A Will of Fire-Free Transaction

The Explosive Tags detonated ahead.

Flames, thunder, and waves of heat blocked the escape route.

Kawadera Uchiha was extremely glad he'd already put his three teammates in front of him.

He closed his eyes slightly and spoke to the soul in his Sea of Consciousness.

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

It was the end of Konoha Year 37, and the Second Shinobi World War had broken out.

The Second, Tobirama Senju, had already died, yet Kawadera Uchiha could speak with him in his Sea of Consciousness.

Taiwan Novel Network was super made reading easy.

Kawadera Uchiha was a transmigrator. When he woke up in the body's original owner, he found himself in a forest on the northeastern border of the Land of Fire.

This forest was famous. It was where the Second, Tobirama Senju, had died protecting six guards, including Hiruzen Sarutobi.

It was like a country's president dying, then his bodyguards going around declaring that he'd traded his life for a killer's to protect them.

That was the purest Will of Fire.

Even the air smelled of the Will of Fire.

For some reason, Tobirama Senju's soul had entered Kawadera Uchiha's Sea of Consciousness.

His Sea of Consciousness was a perfectly still pool of water.

A pitch-black figure floated at its center, its hair dancing and burning like white flames.

The soul spoke in a low voice:

"You naturally evil Uchiha brat!

"The Uzumaki Clan is Konoha's most important ally! Together, they and Konoha form a pincer!

"Uzushiogakure can attack or defend at will, helping Konoha keep Kirigakure to the east and Kumogakure to the northeast in check.

"As long as Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki Clan are still around, Konoha won't be attacked from all sides. How could Hiruzen Sarutobi possibly sit by and let the Uzumaki Clan be wiped out?"

Kawadera Uchiha thought, No wonder Konoha suffered such heavy losses in the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.

According to Tobirama Senju's plans, with Uzushiogakure holding them back, Kirigakure and Kumogakure really wouldn't dare go all out against Konoha.

What a shame...

Kawadera Uchiha's lips twitched. "Naturally evil Uchiha brat"—what an accurate insult. Well, he couldn't blame him for lying:

"News of the Uzumaki Clan's destruction has spread throughout the Shinobi World. Konoha's external situation has changed drastically.

"Kumogakure has seized the opportunity to send an advance force of ninja to invade the Land of Fire!

"When Captain Seigetsu Senju spoke with me, I opened my Sea of Consciousness. You heard our conversation.

"Only I know your soul ended up in my Sea of Consciousness by sheer chance. Captain Seigetsu Senju wouldn't lie to you, would she?

"I've already told you my Sharingan is special. I have eyes that can see the future.

"The Second Shinobi World War broke out. I predicted it correctly.

"The Uzumaki Clan was wiped out. I predicted that correctly, too.

"Let me tell you what's about to happen next. It will completely change your Senju Clan..."

Kawadera Uchiha had no eyes that could see the future. He was just a transmigrator who knew the story in advance.

Tobirama Senju's soul couldn't do anything. He was caught in the web of lies Kawadera Uchiha had spun.

Tobirama Senju could observe the outside world only when Kawadera Uchiha opened his Sea of Consciousness.

When Kawadera Uchiha closed it, Tobirama Senju was left alone, sealed away in the utter silence of the Sea of Consciousness.

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

In the Sea of Consciousness, the pale flames above Tobirama Senju's head flickered for a moment, betraying his agitation.

"What's about to happen is that Nawaki Senju will be blown up by an Explosive Tag!

"Don't rush me. Let me describe it precisely.

"Nawaki Senju, with the pure bloodlines of the Senju and Uzumaki Clans and Taijutsu that was every bit as good as Tsunade's when she was young, will be killed by an ordinary Explosive Tag just a few dozen meters away from Orochimaru.

"You don't have much time, Second!"

Tobirama Senju's first thought was that it was so absurd it didn't sound like a lie.

Nawaki was a true genius, as gifted as the renowned powerhouses of the Senju Clan's history.

Even as a student at the Ninja Academy, Nawaki could handle Explosive Tags with ease.

Tobirama Senju thought Nawaki was more likely to be killed by Ōnoki than by an Explosive Tag.

But...

Tobirama Senju silently asked himself, Can I really gamble on this? Do I dare?

Kawadera Uchiha had successfully predicted the outbreak of the Second Shinobi World War. That was nothing; plenty of people could infer whether war would break out from the preparations made by the great ninja villages.

But the Uzumaki Clan being wiped out overnight was difficult to predict through intelligence and deduction.

The Uzumaki Clan was powerful. They had many mighty summoning beasts that could trade blows with Tailed Beasts, as well as numerous mysterious, inscrutable Sealing Jutsu.

Why had the Uzumaki Clan been wiped out so easily?

He considered himself an expert on the Sharingan. Kawadera Uchiha claimed he had eyes that could see the future. Could the Sharingan really do that?

Tobirama Senju wasn't one to give up easily. Even knowing Kawadera Uchiha had an ulterior motive, even though Kawadera Uchiha had trapped his soul—he still had to take the initiative.

"Naturally evil but weak Uchiha brat, I'll tentatively believe you have eyes that can see the future.

"You've repeatedly proved what those eyes can do. Are you hoping to get power from me?"

Kawadera Uchiha didn't deny it.

In the ninja world, strength was everything. Who didn't want to grow stronger?

Tobirama Senju continued:

"By occasionally opening your Sea of Consciousness, you've let me observe you for months. I have a general idea of what kind of person you are.

