Battle Against Uchiha Hikaru

Continuous Taijutsu attacks weren't working. Sen's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly sprang into the air. His body spun rapidly as he unleashed a powerful spinning kick, aimed straight at Uchiha Hikaru's face with a rush of air!

Uchiha Hikaru was every bit the battle-hardened elite. He bent backward as far as his body would allow, narrowly dodging the lethal strike in a bridge-like backbend. Seeing that his attack had missed and his back was wide open, Sen offered some advice:

"That kind of attack is too risky. If you miss, your whole body is..."

Before he could finish, the situation suddenly changed!

Using the momentum of his spinning kick, Sen twisted from the waist and snapped his upper body around. His wrist flicked, sending three Shuriken flying straight toward Uchiha Hikaru's vital points!

His body had hidden the movement, making the sudden change as fast as lightning. Uchiha Hikaru hadn't seen it coming.

He barely managed to throw himself aside in an awkward kip-up. Just as he was about to rise and counterattack, he saw Sen lose his balance after forcing his body to twist in midair and fall straight toward the ground.

Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help wondering: Had Sen twisted something? In that situation, he should've been able to use his hands and feet to maintain his balance and land.

While Uchiha Hikaru was pondering this, Sen hit the ground. Ignoring the pain all over his body, he used the cover of his back to finally complete his last hand seal.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

BOOM—!

A massive fireball, three or four adults in size, surged forth with blistering heat and instantly swallowed the spot where Uchiha Hikaru had been standing.

As Sen watched his opponent disappear into the Great Fireball, alarm bells rang in his mind. He quickly pulled a Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch and readied himself.

After all, the Great Fireball couldn't kill anyone!

Sure enough, the next second, a charred log fell from the air.

Substitution Technique!

The instant Sen's attention was drawn to the log, a large hand burst out of the earth beneath his feet and clamped around his ankle!

"I give up!" Sen quickly called out, with only his head above ground.

Just moments ago, his opponent had used Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu to pull him into the ground, then burst back out and pressed a short blade against his shoulder.

Sen had no choice but to surrender.

Uchiha Hikaru smiled as he pulled Sen out of the earth and brushed the dirt off his shoulders. "You've already done amazingly well. When I was six, I would've been thrilled to have even half your skill.

"Your chakra reserves are far beyond those of others your age. Given time, you'll surpass me."

Of course I will. I've got a system!

As Sen climbed to his feet, he looked at the system prompt:

[Defeat in battle against Uchiha Hikaru. Choose a trait to absorb: Chakra +1, Uchiha Basic Swordsmanship, Mental Power +2 (when Mental Power reaches 10, the Sharingan can be activated)]

Did he even need to think about it?

Mental Power, of course. With the two points of Mental Power he'd just gained, all he needed was one more fight with Uchiha Hikaru—and with a little luck, he could awaken the Sharingan.

His combat strength would rise another level, making it even more likely he'd survive the Second Shinobi World War. And besides... he could occasionally give Minato a hard time!

After the match, the two returned to Uchiha Setsuna.

The old man handed Sen the token along with a one-million-ryō bank draft, his eyes full of expectation. "Not bad, kid. I have high hopes for your future."

Sen accepted the token and bank draft. Seeing that it was getting late, he said goodbye to the two men.

Uchiha Setsuna waved and went back to drinking tea without another word.

Looking at Uchiha Setsuna's face, Sen realized that while he'd once found the scars somewhat frightening, now they made the old man seem kind and benevolent.

On impulse, he asked:

"Great Elder, if I'm free on weekends, could I come visit you?"

Sen thought to himself:

It's all for the happiness of our elders in their later years. It definitely has nothing to do with that bank draft covered in zeroes or the system's trait rewards.

In short, it's all for the restoration of Uchiha glory!

"You've certainly got an eye for a good deal. But I can't give you a million ryō every day—that's for the whole year." Uchiha Setsuna saw right through him and chuckled. "I won't stop you from sparring with Hikaru. And you're welcome to visit now and then. These old bones of mine probably won't last many more years. Seeing more of you youngsters would put my mind at ease.

"Just don't forget what you said. If I live to see it, I'll be able to die in peace."

Sen knew he meant "desecrate Senju Tobirama's corpse." He nodded solemnly. "That day will come. I'll personally lift the lid off his coffin and let everyone see his true colors!"

If not for Senju Tobirama's policies, the Uchiha Clan might not have been driven to ruin—and Sen's parents in this world might not have died, either.

He'd never had any fondness for Konoha High Command. And in his previous life, he'd been a latchkey child, longing for the family affection he could never have. In this life, he'd only just had the chance to feel it before it was cruelly snatched away again.

This was a blood debt!

Seeing Uchiha Setsuna nod and fall silent, Sen tactfully took his leave.

After he left, Uchiha Hikaru asked in a low voice, "Elder Sesshō, do you really have that much faith in him? He's certainly strong, but he's still so young, and he's far too reckless..."

"You don't understand." Uchiha Setsuna set down his teacup and looked at the tea that had spilled over the rim in his excitement. "The Uchiha have carried on for a thousand years, and it's never been through strength alone. It's through our pride!

"That scheming Tobirama only ever dared to rely on plots and tricks. He wouldn't have dared to face us in a fight to the death!"

He sighed. "What difference is there between the Uchiha without our pride and a clan already doomed to fall?"

Uchiha Hikaru looked thoughtful. "I understand. When he comes tomorrow, I'll make sure to train him properly."

Uchiha Setsuna motioned for him to refill the teacup and said slowly, "You're lucky, you know. For a kid so young to be this strong, you can imagine how hard he works. In a few years, you may be the one going to him for instruction."

The next day was the weekend.

Sen had stayed up late training again and slept until he woke naturally before heading to Uchiha Setsuna's home.

After a "closely matched, utterly exhilarating" fight,

Sen felt the cold blade at his neck and conceded without hesitation. "I lost again."

Uchiha Hikaru put away his short blade, half amused and half exasperated. "You dragged me into a fight first thing in the morning, then gave up after just a few minutes. What are you trying to do?"

Sen didn't answer. He was sneaking a look at the rewards on his system panel:

[Defeat in battle against Uchiha Hikaru. Choose a trait to absorb: Mental Power +2, Constitution +1, Chakra +1]

Mental Power +2. Didn't that mean the Sharingan was his?

Sen was overjoyed, but he kept his voice calm. "I just wanted to see how big the gap between us was. Now that I've seen it, I'll get going. I've got a date this afternoon."

Uchiha Hikaru instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt. "Now that you know the difference in strength, you should train twice as hard today! Wait..." He suddenly came to his senses. "What did you say? A date? You're not training?"

Sen slipped the Kunai back into his Ninja Tool Pouch and answered unapologetically, "What's the point of training? I worked all night. My legs are about to give out.

"It's Sunday. Stop grinding yourself into the ground. Can't I at least take one day off? I've already made plans to see the cherry blossoms with a friend. I'm off!"

Now that he'd gotten today's trait, of course he was going on a date with the adorable Kushina.

Uchiha Hikaru's expression turned puzzled. He looked back at Uchiha Setsuna, as if asking:

Didn't you say he'd work really hard at training, Clan Leader? How come he seems completely different?

The teacup in Uchiha Setsuna's hand trembled. He forced out an excuse on Sen's behalf. "It's not bad to balance work with rest."

Sen couldn't care less what the two of them thought.

Before, without a system, he'd worked like a beast and never dared relax. Now that he had one, if he didn't take a break now and then, wouldn't that make the system look bad?

What was the point of having a system if you couldn't slack off?