Illusion-Type Ninja

A fireball five meters in diameter surged violently toward the seven Cloud Ninja and the shadow clone of Captain Seigetsu Senju.

The fireball made no distinction between friend and foe, engulfing everyone in its path.

The Cloud Ninja cursed the newcomer's ruthlessness, noting that he was even willing to burn his own people.

Bang!

Seigetsu Senju transformed into a puff of white smoke after being struck by the Fire Style jutsu.

Only then did the Cloud Ninja realize that the newcomer wasn't being cruel; he had simply identified which one was the shadow clone.

Two Cloud Ninja failed to dodge in time and were swallowed by the fireball, burning to death.

The others squinted as they scrambled away, shielding their eyes from the blinding glare of the flames.

A few seconds later, one Cloud Ninja shouted, "The fireball blinded me! There's something wrong with this technique!"

Within the field of vision of Kawadera Uchiha, a shroud of darkness spread rapidly across the ground, staining all the Cloud Ninja black.

The Cloud Ninja discovered with horror that everything before their eyes had turned pitch black.

The heat waves of the fireball rushed toward them, yet they could not see the orange-red glow that should have been visible beyond their eyelids.

Kunai flew out from the forest one after another.

Throats, foreheads, and napes were struck; three more Cloud Ninja fell in quick succession.

Two of the Cloud Ninja were luckier; having worked together for years, they immediately found each other and helped disrupt the other's chakra flow, breaking free from the illusion.

Kawadera Uchiha leaped from his position immediately.

He insisted on seeking opportunities while maneuvering, annihilating enemies while maneuvering, and avoiding danger while maneuvering.

As he ran, he looked back and shouted:

"Captain Seigetsu! Run! I'll hold them off!"

Seeing that Kawadera Uchiha had arrived and instantly eliminated so many enemies, Seigetsu Senju was overwhelmed with excitement, her almond-shaped eyes filled with admiration and gratitude.

The Cloud Ninja squad leader saw his unit decimated; he first tried to save his men, but failing that, he gave chase to Kawadera Uchiha.

Seigetsu Senju turned and fled immediately, heading off to find her teammates Ken Aburame and Kureya Inuzuka.

On the way, Seigetsu Senju recalled the battle just now and realized with astonishment that the illusion Kawadera Uchiha had used was none other than the Senju Clan's own Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.

She was not skilled in illusions, but she had heard Toma Senju mention that the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was developed by the Second Hokage specifically to counter the Uchiha Clan.

Why would a member of the Uchiha Clan possess a technique designed by their Senju Clan to target the Uchiha?

Although the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was an A-rank jutsu, its secrecy level within the Senju Clan was on par with forbidden arts because of its effectiveness against the Uchiha.

In the entire Senju Clan, only the Second Hokage's younger sister, Toma Senju, had mastered this technique.

This technique would never be leaked, unless...

Could it be... Seigetsu Senju suddenly thought of a possibility!

Kagami Uchiha!

The youngest guard of the Second Hokage, an Uchiha ninja in whom the Second Hokage placed great expectations.

Could it be that Kawadera had a close relationship with Kagami Uchiha and thus inherited this illusion?

Two hours later, Seigetsu Senju led her two teammates into the Border Fortress established by Konoha on the border of the Land of Fire.

A Ninja Hawk took flight from the high wooden tower, heading toward Konoha to deliver news of the Kumogakure raid.

Seigetsu Senju kept her binoculars trained on the northern forest, hoping that figure would appear once more.

The fortress captain approached Seigetsu Senju and said, "Captain Seigetsu! We must retreat immediately! The main force of the Cloud Ninja is coming!"

"Wait a little longer..."

Seigetsu Senju hesitated, wondering whether to wait another half-minute or a full minute.

The fortress captain said anxiously, "Captain Seigetsu! That's an Uchiha; he isn't worth us taking any risks!"

The reputation of the Uchiha Clan within Konoha was abysmal.

The more extreme and intense an Uchiha's emotions, the greater their strength.

Those with good tempers were weak; having a good-tempered Uchiha in a squad was like carrying dead weight.

Powerful Uchiha fell into two categories.

Either they were extremely arrogant and self-centered, looking at others through the corners of their eyes or down their noses.

Or they were extremely insane and bloodthirsty, suddenly becoming violent for inexplicable reasons; the look in their eyes—as if they were ready to slaughter an entire family at any moment—made any Konoha citizen feel uneasy.

According to operational protocols, Seigetsu Senju could not delay; she had to leave immediately, or she would put her other teammates in danger.

Just as she stepped down from the fortress tower, a figure tumbled from a distant tree trunk.

Kawadera Uchiha opened his mind, allowing Tobirama Senju to hear him as he asked, "Captain, has the intelligence been sent back to the village?"

The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was incredibly powerful; relying on it, Kawadera Uchiha had finished off the remaining Cloud Ninja.

