The Forbidden Jutsu Master Begins to Exert His Power

Life for Senju Shugo began to grow fulfilling; aside from his daily ninjutsu training, he took on the additional task of organizing intelligence.

Regardless of the era, intelligence work is of paramount importance, as such information can often grant one's own clan a decisive advantage.

However, Shugo's current task was to organize intelligence rather than gather it. The information was chaotic and varied, ranging from major events like inter-clan skirmishes to trivial matters within the clan grounds.

Shugo examined them one by one, gradually gaining a clear picture of the strength of the various clans in the Land of Fire:

The Senju and Uchiha were the undisputed leaders, occupying the first tier. The patriarchs, First Elders, and Second Elders of both clans were all patriarch-level powerhouses.

Next were the Hyuga and Kaguya; despite being inferior to the first two, their powerful bloodline limits allowed them to occupy the second tier, each boasting two patriarch-level powerhouses.

The Hatake, Sarutobi, Uzumaki, and Fuma clans occupied the third tier, each with one or two patriarch-level powerhouses, though their standing was also influenced by the number of their clansmen.

The Hatake relied on exquisite swordsmanship, the Sarutobi on their diverse use of ninjutsu, the Uzumaki on complex sealing techniques, and the Fuma on unique ninjutsu involving the use of various weapons.

The Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Inuzuka clans occupied the fourth tier, relying on their respective secret techniques, with each clan possessing only one patriarch-level powerhouse.

However, the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi had always maintained a cooperative relationship, allowing them to sit between the second and third tiers.

It was not difficult to understand why the Kaguya clan was in the Land of Fire; most of Kaguya Otsutsuki's abilities were rooted in the Land of Fire, so there was no reason for the Shikotsumyaku alone to be in the Land of Water.

However, the reputation of the Kaguya clan in the Land of Fire was even worse than that of the Uchiha. The Uchiha were fierce but at least possessed intellect, whereas the Kaguya were bona fide battle maniacs who fought with extreme insanity; their only mission profile was killing.

It was said that someone once hired Kaguya ninjas for protection, only for them to kill the assassins and then the employer as well, subsequently blaming the employer for not paying the fee.

Given such a temperament, it was likely they became an obstacle to the construction of Konoha and were kicked out of the Land of Fire by Hashirama and Madara...

Collecting his thoughts, Shugo handed the organized documents to a Dark Ninja standing nearby, whose duty was to protect the intelligence.

Reviewing this information required a relatively sealed space, and aside from Shugo and the Dark Ninja, no one else was permitted to be present; once organized, the files were sent to their respective destinations immediately.

Shugo stretched his back, opened the door, and stepped outside. He hadn't seen Tobirama for a while and wondered what he had been tinkering with.

As soon as he stepped out of his house, he saw a youth squatting under the large tree in front of the door.

The two locked eyes, and Shugo rubbed his brow and said, "Senju Rinma, what are you doing squatting in front of my tree?"

Senju Rinma was the Third Elder's grandson, two years older than Shugo, and their only interaction had been playing together once two years ago.

Senju Rinma stood up and walked over to Shugo, his eyes bloodshot:

"What am I doing at your house... don't you know what your father has done!"

"Our branch never provoked you, yet look at you! You seized upon a minor mistake and forced us to sell off our family assets."

"Is it just because your father is a patriarch-level powerhouse while my grandfather is only a peak jonin?"

Shugo looked at the person before him calmly and silently wiped his face:

"Is that all you came here to say?"

Senju Rinma's eyes widened. He reached out to grab Shugo's collar, but the latter easily clamped onto his throat.

"Your movements are too slow. When was the last time you trained, months ago?"

Shugo said indifferently, releasing his grip just as the other began to suffocate.

Rinma stepped back, gasping for air, his voice weakening: "Do you not feel even a shred of guilt toward us?"

Shugo rolled his eyes:

"If your grandfather caused a peak jonin to die, would you feel guilty?"

Senju Rinma lowered his head slightly, his face flushing red.

"Besides... your grandfather caused the death of more than one peak jonin. Why do you think they aren't out here yelling in front of other people's doors like you?"

"Why?"

"Because they are ninjas who have already prepared themselves for sacrifice."

Rinma looked as if he had been struck by lightning; he stumbled back several steps and collapsed onto the ground.

"You have a good grandfather, but people will eventually grow old and die. In the end, you can only rely on yourself..."

Shugo paused, pulled Senju Rinma up from the ground, and brushed the dust off him:

"I hope you can be more mature in the future."

With that, Shugo walked away slowly.

Senju Rinma watched the youth's departing back with a complex expression. Even though he was older, he didn't understand these truths as well as Shugo did.

Training... he hadn't heard those two words in a long time.

Because of the death of his biological parents, his grandfather had protected him, telling him that he didn't need to train and that everything would be fine.

But Shugo was right; his grandfather would eventually grow old and die. What would he have then? Nothing. Without his grandfather, he was just an ordinary, unremarkable chunin.

Rinma whispered to himself:

"Senju Shugo, I will prove it to you. I will definitely become an excellent ninja!"

"Itama, Hashirama, where is Tobirama?"

Hashirama pointed and said:

"Brother Hiugo, Second Brother is in his room, though he rarely comes out."

Still inside? It seems his ninjutsu research isn't going well.

Hiugo was just about to turn back when Tobirama suddenly threw the door open and swiftly pulled him into the room.

The room was littered with scattered scrolls, containing not only Water Release techniques but also a fair number of the other four elemental natures.

"What are you developing? Why do you need so many ninjutsu?"

Hiugo casually picked up a Fire Release scroll and began to read.

"I've already finished developing the ninjutsu, but I discovered something else along the way."

"What is it?"

"I pored over every Water Release technique, only to find they offered no help for my new project. However, when I looked into Wind Release, it sparked an inspiration. My thinking shouldn't be confined to a single area."

"So?"

"Out of curiosity, I started searching through the archives left behind by the Senju, and I finally found this..."

Tobirama pulled out a scroll and handed it to Hiugo. The ink on the scroll was clearly fresh, likely copied to avoid damaging the original. Three characters were circled by Tobirama: [Yin-Yang Release].

"We both know the secret techniques of the Nara clan belong to Yin Release, while the Multi-Size Technique of the Akimichi clan belongs to Yang Release, yet this Yin-Yang Release has never been mentioned..."

"I have a feeling that if I could integrate it into the Clone Technique, I could develop a brand-new jutsu. But unfortunately, not only is there no data on Yin-Yang Release, but information on Yin and Yang Release is also scarce. Does your family have any similar scrolls?"

Hiugo shook his head. "I think you're overthinking it."

"Oh?" Tobirama listened intently.

"Since you clearly know where the stuff is, just wait until you're powerful enough in the future and ask them for it directly."

"..." Tobirama.

"Secret techniques are a matter of life and death for a clan. And I don't just want the techniques; I want their research data on them. How could they possibly give that to me?"

Tobirama shook his head, finding the idea highly unlikely.

Once Hashirama fully matures and gets his 'six-item build,' what will be impossible? We'll just steamroll the Warring States period; grabbing a few measly secret techniques will be a breeze.

Hiugo shook his head, tossing those thoughts aside, and said, "Let me see the new ninjutsu you developed."

"You want to learn it? Call me Second Brother."

"Second Brother."

"?" Tobirama was slightly stunned, not expecting Hiugo to be so straightforward.

Hiugo smiled.

"Learning brings me joy. If you have more ninjutsu, I can keep calling you Second Brother."

"..."

Tobirama covered his face, feeling that learning to act like Hiugo was still a bit of a challenge.