Izanagi

The Fujiwara Clan had long since collected the Chakra Metal after discovering it, storing it away within a storage scroll.

After obtaining the scroll, the Uchiha elite jonin immediately killed the jonin who had led the way. Just as he was about to leave, a man ran up to him and knelt on both knees, saying:

"My lord, I am Fujiwara Koji, the one who sent you the message. Please, take me with you! I am willing to swear my life to the Uchiha Clan."

Fujiwara Koji's words instantly ignited the fury of the Fujiwara Clan. They had long been suspicious as to how their small clan could have attracted the attention of the Uchiha, and now they realized it was because of a traitor.

"Fujiwara Koji, as the child of the clan head, how could you do such a thing? Are you even human anymore!!!"

"Your father and uncle were killed by the man right in front of you, yet you wag your tail at him like a dog. Is this your Ninja Way?"

"You are not fit to be a ninja, let alone bear the name Fujiwara!"

"Having a brother like you is a disgrace."

"I do not have a child like you!"

Under the barrage of insults, Fujiwara Koji's face gradually darkened. He roared:

"What right do you have to judge me! My father wanted to make my older brother the clan head and give him everything!"

"And what about me? I had nothing, yet I had to happily help him manage the clan so he could have time to go off and enjoy himself with women. I was the one who discovered the Chakra Metal, yet after day after day of mining, all the credit went to him!"

"Just because he was born a year earlier than me, all the good things have to be handed to him? Giving everything to that piece of trash is exactly why our clan has remained stagnant."

The more Fujiwara Koji spoke, the more agitated he became, but he soon calmed down, a hint of killing intent appearing in his eyes as he said:

"Since all of you are so muddled, I will find a way out for myself..."

The Uchiha elite jonin watched the scene with a playful expression:

"Koji? What a coincidence, you share my name."

Fujiwara Koji fawned:

"That is this humble one's honor..."

"Fine, you can come with me, but you must kill all these people first."

"My lord, I prepared for this long ago. I've placed explosive tags all around; they will destroy the cave and take care of these people at the same time."

Uchiha Koji flashed a smile: "Very good. Work hard for me, and you shall have your share of ninjutsu, money, and women."

"Yes."

On the other side, Hiugo punched Izuna again and again, turning his face into a bruised mess. Although Izuna had opened his eyes, the previous injuries hindered his movements, forcing him to take the beating passively.

Izuna's katana had long since been knocked away, leaving him to resort to hand-to-hand combat.

Both of their armors were damaged, the result of both clashing ninjutsu and the interference of others.

The battlefield was not a simple one-on-one; the reach of ninjutsu, flying kunai and shuriken, and the occasional explosive tag made it all incredibly chaotic.

It was precisely because of this that Hiugo had been unable to finish off Izuna. As the son of the Uchiha clan head and the younger brother of Madara, even though he was sent on a mission, he was inevitably protected by others.

From time to time, various attacks would appear, interrupting Hiugo's offensive.

Izuna himself was not having an easy time, his heart filled with a storm of conflicting emotions:

He felt stifled that he could not fully display his strength, he was furious at the sneak attack by "Tobirama Senju," and he was unwilling to accept that he had to be protected by his clansmen during his very first mission.

These various emotions were suppressed within his heart until they reached a breaking point and erupted.

Scarlet eyes appeared in Izuna's gaze, causing the boy's original childishness to dissipate significantly.

"Is it really this easy for the Uchiha Clan to power up?"

Hiugo couldn't help but grumble. He recalled the first Uchiha clansman he had killed; that man was at least ten years older than him, and it was understandable to awaken the Sharingan while on the verge of death.

Yet Izuna had only been caught off guard by Hiugo's "low-class" tactics, and after fighting for a while, he had already awakened the Sharingan. It was pure cheating.

Sigh, forget it. There was still Sarada later on, who awakened the Mangekyo for love; compared to that, this was nothing.

"Tobirama Senju! You will be the first person to die under these eyes!"

Feeling the power in his eyes, Izuna was instantly filled with confidence.

Hiugo twitched the corner of his mouth. He, too, had experienced the feeling of awakening eyes; it was a thrill of power increasing, but it didn't come with this kind of self-forgetful arrogance.

Fine, let me help you curb your pride and impatience.

