No Trace of the Will of Fire

Explosive tags detonated ahead.

Firelight, thunderous roars, and heatwaves sealed off the path of escape.

Kawadera Uchiha felt incredibly fortunate that he had already shielded his three teammates behind him.

He closed his eyes slightly to converse with the soul residing within his sea of consciousness.

"Second Hokage, I was right again! Just as I prophesied, the Uzumaki Clan has been wiped out!"

It was the end of the 37th year of the Konoha era, and the Second Shinobi World War had erupted.

Although Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, had already sacrificed himself, Kawadera Uchiha was still able to speak with him within his sea of consciousness.

Kawadera Uchiha was a transmigrator. When he awoke in the original body, he found himself in a forest on the northeastern border of the Land of Fire.

This forest was quite famous; it was the place where the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had sacrificed himself to protect six guards, including Hiruzen Sarutobi.

It was equivalent to a president of a certain nation dying, and his personal bodyguards going around proclaiming that the president had traded his life for a killer's to protect them.

This was the pure Will of Fire.

Even the air tasted of the Will of Fire.

For some reason, the soul of Tobirama Senju had entered Kawadera Uchiha's sea of consciousness.

His sea of consciousness was a body of water that remained absolutely calm.

Suspended in the center of the water's surface was a pure black figure, its hair flickering and dancing like white flames.

The soul emitted a low, gravelly voice:

"You naturally evil Uchiha brat!

The Uzumaki Clan is Konoha's most vital foreign aid! They form a pincer formation with Konoha!

Uzushiogakure can advance to attack and retreat to defend, keeping Kirigakure in the east and Kumogakure in the northeast in check for Konoha.

As long as Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki Clan exist, Konoha will not be besieged from all sides. How could Hiruzen Sarutobi sit idly by and watch the Uzumaki Clan be exterminated?"

Kawadera Uchiha thought to himself, no wonder Konoha suffered such heavy losses during the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.

If things had gone according to Tobirama Senju's design, with the containment provided by Uzushiogakure, Kirigakure and Kumogakure would certainly not have dared to go all out against Konoha.

What a pity...

Kawadera Uchiha's lips curled slightly. "Naturally evil Uchiha brat"—what an accurate slur. Well then, don't blame me for deceiving you:

"The news of the Uzumaki Clan's extermination has spread throughout the shinobi world, and Konoha's external environment has changed drastically.

Kumogakure seized the opportunity to dispatch an advance brigade of shinobi to launch a surprise invasion of the Land of Fire!

When Captain Seigetsu Senju was speaking with me, I opened my sea of consciousness; you heard all of our conversations.

Only I know that your soul was preserved in my sea of consciousness by a stroke of fate. Captain Seigetsu Senju wouldn't lie to you, would he?

I have already told you, my Sharingan is extremely unique; I possess eyes that can see through the future.

The Second Shinobi World War erupted, and my prophecy was correct.

The Uzumaki Clan was exterminated, and I was correct again.

Let me tell you the next thing that is about to happen, an event that will completely change your Senju Clan..."

Kawadera Uchiha didn't have any eyes that could see the future; it was merely that, as a transmigrator, he knew the plot in advance.

Tobirama Senju's soul could do nothing but fall into the web of lies woven by Kawadera Uchiha.

Only when he opened his sea of consciousness could Tobirama Senju observe the outside world.

When he closed it, Tobirama Senju was left alone, sealed within the incomparably silent sea of consciousness.

Kawadera Uchiha prepared to turn up the pressure on Tobirama Senju.

Within the sea of consciousness, the pale white soul-fire atop Tobirama Senju's head flickered for a moment, betraying his agitation.

"The next thing that is about to happen is that Nawaki Senju will be blown to death by an explosive tag!

Don't be hasty; let me describe it to you accurately.

It is Nawaki Senju, who possesses the pure bloodline limits of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans and whose taijutsu is not inferior to Tsunade's as a child, being blown to death by a single, ordinary explosive tag while standing just dozens of meters away from Orochimaru.

