The Match Ended in a Draw

Ei was completely bewildered. "How did my attack pass right through him? Was I caught in a genjutsu?" He thought he'd been caught in an illusion, so he disrupted the flow of his chakra in an attempt to break it.

After disrupting his chakra, he looked around. The surroundings hadn't changed, and Tianqi was still standing there.

"Now let's see whether I'm under a genjutsu or you have some special ability." With that, Ei charged at Tianqi once more. This time, he went straight into Nintaijutsu.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Mode!" Ei swung a hand like a blade at Tianqi.

Tianqi didn't move, letting Ei strike him.

Without a doubt, Ei's attack passed right through Tianqi once again.

"I see. I'm not under an illusion—your ability is just bizarre." Ei studied Tianqi carefully this time, finally noticing that his eyes were unusual.

"I heard that the Asura of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara, once relied on a pair of extraordinary eyes to fight the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, to a standstill. You're an Uchiha too, aren't you?" He only knew about Uchiha Madara because of how famous he was.

"That's right. My name is Uchiha Tianqi, and Uchiha Madara is my father." Tianqi didn't hide it and admitted it openly.

"So you're Madara's descendant. That means your eyes are like Madara's—those extraordinary eyes. Your strength must be more than this." When Ei heard that Tianqi was Madara's descendant, his face lit up with excitement. He'd long wanted to measure himself against the renowned Uchiha Madara and find out who was stronger. But Madara had already passed away, and that had become one of Ei's regrets.

Now Madara's descendant was right in front of him, and he had a pair of extraordinary eyes too. At last, Ei could fulfill his wish to challenge Madara.

Then he coated his hand in Lightning Release Chakra. This time was different from the previous attacks: he used nearly all his strength, concentrating all his chakra.

"Uchiha Tianqi, you should know that we can't determine a winner if you keep using Kamui. Show me your full strength. Let's see if you can withstand this move!" Ei held out one finger, gathering power before striking.

The Konoha Ninja watched Ei's movements in confusion. "How much damage can one finger do?"

Only Tobirama Senju looked grave. He hadn't expected Ei to be so powerful. Ei used Lightning Release Chakra to stimulate his body and reach incredible speed, then concentrated all his strength into one finger. The strike had both speed and power. Tianqi was in danger.

Smiles spread across the Cloud Ninja's faces. Even Lord Raikage wouldn't dare take this move head-on. As long as the boy didn't dodge, he was sure to lose.

Watching Ei, Tianqi considered his next move. So this was Ei's signature technique, Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite. Ei's speed could almost match the Flying Thunder God, and Tianqi had no technique that could rival the One-Finger Nukite in a direct attack. But he was an Uchiha. His specialty was ocular jutsu.

"Ei, it'll be far too easy to counter this move."

"Is that so? As long as you don't use that strange ability to dodge, go ahead and try." Hearing Tianqi call it easy made Ei angry. This was his ultimate technique, after all.

Looking at Ei, who was gathering power and preparing to charge, Tianqi used Kamui's transfer ability. A spatial vortex appeared around Ei just as he launched his attack, and he vanished from the spot.

"I told you, countering that move would be easy." Looking at the spot where Ei had disappeared, Tianqi spoke casually. Sorry, but I win.

What?! How could this happen?

The Second Raikage stared in shock at Ei, who had vanished from the arena. He'd thought victory was certain, but now everything had been turned on its head.

While the Raikage's face darkened, the Konoha Ninja erupted in celebration. "Yeah! We won, we won!"

"Kid, you've already won! Hurry up and bring Ei back! Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens!" the Raikage roared at Tianqi. Ei was his chosen successor; he couldn't let anything happen to him.

"Don't worry, Lord Raikage. I'll return Ei to you once our matches are over." With the next Raikage in his hands, the Second Raikage couldn't afford to renege on the deal. Tianqi then left the arena.

Inside the Kamui Dimension, after his attack missed, Ei immediately looked around. It had been blanketed in snow just moments earlier, but now everything around him was dark. He surveyed the Kamui Dimension and found that it was only about three hundred meters across.

As he took in the strange place, he figured it out. "Looks like Uchiha Tianqi transferred me to another dimension. Rather than dodge, he sent me somewhere else. He really did counter my One-Finger Nukite. Impressive."

With Ei defeated, the remaining matches were simple: Kinkaku against Sarutobi, and Ginkaku against Kagami Uchiha. The brothers chose to hold back in preparation for their later coup. They didn't use the Nine-Tails Chakra or the Six Paths Ninja Tools, and both matches ended in draws.

The tournament ended with Konoha and the Cloud Ninja tied at four draws, three wins, and two losses.

"Second Hokage, the two sides are tied. How should we settle this?" The Second Raikage hadn't expected a draw either, and now he didn't know what to do. He couldn't keep fighting, but he couldn't bring himself to back down.

"Since we're tied, both sides should withdraw. Unless you want to keep fighting?" Tobirama Senju could see that the Second Raikage didn't want to continue the war; he just refused to admit it.

"Hmph! Fine. We'll withdraw and sign a treaty in three days. Uchiha brat, return Ei." The Second Raikage spoke to Tobirama Senju, then turned to Tianqi.

"No problem. I'll return him now." Tianqi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. A spatial vortex appeared around Ei, and Ei emerged from it.

"Hmm? I'm back?"

Seeing the snow all around him, Ei knew he'd been transported back. Then he spotted the Raikage, who looked thoroughly displeased.

"Lord Raikage, I let you down. I'm sorry I failed your trust."

The Second Raikage didn't blame Ei. Instead, he turned to Tianqi. "That ability is very useful, both for offense and defense. You might be the next Hokage. The Second Hokage really did raise someone remarkable. Kid, I'm impressed." With that, the Second Raikage led the Cloud Ninja away.

The words were meant as praise, but they sounded different to Tobirama Senju. I didn't raise him, and an Uchiha could never become Hokage. Tobirama Senju looked at Tianqi with a complicated expression.

Tianqi knew the Raikage's words were meant to sow discord. Everyone knew the Uchiha and the Senju were at odds. Uchiha Madara had even been killed by Hashirama Senju. It was a wonder the two clans hadn't gone to war, let alone that anyone would expect an Uchiha to become Hokage.

When Tianqi noticed Tobirama Senju watching him, he knew the Raikage's words had worked. Tobirama Senju was probably suspicious of him now. But Tianqi didn't care. With my strength, Tobirama Senju can't control me anymore. Besides, he won't get the chance.

"Let's go back to camp."

And so, the group returned to the Konoha Ninja camp.