Ripples faintly stirred in the void. Uchiha Takeyasu returned to his original location and heard the din of battle. Ninjutsu clashed, creating dazzling flashes of light.
"There are enemies here, too!"
A dark-skinned Kumogakure ninja, speaking with the accent of the Land of Lightning, saw the handsome samurai appear out of nowhere and his expression shifted. There was no way this pretty-faced brat who'd appeared from thin air was one of theirs!
The Kumogakure ninja took a closer look, his scalp going numb as he shouted, "It's that pretty-faced ninja, Uchiha Takeyasu!"
"You Kumogakure ninjas really have no manners."
Taking a spare katana from his weapon scroll, Uchiha Takeyasu swept his Three-Tomoe Sharingan over the nearby Kumogakure ninjas and casually dispatched several unlucky fools blocking his way. Then he headed deeper into the forest.
Based on his earlier deductions, these Kumogakure ninjas were probably Rogue Ninjas chasing Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, under the command of the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku. They weren't numerous, but they were all elite fighters of Chunin rank or higher.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō were worth pursuing to the ends of the earth. These Rogue Ninjas weren't worth his time; the Konoha Military behind him could deal with them.
Besides, Akimichi Torifu's Multi-Size Technique had caused quite a commotion earlier. If Senju Tobirama, with his extraordinary sensory abilities, found out the Kage Guard had all been killed, he definitely wouldn't keep fighting Kinkaku and Ginkaku to the bitter end.
If Tobirama escaped, Takeyasu's hopes of becoming the Third Hokage would almost certainly go up in smoke.
(The new conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure will undoubtedly bring me more benefits than drawbacks.)
The clash that had erupted on the edge of the forest had clearly shattered the peaceful alliance between the two villages. With so few guards by Senju Tobirama's side, the Konoha Military would surely send people to reinforce him.
(If I kill Senju Tobirama, then return with the heads of Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and the Second Raikage, I'll have more than enough merit and strength to become the Third Hokage.)
(The only difficulty in killing Senju Tobirama is his Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique. I need to find a way to force him into a fight to the death.)
A cold glint flickered in Uchiha Takeyasu's eyes as he raced through the forest.
[Amenotokotachi] had not only granted Uchiha Takeyasu two powerful bloodline Dojutsu Techniques, but had also greatly enhanced his natural talent for space, giving rise to an exceptionally powerful sensory ability.
He could sense spatial fluctuations within a ten-kilometer radius. Moving at more than two hundred meters per second, he detected spatial fluctuations ahead after seven or eight minutes.
At the same time, the powerful fighters locked in battle sensed his presence.
"That cold, sinister Chakra... It's an Uchiha!"
"Water Release: Twin Water Dragon Bullet!"
Senju Tobirama had silver hair, red eyes, and a metal Forehead Protector that covered his face. Three red markings ran down each cheek. Frowning, he wiped the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth and stared at Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who were panting in front of him. He spat out two water dragons to force them back, then pressed one hand to the ground and opened his senses to the full. The presence of every ninja within a hundred kilometers flooded his mind.
(After Torifu caused that commotion, Monkey and the others disappeared, too.)
(A local battle has broken out at the edge of the forest.)
(Aside from the Uchiha charging toward me, there's no one else.)
From the information conveyed by their chakra signatures, Senju Tobirama grimly deduced that every one of the people entrusted with carrying on his will into the next generation had fallen. The one who killed them was the Uchiha rushing toward him!
"Well, if it isn't the Second. Why are you in such a sorry state?"
Uchiha Takeyasu hurried over, his Mangekyō Sharingan wide open. He brazenly sized up the man before him—the man he had once looked up to, the man responsible for the Uchiha Clan's endless troubles and, in the future, its destruction: Senju Tobirama.
Tobirama wore a black, close-fitting combat suit beneath layered blue armor. It was scorched by fire and Lightning Release, and more than half the white fur collar draped over his shoulders and back had been burned away. He was covered in soot and looked utterly miserable.
"Uchiha Takeyasu!"
"So you possess those cold, wicked eyes!"
"I should have ignored my status and killed you with my own hands back then!"
Senju Tobirama glanced over. The gleaming Mangekyō Sharingan in Uchiha Takeyasu's exceptionally handsome face sent a shock through him. He instantly understood that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others hadn't died without reason.
"So you killed Monkey and the others? You naturally evil Uchiha brat! I'll finish you off myself!"
Senju Tobirama's furious roar was met with Uchiha Takeyasu's icy stare. "The rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree. You old relic from the Warring States Period—always going on about how the Uchiha are naturally evil."
"I wasn't even planning to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, but they never learned your skills. They did learn to run their mouths like rabid dogs, though. What a shame you didn't get to see how amusing they looked, crying and begging for mercy before they died."
"Especially Utatane Koharu. She tried to seduce me before she died. I have to admit, though, she was pretty damn tempting."
A cruel smile curled Uchiha Takeyasu's lips. "If I didn't have to kill you here, I'd almost want you to make it back to Konoha alive—to watch the 'Naturally Evil Uchiha Brat' ascend to the Third Hokage's seat and make the rest of the Senju Clan suffer."
"Nothing but lies! My disciples and subordinates would never do anything that compromised their dignity or honor!"
"And the great village of Konoha would never allow an Uchiha to become Hokage!"
"You members of this evil clan, burdened by love and sin, don't deserve to become Hokage!"
Watching Uchiha Takeyasu spout such outrageous nonsense, Senju Tobirama's eyes blazed with fury. He was about to form Hand Seals and unleash a technique when a thunderous crash sounded behind him.
"Hey, hey!"
"We're not dead yet!"
"Senju Tobirama, we're your opponents!"
The brothers with yellow and gray hair tore through the water dragons, revealing their true appearances.
Two upright horns grew from their heads, and six whisker-like markings ran down their cheeks. They wore purple short-sleeved shirts under the white flak jackets of Kumogakure Jonin. Both were tall, broad, and rugged—typical Kumogakure brutes.
The yellow-haired brother had the character for "gold" tattooed on his arm, while the gray-haired one had "silver." Each wielded one of the Sage of Six Paths' Sacred Treasures, and both were cloaked in the Tailed Beast Cloak of Nine-Tails Chakra. Their savage, overwhelming Chakra poured out without restraint.
"Hm? Where's the Second Raikage?"
Seeing Kinkaku and Ginkaku, Uchiha Takeyasu temporarily set aside his killing intent toward Senju Tobirama and scanned the area. He couldn't find the Second Raikage anywhere.
"That useless coward who dared grovel before Konoha and sign a peace treaty? We killed him with a Tailed Beast Bomb as soon as we got the chance!" Kinkaku said impatiently, then glared at Uchiha Takeyasu. "Uchiha brat, are you here to die, too?"
"Big Brother, let's kill them both. They're both Konoha ninjas, and those strange Sharingan eyes would make a nice addition to our collection."
Wrapped in a Tailed Beast Cloak and surging with violent Chakra, Ginkaku had no fear of ordinary genjutsu. He stared fixedly at Uchiha Takeyasu's Mangekyō, suddenly eager to add it to his collection.
"Fine. We'll kill them both!"
The brothers talked as if no one else were there. Uchiha Takeyasu's smile slowly faded. Looking at Kinkaku and Ginkaku, then at Senju Tobirama silently gathering Chakra, he said in disgust:
"You're all a bunch of ill-mannered people."
"Perfect company for a trip to the underworld!"
Before you continue