The shockwaves from the Senju Tobirama laboratory leak continued to ripple through the Uchiha. Fear and anger did not fade with time. Instead, under the leadership's deliberate control of information and manipulation of hatred, they transformed into an even more oppressive and dangerous readiness for war.
Izuna Uchiha's condition had become an open secret. The sight of him coughing up blood and his steadily failing eyesight had unsettled the clan. But he suppressed every voice of unease with even harsher, more ruthless methods. The Mangekyō Sharingan still commanded immense fear, but each time he used it, it seemed to burn away what little light he had left.
He worked on clan affairs almost without sleep, poring over incomplete scrolls on Forbidden Jutsu gathered from all over. His eyes were bloodshot, and his presence grew increasingly sinister. He knew time was not on the Uchiha's side. They had to find a way to counter the forbidden technique before Senju Tobirama perfected that blasphemy—or... stake everything in a desperate fight.
Clashes along the border escalated abruptly. They were no longer small-scale reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance missions, but targeted infiltration and sabotage operations led by elite jonin. The Uchiha's goals were clear: kill Senju Clan researchers at any cost, destroy every supply line that might be used for Forbidden Jutsu research, and even try to pinpoint the possible location of Tobirama's laboratory.
The Senju Clan, meanwhile, relied on the strategic advantage provided by Hashirama's ever-expanding "Forest of Senju," along with Tobirama's endless stream of new jutsu and tactics, to launch a fierce counterattack. After Uchiha Madara was gravely wounded, the war reached a new peak of brutality.
Uchiha Sou was also assigned to a patrol and assault squad. He continued to perform like an "ordinary" jonin with a Double Tomoe Sharingan: his chakra control was precise, his Taijutsu solid, and his tactical execution calm. He did not stand out in fierce battles, simply fulfilling his duties reliably. He carefully concealed the subtle changes brought by Internal Seeking and devoted more of his attention to observation.
He noticed that the Senju Clan's tactics were quietly changing. Their formations were more versatile, their coordination more precise, and they often inflicted the greatest casualties on the Uchiha at the lowest cost to themselves. Behind it all was clearly the tactical mind of Senju Tobirama, cold to the point of ruthlessness.
More disturbing still, several small-scale skirmishes had seen the appearance of some "special" Senju shinobi. They fought with reckless disregard for their lives, even seeming somewhat wooden. They recovered from injuries at an unusual speed, and their eyes occasionally revealed a hollowness at odds with their fanatical fighting spirit.
These signs sent a chill down the backs of the Uchiha leadership—Senju Tobirama had likely begun testing his immature Forbidden Jutsu in actual combat! Though no true "Reanimated Body" had appeared yet, some rudimentary "puppets" or "enhanced soldiers" based on corpses or captives seemed to have already been deployed on the battlefield.
This kind of probing was like being cut by a dull blade, steadily wearing down the Uchiha's nerves and living forces.
That day, the squad Uchiha Sou belonged to was ordered to rendezvous with a reconnaissance team returning from enemy territory. The mission area lay in a stretch of rugged hills.
When they reached the designated meeting point, all they found were signs of fierce combat and several dead Uchiha shinobi. A cold chakra residue hung in the air, making them deeply uneasy.
"We're too late..." The squad leader's face darkened as his Sharingan warily scanned the surroundings.
Suddenly, several kunai shot from the brush on their flank, thrown with tremendous force at tricky angles!
"Enemy attack!"
The Uchiha squad scattered at once, their Sharingan flaring to life as they met the Senju shinobi charging out of the woods. The battle erupted instantly. Fire Style clashed with Water Style, while shuriken and kunai crisscrossed the air.
Uchiha Sou blocked a Senju shinobi's fierce attack. His Double Tomoe Sharingan caught a tiny opening, and he followed through with a kunai slash at the enemy's throat. But the Senju shinobi neither dodged nor retreated. He merely turned his head and took the blow on his shoulder, then swung a fist hard at Sou's chest!
Trading a wound for a life?! Sou was startled and immediately retreated, barely avoiding the blow. Blood poured from the Senju shinobi's shoulder, but he seemed not to feel the pain. His eyes fanatical and hollow, he charged again!
Something was wrong!
Sou's Sharingan spun rapidly as he studied his opponent. The enemy's chakra flow was abnormal, as if some foreign, chilling force were forcibly rousing it. His muscles also seemed slightly stiff, yet his strength and speed exceeded what they should have been.
A Test Subject from Tobirama's experiments!
Just then, a scream rang out from another skirmish. Two of these "fanatics" had pinned down a Uchiha teammate. He had managed to badly wound one at the cost of his own life, but the other stabbed him through the chest from behind with an Earth Spear!
"Kenji!" The squad leader's eyes bulged with rage. He tried to rush to the rescue, but his opponent held him back.
