"Don't push your luck!"
Uchiha Hikazu was furious. He felt the army commander was far too biased.
The war on the Southern Border was gradually drawing to a close. What mattered most now?
Snatching up credit, of course.
Just moments ago, his subordinates had secretly intercepted a message detailing the date when the Three Clans would flee en masse.
He had been overjoyed at the news, but before he could even verify it, his subordinates had been surrounded by another group.
If he had not arrived in time, the intelligence might well have been stolen.
Bam!
Hikazu kicked the clansman who had dared cause trouble to the ground, itching to teach him a lesson he would never forget.
Unfortunately, the man's master had arrived.
"Lord Hikazu, aren't you throwing your weight around?" Kyosuke's tone dripped with disdain.
That cutting attitude made Hikazu deeply regret what he had once done.
Had he not given his all to save him back then, the brat before him would have long since become a pile of bones.
"Uchiha Kyosuke, I suggest you don't push your luck." He could not be bothered to explain himself. Stealing credit was so common that it hardly even warranted criticism.
Looking down at the boy, Hikazu said coolly, "Don't forget, I was the one who saved your life."
"Stop giving yourself so much credit," Kyosuke shot back coldly. "Without me, when would you ever have gotten the deputy army commander's post?"
"You should be the one kneeling to thank me."
As the two leaders squared off, the clansmen behind them began shoving one another.
With an internal clash about to erupt, Rei Uchiha hurried over after receiving word.
"Enough!" His thunderous shout sent a terrifying wave of pressure sweeping over them.
Kyosuke's muscles tensed, and his hand went almost instinctively to his sword hilt.
He could not help it. The pressure of someone at a clan leader's level was simply too terrifying.
Kyosuke even felt that unless he escaped with Flying Thunder God, he would never last three minutes against the army commander.
And that was with his astonishing speed. An ordinary jonin would probably be killed by Rei Uchiha in just a few exchanges.
Clan leader-level strength really is in a league of its own.
With the army commander present, both sides knew when to back down.
Hikazu kept the intelligence, while Kyosuke escaped punishment for provoking internal strife. Both sides had taken a step back.
"I'll make you pay sooner or later." Hikazu did not forget to leave a threat before departing.
Having reached his current position, his only next step was to aim for the army commander's seat.
That meant he would inevitably fall out with Rei Uchiha, sooner or later.
So why bother pretending to get along now?
With the clan leader's support, he believed he would eventually eliminate Rei Uchiha. After all, the clan had several old monsters hidden away.
They were Tajima Uchiha's strongest trump cards.
If they truly took action, Rei Uchiha would have no chance of surviving.
To be fair, Hikazu himself had certainly shown promise.
Even after becoming deputy army commander, he had not forgotten to train diligently.
Two years had passed in the blink of an eye, and he had gradually approached the upper limits of a jonin's strength.
With just a little more effort, he could step into a new realm and become one of the clan's few elite jonin.
Once he consolidated control over the Southern Army, Hikazu would have more time to train. In another ten or twenty years, perhaps he too could reach a clan leader's level.
Then...
Ambition flickered in his eyes. Clearly, the army commander's seat alone was not enough to satisfy him.
Enough of that for now. I need to intercept and kill them as soon as possible.
After two years of building his influence as deputy army commander, he had over a hundred clansmen under his command, all gifted shinobi with exceptional fighting ability.
Lying in ambush at the designated location ahead of time would be enough to crush a force several times their size.
In many people's eyes, the Three Clans were now beaten dogs. With their fighting spirit gone, they were little more than lambs awaiting slaughter on the battlefield.
As far as Hikazu was concerned, Kyosuke's repeated feats were simply a result of the enemy being too weak.
If I were in his place...
Fine, Hikazu admitted that Chidori was an excellent ninjutsu, but the Uchiha had a thousand years of heritage. Surely they had something even stronger to replace it.
In any case, he would never acknowledge the boy's strength.
Hmph. Enjoy showing off while you can.
Once we reach the Main Battlefield, your life won't be yours to control.
The Senju are nothing like those useless fools.
Back in his tent, Kyosuke ordered Maya to stand guard outside and let no one in.
"No matter how capable you are, today you're drinking my dirty footbath water."
After changing his clothes, Kyosuke drew his Short Sword and silently practiced his swings, steadily bringing himself into peak condition.
At this point, his plan was almost seventy percent complete.
The moment Hikazu stepped out of camp, the countdown to his death had begun.
Even so, Kyosuke was still a little worried that something unexpected might disrupt the plan and allow his doomed target to escape alive.
To leave nothing to chance, Kyosuke decided to go himself. He could collect a few points along the way, too.
He now had swordsmanship, along with two different types of Body Flicker Technique. With further development, Chidori would meet most of his combat needs.
Next, he would set his sights on something that could fundamentally transform his strength.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
Exchange requirement: 100,000 points.
Once he awakened the Mangekyō, he would leap straight into the realm of clan leader-level fighters-the strength commonly called Kage level in his previous life.
Only then would his fate truly be in his own hands.
As always, he did not need terrifying strength. He only needed to stay comfortably ahead of the two gods.
See? Little Kyosuke's wishes were so simple and modest.
After spending a long while preparing alone in his tent, he felt ready. He formed a simple hand seal, and his figure vanished in a flash.
Not a single person in the vast camp noticed his departure.
When he reappeared, he was already about two kilometers outside the camp.
Looking up at the Special-Made Kunai embedded deep in a tree, Kyosuke smiled faintly, exhilarated by the feeling that he could roam freely wherever he pleased.
After producing a batch of Special-Made Kunai, he had specifically instructed his subordinates to plant them at the marked locations on his map.
That way, he could at least travel rapidly through space across the Land of Fire's Southern Border.
Unfortunately, Flying Thunder God had a limited range and could not compare with other forms of space-time techniques in that respect.
For now, two kilometers was Kyosuke's limit.
"Space-time dojutsu place more emphasis on overall versatility."
"Flying Thunder God is different. Rapid, repeated teleportation over medium distances is where it truly shines."
Before his murmured words had faded, Kyosuke was already gone.
Two days later, Hikazu successfully intercepted the enemy force.
But the outcome was the complete opposite of what he had expected.
The moment battle began, the Uchiha were overwhelmed on every front.
Had his subordinates not fought desperately, he might not even have broken through the enemy encirclement.
"Damn it." By now, how could he not realize he had fallen for that damned Old Nara Dog's scheme?
"You'd better not let me escape, or I'll make you pay with your life someday." He was still fantasizing about the day he would have his revenge.
"Unfortunately, you won't get the chance." The sudden murmur made every hair on Hikazu's body stand on end.
Before he could turn around, a vicious flash of steel had already engulfed him.
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