A Fire in the Uchiha Clan Grounds, Elder Kaku Becomes Obsessed With Me [Combined]

"Let me see!"

On the Uchiha clan's training ground, Madara watched the boy gripping a kunai in front of the dense forest with a relaxed expression, saying with great interest.

As the scheduled time in his plan approached, Madara finally deigned to emerge from the Hokage Building. Upon learning from Rikusei that he had awakened the Double Tomoe, he had hurried to bring him to the training ground, prepared to test the power of the Sharingan.

He's taking this opportunity to beat up a kid.

That was what Rikusei, who had activated his Sharingan, thought. He suddenly flashed forward, leaving deep footprints in his original position, and thrust the pitch-black, cold-glinting kunai toward Madara with a tight grip.

The insight of the Double Tomoe Sharingan was a step above what it had been before; it was as if everything was within his eyes. The leaves falling leisurely were slowed down countless times, appearing as if they were frozen in place.

The whistling sound produced by the swinging kunai filled his ears.

The breeze stirred the hem of Madara's clothes, and he could be seen dodging unhurriedly, neutralizing every offensive move.

Rikusei knew very well that his own amateur skills would hardly be able to harm him.

He squeezed the bandages wrapped around the hilt of the kunai until they made a friction sound, integrating all the techniques he had learned from Tobirama into practice. Amidst the rapid afterimages, the tip of the kunai could be vaguely seen emitting a cold light.

The fierce attacks were all dodged by Madara.

The dazzling array of attacks were full of openings in his eyes. Madara grabbed his arm and pinned the other, intending to throw him over his shoulder.

Rikusei, being held, would certainly not sit and wait for death. He tightened his grip on the kunai, quietly slipped his middle finger into the ring, rotated the blade, and suddenly flicked his wrist to stab back toward Madara's arm.

These small movements naturally could not escape Madara's eyes. The chilling sensation of the kunai's blade against his arm actually made him feel slightly refreshed; finally, it looked a bit like a real fight.

The kunai spun rapidly in Rikusei's fingers, the blade rotating like an inkstone, forcing the palm that Madara was using to hold his wrist to move away.

Having opened up some distance, Rikusei gripped the kunai tightly once more, and the battle returned to its initial state.

The two stood facing each other, and this time, Madara launched the attack first.

Under the insight of the Sharingan, Rikusei could clearly see that when Madara attacked, he concentrated his force in the muscles and meridians of his legs.

The ground where he had originally stood remained intact, save for the soft weeds that had been trampled askew; the technique of exerting force was worth learning.

Before he could think too much, Madara's rain-like offensive surged forward, and the dense shadows of fists forced Rikusei to respond calmly.

Madara was controlling his own speed. Seeing him block everything, he gave him an approving look; it seemed that while he was away from the clan grounds, the boy had been training diligently, and his progress in strength was quite good.

"Next, can you handle this?"

As the words fell, chakra flowed through his meridians into his pupils. His black-and-white eyes instantly turned blood-red, and the orderly Double Tomoe rotated slowly.

The suddenly accelerated figure put immense pressure on Rikusei. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, staining his black hair; he knew that the advantage in insight he had held was now completely gone.

Madara's black-gloved fists whistled through the air, always avoiding the blade of the kunai to strike head-on, making the fingers of Rikusei, who was gripping the weapon, go numb.

Seeing Rikusei retreat for a moment, Madara suddenly closed in, his fingers curled like eagle claws, striking heavily on Rikusei's wrist.

The kunai slipped from his hand and fell toward the ground. Rikusei gritted his teeth to endure the soreness from having his acupoints struck, straightened his five fingers into a blade, and swept toward Madara's neck.

Unfortunately, his arm was too short and could only sweep toward his chest. His fingers, condensed with chakra, were as sharp as knife blades; the fabric tore easily like scraps, and through the tear, one could see the black ninja suit tightly wrapping around a sturdy chest.

"Not bad."

Madara said in praise, knocking Rikusei back with a punch.

He grabbed his torn top and took it off completely. After shedding the high-collared robe, Madara, dressed in a tight-fitting ninja suit, looked much more agile and refreshed.

"Thank you for the compliment, Teacher."

Rikusei watched Madara, who looked as if he had broken a seal. He threw the kunai, but Madara caught it between his fingers and landed slowly on the ground.

