The successful raid on the outpost was like a bolt of lightning splitting the night sky, bringing a glimmer of hope to the Uchiha Clan. The victory was a shot in the arm, temporarily dispelling the gloom brought on by their recent losses and lifting the clan's spirits to some degree.
Uchiha Sou, as one of the key members involved in the operation, drew particular attention. His newly evolved Two-Tomoe Sharingan especially seemed like the brightest star in the night sky, catching everyone's eye. Those eyes were not only a symbol of his strength but also a sign that he was making a name for himself among the younger generation.
The clan members watched him with a mix of admiration and curiosity. They admired his strength and achievements, and wondered how he had made such enormous progress in such a short time. Yet Uchiha Sou was unaffected by their attention. He remained calm and humble, continuing to focus on improving his strength.
But he didn't care about any of it. Uchiha Madara's brief scrutiny that day hung over him like a sword, driving him to devote all his energy to training and staying hidden.
He trained even harder in Taijutsu and ninjutsu, pushing the Two-Tomoe's perception and copying abilities to their limits. He could now quickly master the techniques of some common Uchiha-style Fire Style jutsu with his Sharingan. They still lacked the power of a veteran ninja's, but their precision and control already far surpassed those of his peers.
More importantly, he devoted nearly all his free time to exploring that special ability, strictly following the principles of inward focus and minute adjustments.
Late at night, when all was quiet, he sat cross-legged, his Sharingan glowing a faint red in the darkness. He focused all his attention and tried to "set" tiny "causalities" within himself.
"Let the next wisp of Chakra I refine gain one-thousandth in purity." "Let the minute tears in my left arm muscles from today's training heal one percent faster."
These goals seemed so insignificant that they might as well have been self-deception, and their effects were impossible to measure with any concrete data. Yet he was passionate about such seemingly trivial pursuits, tirelessly seeking a sense of perception and control over himself and the "rules" that existed somewhere beyond his reach.
Through this training, his control over Chakra grew ever more refined. Every wisp of Chakra was like a thread in his hands, and he could manipulate it with precision. At the same time, his mental strength had also improved imperceptibly, becoming more resilient and powerful.
Time slipped by amid grueling training and occasional bursts of small-scale conflict. The friction between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan was like an endless sea, one wave after another, never ceasing.
Another clan meeting was called. The atmosphere in the meeting room was so heavy that even the air seemed to have solidified. Uchiha Tajima's face was so grim it looked as though water might drip from it.
"Three of our transport teams have gone missing near the border," he said, his icy voice echoing through the hall. "No survivors, no bodies. There are barely any signs of a large-scale battle at the scene. It looks more like they were crushed by a high-speed individual strike."
A commotion stirred through the hall.
"Was it the Senju?" one elder asked in a low voice.
"Who else could it be?" another elder ground out. "Especially Tobirama Senju! That brat's Body Flicker Technique is getting stranger by the day!"
Tobirama Senju. Hearing the name again made Uchiha Sou tense where he sat in the corner.
"And that's not all." Uchiha Tajima slammed his hand down on the table. "Some of our spies in the capital of the Land of Fire have been eliminated one after another recently. The work was clean and efficient; each was killed in a single strike. All that was left at the scene was Chakra residue from someone moving at incredible speed. Our operations near the Daimyo Palace have been severely restricted!"
The meeting hall erupted. The loss of their spies meant the Uchiha were suffering a major blow in both intelligence warfare and external influence.
"It's the Senju Clan's physique!" Izuna spoke, his voice tinged with restrained fury and apprehension. "They're born with enormous reserves of Chakra and exceptionally vigorous bodies. Tobirama Senju in particular has developed this natural gift to its limits! His Body Flicker speed might even... exceed the Sharingan's tracking limit!"
His words left the entire hall stunned.
The limit of the Sharingan's dynamic vision had always been one of the foundations of the Uchiha's confidence. If an enemy really moved that fast, it meant the Uchiha's greatest advantage could be overturned entirely.
"We have to strike back!" the hardliners roared.
"How? We can't even catch a glimpse of them! Who could keep up with a monster moving at that speed?!" a level-headed elder retorted.
The meeting descended into a heated argument, thick with helplessness.
Uchiha Sou sat quietly, listening without a word. His gaze fell on Uchiha Tajima at the head of the table and Uchiha Madara beside him. He noticed that neither had said a word.
Tajima's eyes flickered as though he were calculating something in secret. His expression was calm, but Sou could sense the turmoil inside him. Uchiha Madara was entirely different. His expression hadn't changed in the slightest, yet deep within his slightly narrowed scarlet eyes lay a cold, almost cruel calm.
The atmosphere grew more tense, and the arguments grew more heated. Yet Tajima and Madara remained silent, simply sitting there and observing everyone's reactions.
At last, amid the uproar, the meeting ended in discord. Though the only decision was to tighten security, a shadow settled over everyone's heart. Sou silently watched the others leave, wondering what the meeting had really been about.
After the meeting, Uchiha Sou felt weighed down. The shadow of Tobirama Senju was like a silent tide, eroding the Uchiha on every front. This precise decapitation strategy, relying on overwhelming speed, was more suffocating than a head-on assault.
As he trained that night, an idea occurred to him: if his "Causality" ability reached a high enough level, could he directly "set" an enemy up to make a mistake or suffer an accident? But the idea was too far-fetched. He immediately gathered his thoughts and returned to focusing inward.
Just as he was concentrating, an extremely faint yet piercing whistle cut through the air. A blurry white shape, almost merging with the night, shot past the barrier at the edge of the clan grounds at a terrifying speed and vanished in an instant!
It was too fast! Fast enough to nearly break the sound barrier!
Uchiha Sou's Sharingan caught the fleeting afterimage and the vigorous, aggressive Chakra fluctuations left in the air!
It wasn't his imagination! Someone had entered the edge of the clan grounds at incredible speed!
Was it the Senju? Was it Tobirama?!
The day's meeting flashed through his mind, and his heart nearly skipped a beat. Without a moment's hesitation, he sprang to his feet and darted out of the room like a leopard, racing after the white shape.
The Two-Tomoe spun wildly in the darkness, locking onto the trail of searing, razor-sharp Chakra that was rapidly fading from the air.
His pursuit was like a young beast charging into an unknown storm.
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