Shisui himself hadn't expected that Inabi's reckless meddling would awaken his One Tomoe Sharingan. He didn't even know how he made it back to the camp.
All he knew was…
After returning, he somehow found himself standing in front of Kyōichi's tent.
Kyōichi was inside, resting.
This raid had really drained a lot of chakra, and after returning, he needed to recover as quickly as possible because they still had to go out tomorrow to see if there was any chance to pick off some stragglers.
However.
Not long after, he sensed Shisui's arrival.
"Sensei, may I come in?"
"Come in."
Kyōichi rubbed his temples.
His energy hadn't fully recovered—it would have been enough, but he had used some to replenish the chakra in the Yin Seal, so now he was running low.
It was clear.
The gap in the Yin Seal still needed to be addressed.
Kyōichi was pondering this when Shisui entered. He looked up and saw Shisui's unusually serious expression.
After sitting down, Shisui pointed to his own eyes.
Then, a blood-red color emerged from his eyes.
One tomoe!
He awakened his Sharingan?
Kyōichi was stunned, then took a deep breath.
He knew.
Something must have happened.
"Alright, I did promise to teach you a ninjutsu before. So… let's go. I'll take you outside. We can't disturb everyone's rest."
Kyōichi stood up and casually spoke, then led Shisui out of Nagano Mountain to a secluded spot.
Shisui quickly explained everything that had happened.
Kyōichi frowned.
Uchiha Yashiro?
He vaguely remembered this person. Like Inabi and Tekka, after Shisui's death, Yashiro had gone to confront Itachi. He seemed to be a hardline militarist.
Would someone like that believe Shisui's rhetoric?
Impossible.
Kyōichi's heart sank.
He looked at Shisui and said, "Do you really think that person will help you?"
"Sensei, I… I don't know. But at the time, I was so worried and regretful. I felt that if I had stayed in Konoha a few more days, maybe Inabi and Tekka wouldn't have acted so recklessly."
Shisui was upset, feeling like he had made a mistake.
His Sharingan had awakened amidst excitement, fear, and regret—even if it was only one tomoe.
However.
Kyōichi suspected that the reason Shisui only had one tomoe was because he was only five years old.
Too young!
At this age, even if he could awaken the Uchiha's special power, it wouldn't be too strong.
He might not even be able to control the power of his eyes freely.
Still.
This was much better than Sasuke.
Sasuke was eight when his entire clan was slaughtered, and he only awakened one tomoe. He didn't even know how to use it until much later.
As Kyōichi mentally roasted canon, he dissected Yashiro's motives.
He thought for a long time.
Shisui grew more and more uneasy, feeling that something was wrong.
"Sensei, maybe…"
"Don't be afraid. If Inabi managed to win over Yashiro, so be it. He's helping you win over so many people. Even if only two or three truly agree, that's still two or three, right?"
Kyōichi had figured it out.
What did it matter if Yashiro truly supported them or not?
As long as Inabi kept spreading the word, and most people accepted the Uchiha version of the Will of Fire that Shisui and Kyōichi had come up with, a new ideological faction would rise within the Uchiha clan.
At the very least, Shisui and Itachi wouldn't be fighting alone.
With Kyōichi around, their ideology wouldn't become too distorted or extreme.
Thinking about it, Kyōichi actually felt it was a good thing.
Who knows…
Maybe Yashiro would bring this theory back to the clan and promote it among the older generation.
Maybe some of them would agree?
It's possible.
After all, the Uchiha only craved power and recognition. They weren't all insane and suicidal.
He discussed this with Shisui.
Shisui listened, dumbfounded.
It could work like that?
It seemed…
There was no problem with it!
He couldn't quite grasp it all at once, but he vaguely felt that his sensei's words made sense.
Shisui was silent for a long time, then asked, "Sensei, what should I do next?"
"Do nothing. Improve yourself. Chat with Inabi every now and then. You can even teach him some of the swordsmanship I taught you."
"How can I do that!"
Shisui was shocked.
The swordsmanship was his sensei's. How could he just teach it to others?
Kyōichi shook his head and said, "It's not that important. You need to make them believe you're doing this for the Uchiha."
"I see…"
Shisui thought about it and began to understand.
If he even "stole" his sensei's techniques, the clan would believe he was truly dedicated to the Uchiha.
Even if someone suspected he had ulterior motives, they wouldn't harm him. Instead, they might protect him.
On the other hand.
Those who agreed with him would respect him even more.
He felt both admiration and envy.
As expected of his sensei.
He had been so worried, but with just a few words, his sensei had unraveled everything.
"You don't need to admire me. What I'm doing is just a small trick. Compared to those who specialize in this kind of thing, it's nothing."
Kyōichi patted his head.
Shisui nodded, then looked up and asked, "Are you talking about Danzō?"
"Him? I suppose. Of the three old guys I can't stand, he's the only one with some skill. The other two, hah!"
Kyōichi chuckled.
With Tsunade's personality, if she came to power without strength, it would be one thing. But if she had strength, she would definitely find a reason to strip those two old geezers of their power.
As for strength…
Wasn't he right here?
"Sensei, I feel much better now."
