Madara Uchiha's Fantasy, Seisui's Challenge

In the valley.

Madara Uchiha reclined in a wide chair, his mind filled with the image of Seisui wielding Muramasa moments ago—the biting blade, the sky full of flames, the cold sword technique and gaze...

That bearing, across the entire ninja world, only his younger brother Uchiha Izuna had ever matched that style!

Especially the way Seisui used Muramasa and Fire Release, it was exactly like Uchiha Izuna, even giving Madara the illusion that he had traveled back decades, to that afternoon when his brother excitedly showed off his Ninja Sword Technique...

"Izuna... Izuna..."

Madara recalled his brother, his dearest brother.

Looking back on Uchiha Izuna's life, it was one entirely devoted to Madara Uchiha.

From childhood, he was Madara's spiritual pillar; as he grew, he became Madara's strategist and martial support. He never left behind a single child, and in the end, he willingly gave his pair of Mangekyō Sharingan to Madara, dying in battle at the peak of his youth.

Even though Madara was a peerless genius, crushing the entire ninja world as the Ninja Asura...

Toward his brother, Madara felt nothing but debt upon debt.

As a traditional Uchiha brother-obsessive, an elder brother who failed to protect his younger brother and was instead always supported by him, Madara's guilt toward Uchiha Izuna was beyond words.

In a daze, Madara, who had read the Sage of Six Paths' stone tablet and awakened the Rinnegan, suddenly thought of a possibility that made his heart tighten—

Why did Seisui know Izuna's sword technique?

Almost all of Uchiha Izuna's training scrolls and belongings had been taken by Madara when he left the village.

Only that Muramasa had been a gift Izuna personally gave to a close friend back then, which Madara chose not to take.

But by such coincidence, Muramasa was in Seisui's hands, and the Ninja Sword Technique that Seisui had no reason to know, he had also learned...

So, could Uchiha Seisui be Izuna's reincarnation?

After all, the Pure Land truly exists; the souls of the dead have not vanished—the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu has already proven this!

At this thought, Madara's entire body trembled, and he slowly closed his eyes.

He was thinking.

Thinking about how to approach Seisui, and even more, whether his plans needed to change...

But no matter what, the figures of Seisui and Izuna flickered and overlapped in Madara's mind, seeming to merge into one.

"Ah..."

A sigh, tinged with excitement yet heavy with melancholy, echoed through the valley, lingering long without fading.

#

On the training ground.

Kakashi lay on the ground, staring at the blazing Muramasa and Seisui's furrowed brow, momentarily stunned.

He had imagined crossing blows with Seisui many times, but never thought that this senior, only a few years older, had already grown to the point of parrying his father's slash.

"Is this... is this what a true genius looks like?"

Kakashi clenched his fists tightly, recalling the years he had enjoyed the title of "Konoha's Number One Genius," and an unspeakable shame coiled around his heart.

Hatake Sakumo narrowed his eyes, studying Seisui carefully, and inwardly sighed: What an incredible newcomer. I can't see through him...

But Seisui, at this moment, had no mind to care about the Hatake father and son.

The strongest and most ruthless old man in the ninja world had just generously dropped a huge bounty, gifting Seisui the entire set of Fire-attribute Chakra ninjutsu.

This scale was on par with the first time Seisui had exploited Tobirama's gold using the system's information gap.

All in all, this guy was really a rich man.

But the problem was that Madara Uchiha seemed to be a fervent stalker fan, going from online straight to offline, even disturbing Seisui's life.

Unlike Tobirama, who was sealed inside his body, Seisui couldn't block Madara's viewing permissions...

"Forget it. If he wants to watch, let him watch, old man."

"But how did he do it? The Mayfly Technique, or the Animal Transformation Technique possessing a White Zetsu..."

Seisui sighed helplessly in his heart. The guy had paid, after all—donated the full set of Fire-attribute Chakra ninjutsu.

As for blocking Madara's viewing permissions, Seisui couldn't manage that for now. After all, the guy had the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and White Zetsu.

Since he couldn't resist, he could only enjoy it...

Only, at this moment, Seisui didn't know that Madara had already entered his fantasy time.

"Seisui-kun, my apologies."

Hatake Sakumo walked over slowly, genuine apology in his eyes.

To protect his son, his strike had been a bit hasty and serious, even unleashing a large-scale slash wave like that.

Normally, a ninja of his caliber overseeing two children's sparring shouldn't have gone that far.

But the problem was, Hatake Sakumo had also underestimated Seisui's strength, never expecting it to be so fierce...

"It's fine, Sakumo-san. I also forgot that Kakashi is still a child..."

Seisui smiled, glanced at Kakashi, then turned to Hatake Sakumo and said, "That move just now—was it a secret technique of the Hatake Clan? Truly an impressive slash."

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "To release invisible chakra through the momentum of the blade—this technique combines the sword arts passed down through my clan's ancestors with my own understanding as a ninja. It's something I created myself."

"Impressive..." Seisui glanced at the White Fang gleaming in Sakumo's hand and said softly.

"Mr. Sakumo, I rarely get the chance to cross paths with a master of the blade like you. Since I'm fortunate enough today, could you spare a moment to give me some pointers?"

Kakashi's head shot up at that. He was already annoyed when Seisui had called him a little kid earlier.

And now, Seisui seemed to be challenging his father!

"Hey, Seisui Uchiha, you're still a student who hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy..." Kakashi started to retort, but his voice faltered as the words left his mouth.

So what if he hadn't graduated yet?

Could even a Special Jonin block Hatake Sakumo's slash?

Sakumo hesitated for a moment, then took a serious look at the Muramasa in Seisui's hand before nodding with a smile. "I'm quite interested in your swordsmanship too, Seisui..."

"Then let's have a simple exchange of a few moves."

"Meeting through the blade—in the Hatake clan's records, that's considered the most elegant of affairs."

Seisui laughed heartily. "You flatter me, Mr. Sakumo. This is merely a junior daring to seek guidance from a senior."

"Kakashi, please step back a bit. The clash might get a little intense."

Kakashi, still sitting on the ground, froze. He watched his father gesture for him to get up, then scurried to the edge of the training ground, looking both wronged and serious as he stared at the two about to face off...

Wasn't I the one supposed to challenge Seisui Uchiha?

How did it turn into Father sparring with him!

He wasn't happy!

One more chapter for now...

I'm working on chapter two! It'll be there, hopefully on time...