The Uchiha shinobi called Kenji fell to the ground, blood gushing from his wound. He was clearly dying. Yet the two badly wounded "fanatics" staggered back to their feet. The blood from their wounds seemed to be slowing, their eyes remained hollow, and they charged at the Uchiha shinobi nearby once more!
They just wouldn't die?!
A chill and a surge of fury rose in the hearts of every Uchiha squad member.
Uchiha Sou watched the two "fanatics" charge again, then glanced at his dying comrade on the ground and his teammates struggling nearby. He knew he could not keep hiding his abilities—not completely, at least.
He took a deep breath and sank his consciousness into the realm of Weaving Logic. The harmonious pulse of Inner Harmony flowed steadily through him. At the same time, his Double Tomoe Sharingan fixed on the two charging "fanatics."
He stopped trying to analyze the flow of chakra in their bodies or the movement of their muscles—that belonged to ordinary combat. Instead, he focused all his attention on the vague sense of "Dissonance" brought by his Double Tomoe Sharingan.
On the two "fanatics," he clearly "saw" a warped, chilling sense of "Dissonance," something utterly at odds with their surroundings and their own vital essence. It was the very manifestation of the power behind Tobirama's Forbidden Jutsu!
Now!
Sou did not try to attack their bodies. Instead, he directed that sliver of Inner Harmony, that steady "life" intent gathered by his Weaving Logic, through his Sharingan gaze, hurling it at the two "fanatics" like an invisible ripple!
It was not an attack, but something more like... interference? Or perhaps an attempt to make his own "Harmony" collide with their "Dissonance"!
The effect was far from spectacular.
The two "fanatics" rushing forward wildly suddenly stopped short! It was as if a tiny grain of sand had slipped into a set of finely turning gears. Their movements faltered for an instant, almost imperceptibly, becoming briefly awkward and uncoordinated! The hollow fervor in their eyes seemed to waver, revealing a faint trace of confusion!
The whole thing lasted less than a second!
But for elite shinobi locked in a fight to the death, that momentary opening was more than enough!
A Uchiha teammate fighting another Senju shinobi nearby did not know what had happened, but his instincts kicked in and he seized the fleeting opportunity! His kunai sliced precisely across one "fanatic's" throat!
Another teammate took advantage of the moment to break free of his opponent and blasted the other "fanatic" with a jutsu!
The two "fanatics" stumbled backward. This time, their wounds showed no sign of that abnormal recovery. The hollow fervor in their eyes quickly faded, replaced by the pain of their lives ebbing away and a trace of relief. They collapsed heavily and died for good.
The battle soon ended. Seeing their Test Subjects defeated, the remaining Senju shinobi quickly retreated.
The Uchiha squad had paid a price of two badly wounded and one dead.
The squad members gathered around their fallen comrade, the mood heavy. The leader walked over to Sou and patted his shoulder, his gaze complicated. "That was well done... Did you figure out those monsters' weakness?"
Sou breathed lightly, sweat beading on his forehead—the mental strain from that brief "intent interference" far exceeded that of a fierce battle. He shook his head and put on an exhausted look. "I'm not sure... Their chakra seemed chaotic, so I tried disrupting it with genjutsu. It seemed to help a little... Maybe there's a flaw in Tobirama's technique."
The explanation made sense. It was common knowledge that the Sharingan's genjutsu could disrupt the flow of chakra. The squad leader nodded without probing further, only sighing, "Good thing it worked... Otherwise, we'd have suffered even greater losses today. How many of these abominations has that bastard Tobirama made...?"
Sou silently lowered his head, hiding his shock and thoughts.
It worked... The effect was extremely faint, but my "Inner Harmony" intent really can interfere with that forbidden power of "Dissonance"!
It only made them falter for a moment. It was nowhere near cleansing or undoing the technique, but it proved that I was on the right track!
But his joy at succeeding was quickly overtaken by worry. This time, he had been lucky—but what about next time? Tobirama's jutsu would surely keep improving. The next time he encountered one of them, it might not be a rudimentary "fanatic," but something much closer to a true "Reanimated Body."
Would his feeble interference still work then?
And if he used this ability too often, would he attract the world's attention? At that moment, he seemed to feel another faint sense of stillness from his surroundings. It was nowhere near as strong as when he had tried to interfere with Izuna's fate before, but it was definitely there.
Risk and opportunity went hand in hand.
He looked at the body of his fallen comrade, then toward the Senju Clan Compound.
The path of Internal Seeking was covered in thorns. But he had to keep going, searching for a sliver of hope in his own way on this battlefield where the dead were beginning to rise.
He needed stronger "Inner Harmony," and more than that... power that truly belonged to him.
Deep within those Double Tomoe Sharingan, his vague sense of a higher level of power seemed to have grown clearer. But that door remained firmly shut, still far beyond his reach.
The battle was over, but the true test had only just begun.
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