"Don't rush back. I'll teach you a genjutsu—a motion-based genjutsu. It should also work with the Sharingan. You can develop it further yourself."
Kyōichi moved his fingers slightly.
Under the moonlight, Shisui saw his movements, and then…
He saw blades coming at him from all directions.
Genjutsu: Bubble.
In the anime, Itachi's illusion was a flock of crows. Kyōichi replaced them with blades, but the underlying principle was the same.
Although Shisui had been learning swordsmanship under him, his talent for genjutsu was also very strong.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have awakened Kotoamatsukami.
So…
After hearing the principles and usage, he quickly mastered it!
"Go back and practice more. You won't need to go to the battlefield at this stage, but this war will probably last a while."
"Yes!"
Shisui wasn't clear about the situation in the north and west.
But.
He knew that Konoha wasn't safe right now.
Otherwise, Namikaze Minato wouldn't have been absent from the eastern front.
Kyōichi didn't let the genin participate because Kirigakure's high-end combat power wasn't strong, but their Hiding in Mist Technique combined with Silent Killing made them excellent at slaughtering weaker opponents.
There was no need to send the genin in.
Shisui returned and didn't mention his Sharingan to Asuma or Kurenai.
Instead, he relayed Kyōichi's words, urging them to practice and improve themselves.
As for Kyōichi, he hadn't expected that a simple teaching session would also net him the Tree Binding Death Genjutsu.
This genjutsu was a relatively common B-rank technique.
Not bad.
At least it could improve his genjutsu proficiency and chakra control.
As for the genjutsu itself, its usefulness was limited unless Kyōichi could one day perform Tree Binding Death with one-handed seals.
His focus was still on the Chakra Absorption Technique.
This secret technique had a lot of potential for improvement.
Combined with the Yin Seal, it could directly convert absorbed chakra into the seal.
Kyōichi wrote down this technique and sent it to Tsunade via Katsuyu, along with a report on the battle situation.
...
Tsunade was swamped with work.
Recently, she had been studying various medical texts and her grandfather's notes, hoping to quickly develop a hand-seal-less healing technique that she and Kyōichi could use.
But so far, she had made no progress.
It was so difficult!
And this was with Kyōichi's guidance, which had allowed her to master the Strength of a Hundred Technique.
Otherwise, this step alone might have stumped her for a long time.
Tsunade was frowning in frustration.
At that moment, Katsuyu appeared and spat out a scroll.
"Huh?"
She immediately perked up.
A message scroll from Kyōichi!
Was there trouble on the front lines?
She quickly took it and read it, only relaxing after a few moments.
"Taking the initiative, wiping out four squads, and discovering the enemy's new base…"
What a reckless move.
But.
After reading the details, she felt that Kyōichi's strategy had been carefully thought out.
The risks weren't too great, and now that the first group of Uchiha elites had arrived, the pressure would ease significantly.
She continued reading.
Then she saw the overview, principles, and usage of the Chakra Absorption Technique.
At first, she was stunned, then overjoyed.
She understood the power of this technique.
If they could improve the conversion rate and absorption speed, combining it with the Katsuyu Technique and other ninja could greatly extend the effectiveness of the Katsuyu Technique.
On the battlefield, this would be a game-changer.
Right now, it was somewhat limited, but its potential was enormous.
What a great secret technique!
Then she thought about herself…
Damn it.
Kyōichi was tossing out secret techniques left and right, while her hand-seal-less healing technique still had no progress.
She sighed, holding the scroll and pondering, about to start practicing.
At that moment, she sensed a familiar chakra approaching.
Why is he here?
Tsunade frowned.
She glanced at the bedroom, where Shizune was already asleep, then walked into the courtyard and said softly, "Come out. What do you want?"
"To clear up a misunderstanding and, incidentally, help you with something."
A slightly hoarse voice sounded, and then Orochimaru appeared in a flash.
"Oh? Do we have a misunderstanding?"
"Kyōichi's exam was arranged by Danzō, but the attempt failed, so I gave up on obtaining his blood through that method."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a faint smile. "Besides, if I really wanted it, would I use such a clumsy method?"
Tsunade didn't respond, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Orochimaru.
"This information might be useful to you."
Orochimaru handed her a scroll.
Tsunade took it and glanced at it, then her expression turned serious, revealing a mix of surprise and anger.
Research on Hashirama's cells!
"Human life is fragile. If I had been exposed to this back then…"
He spoke in a low voice, then turned to leave.
"Orochimaru."
Mentioning Nawaki, Tsunade's emotions were complicated.
Nawaki had been Orochimaru's acknowledged student.
She knew that Orochimaru wouldn't use this matter to curry favor.
Orochimaru wasn't that kind of person.
She took a deep breath and said, "Don't go down the wrong path, and don't research that technique. It has major flaws."
"Don't worry, he's not qualified to order me around! Hah, becoming Hokage is their dream. It's good that you've returned. With you here, that kid can change some things."
Orochimaru tilted his head, glanced behind him, and paused before saying, "I'm sorry about Nawaki, but we can't keep living in the past."
In the next moment, he vanished with a Body Flicker.
Tsunade held the scroll, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
"Nawaki!"