The Most Loyal Warrior of the Uchiha

During the seven-day journey, accompanied by high-intensity Leaf Flicker Technique training, Kawadera Uchiha thoroughly integrated the Leaf Flicker Technique into his own repertoire.

His core, abdomen, and legs moved with ease and precision whenever he executed the Body Flicker Technique.

Upon reaching the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, Seigetsu Senju quickly located the scout ninjas and, through them, found the frontline base camp.

Inside the command tent, the commander-in-chief Mitokado Homura, deputy commander Princess Tsunade, and Orochimaru met with Seigetsu Senju together.

"What did you say! The Two-Tails appeared on the border of the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire? Uncle Ken sacrificed himself?"

Tsunade found it hard to believe.

Ken Senju was the strongest taijutsu user in the Senju Clan; with his Strength of a Hundred, ordinary jonin were not even a match for a single blow.

She refused to believe that the last few outstanding ninjas of the older generation were falling one after another.

To ordinary ninjas, Tailed Beasts were natural disasters.

Every village had only a handful of Kage-level ninjas capable of confronting a Tailed Beast head-on.

Tsunade suddenly thought of Kushina, who had been brought to the village after the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out. She did not know when her grandmother would reach the end of her rope, nor did she know if Kushina would be able to serve as a jinchuriki.

Kawadera Uchiha glanced at Jiraiya, who was standing to the side.

At this time, Jiraiya gave the impression of being unreliable; he hadn't even managed to become a deputy commander and stood there like a mere grunt.

Compared to the standing Jiraiya, Orochimaru, who sat behind the long table, possessed a unique, chilling aura that inspired both awe and fear.

His corpse-like pale skin, snake-like eyes that didn't look human, the striking eyeshadow beneath his eyes, the magatama earrings, and the creepy smile on his pursed lips—all these factors made one shudder.

After Seigetsu Senju finished reporting on the situation at the other battlefield, he waited to meet Princess Tsunade in private.

Tsunade had not expected Seigetsu to wait outside the command tent for over two hours.

Seigetsu Senju signaled for Tsunade to move to a place away from the others and whispered, "Princess Tsunade, I have received some information. Someone intends to harm Young Clan Leader Nawaki!"

Tsunade paused noticeably, then said:

"I have always been very careful regarding Nawaki, because I experienced several assassination attempts when I was a child.

The entire ninja world does not want the Senju Clan to produce another powerhouse like my grandfather or grand-uncle.

It is not strange that enemy villages want to assassinate Nawaki.

Seigetsu, do you know which village is planning to assassinate him?"

Seigetsu Senju shook his head: "I do not."

To avoid exposing Kawadera, Seigetsu Senju fabricated a reason, saying:

"Before my father passed away, he gave me an order: to come to the Land of Grass battlefield and execute only one mission, which is to protect Young Clan Leader Nawaki."

Hearing that it was an order from Uncle Ken Senju, Tsunade immediately became serious.

"I understand. You came to the Land of Grass camp as part of an intelligence squad, but you don't have to return to the Land of Hot Water battlefield, and the Land of Grass command won't issue you orders. This way, you can complete Uncle Ken's mission and protect Nawaki?"

"Yes, that is how my father arranged it."

If he had said his intelligence came from Kawadera Uchiha, Princess Tsunade certainly would not have believed it.

But by attributing the reason to her late father, Princess Tsunade would surely take it seriously.

Tsunade said: "I understand. I will coordinate your squad in my capacity as deputy commander."

"Your squad will be responsible for only one thing: protecting Nawaki.

However...

However, you are a Special Jonin of the Senju Clan and should be fighting on the front lines. Having you lead people to protect Nawaki feels like a waste of manpower."

"It is not a waste!" Seigetsu Senju suddenly remembered his brother specifically instructing Kawadera to waste some time on the road.

The scales in his brother's heart had tilted slightly.

Konoha was important, yet a little care for family and clansmen could not be ignored either.

"I will also warn Orochimaru," Tsunade said.

"If I don't give Orochimaru a heads-up, and he discovers unidentified individuals nearby, he might just kill your entire squad as spies on a whim."

Seigetsu Senju nodded repeatedly.

While Seigetsu Senju was waiting for Tsunade, Kawadera Uchiha was also leaving the secret code Ishiya Uchiha had taught him at a certain location.

By nightfall, an X-shaped mark finally appeared beneath the code.

Based on the length of the X, Kawadera Uchiha knew the meeting place and time.

Around 3:00 AM, he pretended to wake up to relieve himself and left the squad tent.

Ken Aburame, who was nearby, was still fast asleep, with three or five bugs hovering over him like mosquitoes, which was extremely annoying.