The moment the kunai was thrown, Rikusei followed it; these tricks could not deceive the Sharingan.

The clash of taijutsu officially began.

"How does the Double Tomoe feel?"

Madara blocked a punch coming from the left, turned his wrist to grab it but let it slip away, and then took the opportunity to lift his right leg and kick. The calf, wrapped in bandages under blue trousers, snapped a tree in half with a single kick.

Rikusei, dodging the attack, glanced at the dust rising from the tree that had been snapped in half and jumped onto a rock to answer: "The increase in ocular power makes my body unable to keep up with my brain's judgment."

"That is normal. Awakening the Double Tomoe at your age is truly a bit too early."

A smile played on the corners of Madara's mouth. He placed his right hand on his left fist and cracked his knuckles; a crisp, clicking sound came from the black gloves.

"Teacher, you aren't going to beat your disciple to death, are you?"

Judging from Madara's serious face, he was preparing to get serious. Rikusei swallowed, his throat bobbing as he asked with a trembling voice.

"Don't worry, I still have plenty of my secret medicinal ointment for internal and external injuries."

""

At this moment, Rikusei desperately wanted to use "Kamui" to avoid the coming thrashing, but he realized he couldn't run at all. He could only grit his teeth and charge back in.

After so many days of training, his control over the chakra within his body had improved significantly.

He no longer squandered chakra recklessly as he had before; precise control provided him with long-lasting endurance.

Although Madara was threatening him with his words, he was actually mostly in a defensive state, maintaining the same speed as him.

Only when his body couldn't keep up would he strike an opening with a punch or a kick to knock him to the ground.

This was the art of feeding moves.

Feeling the dampness of the grass clinging to him, Rikusei wiped the dirt from the corner of his mouth. He stood back up, rubbed his waist where he had just been struck, and prepared to resume the offensive.

"Let's try the copying ability of the Double Tomoe later."

Madara raised a hand to signal for him to relax, walked over, and patted his shoulder lightly, telling him to sit and rest for a while to recover his chakra.

The two sat on a rock in silence, resting as they gazed at the village shrouded in the brilliant sun, their restless hearts gradually settling into tranquility.

While Rikusei recovered his chakra, Madara spoke to him about the recent happenings within the village. Since the alliance with Uzushio Village, more ninjas from the Land of Fire who yearned for peace had been integrating into Konoha, leading to all sorts of absurd and amusing situations.

The alliance of hidden villages was, in reality, an alliance between nations. Caravans from the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Fire were actively traveling back and forth; this commercial exchange promoted the development of Konoha, and all manner of commissions followed in its wake.

The sunlight was blocked by the canopy, leaving only dappled shadows dancing on the ground. The two on the rock enjoyed the fresh air of the forest, Madara's slow, rhythmic voice blending with the chirping of cicadas as it reached Rikusei's ears.

Although he had heard from Tobirama that his teacher often caused trouble in the office, it seemed that wasn't entirely the case.

It was jealousy.

Rikusei discovered the essence of the matter.

Because Tobirama was entangled in all sorts of affairs and busy to the point of exhaustion every day, he must have been resentful of someone who spent their time slacking off in the Hokage's Office.

After the rest, the two faced each other solemnly.

A wind rose without a breeze, lifting Madara's long hair; it was the pressure generated by his chakra.

The tomoe in his eyes spun, and Rikusei clearly saw the flow of chakra within Madara's body. As it gathered in his chest following the hand seals, his own fingers began to move in synchronization.

It was the seal sequence for the Fireball Jutsu.

Judging the jutsu by the order of the seals, Rikusei thought to himself.

Fire-attribute chakra surged from his mouth, condensing into a massive, wildly rolling fireball. As the chakra increased, its volume expanded recklessly, the scorching heat causing the air to distort.

Two fireballs of identical size rolled across the ground and collided, sparks splashing in all directions. A raging Sea of Fire surged into the sky, the towering waves of flame blowing back Madara's long hair, revealing his right eye hidden beneath.

As the chakra was exhausted, the fireball quietly vanished into the air, leaving the scorched earth smelling of char.

Madara's fingers continued to form seals.

