Kekkei Genkai

Looking at the booklet in his hands, Li Ke finally understood why Minato Namikaze was so highly respected.

He really knew how to treat people!

Simply treating the people on his side like people was already something many others couldn't manage!

But...

Li Ke thought of the outrageous decision this man, destined to become the Fourth Hokage, had made and felt a little helpless.

Of all the plans he could have chosen to deal with the Nine-Tails Incident, Minato Namikaze had picked the most absurd one.

A lovers' suicide.

Even if sealing the Nine-Tails really required the Reaper Death Seal, some expendable shinobi should have done it—not the Hokage.

Or they could have had Hiruzen Sarutobi do it.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't been a very good Hokage most of the time, if the village needed him to make a sacrifice, he wouldn't have hesitated.

The problem was, after seeing that his wife was certain to die, the Fourth Hokage didn't want to live either.

So there was a very good chance that Minato Namikaze loved the village, but before the village, he loved his wife, Kushina, more.

As for accusations that he had shirked his responsibilities, Li Ke was certain Minato Namikaze had never even considered that. It wasn't his problem; it was the intelligence department's.

The problem was that his lovers' suicide had nearly destroyed Konoha and dumped a huge share of the blame on the Uchiha Clan.

It could be said that the reason Kumogakure later dared to openly pressure Konoha was Minato Namikaze's lovers' suicide. In the eyes of the other villages, the Sannin's departure was nothing more than a show put on by Konoha.

What had truly emboldened Kumogakure was the loss of a Tailed Beast.

Without a Jinchuriki, Konoha had lost a trump card that could settle matters decisively, as well as a young, strong Hokage. And on top of that, his death had caused the Uchiha Clan's problems to erupt.

And because he had used the Reaper Death Seal, the Third Hokage couldn't even bring him back with Impure World Reincarnation to ask him what had happened.

People all said Danzo had acted like an idiot when he stopped the Uchiha Clan from joining the rescue effort during the Nine-Tails Incident.

But the Sharingan in the rampaging Nine-Tails' eyes had been impossible to miss. And members of the Uchiha Clan had indeed controlled the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha before. Who could have trusted the Uchiha Clan under those circumstances?

After all, if the Uchiha Clan had no ulterior motives, letting them through wouldn't have reduced the damage caused by the Nine-Tails by much. But what if they really were plotting something?

Wouldn't Konoha have been blown apart in an instant?

So Li Ke looked at the booklet in his hands, not quite sure what to say.

Minato had probably worked so hard to become Hokage so Kushina wouldn't have to go to the battlefield!

Unlike Li Ke, who liked to dabble in politics, the Second Hokage was more interested in something else.

"This man... has far surpassed me in his research into the Flying Raijin Jutsu. And from what I just saw, he's surpassed me in its application, too."

Senju Tobirama's voice was filled with delight. He loved seeing the next generation surpass him.

Of course, he still had to keep an eye on the copyright.

"And this young man has made quite an accomplishment in Fuinjutsu, too..."

Senju Tobirama used Li Ke's hands to leaf through Minato Namikaze's version of the Flying Raijin Jutsu, praising him once again.

"What's more, this technique of his has a much higher ceiling and floor than my Flying Raijin Jutsu. Kid, you can learn his version directly and just use mine as a reference. Especially his research on Flying Thunder God Marks... He may have already discovered the Flying Thunder God Marks I created."

Senju Tobirama wasn't the least bit upset that Minato Namikaze had surpassed him. Instead, he happily studied the technique.

Before long, Li Ke's vision blurred, and a strange sensation washed over him. The next moment, he appeared in his previous camp, where Asuma sat with his back to him, staring blankly at the book in his hands.

Li Ke glanced at the book Asuma was reading and was speechless.

Icha Icha Paradise.

Senju Tobirama had absolutely no interest in it and continued reading the booklet in Li Ke's hands.

"Kid, how does it feel?"

"It feels like... I can do it, too?"

Senju Tobirama asked, and Li Ke took a few steps away. Asuma, absorbed in the book in his hands, still hadn't noticed him.

Li Ke tentatively followed the markings Senju Tobirama had made according to Minato Namikaze's method and activated the Flying Raijin Jutsu. The next moment, his body appeared behind Asuma again.

Poor Asuma still hadn't noticed Li Ke's arrival. Under the watchful eyes of the Second Hokage and Li Ke, he continued eagerly flipping through the book Jiraiya had written.

"I really did it..."

Realizing he had succeeded, even Li Ke was shocked. He had actually pulled it off on the first try!

"Mm. Since I've already used the Flying Raijin Jutsu with your body, you can save a lot of time getting used to the sensation. And this young man Minato Namikaze has improved the Flying Raijin Jutsu to make it much more convenient. No wonder he's a shinobi of Konoha!"

Senju Tobirama praised Minato Namikaze's talent once more. More than anything, he liked talented people who could devote themselves to studying ninjutsu.

Still, Li Ke felt a little dizzy. The sudden change of location was a bit too much for a shinobi with such sharp senses.