The two clashed again. Under the influence of the single tomoe, Izuna could clearly see Hiugo's moves; techniques that were once difficult to deal with now seemed to move several times slower.

Lament your fate for not having a Sharingan!

Izuna thought to himself, throwing a punch toward Hiugo's eyes. He wanted revenge, to return the wounds he had suffered, and then strip away his life.

However, in that instant, lightning flickered across Hiugo's entire body, his speed spiking as he landed a punch on Izuna's forehead.

Lightning Release Cell Activation, activated.

This method used lightning-attribute chakra to stimulate the cells in the body, enhancing a ninja's speed and taijutsu capabilities.

However, because Hiugo was only five years old, he rarely used this method; one usually had to be eleven or twelve to use it as a casual buff.

The single-tomoe Sharingan could track the incoming fist, but Izuna's own speed could not keep up with Hiugo's suddenly enhanced state; a direct hit to the face sent a wave of dizziness straight to his brain.

A surge of force followed, causing Izuna to stumble backward as if intoxicated, spitting out two teeth along with a mouthful of blood.

Before he could steady himself, Hiugo landed an uppercut to Izuna's chin, sending him "flying" a few centimeters upward before he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Lightning Release Cell Activation ended.

Hiugo exhaled softly, drew a Kunai, and looked down at Uchiha Izuna, whispering to himself:

"There are some things I want to confirm—whether or not you key figures can actually be killed..."

Hiugo's action acted like a command, causing the scattered members of the Uchiha squad to charge toward him in unison.

The Senju ninja reacted immediately to intercept, but one Uchiha Jonin managed to break through their ranks.

He channeled a Water Blade into his Kunai and thrust it fiercely into Izuna's chest.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The Uchiha Jonin spat out a fireball that engulfed both Hiugo and Izuna.

"Destroying the evidence?"

Hiugo frowned slightly; the Kunai had already pierced the heart, and he didn't believe Izuna could survive that, let alone the added flames. Izuna was surely dead.

The Uchiha Jonin showed no expression, silently weaving hand seals. He was a man in his thirties, which was considered long-lived in an era where the average lifespan was only thirty.

"Why is a ninja who has lived this long only at the Jonin level?"

Doubt flickered in Hiugo's eyes, but his pupils constricted the next second.

He saw that one of the Jonin's three-tomoe Sharingan had lost its light, and the previously dead Izuna had reappeared in his arms.

The Uchiha Clan's forbidden technique: Izanagi.

A ninjutsu that alters fate at the cost of at least one three-tomoe Sharingan.

"A ninja specifically raised to extend someone else's life? The Uchiha Clan is truly generous," Hiugo remarked, his eyes locked on the Jonin.

The Uchiha Jonin strapped Izuna to his back and said calmly:

"You are wrong. The clan leader has no authority to make a clansman sacrifice their three-tomoe Sharingan; this was entirely my own decision."

"..."

"I was once a mediocre ninja, but an accident awakened my Sharingan, though it also cost me my companions. I began to fear death, and the clan leader left me to fend for myself in the clan lands until Izuna appeared and helped me regain my courage."

"I loathe my former cowardly self. Rather than letting someone like me survive, it is better to provide an extra insurance policy for Izuna."

Fire Release: Ash Hiding Technique.

The Uchiha Jonin unleashed the ninjutsu without warning. While the technique dealt little damage, it could be cast without hand seals once mastered to a high level.

All the previous dialogue had been genuine, but it was intended to distract the boy. As he used the technique, a cold glint emerged from the thick smoke, striking Hiugo.

The Uchiha Jonin looked surprised: "When did he weave the seals? A kid with Chunin-level strength shouldn't be capable of casting ninjutsu without seals."

But the Hiugo beneath the blade had already transformed into a wooden log amidst the white smoke.

"Talking during a fight is just a setup for a sneak attack. If I hadn't learned to weave seals with one hand, I wouldn't have wasted time listening to your blathering—I would have run away long ago," Hiugo thought to himself, having already put some distance between them.

He didn't know if the Jonin would choose to hunt him down or flee with Izuna, but he could only hope his father would step up and end the battle quickly.

As he pondered, he spotted two stealthy figures. Why were an Uchiha and a Fujiwara working together?