"You're a wicked Uchiha who goes wherever the wind blows, betrays others for profit, and never lifts a finger without a reward. You have no love for Konoha whatsoever.

"I have no hope of changing you, nor can I change you.

"Let's make a deal!

"Let's make a series of simple trades, just between us!

"You protect Konoha, and I give you power.

"If Nawaki's life is truly in danger and you save him, I can even teach you a Forbidden Technique!"

Kawadera Uchiha was delighted. This was exactly what he'd hoped for:

"I'm someone who never lifts a finger without a reward? You really know how to read people...

"Right!

"A purely transactional relationship, without a hint of the Will of Fire? I love that proposal.

"You can only rely on me to change Konoha, can't you?"

Tobirama Senju wouldn't admit he was at a disadvantage. He said:

"This Sea of Consciousness is our private mission hall. You complete missions of different ranks, and I give you rewards of corresponding ranks."

A mission hall? Kawadera Uchiha thought. You're in my Sea of Consciousness and you're already acting like a Hokage?

But Tobirama Senju knew far too much. As Konoha's master of Forbidden Techniques, even a single technique from him could become the foundation of Kawadera Uchiha's survival.

If Kawadera Uchiha learned Tobirama's Impure World Reincarnation, he could defeat enemies from a thousand miles away.

If he learned Tobirama's Flying Thunder God, he'd become Konoha's Black Flash.

If he learned the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, he could trade his life for that of most people in the Naruto world.

If he got his hands on the Hashirama Cells Tobirama had studied, he might even gain the Rinnegan.

Besides those, Tobirama Senju had studied all of Konoha's Forbidden Techniques, including the Spirit Transformation Technique, Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing, Living Corpse Reincarnation, and Creation Rebirth.

Too tempting.

Tobirama Senju said, "I'm issuing your first A-rank mission. Cover Captain Seigetsu Senju's squad's retreat and get the intelligence about Kumogakure's invasion of the Land of Fire back to Konoha."

"I refuse!" Kawadera Uchiha said without hesitation.

"Even hesitating for half a second would be disrespectful to my life.

"Not everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for others. I'm a naturally evil Uchiha brat, after all.

"Second, we're up against a whole squad of Cloud Ninja. With my strength, staying behind would be suicide!

"You don't want your only tool for protecting Konoha to die miserably on his very first mission, do you?"

Tobirama Senju was silent for a long time. He knew Kawadera Uchiha had no spirit of self-sacrifice, but hadn't expected him to be such a coward. He said:

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

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

"You're eighteen, a Chunin with a two-tomoe Sharingan, and you specialize in genjutsu and Fire Release. Your enemies are numerous, so you're lacking an area-of-effect attack...

"I'll pay you in advance with an A-rank genjutsu, the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. Now go cover their retreat."

Tobirama Senju paused, then added, afraid Kawadera Uchiha would refuse, "There'll be more rewards once you complete the mission."

The soul-flames above Tobirama Senju's head stopped swaying, as if they'd frozen in place.

In the real world, Kawadera Uchiha suddenly raised his eyes.

A flood of knowledge poured into his mind: the hand seals for the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, how to circulate chakra, and its key points and difficulties.

He tried following the technique's chakra flow and felt as if he'd used the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique countless times.

It was one of Tobirama Senju's top-tier genjutsu, a powerful technique that robbed enemies of their sight.

So generous?

This was a top-tier genjutsu Tobirama Senju had developed to counter the Uchiha Clan's ocular techniques...

What could he do? He simply couldn't refuse Tobirama Senju's mission.

Kawadera Uchiha suddenly snapped to attention, struck by a possibility.

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

If Tobirama Senju taught him the Forbidden Technique, Impure World Reincarnation, and Kawadera accidentally brought Tobirama Senju back with it, Tobirama Senju could then release the technique and kill him...

Tobirama Senju's soul was in his Sea of Consciousness. Kawadera didn't know if he had some special way to escape through Impure World Reincarnation.

In the original story, Kabuto Yakushi had brought Madara Uchiha back with Impure World Reincarnation, but had no control over him at all.

Luckily, Kawadera knew Impure World Reincarnation could be released.

Luckily, Tobirama Senju didn't know that Kawadera knew it could be released.

He had to be extremely careful dealing with someone like Tobirama Senju, or he really might get killed instead.

The others in Captain Seigetsu Senju's squad stared tensely into the forest, on guard against Cloud Ninja who might burst out from behind any tree.

Footsteps sounded behind them.

Captain Seigetsu Senju swung her long white hair around. Her shoulders, pale as snow beneath her sleeveless dress, hadn't quite turned when her full chest turned first.

Seigetsu Senju looked in surprise at Kawadera Uchiha as he strode up from the rear of the squad.

The Cloud Ninja squad was close by. What was Kawadera Uchiha planning to do?

Kawadera Uchiha's face was filled with resolve to face death, and his Sharingan burned with the Will of Fire.

He opened his Sea of Consciousness so Tobirama Senju, his big investor, could hear that the investment was paying off.

"Captain Seigetsu Senju, I know you've always had doubts about me because of my surname.

"It's time to prove my determination to burn for Konoha.

"I, Kawadera Uchiha, will cover your retreat!

"I should tell you, I once saw the Second when I was a child!

"Now, just as the Second once stayed behind to cover the retreat, I choose to do the same for you!

"Captain Xingyue! You must get the news of Kumogakure's invasion back to Konoha!

"I'm counting on you!"

With a big enough reward, I could get fired up, too!