There isn't much time left for you, Lord Second!"

The first thought in Tobirama Senju's mind was that this matter was so absurd that it didn't seem like a lie.

Nawaki was a true genius, possessing exceptional talent just like the renowned powerhouses in the history of the Senju Clan.

Even when Nawaki was still in the Ninja Academy, he could easily handle explosive tags.

Tobirama Senju believed that it was more likely for Nawaki to be killed by Ōnoki than by an explosive tag.

However...

Tobirama Senju asked himself a silent question: could he really gamble? Did he dare to gamble?

Kawadera Uchiha had successfully predicted the outbreak of the Second Shinobi World War, but that was nothing; many people could infer whether a war would break out based on the mobilization status of the major shinobi villages.

However, the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out in a single night; this is difficult to predict through intelligence and deduction alone.

The Uzumaki Clan was formidable, possessing numerous powerful summons capable of trading blows with Tailed Beasts, as well as many mysterious and unsolvable sealing jutsus.

Why was the Uzumaki Clan so easily annihilated?

He had always considered his research into the Sharingan to be extremely thorough. Kawadera Uchiha claimed to possess eyes that could see through the future—does the Sharingan truly possess such an ability?

Tobirama Senju was not a man who gave up easily. Even knowing that Kawadera Uchiha had ulterior motives, and even with his soul trapped by Kawadera Uchiha, he had to seize the initiative.

"A naturally evil yet weak Uchiha brat, I shall temporarily believe that you possess eyes capable of seeing the future.

You have repeatedly tried to prove your eyes to me; is it because you wish to obtain power from me?"

Kawadera Uchiha did not deny it.

In the ninja world, might makes right; who wouldn't want to become stronger?

Tobirama Senju continued:

"By occasionally opening your consciousness, I have observed you for several months and have roughly grasped your character.

You are a fickle, profit-driven, and opportunistic evil Uchiha; you have not a shred of love for Konoha.

I do not harbor hopes of changing you, nor is it possible to change you.

Let us trade!

Let us complete a series of pure transactions between us!

You protect Konoha for me, and I shall grant you power.

If Nawaki is truly in mortal danger and you save him, I may even bestow forbidden jutsus upon you!"

Kawadera Uchiha felt a surge of joy in his heart; this was the outcome he had hoped for most:

"I am a person who only acts for profit? Your judgment of people...

Is truly accurate!

A pure transactional relationship, untainted by a shred of the Will of Fire? I like this proposal very much.

You have no choice but to rely on me to change Konoha, don't you?"

Tobirama Senju would not admit that he was in a position of weakness, so he said:

"This consciousness is a mission-issuing hall exclusive to you and me. You complete missions of different ranks, and I give you rewards of corresponding levels."

A mission-issuing hall? Kawadera Uchiha thought to himself, are you acting as the Hokage inside my own mind?

However, Tobirama Senju possessed too much knowledge. As the master of Konoha's forbidden jutsus, any technique he produced could become the foundation for Kawadera Uchiha's survival and success.

If he learned the Second Hokage's Impure World Reincarnation, Kawadera Uchiha could destroy enemies from thousands of miles away.

If he learned the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God, he would become the Black Flash of Konoha.

If he learned the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, he could trade lives with most people in the world of Naruto.

If he obtained the Hashirama Cells researched by the Second Hokage, he would even have the hope of obtaining the Rinnegan.

Beyond that, Tobirama Senju, as a master of forbidden jutsus, had researched all of Konoha's forbidden techniques, including the Spirit Transformation Technique, Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing, Living Corpse Reincarnation, Creation Rebirth, and more.

It was too tempting.

Tobirama Senju said: "I am now issuing the first A-rank mission: provide rear-guard support for the Seigetsu Senju squad and deliver the intelligence regarding Kumogakure's raid on the Land of Fire back to Konoha."