He was also wounded, bearing two slashes from ninja blades.

Seigetsu Senju's perception of Kawadera Uchiha had undergone a complete transformation; even now, exhausted to the point of collapse with his chakra reserves depleted, he was still fretting over the safety of the village.

"It's been sent! The Ninja Hawk has delivered the intelligence!"

Kawadera Uchiha pulled at the corners of his mouth in relief.

Within the sea of consciousness, the voice of Tobirama Senju resonated.

"Not bad. I shall now issue your mission rewards... Your actions ensured the intelligence reached the village at least two hours earlier, which will save two or three border outposts in the Land of Fire.

Beyond that, you killed quite a few Cloud Ninja.

The number of enemy ninjas killed is also a factor in the assessment.

I have been exploring and researching my current state, and I discovered that not only can I teach you knowledge and ninjutsu, but I can also enhance your spiritual energy.

For completing an A-rank mission, I grant you a 'Mind Awakening'."

He truly is a master of forbidden techniques; he doesn't even stop researching in a state like this.

Mind Awakening?

What is that?

A sudden tremor of the soul left Kawadera Uchiha deeply shaken.

His vision blurred for a moment, and he felt as though his soul had been replenished by a stream of living water, becoming significantly stronger.

While his physical energy remained unchanged and his chakra volume could not increase, the elevation of his soul and spiritual energy was equally vital.

As his spiritual energy grew stronger, his Sharingan and genjutsu capabilities would naturally follow suit.

"Continue to guard Konoha. I will evaluate your performance and grant you further mission rewards..."

The voice within his sea of consciousness fell silent.

Just as Kawadera Uchiha was wondering exactly how much he had improved, a panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Kawadera Uchiha Eight Ninja Stats:
Ninjutsu-6.4, Taijutsu-6.2, Genjutsu-7.9, Intelligence-6.9;
Strength-3.7, Speed-5.8, Stamina-6.7, Hand Seals-6.7.
Total Rating-50.3

Following this, the [Genjutsu] stat flickered, jumping from 7.9 to 8.0!

The other abilities remained unchanged; after the Mind Awakening, his Genjutsu had immediately increased by 0.1.

With a total rating of 50.4, this value was comparable to the examiners during the Chunin Exams in the Shippuden era, such as Anko Mitarashi or Hayate Gekko, who were both around 50.

Based on his Eight Ninja Stats, Kawadera determined that his talent for genjutsu was stronger than his talent for ninjutsu, and his ninjutsu talent was far superior to his taijutsu talent.

With a Genjutsu of 8.0, he could be considered a Special Jonin specializing in genjutsu.

In terms of ninjutsu, his Ninjutsu 6.4, Stamina 6.7, and Hand Seals 6.7 placed him as an elite Chunin.

His taijutsu was somewhat of a drag.

Taijutsu 6.2 and Speed 5.8 were results bolstered by his two-tomoe Sharingan, yet his Strength was only 3.7.

However, there was no need to worry too much about taijutsu; once he found a way to acquire Tobirama Senju's Strength of a Hundred Technique, everything would improve.

Chakra is formed by a 1:1 mixture of physical energy and spiritual energy; now that his spiritual energy had increased, it was effectively overflowing relative to his physical energy.

Once he improved his physique in the future, his chakra volume would also rise.

Seigetsu Senju fed Kawadera Uchiha a military ration pill, treated his wounds, and then hoisted him up, retreating toward the depths of the Land of Fire.

After running for a long time, Kawadera Uchiha noticed that Seigetsu Senju had been supporting him the entire way without showing any signs of fatigue.

She was truly a Special Jonin of the Senju clan; such stamina was worthy of admiration.

When the forced march became too much for the others to bear, Seigetsu Senju finally set Kawadera Uchiha down.

Seigetsu Senju asked in a low voice, "Kawadera, what is your relationship to Lord Kagami?"

Kawadera Uchiha, unaware that Seigetsu Senju had concocted a theory involving Tobirama Senju, Kagami Uchiha, and his own inheritance, answered truthfully: "Lord Kagami is my cousin."

This was no lie; Kagami Uchiha was indeed the biological cousin of the original body, as they shared the same grandfather.

"I thought as much," Seigetsu Senju said. "Kawadera, that non-Sharingan genjutsu you used, it must be our Senju clan's Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, right?"

Kawadera Uchiha needed to establish a persona of "burning everything for Konoha" to make it easier to obtain good items from Tobirama Senju, so he generously admitted: "Yes."

Seigetsu Senju asked: "Where did you learn this technique?"

To complete the mission of rescuing Nawaki and thereby obtain forbidden techniques, he needed to establish a foothold within the Senju clan.

The somewhat naive Seigetsu Senju was a perfect candidate.

"Captain Seigetsu, can you keep this a secret for me?"