The setting sun slanted west, bathing the Uchiha Clan Compound streets in a warm orange-red glow.
Senba arrived at Setsuna's courtyard and found him sitting under the eaves, a cup of tea in his hand, staring blankly at the sunset on the horizon.
Hearing footsteps, he turned his head as Senba asked, "Uncle, are those two chakra metal swords ready?"
Setsuna nodded, stood up, and walked into the house. A moment later, he emerged carrying a long wooden box, which he gently placed on the stone table.
"Open it and take a look."
Senba lifted the lid of the wooden box and saw two swords resting inside.
One was entirely pitch-black, shimmering with a faint luster in the setting sun. Its hilt was wrapped in black sharkskin, and the handguard was a simple, unadorned square.
The other was entirely snow-white, its blade a bright silver that reflected the afterglow of the setting sun with dazzling brilliance. The hilt was wrapped in white sharkskin, and its slightly wider handguard was engraved with subtle cloud patterns.
The two ninja swords lay side by side in the wooden box, one black and one white, like the poles of Yin and Yang.
Senba reached out and gently stroked a blade. He could feel his Chakra flowing smoothly through it, utterly unobstructed.
"These two swords were collected by the clan in the early years," Setsuna explained from the side. "Both are crafted entirely from chakra metal and are of superior quality."
Senba nodded. He picked up the black one and weighed it; it was slightly heavier than an ordinary sword, but perfectly suited for a Ninja.
He gripped the hilt and tried to inject Chakra. The Chakra instantly flooded the blade, and the entire sword seemed to come alive, a faint, dim light shimmering along its edge.
"Not bad." Setsuna nodded with satisfaction. "Your Chakra control is excellent; it suits these two swords well."
"I think my control is better than just 'not bad'," Senba replied.
With max-level chakra control, he was even better than Tsunade, who was considered number one.
"You're quite arrogant, kid," Setsuna chuckled, though he didn't refute him. With his sharp vision, he could clearly see that Senba's control was indeed superior even to his own.
"Wait here."
Setsuna walked into the house, then returned a moment later with a briefcase. He placed it on the stone table and opened it; inside were neat stacks of banknotes.
"The swords only cost thirty million. Here's the remaining ten million ryo."
Setsuna curled his lip and said, "I bought these two swords from the clan. If it were before the coup, I could have just taken them. Who in the clan would have dared to stop me back then?"
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery.
"But after the failed coup, my prestige in the clan plummeted. That fellow Uchiha Shinto became the Clan Chief, and since my relationship with him isn't good, I had to buy them."
Senba nodded and said nothing more. He didn't care about the cost, as long as the ninja swords were acquired.
Setsuna asked, "You probably want to learn Uchiha Style Swordsmanship with Mikoto, right?"
"Correct," Senba nodded.
"Then do you know the prerequisites?" Setsuna asked. "Learning Uchiha Style Swordsmanship requires mastering two abilities: shape transformation of Chakra and nature transformation of Fire Release Chakra."
"These are the thresholds. If you can't reach them, you can't learn it."
Senba was silent for a moment, then he raised his right hand. A blue light emerged in his palm, quickly condensing and rotating into a fist-sized orb that emitted a sharp buzzing sound.
Senba put away the Rasengan and looked at him. "I have already mastered Chakra shape transformation, and I'm very proficient at it."
Setsuna's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at him for several seconds, his gaze falling thoughtfully on Senba's right hand.
"This Ninjutsu without hand seals... did you create it yourself?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Can you explain its principle?"
Senba did not refuse and briefly explained the principle of the Rasengan: the rotation, compression, and maintenance of Chakra, and how to achieve a seal-less activation through shape transformation.
Setsuna listened intently, a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.
After finishing, Senba added, "I plan to contribute the Rasengan to the Village to be recorded in the Scroll of Seals."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "And then?"
Senba said, "I can get the opportunity to learn three A-Rank Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals and five million ryo. With Lady Tsunade's help, I can also choose to exchange them for one S-Rank Ninjutsu."
Setsuna's pupils contracted slightly. Most of the Ninjutsu recorded in the Scroll of Seals were created by Senju Tobirama.
The Second Hokage of Konoha, the killer of Lord Izuna, and the person he hated most.
But Tobirama was also the world's recognized master of forbidden arts, having developed countless powerful S-Rank Ninjutsu. If Senba could learn one of them, it would be of great help to him.
Setsuna stared at Senba, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp, "Have you thought about contributing the Rasengan to the clan?"
Setsuna's eyes were fixed on Senba, his gaze filled with complex emotions: expectation, scrutiny, and a faint hint of... longing?
Senba fell silent, his thoughts racing.
'Even though I had no intention of handing the Rasengan to the clan, I can't really refuse.'
Even though Setsuna was treated as an outsider, he still loves the Uchiha. If Senba refused to help the clan, Setsuna's opinion of him would drop.
This couldn't happen. Senba still needed this old fossil to train him in various Uchiha Ninjutsu.
So, in the end, he nodded calmly. "You can just hand it over to the Clan Chief, but I won't go."
"Good." Setsuna smiled in satisfaction. "Take the swords and the money back. Come find me tomorrow, and I'll teach you the nature transformation of Fire Release Chakra."
"I'll get those thirty million ryo back first. By contributing an A-Rank Ninjutsu without hand seals to the Family, if Uchiha Shinto dares not to refund my money, I'll become the Clan Chief tonight."
After saying that, Setsuna strode away. Senba watched his back disappear from sight, his mouth twitching slightly.
One could only say that Setsuna truly lived up to his reputation as a professional rebel, preparing for a coup without a word.
However, this was different from twenty years ago. Although Setsuna couldn't beat Tobirama, he was more than a match for Uchiha Shinto.
Senba was ready to learn nature transformation of Fire Release Chakra right now. A B-rank Chakra amount was enough to perform A-Rank Ninjutsu several times, fully meeting the conditions for learning Uchiha Style Swordsmanship.
'Tomorrow it is, then... at least I can get the thirty million ryo back.' Senba picked up the wooden box and the briefcase, then left the small courtyard.