Inside the arena, Fugaku Uchiha's two-tomoe Sharingan stared at Shingu Senju.
Kawadera Uchiha thought, As expected of a true genius. Three months ago, when they were preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams, Fugaku Uchiha only had one tomoe.
Shingu Senju clenched his fists. Fugaku Uchiha had the same two-tomoe Sharingan as his genjutsu teacher.
I wonder whose eyes are stronger, yours or my genjutsu teacher's?
A familiar, chilling chakra flooded into his eyes.
This genjutsu had nothing to do with Kanzuki Senju. It merely showed him an image of his own failure, with the audience throwing water bottles at him.
Do you think I'm afraid of that?
Shingu Senju immediately realized he had fallen under a genjutsu and mobilized his chakra.
Hm?
It seemed incredibly smooth, with no resistance at all. Chakra flowed through his body and easily dispelled the genjutsu.
Just as Fugaku Uchiha raised his hand to throw a kunai, Shingu Senju had already broken free of the genjutsu.
The kunai flew out, and Shingu Senju casually tilted his head aside.
"Your genjutsu is far inferior to my genjutsu teacher's. Whether in realism or aggression, my teacher is much stronger than you."
In the stands, Kawadera Uchiha nodded. After discussing the harmony of life with Xingyue every day, he had dragged his exhausted body and empty waist into giving the brat genjutsu training. At least it had not been in vain.
On the platform, No Uchiha's eyebrow twitched.
Everyone else only thought Fugaku Uchiha had failed his opening move, but only he knew what it meant.
This obscure Senju Genin actually had such strong resistance to genjutsu?
Fugaku was a ninja skilled in both genjutsu and ninjutsu, yet one of his greatest advantages had been rendered useless just like that.
Naraichi said from the side, "Nawaki Senju was unfortunately injured on the front lines. In these Chunin Ninja Exams, no one should be able to stop Fugaku Uchiha, right?"
The others all nodded.
The Uchiha Clan produced geniuses in abundance, making the other ninja clans deeply envious.
Once they awakened the Sharingan, they could slowly evolve it to Three Tomoe as adults and reliably attain Jonin-level strength.
A ninja clan that could steadily cultivate Jonin had an incredibly profound foundation.
With the genjutsu test over, Shingu Senju charged at Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku Uchiha's two tomoe spun even faster as his perceptive eyes observed every movement Shingu Senju made.
In the stands, Nawaki Senju suddenly gripped the armrest of his wheelchair.
Bang!
Shingu Senju's fist smashed into Fugaku Uchiha's crossed arms, which were raised in front of him to block.
Why was that punch... so powerful?
Was he a taijutsu genius?
The most recent taijutsu genius in the clan's history had been his sister, Tsunade. During her Chunin Ninja Exams, she had used Strength of a Hundred to send Jiraiya flying with a single punch.
Though it was not as strong as Strength of a Hundred, it was still extremely formidable.
Seiei Senju beside him raised a hand and rubbed his chin.
"Not bad. His muscle control is exceptionally coordinated. As expected of something left behind in the Second's secret laboratory."
Seiei Senju had inherited all of the legacy left by his father, Ken Senju, who had once been an important guard of the Second.
Later, the Second changed his policies. In order to unite the village, he only accepted ninjas outside the Senju Clan as disciples and only used non-Senju ninjas as guards. That was why Ken Senju had left the Second's side.
According to what his father knew, the Second's laboratories within the village were all fit to be made public.
But the Second's laboratories built outside the village were each unimaginably bloody. Every time his father emerged from one, he had to spend several days basking in the blazing midday sun before he could recover.
The Second had created one Forbidden Technique after another. Test subjects came in batch after batch, while boxes of severed limbs were carried out.
Those bases had been extremely well hidden. After several relocations, his father was no longer the Second's guard and did not know the final locations of those bases.
If only the Second could be revived. The ninjutsu and Forbidden Technique research in those few bases alone could create several geniuses or Elite Jonin.
Lord Tobirama Senju truly was a vast treasure trove.
The battle in the arena entered its most intense stage.
Fugaku Uchiha's perceptive eyes occasionally found openings in Shingu Senju's defense.
However, even when he injured Shingu Senju, Shingu could quickly recover with medical ninjutsu, just like the other young Senju.
Whenever Fugaku Uchiha was hit, on the other hand, he was sent flying and slammed brutally into the wall.
Kawadera Uchiha had initially watched with great interest, but his brow gradually furrowed tighter and tighter.
Something isn't right...
He had trained in the Eight Inner Gates. When he opened the Third Gate, capillaries all over his body were damaged, his skin reddened, and veins bulged.
Shingu Senju clearly had not used the Eight Inner Gates, so why were his symptoms so similar?
Opening his Sea of Consciousness, Kawadera Uchiha asked, "Lord Second, what is going on with Shingu's condition? Why does it seem so strange?"
Several seconds later, Tobirama Senju said:
"Hmm? Why does this resemble one of my early research results? Muscle Stimulation Serum?
"Back then, combining the Senju Clan's Strength of a Hundred with the stimulation blood provided to muscles through the Eight Inner Gates, I developed Muscle Stimulation Serum. Its side effects were too severe and could easily damage a ninja's foundation, so I abandoned it."
"Did your serum have to be injected into the veins in the arm?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
Remembering the dozens of needle marks on Shingu Senju's arm, Kawadera Uchiha thought, Then that confirms it. For the sake of the clan, Seiei Senju forced Shingu Senju to mature prematurely.
The serum's side effects were quite severe. Even Mei Senju's medical ninjutsu could not erase the needle marks.
Shaking his head, Kawadera Uchiha said, "Look, Second. I don't know whether your policies were right or wrong, but your Senju Clan descendants have suffered terribly because of them.
"This child is finished.
"It is only a matter of whether he is ruined this year or next year. What a pity. I rather liked him. He is gentle and resilient."
Tobirama Senju said nothing more.
After thinking for a long time, he suddenly understood.
Just as he could not understand his elder brother Hashirama Senju's actions, the clansmen could not understand his either.
Different strengths led to different perspectives, different methods, and different outcomes.
If the current Senju Clan replicated Hashirama Senju's methods, such as holding some Five Kage Summit, it would only make them a laughingstock.
If the current Senju Clan replicated his methods, they would likewise be constrained at every turn.
He had considered the village too much and the Senju Clan too little.
For the first time, he doubted the strategy he had established.
During his time in office, his foremost task had been to unite the village, integrating its many ninja clans into a single whole. Therefore, he had suppressed the Senju Clan and encouraged them to sacrifice for the village.
He believed he had succeeded greatly. Little Monkey becoming the Third was more suitable than anyone from the Senju Clan.
Yet the Senju Clan's ship had too much momentum. It was still accelerating down the path laid out by his strategy.
Tobirama Senju would not have felt the slightest sorrow over a powerful man like Ken Senju dying for Konoha, but seeing a child like Shingu Senju about to become half-crippled pained him deeply.
Children... Had they not founded Konoha so that children could grow up safely?
"Kawadera Uchiha, in some respects, you are right. You truly are saving the Senju Clan.
"In these Chunin Ninja Exams, four Senju children became medical ninjas, preserving the Senju Clan's strength.
"I will give you an S-rank mission reward: a Forbidden Technique."
"Hm?" Kawadera Uchiha said.
"Why do I hear a sense of urgency in that?
"You're giving me a Forbidden Technique in such a hurry?
"Have you finally realized that the Senju Clan's great ship is about to sink?"
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