Studying the Art of Acting Cool

But just as Uchiha Itachi and Izumi Uchiha were looking forward to it, Uchiha Fugaku poured a bucket of cold water over their enthusiasm.

"But the Senjutsu I'm going to teach you isn't this version."

????

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku's words, Uchiha Itachi and Izumi Uchiha were also a little confused.

Izumi Uchiha couldn't help asking,

"Father, are there different versions of Senjutsu?"

Hearing Izumi Uchiha's question, Uchiha Fugaku replied,

"Of course. Otherwise, how could I lead the Uchiha Clan into becoming a clan of sages?"

"There were originally three versions of Senjutsu in the Shinobi World: the Shikkotsu Forest version, the Ryūchi Cave version, and the Mount Myoboku version."

"In other words, Senjutsu was an ability exclusive to the Three Great Sage Regions, and only their contractors could learn it."

"Besides, the training was extremely difficult and dangerous. Even the slightest mistake could turn you to stone."

"But I created three other versions of Senjutsu, and they don't carry that risk: the Uchiha Fugaku Exclusive Version, the Genius Version, and the Common Version."

"You can tell from the name of the first one that I specially created it for myself. It surpasses every other version of Senjutsu, but no one else can train in it."

"The second version, the Genius Version, was created for the Uchiha Clan's geniuses. It matches the Senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Regions, and not only is it safe, its power and effects are just as impressive."

"And that's the version I'm going to teach you."

"The third is the Common Version. It's only a tenth as powerful as the Genius Version, but it has no training requirements at all. Once you've mastered it, you can continue on to the Genius Version. Whether you succeed, though, depends on your talent."

After hearing Uchiha Fugaku's explanation, Izumi Uchiha's admiration for him rose another notch.

Uchiha Itachi, meanwhile, stared at his father in disbelief. Uchiha Fugaku's words had completely upended Itachi's understanding of him. Had his father really been hiding his abilities all these years? Enduring everything for the sake of the clan, while working hard to find ways to make it stronger?

Their expressions greatly pleased Uchiha Fugaku. After all, he'd laid a lot of groundwork to pull off this impressive act.

When he felt the moment was right, Uchiha Fugaku cleared his throat and said,

"Now I'll begin teaching you the Genius Sage Mode."

"The Genius Sage Mode works by..."

"Natural Energy is found in the air..."

"..."

"That's enough for today. We'll continue at the same time tomorrow, and I'll keep teaching you Sage Mode."

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi and Izumi Uchiha both answered quickly, as though they'd been set free.

"Yes, Father."

Neither Uchiha Itachi nor Izumi Uchiha had expected Sage Mode to involve so much theory.

It was completely different from the ninjutsu they usually studied.

As the two were leaving, Uchiha Fugaku gave them a few more instructions.

"Training in Sage Mode is dangerous, so you must keep it absolutely secret. You're not to teach it to anyone without my approval."

"Besides, the Sage Mode I created is exclusive to the Uchiha Clan. It relies on our bloodline to avoid the danger."

"In other words, anyone without Uchiha blood who trains in it will inevitably turn to stone."

"Keep that in mind."

Uchiha Itachi and Izumi Uchiha answered solemnly in unison,

"Understood, Father."

On the roof of the Hot Spring House in Konoha

Hearing the Anbu's report, Jiraiya stared in disbelief.

"What? The old man was injured?

How is that possible?

This is Konoha!"

"..."

After hearing what had happened, Jiraiya was even more confused.

"Watching Sage Mode? How could watching Sage Mode reveal a problem like that?"

"But... why have I never had this problem?"

Did I learn a knockoff Senjutsu?

That can't be right.

Still, after the Anbu urged him on, Jiraiya hurried to Konoha Hospital.

Konoha Hospital

As soon as Jiraiya arrived, he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen resting in a hospital bed.

"Old man, what happened?"

The Anbu's vague explanation hadn't cleared things up for Jiraiya, so he had to ask Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Jiraiya, he glanced around before quickly recounting everything he'd witnessed.

After hearing the whole story, Jiraiya was utterly stunned.

His understanding of just how talented Uchiha Fugaku was had reached a whole new level.

Then Jiraiya couldn't help sighing.

"I never thought that, after Madara Uchiha, the Uchiha Clan would produce a genius who surpassed him by so much."

"He's practically a combination of the First and the Second..."

"Cough, cough, cough."

Knowing what Jiraiya was about to say, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly coughed a few times, cutting him off.

Interrupted, Jiraiya could only scratch his head under Sarutobi Hiruzen's fixed stare and drop the rest of his remarks. Then he returned to the point.

"Old man, you already know what kind of Senjutsu I can use, but you also know it's completely different from what you saw."

"And in my view, if the people in the village become stronger, then..."

Hearing Jiraiya, Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted him again.

"I called you here to find a solution, not to plead their case."

"And you need to understand that the village comes before everything. A clan can't stand above the village."

"I won't allow it to stand above the village the way the Three Great Sage Regions stand above the Shinobi World."

"If that happens, the village will become nothing more than an appendage of the clans."

Hearing this, Jiraiya fell silent.

Though he didn't agree with Sarutobi Hiruzen's way of thinking, he had no way to argue against it.

Jiraiya understood that people's beliefs and ideas weren't easy to change. Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this.

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed helplessly and said,

"The village isn't very safe now, either. Take Naruto and go find Tsunade."

"Leave as soon as possible, and make sure you bring her back."

Hearing this, Jiraiya could only rise reluctantly and leave.

Still, Jiraiya knew it was time to find Tsunade as soon as possible. The village really did need a new leader. Given the way the old man was treating the Uchiha, if nothing changed, an internal war in Konoha would be unavoidable.

And even the best possible outcome would be for both sides to suffer heavy losses. Given the current situation, the village was even more likely to lose. Though his teacher was called the strongest Hokage, Jiraiya knew there was plenty of exaggeration in that reputation. And on top of that, his teacher was already old.