Uchiha Toshiro had completed his morning exercises early. After a brief rest at home, he went to a corner of the courtyard.
Standing on the slate installed yesterday, he stamped his foot to test it and found no issues. One side of the slate was coarse while the other was smooth. The coarse side was placed face down, and the smooth side was on top. Beside it, on the empty ground, was a perfectly round stone ball with a diameter of 40 centimeters. The surface of the ball was also polished and shiny, indicating the considerable effort put into its creation.
He tested the weight and confirmed it was indeed too heavy for a child his age to move. He quickly went inside and called Uchiha Mikasa, who had just woken up and was preparing breakfast, to help push the stone ball onto the slate.
"Although persistence and consistent practice are necessary for training, there's no need to rush, Toshiro. Starting after breakfast wouldn't be too late!"
"I've already waited for several days. If I wait any longer, the opportunity will be gone..." There was no way he could wait any longer. From the moment Toshiro began planning his training schedule, this type of practice had been listed as a top priority.
With a hint of resignation, Mikasa pushed the stone ball onto the slate.
"The weight is unexpectedly heavy! Will this kind of training really have any effect?" She recalled the scene described by Toshiro in her mind, still uncertain.
At this moment, Toshiro had already brought a wooden board and two bamboo poles about fifty to sixty centimeters long to the stone ball.
"Of course, it's heavy! Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered you, Mikasa. This stone ball is made of solid granite, and it weighs over 100 kilograms!"
The reason for using a wooden board instead of slate was because it was their first attempt. The wood was more flexible and easier to manage, plus the weight of the slates was not light and couldn't be moved easily by a child.
Hearing Toshiro, Mikasa pursed her lips but said nothing more. She didn't return to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, instead opting to stand quietly and watch his next moves.
She saw him place the wooden board on the round stone ball, then sit on it, using the bamboo poles to balance his body and slowly sitting cross-legged on the board.
Yes, he was mimicking the training methods of Sage Arts from Mt. Myoboku. In his training plan, the Mangekyou Sharingan and Sage Arts were top priorities, crucial for many future decisions.
If he successfully mastered both, he would attempt to change the tragic fate of the Uchiha clan. After all, he was an Uchiha, part of the clan's unavoidable destiny.
If he only succeeded in one, he would base his decisions on the effectiveness of either the Sage Arts or the Mangekyou Sharingan's abilities, deciding whether to save the clan or escape with some close relatives.
If both attempts failed, then it would be time to prepare a plan for faking his death and finding a scenic, peaceful place to spend his old age.
Fiercely confronting the Third Hokage, Uchiha Obito, and Uchiha Itachi wasn't an option. Toshiro simply wasn't the type to recklessly charge into danger.
As for preventing the tragedy, he decided to see the situation when the time came. Although Konoha spoke of the Will of Fire, it was not something to take lightly. Without absolute power, meddling could lead to an unknown and sudden death.
Joining the Third Hokage's side wasn't wise either. In the original story, it was clear that Uchiha Itachi, immediately after the Third Hokage died, hastily returned to Konoha to deter those with ill intentions toward the Uchiha.
Rushing to join the Third Hokage would only make the latter suspicious, and without the Mangekyou Sharingan, he wouldn't even qualify as a pawn in such a major event.
Even if he awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, considering Uchiha Shisui's fate—ambushed by Danzo Shimura and having one Mangekyou eye stolen—his plan would end in failure.
As for Sage Arts, Toshiro intended to try his luck. The key was ensuring his safety first.
Success wasn't guaranteed, but he hoped for the best, given his extensive knowledge from the series.
"Clank!"
"Ouch!"
Two sounds followed in quick succession. The clank was the wooden board hitting the ground, and the ouch was Toshiro falling flat on his face.
Uchiha Mikasa stood nearby, laughing uncontrollably.
Blaming his own problematic design, he picked up the fallen board and bamboo poles, resuming his "Sage Arts" training.
He refused to believe he couldn't do something achieved by a bunch of toads, snakes, and slugs. As a top university graduate, he thought success was within reach.
If only Asura's reincarnates like Hashirama Senju and Naruto Uzumaki succeeded, perhaps he would understand. But if even Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and Kabuto Yakushi could achieve Sage Mode, not to mention Orochimaru's clone son Mitsuki in Boruto, surely an Otsutsuki bloodline carrier, an Indra descendant, could as well?
(End of Chapter)