Later That Same Morning
After refreshing myself, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen. To my surprise, breakfast was already prepared. I wondered how they knew I might be hungry or if they were simply accustomed to cooking at 8 in the morning. Then it hit me: Mito, that silly girl, must have said something.
With a chuckle, I walked into the hall where Hashirama, Tobirama, some elders, and other clan members were gathered, enjoying the warm, delicious food.
"Isshin, join us! We have the best sake and alcohol in the entire Land of Fire!" Hashirama declared, his face flushed with drink as he boasted like a fool.
I took a seat next to Hashirama, as an elder vacated it, likely done with his breakfast. "Isshin, eat some more! You need to grow!" Hashirama encouraged, his loud voice mingling with the clatter of dishes. He noticed I was a bit reserved while eating and drinking, so he poured a generous amount of sake into my glass. The aroma alone was intoxicating, and I couldn't resist.
"Haha, I love your energy, Hashirama! You need to teach Tobirama to loosen up a bit; he always acts like we're on the battlefield!" I laughed, enjoying the moment, but as I turned to tease Tobirama, I noticed his silver hair bristling with annoyance.
Teasing him was always a thrill, especially with Hashirama chiming in. After finishing the last bottle of sake, Hashirama sighed, clearly disappointed. "I've tried countless times to get him to relax, but he's as stubborn as they come. I won't give up, though!"
"Maybe in his old age, he'll soften up—until then, he's undeniably the sweetest shinobi," I added, encouraging Hashirama. He had a way of changing people with just his words.
"Enough of you two!" Tobirama snapped, finally reaching his limit. He stood up, leaving the table, though not before finishing his food.
"Want to taste some more, Isshin, or have you reached your limit?" Hashirama challenged, igniting the competitive spirit in me. We drank until everything was gone.
*Ugh.*
As I opened my eyes, a wave of dizziness hit me, and a sharp pain throbbed at my temples. The effects of overindulgence in the Uzumaki special sake, which Hashirama struggled to handle, were hitting me hard. "Where am I?" I muttered, trying to piece together my surroundings. The room felt unfamiliar, and the sunlight streaming through the windows did little to ease my confusion.
"You took quite a while to wake up, Isshin, but Hashirama is still asleep," a voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see Tobirama's clone standing nearby, his tone a mixture of disappointment and annoyance.
"Huh? Tobi? What happened, and where are we?" I asked, my mind still foggy. A quick scan confirmed that he was indeed a clone, raising questions about where the real Tobirama had gone.
"Long story short: you two passed out for three days straight, drinking all the sake in the house. Meanwhile, Madara Uchiha is causing chaos at the front line near the Senju feudal lord, and the real me is currently engaged in battle," he explained, his voice laced with urgency.
Three days? I felt a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. "Then take me with you. Let Hashirama rest," I insisted, a fire igniting within me. It had been far too long since I had felt the thrill of battle, and I was eager to confront the legendary Uchiha.
"I can't," he replied curtly, crossing his arms. The finality in his tone stung, especially under the influence of sake. But then it dawned on me: this clone was running low on chakra. I couldn't let that deter me.
"Then mark me. I'll use the Flying Raijin reversal to return to the battlefield," I said. There was another way… a difficult one as the determination surging through me.
"Are you sure you can handle that? Given your current state, you'd be more of a liability than an asset," he warned, concerned creeping into his voice as he underestimated me completely. Yet he was not to blame as not many alive know my true capability.
"Just do as I say, Tobirama. I want to face Madara—I've heard so much about him, and I'm ready for this fight." I tried to convince him with words. "And who exactly is this 'Madara'?" Tobirama asked, arching an eyebrow. Perhaps testing if I'm still not thinking straight.
"Madara Uchiha," I replied, my voice steady. "You really think you can take him on alone?" he pressed, skepticism evident in his tone.
"You doubt me? That hurts," I shot back, attempting to lighten the mood, but I meant it. I felt strong enough to take on anyone.
"Fine, if you insist. I believe you are as strong as my elder brother; otherwise, I would have ignored your request," he conceded, though his expression remained serious.
"You're such a good brother, moreover you should know I'm once a century war genius even if you had rejected my demand I would have arrived one way or another." I said with a grin, grateful for his support but also reminded him what I can do.
With that, Tobirama's clone stepped forward, placing a mark on my arm with swift precision. "Just be careful out there, Isshin. Wait, how will you do that reversal thing?"
"I will," I promised without explaining and just like that he was gone.
As I read the mark he gave me, I could already feel, see and understand the logic behind the seals may resolve hardening. "It's quite complex but not to me as I am a seal master."
This technique's main pro is that the other party can't use it as the formula on the weapon can only be activated by its creator/user which is designed by them and even if tried to activate it simply won't as only one chakra can be registered in it.
"Which means I need to modify it a little bit so I can reverse the teleportation." And as someone who knows the foundation/base of the formula, additional sealing master uzumaki, who is a genius, it didn't take more than a miniature to figure out the changes.
A/n: The techniques originally belong to Tobirama though it's just Isshin saw the formula in Uzumaki's technique archive which he still has with him in a scroll.
It was time to face Madara Uchiha and prove myself. With a quick nod to Tobirama's clone, I activated the Flying Raijin reversal, focusing on the battlefield ahead.