Waiting outside the tent for half a minute, he confirmed no bugs were following him, and Kawadera Uchiha headed to the designated spot with peace of mind.

Arriving at the latrine built for the camp, Kawadera Uchiha met the person in charge of the Uchiha Clan on the Land of Grass battlefield, Shiro Uchiha.

Shiro Uchiha had a sturdy build and was likely a taijutsu-oriented Uchiha ninja skilled in using the Sharingan.

Kawadera Uchiha whispered: "Brother Shiro, I have obtained important intelligence regarding the Senju Clan!"

"Speak!"

"Brother Ishitani arranged for me to join Seigetsu Senju's squad. I acted as her rear guard and gained some of her trust, which is why I've remained in her unit.

I overheard fragments of a conversation between Ken Senju and his daughter, Seigetsu Senju.

They said... they said that the young clan heir of the Senju Clan, Nawaki Senju, has just mastered a forbidden jutsu!

A grave threat! An absolute, heart-stopping threat!"

Shiro Uchiha felt a jolt of shock; he accidentally sprayed urine all over his hand, the heat stinging his skin.

"What? Nawaki Senju mastered a forbidden jutsu?"

Shiro Uchiha's face turned pale, and he smeared more urine onto his own trousers.

Every forbidden jutsu of the Senju Clan was enough to make one's scalp crawl.

Hashirama Senju's Wood Release had suppressed the Uchiha Clan for over a decade, pressing them down until the Uchiha finally had to surrender and concede defeat.

Tobirama Senju was even more adept at cycling through forbidden jutsus at will, combining them to perform feats that made the techniques look like mere parlor tricks.

Everyone said Nawaki Senju was a genius, but he hadn't expected him to be this much of a genius.

At such a young age, having just graduated from the Ninja Academy this year, he had actually mastered a forbidden jutsu.

If the Senju Clan produced another Tobirama Senju, how much longer would the Uchiha Clan have to lie dormant? Were they destined to be suppressed for another few decades?

Thinking of Tobirama Senju, Shiro Uchiha felt waves of pure despair.

Shiro Uchiha hurriedly asked, "What forbidden jutsu did he master?"

"I apologize, Senior Shiro, I couldn't uncover that. They have protected the secret of Nawaki Senju very well."

Shiro Uchiha was not surprised that Kawadera Uchiha couldn't find the details.

The Senju Clan guarded against the Uchiha Clan; being able to overhear even a few fragments was already an incredible feat.

"Kawadera, you must have had a hard time pretending to value your comrades and feigning the Will of Fire."

"Sigh, for the sake of the clan, I can endure this nausea."

"Exactly! It is nauseating!" Shiro Uchiha felt he had found a kindred spirit.

"To gather intelligence for the clan, I also perform the Will of Fire every day, pretending to cherish my bonds with my teammates.

I find myself disgusting—more disgusting than getting urine on my hands."

"Indeed, who could say otherwise? It is truly sickening." Kawadera Uchiha asked:

"Senior Shiro, what should we do? Should we, for the sake of the clan, take the risk while Nawaki Senju has just mastered the jutsu and is still unskilled..."

Kawadera Uchiha made a throat-slitting gesture, signaling the elimination of Nawaki Senju.

He wanted to muddy the waters; that way, no matter who tried to kill Nawaki Senju, he would be able to get involved.

Shiro Uchiha frowned and said, "Assassinating the young heir of the Senju Clan is a matter that requires careful deliberation..."

After some thought, Shiro Uchiha said, "To kill Nawaki Senju, the first thing we must do is find a way to evade Orochimaru's sensory perception."

Orochimaru was a genius, and his sensory abilities were equally formidable.

"Let me investigate and see if there is any way to mask one's presence from Orochimaru.

I know someone in the clan who worked with Orochimaru for several years."

He looked at Kawadera Uchiha and said, "Kawadera, for the sake of the clan, are you willing to assassinate Nawaki Senju?

Whether the assassination succeeds or fails, you must die; you cannot implicate the clan."

Kawadera Uchiha was suddenly startled.

In the original story, was the person who killed Nawaki also using Explosive Tags to clear away their own traces?

He feigned indifference, adjusted his crotch, pulled up his pants, and said:

"For the sake of the clan, I am willing to face death calmly!

Senior Shiro, once you find a way to mask Orochimaru's perception, give it to me. I will absolutely not drag the clan down with me!"

"I will cover my body in Explosive Tags; the moment I kill Nawaki, that will be the moment I am reduced to mincemeat!"

If he were the one to carry out the assassination, wouldn't it be easy to save Nawaki Senju and complete Tobirama Senju's mission?

Shiro Uchiha was deeply moved and said, "You are truly the spy Ishitani chose!"

"You are the most loyal warrior of the Uchiha!"