmured.
The atmosphere around the battlefield had changed.
Instead of the violent clash everyone expected, the two legendary figures appeared to be quietly catching up after many years apart.
Observing the surrounding ANBU ninjas, whose tense expressions had relaxed slightly, Uchiha Su became certain he had not misunderstood the situation.
Although the outcome seemed strange at first…
Once he remembered that the person involved was Hashirama, it suddenly made perfect sense.
After all, Hashirama was the type of man who—during the Five Kage Summit, when Konoha held overwhelming power—would kneel and bow to the other four Kage just to maintain peace.
Compared to Tobirama, Hashirama and Uchiha Madara felt far more like brothers.
After finishing his observation of the battlefield, Uchiha Su's gaze slowly shifted elsewhere.
Not far away stood a figure dressed in blue armor.
Senju Tobirama.
The Second Hokage stood with his arms folded across his chest, his cold and stern expression revealing deep frustration.
For a moment, Tobirama's sharp gaze met Uchiha Su's.
Then he glanced at Tsunade, who was peacefully sleeping beneath the tree.
His expression became even more complicated.
A strange mixture of helplessness and resignation appeared on his face.
What else could he say?
Both grandfather and granddaughter had been defeated here.
Tobirama sighed inwardly.
Perhaps he should rename this valley.
Maybe he could even build a few statues here to commemorate the day the troublesome Uchiha finally left Konoha.
But then another thought struck him.
Unfortunately, not all the Uchiha had left.
A large number of them still remained within the village.
"Damn that Uchiha Madara," Tobirama thought bitterly.
"If he wanted to run away with the clan, why didn't he take everyone with him?"
"Why leave half of them behind to cause trouble for me?"
Meanwhile, Uchiha Su remained completely unaware of Tobirama's internal complaints.
He was preparing to leave when something small suddenly brushed against his foot.
Looking down, he saw a tiny white snake slowly crawling onto his instep.
Uchiha Su raised an eyebrow.
"Orochimaru?"
He gently picked up the small snake and walked deeper into a dense forest.
Moments later, the snake transformed back into a human figure.
Standing before him was Orochimaru.
"Su-kun," Orochimaru greeted him with a faint smile.
Uchiha Su looked pleasantly surprised.
"Orochimaru… I didn't expect to see you here."
Even though Uchiha Su had always regarded Orochimaru as an extraordinary genius—someone who would one day become one of the most difficult ninjas to kill—he was still impressed by how clever the boy had proven to be.
"Su-kun," Orochimaru said calmly, "you probably think I came here to ask why you are leaving Konoha."
Uchiha Su shrugged.
"Isn't that the case?"
Orochimaru shook his head.
"Not really. Even at six years old, I already understand that the Uchiha's situation in Konoha is… complicated."
Uchiha Su laughed softly.
"You're truly brilliant, Orochimaru."
"What else can I say? As expected of a genius."
He casually wrapped an arm around Orochimaru's shoulder.
Orochimaru continued speaking seriously.
"Su-kun, the real genius is you."
"For an entire year at the academy, you hid your true strength."
"I never noticed."
He paused before asking quietly,
"I came here because I wanted to know where you plan to go."
"If it's inconvenient to say, I understand."
Uchiha Su waved his hand.
"There's nothing inconvenient about it."
"Soon enough, the entire Ninja World will know that the Uchiha clan has split."
"The main branch is migrating to the Land of Water."
"The Hidden Mist Village?" Orochimaru asked.
He quickly recalled the map of the Ninja World that their academy teacher had shown during class.
A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
"That's an excellent choice," Orochimaru said.
"The Land of Water is isolated by the ocean. It's extremely difficult for other villages to invade."
"Anyone who thought of that strategy must have incredible foresight."
Uchiha Su grinned.
"This isn't a retreat."
"This migration will allow us to sit like a tiger in the Land of Water."
"And one day… annihilate eighty thousand enemy ninjas."
The line sounded completely bizarre.
But Orochimaru simply nodded thoughtfully.
After spending years around Uchiha Su, he had already grown accustomed to his strange phrases.
Perhaps geniuses simply spoke in unusual ways.
Orochimaru himself often said things that others struggled to understand.
"Well then, Su-kun," Orochimaru said with a small smile.
"I wish you a safe journey."
Uchiha Su laughed and patted his shoulder.
"Orochimaru, when you're not busy with missions, come visit me."
"It's very convenient to travel by boat from the Land of Whirlpools or the Land of Waves."
Then he turned and walked away without looking back.
"I will come visit," Orochimaru whispered quietly.
The next morning, faint sunlight illuminated the border of the Land of Fire.
At an old beacon tower overlooking the frontier, several Uchiha clan members stood watch.
Ironically, the tower had originally been built to monitor enemy ninjas.
Now it was being used by the Uchiha themselves to watch for pursuers from Konoha.
"There are no pursuers at the moment," reported Uchiha Setsuna after scanning the surrounding forest carefully.
Uchiha Su nodded.
"Did you send scouts?"
"Yes," Setsuna replied.
"Nine people in total, divided into three teams."
"They will rotate every two hours."
"And if any team fails to return…"
His voice trailed off.
Everyone present understood the meaning.
It would mean something had gone terribly wrong.