The Land of Iron

Land of Iron.

A neutral nation in the ninja world, situated on a high-altitude plateau of snow-capped mountains with a frigid climate.

Due to its unique geographical location, it is somewhat isolated from the rest of the ninja world, allowing it to develop a distinct culture and power system.

They do not use ninjutsu, instead specializing in focusing chakra into their blades for combat, calling themselves samurai.

The Land of Iron is the largest weapons exporter in the ninja world; Konoha's kunai, shuriken, and other ninja tools are primarily sourced from here.

It also supplies weapons to the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.

It is somewhat ironic.

The greatest neutral nation is also the largest arms dealer.

Shisui, wrapped in a thick coat, looked at Uchiha Sora, who was still wearing only a short tunic.

"Aren't you cold?"

Uchiha Sora raised a hand to catch a snowflake, but it melted from the high temperature before it could even get close to him.

A droplet landed on his palm, sizzling as it turned into a wisp of blue smoke.

He turned his head to look at Shisui: "Do you think I would be afraid of the cold?"

Shisui shook his head inwardly and clicked his tongue: "Still training even while traveling, you guy..."

"By the way, what is that flaming ninjutsu of yours called? I tried to replicate it with my Sharingan, but it was too complex and I didn't succeed."

Sora didn't mind Shisui's attempt to copy him; that was just how the Uchiha were. Seeing a novel ninjutsu and trying to see if it could be replicated was a habit.

"I haven't decided yet. I originally thought about calling it Fire Style Chakra Mode, but it felt too generic, and it doesn't cover the characteristics of the technique."

"Let's leave it for now. The technique isn't fully developed yet; I'll think of a name once it's finished."

Shisui rubbed his chin, speaking as he thought: "That kind of flame... you must have referenced the Kurama clan's illusion of turning the unreal into reality, or perhaps my Phantom Body Flicker Technique?"

"It's not just visual; you've added tactile elements to make the opponent misjudge the intensity of the flames, creating a dual assault on both mind and body..."

He analyzed it at length before offering his own suggestions.

"I think it's a bit too cluttered."

"The advantage of Fire Style is its powerful offensive capability. Sora, your physical constitution is stronger than mine, and your chakra reserves are greater, too."

"I developed the Phantom Body Flicker Technique because I didn't have enough chakra to use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."

He held up two fingers and continued.

"I don't think you need to fuse so many elements into one ninjutsu. The strength of Fire Style lies in its raw destructive power."

"Separate them."

"You could develop a Nintaijutsu focused on speed and destruction, similar to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode."

"The idea of combining illusions with Fire Style is also good..."

After a moment of hesitation, Shisui's eyes lit up as an idea struck him.

"Why don't you try fusing Yin Release with Fire Style to develop your own illusory flames!"

"That way, you could make up for your shortcomings in genjutsu!"

Shortcomings...

Uchiha Sora's genjutsu level was already at the average standard for a Three Tomoe user. Thanks to his soul strength, his ocular power was much higher than normal, and he was generous with adding "ingredients" when using illusions.

Therefore, even without a natural talent for genjutsu, he could win through sheer volume.

However, in Shisui's eyes, compared to his ninjutsu and taijutsu, Uchiha Sora's genjutsu was indeed a weak point.

Uchiha Sora was not the type to argue or snap back at everything others said.

He never considered himself a genius; he just had the advantage of foresight and a willingness to put in the work to learn.

Compared to Shisui, he certainly had areas where he was lacking.

After carefully considering Shisui's suggestion, Uchiha Sora nodded: "That's a great idea. How about this..."

"I'll keep calling that technique Fire Style Chakra Mode for now, but I'll stop adding illusion effects and focus on developing its destructive power."

"You can be responsible for the fusion of Fire Style and Yin Release. If you succeed... it might just become a new Kekkei Genkai!"

As far as Uchiha Sora knew, the Blaze Release used by Uchiha Sasuke in the future might very well be a Kekkei Genkai composed of Yin Release and Fire Style.

It wasn't to say that combining these two types of chakra would automatically result in Blaze Release; it ultimately depended on the developer's specific chakra ratio.

Shisui nodded: "Alright, if we both succeed, we'll trade techniques!"

Uchiha Sora looked at him, thinking to himself.

Perhaps Shisui had harbored such thoughts for a long time, wanting to develop a new Kekkei Genkai; he certainly possessed the talent for it.

It was just that...

In the original timeline, the conflict between the village and his clan had plagued him, leaving him no peace of mind to develop ninjutsu, leading him to awaken the Mangekyō genjutsu known as Kotoamatsukami, which could twist a person's thoughts.

Kotoamatsukami was incredibly powerful and had countless applications; if used rationally, it could even be a massive asset in unifying the ninja world!

Danzo had thought the same, which was why he couldn't help but strike immediately upon learning of Shisui's ability.

But Uchiha Sora did not want Shisui to awaken that ocular technique again.

If everything remained the same as before, what was the point of me coming here, and what was the point of all the hard work I put into changing things?

The Mangekyō was not a power that could only be awakened by encountering tragedy.

The reason such a stereotype existed was simply because all known Mangekyō users had awakened their eyes only after sacrificing someone important to them.

That was wrong.

It was not hatred.

The root cause was not grief, but the regret of being unable to protect those who were important.

If I had possessed greater power, would they not have gone through such things? Would they not have died...

The Mangekyō was awakened under such a mindset!

From Indra down to the future Sarada, there was no exception!

The Uchiha were a clan of love.

It was just that this love was so deep and so obscure that, to some, it appeared extreme.

Uchiha Sora understood this point.

Therefore...

Skip all unnecessary steps and devote one's heart and soul to pursuing greater power; in the process, all tragedies would naturally be eliminated!

I will no longer grieve over my own lack of ability; I would rather die in battle before that happens!

After walking through the rugged mountain paths for several days, the two finally caught sight of their destination.

Viewed from a distance, the three bordering mountains looked like three wolf heads, heads held high, roaring into the wind and snow.

Three Wolf City.

The original stronghold of the Land of Iron, and also its largest capital city.

Even from far away, the biting wind carried the sound of clashing iron.

Thick smoke rose, merging with the dense clouds in the sky.

Before long, the two passed by a hillside.

Several samurai wearing silver layered armor, swords at their waists and gas masks on their faces, stood upon it, their voices sounding somewhat muffled through the masks.

"Brats, have you been separated from your merchant caravan's family?"

Aside from merchant caravans coming to purchase iron, almost no one would be idle enough to come here for sightseeing.

Although the man's words treated them as people separated from a caravan, his hand was actually resting on the hilt of his sword, ready to fight at any moment.

This lead samurai had been secretly following them for a long time and had determined that they were ninjas.

Shisui was one thing, as his thick windbreaker made it hard to tell, but Uchiha Sora had a Cloud Hidden ninja sword hanging at his waist!

The escort ninjas for merchant caravans were all registered, and there was no information on these two.

If the two truly admitted to being separated from a caravan, they would undoubtedly be ninjas who had infiltrated with malicious intent; there would be no need for words, just strike directly!

Uchiha Sora looked up and smiled; that handsome face of his was quite deceptive when he smiled.

The moment the ninja relaxed slightly, his next sentence made him tense up again.

"Take us to see General Mifune; we have matters to discuss with him."