Night, in the Commander-in-Chief's Tent.
"You're here, Kyosuke. Come, sit." Rei Uchiha set down the documents in his hands, looking somewhat weary.
Promoting Kyosuke had been a deliberate move on his part, though it could also be considered an act of desperation.
Once upon a time, his word had been law in the Southern Army. There had been no such bullshit as a Deputy Army Commander.
Unfortunately, two years ago, Uchiha Hikazu had used his military achievements to wrest a share of that authority from him.
The army now had two Deputy Army Commanders. One was Kyosuke, and the other was Uchiha Hikazu.
Tajima Uchiha's methods were ruthless indeed.
He had seized the right opportunity and driven a crack straight through the once-monolithic Southern Army.
No, it would be more accurate to say that the army had never truly been united.
Rei Uchiha's ambitions were an open secret-even the auntie who cooked their meals knew about them. Some chose to support him, so naturally, others resented his grasping ambition.
Under Uchiha Hikazu's maneuvering, opposition within the army had grown increasingly fierce. It was now threatening to spiral beyond control.
If not for Rei Uchiha's formidable strength, which kept anyone from acting without absolute confidence, he might well have faced a mutiny from his own subordinates.
Ah. Kyosuke kept his expression neutral, but inwardly, he couldn't help sighing.
In his eyes, Rei Uchiha was an excellent general, perhaps even a wise superior. But he simply wasn't cut out for political intrigue.
Tajima Uchiha could easily undermine his authority by directing subordinates from thousands of miles away. If he truly made a move, Rei Uchiha would have no way out but death.
One reason he allowed this situation to continue was that he valued Rei Uchiha's strength. Only Rei could keep the restless powers along the Southern Border in check.
Another was that Tajima might not want to give people grounds to criticize him. More importantly, he had never considered Rei Uchiha an opponent on his own level.
Kyosuke understood all this, but he couldn't spell it out to the man before him.
Doing so would amount to outright humiliation.
Ah, let him keep living in his dream.
He wanted to claim the position of Clan Leader?
In truth, he didn't have the slightest chance.
Even setting Tajima Uchiha aside, the real obstacles were his two sons.
Madara Uchiha and Uchiha Izuna.
For now, battles in the Shinobi World still fell within relatively reasonable bounds.
Once the Dance King matured, it would usher in an era of clashes between gods.
Against Perfect Susanoo and the terrifying Wood Human Technique, sheer numbers would be nothing but a joke.
What, exactly, could Rei Uchiha use to compete with the great Madara?
Forget the Dance King-in a few more years, he might not even be able to beat Uchiha Izuna.
There was no helping it. Reality was that cruel.
Kyosuke understood this perfectly, but that didn't stop him from continuing to work for Rei.
Tajima Uchiha had repeatedly made trouble for him, and over the past year, he had gradually begun targeting him openly.
What kind of person was Kyosuke?
If he had been strong enough, he would have grabbed a blade and cut that bastard Tajima down long ago.
Since he was no match for a Clan Leader-level opponent yet, taking a knife to the man's subordinates first would do nicely.
"Uchiha Hikazu." Recalling the man from back then, Kyosuke gave a cold smile and began secretly discussing countermeasures with the Army Commander.
The Southern Army was important to him. He had to bring it under his control.
Once Rei Uchiha kicked the bucket, wouldn't the whole army be his for the taking?
Before then, he had to eliminate every destabilizing element.
"Sir, about that list of spies we discussed..."
"Oh, I've put it together. What do you want to do?"
"I have a good idea."
That night, Kyosuke sat cross-legged, his expression full of anticipation.
Points: 26,316.
After all that brutal fighting, he had finally saved enough for the down payment on an S-Rank ninjutsu.
Why call it a down payment?
The reason was simple. To use Flying Thunder God freely, he would need to raise the technique's level above five at the very least.
Otherwise, it really would be nothing more than a fixed-point teleportation skill.
Further upgrades would cost a vast number of points. By a conservative estimate, reaching the point where he could teleport at will would require a full 100,000 points.
That was enough to redeem a pair of Mangekyō.
Fortunately, Kyosuke had plenty of time now. Slow, steady practice could also improve his proficiency.
Three to five months might not be enough, but surely he could make some progress in three to five years.
His expectations weren't high. He just needed to stay ahead of Hashirama Senju at all times.
He extended his hand excitedly and scrolled through the menu in midair, soon finding the list of S-Rank ninjutsu.
Forbidden Technique: Impure World Reincarnation, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 80,000 points. Forbidden Technique: Creation Rebirth, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 75,000 points. Forbidden Technique: Eight Gates Released Formation, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 70,000 points. Forbidden Technique: Living Corpse Reincarnation, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 60,000 points. Sealing Jutsu: Strength of a Hundred Technique, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 60,000 points. Forbidden Technique: Spirit Transformation Technique, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 50,000 points. Sealing Jutsu: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 40,000 points. Puppet Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 35,000 points. Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 30,000 points. Flying Thunder God Technique, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 25,000 points. Lightning Release: Kirin, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 20,000 points. Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 20,000 points. Lightning Blade, S-Rank ninjutsu, redemption cost: 20,000 points.
Every single technique on the list made Kyosuke drool.
As for the even higher SS-Rank techniques-Truth-Seeking Orb, Yomotsu Hirasaka, Daikokuten, Indra's Arrow... he preferred to keep them out of sight and out of mind.
As Kyosuke understood it, a ninjutsu's rank probably depended on both its minimum effectiveness and the heights it could ultimately reach.
Some forbidden techniques offered terrifying, readily apparent destructive power as soon as they were learned.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, however, had a very low floor. For a concrete example, there was that toothpick guy from the Konoha era, Genma Shiranui.
He needed to work together with two other people just to barely perform Flying Thunder God between fixed coordinates.
Put bluntly, knowing the technique was almost no different from not knowing it. It was completely unusable in combat.
In contrast, if Kyosuke learned the Reaper Death Seal, he would have the means to trade his life for that of any powerhouse below Super Kage Level.
Provided he could actually get hold of his opponent, of course.
"Come to think of it, I have quite a few techniques to study."
"My swordsmanship needs more work, and I can't neglect chakra control or hand seals either. Now I've added the Flying Thunder God Technique to the list..."
"Ah, there's no helping it. Space-time ninjutsu is a must-have, after all."
[System notification: Successfully redeemed "Flying Thunder God Technique." 25,000 points consumed.]
As his painstakingly accumulated funds were drained in an instant, Kyosuke's expression suddenly shifted. A wealth of knowledge had inexplicably appeared in his mind.
He could also faintly sense a strange fluctuation.
Kyosuke understood that it was most likely the presence of "space." Previously, he had lacked the relevant talent, so naturally, he had been unable to perceive it clearly.
Possessing an aptitude for space was a prerequisite for learning Flying Thunder God.
In other words, that wondrous ability to sense it.
"I finally did it."
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