I'll Give You Forbidden Arts

Inside the exam arena, the Two Tomoe of Fugaku Uchiha were locked onto Shingu Senju.

Kawadera Uchiha thought to himself, truly a genius. Three months ago, when preparing for the Chunin Exams, Fugaku Uchiha had only possessed a single Tomoe.

Shingu Senju clenched his fists; Fugaku Uchiha possessed the same Two Tomoe as his genjutsu instructor.

I wonder how your eyes compare to my instructor's?

A familiar, chilling chakra surged into his eyes.

This genjutsu had nothing to do with Kanzuki Senju—it was completely unrelated—it simply forced him to witness a vision of his own failure, being pelted with water bottles by the audience.

Do I look like I'm afraid of this?

Shingu Senju immediately realized he was under a genjutsu and began to circulate his chakra.

Hm?

It felt incredibly smooth, without any resistance; the chakra within his body easily dispelled the illusion.

Just as Fugaku Uchiha raised his hand to throw a kunai, Shingu Senju had already broken free from the genjutsu.

The kunai flew out, and Shingu Senju tilted his head with ease.

"Your genjutsu is far inferior to my instructor's. Whether in terms of realism or aggression, my instructor is leagues ahead of you."

In the spectator stands, Kawadera Uchiha nodded; it was worth the effort he spent dragging his exhausted body and hollowed-out waist to give this kid special genjutsu training every day after discussing the "harmony of life" with Xingyue.

On the main platform, No Uchiha's eyebrows twitched.

While others merely thought Fugaku Uchiha's opening move had failed, only he understood the implications.

This obscure Senju genin... how is his resistance to genjutsu so strong?

Fugaku was a ninja proficient in both genjutsu and ninjutsu; one of his greatest advantages had just been rendered useless.

Naraichi remarked from the side, "With Nawaki Senju unfortunately injured on the front lines, Fugaku Uchiha should be unstoppable in this Chunin Exam."

The others nodded in succession.

The Uchiha Clan produced geniuses one after another, making other ninja clans deeply envious.

As long as they awakened the Sharingan and slowly evolved it to Three Tomoe by adulthood, they were guaranteed the strength of a jonin.

A clan capable of consistently cultivating jonin possessed a foundation that was far too profound.

The genjutsu probing ended, and Shingu Senju charged toward Fugaku Uchiha.

Fugaku Uchiha's Two Tomoe spun faster, using his insight to observe every movement Shingu Senju made.

In the stands, Nawaki Senju gripped the handles of his wheelchair tightly.

Bang!

Shingu Senju's fist slammed into the arms Fugaku Uchiha had crossed to protect his chest.

This punch... why is it so powerful?

Is he a taijutsu genius?

The most recent taijutsu genius in the clan's history was his sister, Tsunade, who had used the Strength of a Hundred during her own Chunin Exams, sending Jiraiya flying with a single punch.

Though not quite at the level of the Strength of a Hundred, it was still incredibly formidable.

Beside him, Seiei Senju reached up and pinched his chin.

Not bad, the muscle coordination is excellent; he is truly worthy of being something left behind by the Second Hokage's secret laboratory.

Seiei Senju had inherited all the legacies of his father, Ken Senju, who had once been a key bodyguard for the Second Hokage.

Later, when the Second Hokage shifted his policy to integrate the village by only recruiting non-Senju disciples and bodyguards, Ken Senju had left his side.

According to his father, the Second Hokage's laboratories located within the village were all open to public knowledge.

However, the Second Hokage's laboratories built outside the village were incredibly bloody; every time his father emerged from those facilities, he had to bask in the midday sun for days just to recover.

The Second Hokage had created one forbidden jutsu after another, with test subjects processed in batches, and boxes of severed limbs being hauled out constantly.

Those bases were highly concealed, and after several relocations, his father was no longer the Second Hokage's bodyguard and did not know the final locations of those facilities.

If only the Second Hokage could be resurrected; the ninjutsu and forbidden jutsu research in those bases alone could create several geniuses or elite jonin.

Tobirama Senju was truly a massive treasure trove.

The battle in the arena reached a fever pitch.

Fugaku Uchiha's observational eyes occasionally found gaps in Shingu Senju's defense.

However, even when Shingu Senju was wounded, he could quickly recover using medical ninjutsu, just like other Senju newcomers.

Conversely, every time Fugaku Uchiha was struck, he was sent flying backward to slam heavily against the wall.

Kawadera Uchiha had watched with great interest at first, but his brow began to furrow tighter and tighter.

Something isn't right...

He had practiced the Eight Inner Gates; when opening the third gate, the capillaries throughout his body would rupture, his skin would flush red, and his veins would bulge.

Shingu Senju clearly hadn't used the Eight Inner Gates, so why were his symptoms so similar?

Opening his consciousness, Kawadera Uchiha asked, "Lord Second, what is going on with Shingu's condition? Why is he acting so strange?"

After a few seconds, Tobirama Senju replied:

"Hm? Why does this look like my early research? Muscle Stimulation Serum?

Back then, combining the Strength of a Hundred of the Senju Clan with the way the Eight Inner Gates stimulates muscles through blood flow, I developed the Muscle Stimulation Serum. The side effects were too severe and easily damaged a ninja's foundation, so I abandoned it."

"Does that serum of yours require injection into the veins of the arm?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

Recalling the dozens of needle marks on Shingu Senju's arms, Kawadera Uchiha thought to himself, That settles it then. For the sake of the clan, Seiei Senju has been force-ripening Shingu Senju.

The side effects of the serum were quite significant; even with Mei Senju's medical ninjutsu, the needle marks could not be erased.

Shaking his head, Kawadera Uchiha said, "Look, Lord Second, I don't know if your policies were right or wrong, but the younger generation of your Senju Clan is suffering greatly because of them.

This child is ruined.

It's just a matter of whether he's finished this year or next. It's a pity; I actually quite liked him. He was gentle and resilient."

Tobirama Senju did not speak again.

After pondering for a long time, he suddenly understood.

Just as he did not understand the methods of his older brother, Hashirama Senju, his clansmen did not understand his own methods either.

Different levels of strength lead to different perspectives, different actions, and different outcomes.

Having the current Senju Clan replicate the methods of his brother, Hashirama Senju—such as holding a Five Kage Summit—would only invite ridicule.

Having the current Senju Clan replicate his own methods would only leave them constrained at every turn.

He had considered the village too much and the Senju Clan too little.

For the first time, he doubted the strategies he had formulated.

During his reign, his top priority was to unify the village and integrate the various ninja clans into a single collective; therefore, he suppressed the Senju Clan and encouraged them to make sacrifices.

He believed he had been very successful, and that Little Monkey was more suitable to be the Third Hokage than anyone from the Senju Clan.

However, the ship that was the Senju Clan had too much momentum, and it was still accelerating along the path of the strategies he had set.

If a powerhouse like Ken Senju died for Konoha, Tobirama Senju would not feel a shred of distress, but a child like Shingu Senju, who was about to become half-crippled, made Tobirama Senju's heart ache.

The children—wasn't the whole reason they founded Konoha so that the children could grow up in peace?

"Kawadera Uchiha, you are right in some respects; you are indeed trying to save the Senju Clan.

In this Chunin Exams, four Senju Clan children became medical ninjas, preserving the strength of the Senju Clan.

I will grant you an S-rank mission reward and give you a forbidden jutsu."

"Hm?" Kawadera Uchiha said:

"Why do I detect a sense of urgency?

Are you in such a rush to give me a forbidden jutsu?

Have you finally realized that the great ship of the Senju Clan is about to sink?"