Obtaining Crow Summoning Technique

"What?!"

Uchiha Hikaru frowned. He had been the one on the offensive in the previous attack. As for the opponent's attack, it was merely the spikes on Samehada accidentally brushing against him.

No, he said that sword could devour Chakra earlier. So that's how it works!

With this thought, the Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly. He decided to use only Illusion Techniques for the final bout.

"Too late!" Seeing the opponent's Sharingan spinning rapidly, Sen immediately drew his sword and slashed upwards, striking the opponent's body fiercely.

"Bang!"

Uchiha Hikaru was caught off guard and sent flying!

However, the flying Uchiha Hikaru turned into a white puff of smoke!

It was a Shadow Clone!

At this moment, Uchiha Hikaru, holding his short sword, pierced through the smoke of the Shadow Clone again. Taking advantage of Sen's upward slash, which prevented him from blocking with his sword, he charged straight for Sen's chest!

"Slish!"

He thrust the sword into the opponent's body. Uchiha Hikaru said calmly, "You lost. But don't worry, there are Medical Ninjas here, you won't die."

Sen grabbed the short sword and laughed, "Is that so?"

Before he finished speaking, the "Sen" who had been stabbed instantly turned into a violent bolt of lightning, completely paralyzing Uchiha Hikaru!

A Lightning Release Clone!

From the smoke, Sen's true body slowly emerged. The kunai in his hand was placed at the throat of the immobilized Uchiha Hikaru. "It seems I won."

The paralyzed Uchiha Hikaru struggled to look up and even smiled, "I don't think so!"

"Earth Style: Decapitation Graveyard Jutsu!"

Sen watched as the ground beneath his feet suddenly loosened. He quickly jumped up and simultaneously threw his kunai towards his feet.

"Using the same jutsu on me twice won't work!" Sen shouted, watching Uchiha Hikaru dodge the kunai attack beneath him. Then, he swung Samehada.

"Using two Shadow Clones against me, but it seems the effect wasn't very good!"

The swing didn't feel like it hit a body. Instead, the opponent turned into a viscous mud, directly trapping Samehada and rendering it immobile.

Sen quickly turned back to look at the Uchiha Hikaru he had just electrocuted. Seeing him forming hand seals at lightning speed, he realized that the one who had been paralyzed was the original body, and the other two were Shadow Clones!

No wonder he was chosen as Uchiha Setsuna's guard. His experience and schemes were too rich!

"Earth Style: Muddy River!"

The ground beneath Sen's feet suddenly became wet and began to roll wildly. Sen, standing on the earth, could no longer maintain his balance.

Seizing the opportunity, Uchiha Hikaru formed hand seals again:

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Sen watched the earth dragons roar out from the mud swamp and was greatly alarmed. He made a decisive move, throwing Samehada into the mud and using it to push off, barely dodging the attack.

Seeing the Sharingan constantly spinning in the opponent's eyes, Sen knew he couldn't engage in close combat. He quickly retreated and disappeared back into the mist.

Seeing Sen escape the attack, Uchiha Hikaru felt frustrated. His Chakra affinities were only Fire and Earth, with no Wind Release.

With this in mind, he formed hand seals again, intending to use a terrain-altering ninjutsu to force the opponent to fight him.

"Earth Style: Earth Tremor..."

"Stop!"

Just as Uchiha Hikaru was about to use his ninjutsu, Uchiha Setsuna's voice stopped him.

"My courtyard can't withstand you two messing around like this." He slowly maneuvered his wheelchair forward. "This match will be a draw."

[Draw against Uchiha Hikaru. Please choose a trait to absorb: Mental Strength +2, Physique +1, Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet.]

Sen chose Mental Strength, which he needed most, as his reward. He then walked out of the mist and, as he did, used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to disperse the fog.

The two came before Uchiha Setsuna. Uchiha Hikaru was still somewhat dejected. In this battle, he had been almost completely suppressed. His proud Illusion Techniques and swordsmanship had been useless.

"Do you understand now why I opposed the Uchiha engaging in battle with Mist Ninja?" Uchiha Setsuna said calmly. "You are already a skilled fighter in the clan, yet you were so thoroughly suppressed. There's no need to even mention others. This time, it's fortunate that Sen was here."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded, then added with concern, "It's not that I have a problem with him, it's just... he's currently alone and weak. If the clan head or the village interferes..."

"You don't need to worry about that, Senior. I have the ability to protect myself." Feeling the other's goodwill, Sen also smiled at him.

The two shared the same ambition: to restore the Uchiha Clan. They simply differed on the path to achieve it.

"Since you acknowledge his strength, it's fine to let him learn the Crow Summoning Technique. Just don't let the clan members see it when he uses it, as he still needs to go to the battlefield." Uchiha Setsuna looked at Sen, his eyes leaving no room for doubt.

"If unreliable people find out, just kill them."

Sen's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that on the path of ruthlessness, he was still a novice.

Seeing that they agreed, Uchiha Hikaru shook his head helplessly. He retrieved an exquisite scroll from the inner room and handed it to Sen.

"Find a place where no one is around when you study it," Uchiha Hikaru instructed.

"Then I'll take my leave. Once I learn it, my combat power will increase further." Seeing that Uchiha Setsuna raised no objection, he dug Samehada out of the ground where it was struggling and walked out of the small courtyard.

Halfway there, he saw Uchiha Hikaru chasing after him.

"What's wrong?" Sen asked.

Uchiha Hikaru sighed, "Sen, I hope you can visit the Great Elder more often during this time. His health..."

"What's wrong with his health?"

"Do you remember last time you confronted the Hokage? After getting caught in the rain, he had a severe cold for weeks. His condition has been deteriorating ever since. He hasn't been able to walk for a while now.

He's always been proud and has no children. A few days ago, some clansmen who returned mentioned your deeds. Those were the happiest days for him in months. So..."

Sen's mind went blank with a buzzing sound.

It was then that he suddenly remembered that Uchiha Setsuna had brought the clansmen to confront him and Sarutobi Hiruzen last time. This meant that a significant part of Uchiha Setsuna's current condition was his fault.

A trace of guilt appeared on Sen's face.

He hadn't expected that the wheelchair he just saw Uchiha Setsuna in was indirectly caused by him. And yet, Setsuna hadn't said a word about it, instead continuing to support him as always.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and said solemnly to Uchiha Hikaru:

"I'll come and keep the Great Elder company whenever I'm free during this time. I'll also spar with you for a while. Is that okay?"

Uchiha Hikaru nodded with a smile, as if he had been waiting for this very sentence.

A week later, in Konoha's Forest of Death.

Upon hearing that Nawaki had been discharged from the hospital, Sen invited him to train with Team Seven.

Firstly, he wanted to quickly improve the team's strength to prepare for the upcoming great battle.

Secondly, he also wanted to personally confirm whether the First Hokage's grandson had truly inherited the legendary power of the Senju of the Forest, and to understand the reason for the Senju Clan's disappearance.