A massive amount of chakra began to concentrate in his throat. From this alone, Rikusei could tell it was a high-level jutsu, and he struggled to mobilize his own chakra to keep up with the sequence.

As expected, the first attempt failed.

Madara stopped his movements and started from the beginning.

The second time, it failed again. Rikusei realized which Fire Release this was; he had seen it when fireworks were set off over Konoha that day—it was the Majestic Destroyer Flame.

Again.

The third time, failure.

Rikusei had already found the technique and the path.

The fourth time.

Finally, success.

Madara revealed a faint, gratified smile and softly shouted, "Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

This time, Rikusei felt the true power of the Fire Release. A crimson pillar of fire erupted from his mouth, the searing pain of his lips being scorched flooding his brain, yet he was still shocked by the scale of the jutsu before him.

The ferocious flames battered against each other like a tsunami, raising heaven-shaking light.

They were hidden from the sun within the dense forest.

The scorching wind blew their sleeves, evaporating all the sweat from their bodies.

The waves of fire, like an ocean, surged forward one after another as the chakra poured in, fusing together to form an orange-red sea of flames. The whistling of the fire and the crackling of burning trees were incessant.

Oh no.

Rikusei looked at the forest that had been completely ignited, the raging fire spreading outward with the wind, and hurriedly stopped the flow of his chakra.

He began to panic; in order to test the ability of his Sharingan, he had set fire to the clan's private forest.

Although the sea of fire dissipated.

The blaze was still spreading. Madara flashed to his side, signaling him not to worry.

He began to form seals.

Rikusei spun his Sharingan to track the sequence of his seals. It was a Water Release jutsu. His tomoe watched in silence, his own hands involuntarily following the seals.

"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!" Uchiha Madara said softly.

Standing side by side, the two unleashed their Water Release, which merged together. Water rose from the ground toward the sky like a waterfall, the momentum grand and splashing loudly, completely extinguishing the burning trees.

Smoke rose in its wake, the floating mist crystal clear under the sunlight, and before long, a Bifrost arched over their heads.

Looking at the mess of the Training Ground, Madara pointed at himself and then at his disciple, who was bent over gasping for air, gazing with satisfaction at the rainbow in the sky.

Rikusei, his hair soaked by the Water Release, steadied his breathing while holding his knees. He glanced sideways at the smiling culprit and slowly deactivated his Sharingan.

After straightening up, the two looked at each other, seeing their hair plastered to their foreheads, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The hearty laughter didn't last long before it was interrupted by Kaku, who had arrived via Body Flicker.

Seeing the culprits still laughing heartlessly, a gaze of fury, like tangible flames, sprayed upon them.

Knowing exactly what they had done, Madara and Rikusei turned their heads away from Kaku's grim expression, immediately pretending to be strangers as they walked forward in silence.

"Ah, Teacher, how strange! How did the Training Ground end up like this?"

Standing on a rock with his back to Kaku, Rikusei raised his arms in a scouting gesture and pointed at the smoking forest, his tone filled with innocence.

Madara nodded in perfect coordination.

"Indeed, it is quite strange. Now, two kind-hearted master and student, could you tell me why you chose to come to the Training Ground at this time?" Kaku sighed, flicking his short ponytail, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with them, playing along with the question.

Rikusei jumped down from the rock and looked up at his teacher, while Madara gave a slight nod.

Kaku looked at the pair playing charades with a puzzled expression; the atmosphere felt off, and the Clan Head's outer robe was missing.

It seemed things were not as simple as he had thought.

As he turned back, the double-tomoe in the young boy's scarlet eyes rotated slowly. As if his body felt a resonance, the three-tomoe in his own eye sockets instantly activated, and they stared at each other in silence.

"Is this to test the copying ability of the double-tomoe?"

Kaku finally understood where the sky-high flames he had seen from the clan grounds had come from.

He was speechless; they had nearly burned down the entire clan compound just for a test.

Kaku composed his facial expression, let out a breath, and said, "Clan Head, we must catch the person who set fire to the mountain. I intend to criticize them severely at the clan meeting."

"Mm, no problem."

Madara crossed his arms over his chest with a stern face, his gaze sharp as he scanned the surroundings, his voice filled with seriousness.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

With the matter handled, Kaku vanished on the spot using a Body Flicker Technique. As he leaped through the forest, he glanced back at their direction, thinking to himself that today was a rare day off and he couldn't let them ruin it.