"I refuse!" Kawadera Uchiha said with extreme bluntness:

"Hesitating for even half a second would be a disrespect to my own life.

Not everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for others; I am, after all, a naturally evil Uchiha brat.

Lord Second, the enemy is an entire squadron of Kumo-nin. With my current strength, acting as rear-guard is just suicide!

You wouldn't want the only tool you have to protect Konoha to die miserably in his first mission, would you?"

Tobirama Senju was silent for a long time. He knew Kawadera Uchiha lacked a spirit of sacrifice, but he hadn't expected him to be this cowardly. He said:

"This is your first mission; I can pay you the A-rank mission reward in advance.

The reward is... let me think...

You are 18 years old, a Chunin with a two-tomoe Sharingan, skilled in genjutsu and Fire Release. With the enemy being so numerous, you lack an area-of-effect ability...

I will pay the reward in advance: the A-rank genjutsu, Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. Go and execute the rear-guard mission."

Tobirama Senju paused, fearing that Kawadera Uchiha would refuse, and added: "After completing the mission, there will be other rewards."

Tobirama Senju's soul fire stopped flickering, as if it had frozen solid.

In reality, Kawadera Uchiha suddenly lifted his eyes.

A surge of inexplicable knowledge flooded his mind—the hand seals, chakra circulation, and the key difficulties of the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.

He tested it according to the chakra flow of the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, and it felt as if he had used the technique many times before.

A top-tier genjutsu developed by Tobirama Senju, a powerful technique that strips the enemy of their vision.

So generous?

This was the top-tier genjutsu developed by Tobirama Senju specifically to counter the ocular powers of the Uchiha Clan...

What should he do? He found himself completely unable to refuse a mission from Tobirama Senju.

Kawadera Uchiha suddenly jolted awake, struck by a terrifying possibility.

Was Tobirama Senju being so generous and so confident because he was certain he could turn the tables?

If Tobirama Senju taught him the Forbidden Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation, and he accidentally summoned Tobirama Senju back, only for Tobirama Senju to undo the Impure World Reincarnation and kill him in return...

With Tobirama Senju's soul residing in his sea of consciousness, he had no idea if the man possessed some special means to escape through the Impure World Reincarnation.

In the original story, Kabuto Yakushi summoned Madara Uchiha, but had absolutely no way to restrain him.

Fortunately, he knew that the Impure World Reincarnation could be undone.

Fortunately, Tobirama Senju did not know that he knew the Impure World Reincarnation could be undone.

Dealing with a man like Tobirama Senju required extreme caution, or he would truly be killed by his own pawn.

The others in Seigetsu Senju's squad stared nervously at the woods, guarding against Kumogakure ninja who might charge out from behind any tree.

Footsteps sounded from behind.

Squad leader Seigetsu Senju flicked her white hair; before her snow-white shoulders, exposed by her skirt, had even fully turned, her high, heaving chest swung into view.

Seigetsu Senju looked at Kawadera Uchiha, who was walking up from the rear of the formation, with surprised, beautiful eyes.

The Kumogakure squadron was right before them; what was Kawadera Uchiha trying to do?

Kawadera Uchiha's face was etched with a resolve to die, and his Sharingan burned with the Will of Fire.

He opened his sea of consciousness, letting his great benefactor, Tobirama Senju, hear the news that the investment was finally being put to use.

"Captain Seigetsu Senju, I know you have always harbored subtle doubts about me because of my surname.

It is time to prove my determination to burn for Konoha.

I, Kawadera Uchiha, shall stay behind to cover our retreat!

I will not hide it from you: I once met the Second Hokage when I was a child!

At this moment, just as the Second Hokage once covered the retreat, I too choose to cover yours!

Captain Seigetsu! You must deliver the news of the Kumogakure ambush back to Konoha!

I am counting on you!"

Under the weight of such a heavy reward, he was fired up too!