After Kaku left, Madara took a scroll from his ninja tool pouch, broke the seal, pulled out a robe, and draped it over his body.

Rikusei looked at him in surprise; he hadn't known sealing scrolls could be used like that.

Feeling embarrassed by the stare, Madara coughed softly, walked forward quickly, crossed the dense forest, and accelerated away from the crime scene.

Rikusei looked back at the trees turned to ash to ensure there was no risk of the fire reigniting, then followed in Madara's footsteps.

After leaving the shrine, the two walked leisurely along the streets of Konoha. The dusk of midsummer was the coolest time of day, perfect for a stroll.

There were still too few snacks in Konoha; only traditional foods were available.

Rikusei counted on his fingers; Teuchi hadn't even been born yet, so it seemed the famous Otsutsuki Ramen Shop would have to wait many years.

The current barbecue restaurants in Konoha were hardly worth his attention; he suggested putting those off for later.

Only the Dango Shop was decent.

Thinking of this, Rikusei decided to take Madara to taste a delicacy from the human world he had never eaten before.

Outside the ninja tool shop.

Madara looked on with curiosity as the boy drew sketches on a piece of paper.

"Do you like spicy food?"

"A little, perhaps."

"Then we'll go with a Yin-Yang Hot Pot."

Having received Madara's answer, Rikusei gripped his pen and drew the pattern of a hot pot on the paper.

"Taiji?"

Madara recognized the origin of the pattern at a glance and muttered.

Yin-Yang Hot Pot?

He had never heard of such a strange name. He understood "pot" to be a cooking utensil, but the bizarre name was just like his disciple—always full of strange ideas.

"Ninja-sama, please come to pick up the order tomorrow."

The shopkeeper, wearing a silly grin, tucked the drawing away and said respectfully.

"No, I need it now." Standing outside the shop, Rikusei slapped money onto the counter and said boldly, "I can pay extra if it's not enough."

"No problem, Ninja-sama."

Seeing the shopkeeper accept the money and give a satisfactory answer, Rikusei and Madara headed toward the market to purchase ingredients for the evening.

At night, a bonfire was lit on the cliffs of Konoha. Neatly carved stones were placed steadily to hold the hot pot, and fresh spring water bubbled within.

The mountain breeze brushed against their faces, fanning the flames, and sparks struck the bottom of the pot, stretching the shadows of the two sitting around the fire.

Rikusei took out the seasonings, poured them in, and used a ladle to gently stir the bubbling hot pot base before dumping in the rest of the ingredients.

A rich aroma, accompanied by the natural freshness of the ingredients, wafted toward their noses.

The firelight illuminated Madara's face. He was slightly surprised to see the hot pot divided into two distinct colors for the first time, and he couldn't help but feel his appetite stirred, his hunger piqued for the first time.

Seeing Madara's mouth-watering expression, Rikusei felt smug; as long as it involved gourmet food, he was the one in control.

Whether it was Madara or Hashirama, they were all losers; they could all stand aside, for he was the number one in the ninja world.

However, this wild outdoor meal would not be entirely pleasant.

Rikusei, feeling a bit too bold, swallowed a mushy meatball and asked about Madara's personal love life, only to be pinned in place and have several bumps knocked onto his head.

Stubborn as he was, even while being beaten, he continued to ask, "Teacher, Lord Hashirama's children are almost at the age to start dating, so why don't you have a partner yet?"

Madara remained silent upon hearing such words, chewing and swallowing the unexpectedly delicious meal slowly. Under the guise of reaching for a spoon, he arranged the bowls and chopsticks, ensuring that beating the boy wouldn't cause the soup to spill.

He formed a Clone Technique, grabbed the now-wary boy, thoughtfully set aside his bowl and chopsticks, and then increased the force in his hands; this time, the beating was even more severe.

With that, Rikusei's restless heart finally calmed down under his teacher's gentle fists. He enjoyed the clear radiance of the Moon Wheel, eating the hot pot with tears in the corners of his eyes, only for the Yin-Yang Hot Pot to be confiscated by Madara after the picnic.

Ps: This is the first time I've come up with such a long title; I wonder if the "two-in-one" label at the end is visible.