"I just can't activate the Flying Raijin Jutsu in an instant yet. What a shame. For now, I can only use it as a trump card."

Li Ke felt regretful. Because he wasn't proficient with it, activating the Flying Raijin Jutsu would take at least a second. A second was enough time for powerful shinobi to do a lot.

"That's already very good. Even now, I can't make multiple transfers in under a second. A one-second delay isn't a fatal weakness in most battles."

Senju Tobirama didn't think it was much of a problem. To him, the Flying Raijin was simply a way to catch the enemy off guard. He didn't rely on the technique entirely.

Li Ke nodded. Shinobi like Minato Namikaze, who specialized entirely in the Flying Raijin, were rare.

To put it bluntly, Minato Namikaze seemed born for the Flying Raijin Jutsu!

"It's a shame. If you had time to train properly, you might be able to do what that young man can. But on the battlefield, I'll use the Flying Raijin Jutsu for you."

Senju Tobirama sounded regretful. If Li Ke could focus on training for two or three months, he would have no trouble applying the Flying Raijin Jutsu in actual combat.

Unfortunately, they were on a battlefield. Trying to hone an unfamiliar skill in battle was tantamount to suicide. That might be fine with other ninjutsu, but the Flying Raijin was dangerous to both the user and the enemy, so for now, it was better to let him handle it.

"Understood, Second Hokage. But there's something else I'm curious about."

"What?"

Feeling his connection with Senju Tobirama, Li Ke thought again of the idea he'd had earlier.

"Can I summon another person's soul and have them coexist with you?"

Senju Tobirama furrowed his brows at Li Ke's question. He had considered the possibility, but he hadn't brought it up because he was afraid Li Ke might lose control.

But why was Li Ke bringing it up now?

Did he think Senju Tobirama was useless?

"Kid, aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"

He was a little unhappy. Li Ke was being rather impatient.

But Li Ke knew that relying on Senju Tobirama alone still carried a risk of things going wrong. If he could bring Senju Hashirama into the picture, that might change things.

And wouldn't Senju Hashirama be an even better teacher for learning Wood Release?

"So, Second Hokage, let me try!"

Senju Tobirama didn't object. There was no way he could stop Li Ke from doing it, so he simply stayed silent and offered him a warning.

"Don't push yourself too hard, kid. Some of your chakra is already being used to sustain my existence. Don't weaken yourself by summoning someone else."

It was perfectly normal for a young man to look forward to his Kekkei Genkai, so Senju Tobirama wasn't surprised. Besides, the ability of this Kekkei Genkai was something that interested him, too.

So even though he was a little unhappy, he still intended to let Li Ke try.

"Mm, Second Hokage. I'm only curious."

Li Ke nodded. Senju Tobirama was right: just like Heroic Spirit Summoning, Heroic Spirits needed the Master's chakra to sustain them. Summoning the souls of shinobi worked the same way; it would continuously consume his chakra.

The summoned shinobi would even use his chakra when performing techniques.

However, just as Senju Tobirama was about to wait for Li Ke to send him back to the Pure Land, Li Ke activated his power again.

"O shinobi who longs for peace, cherishes his kin, and is willing to forsake everything to protect his ideals and defend all that he holds dear—come to my side!"

Li Ke quietly used Senju Tobirama's chakra. He figured that with Senju Tobirama's chakra as a catalyst, along with those words, the one he summoned would have to be—

Senju Hashirama!

But the next moment, Li Ke's chakra surged violently, startling Asuma. He turned around and saw Li Ke standing expressionless behind him.

"What are you doing?!"

Asuma hurriedly hid the smutty book behind his back and pointed a finger at Li Ke, looking terrified.

"Nothing."

Li Ke's mouth twitched as he answered. Then, while Asuma stared at him in bewilderment, he walked out of his tent and went to the edge of the camp. He sat down quietly and began to think.

It wasn't that the summoning had failed. It had unquestionably succeeded—one could even say it had succeeded too well.

But could someone explain this to him?

Why, after using Senju Tobirama's chakra and saying those words, had he summoned someone from the Uchiha Clan?!

That cold, sinister chakra—he didn't know who it belonged to yet, but it definitely belonged to someone from the Uchiha Clan!

Touching his eyes beneath the bandages, Li Ke was certain that they had already turned into Sharingan.

Feeling the other chakra inside Li Ke, Senju Tobirama was at a loss for words, too.

"...You little brat."

How could he fail to recognize that chakra? But he was just as baffled. Li Ke had used his chakra and said that incantation, and he had thought it would summon his big brother. So why had it been Izuna Uchiha?!

Just as he was at a loss for words, Izuna Uchiha, summoned by Li Ke, came to his senses.

"Senju Tobirama! You despicable, underhanded bastard! You still won't leave my soul alone, even after I'm dead?! You bastard! Are you trying to use me to threaten my brother?!"

Izuna Uchiha angrily interrogated Li Ke. He thought Li Ke was Senju Tobirama, because he could clearly sense Senju Tobirama's chakra on him!

He might mistake someone else's chakra, but he would never mistake that bastard's!

As he spoke, Izuna Uchiha activated his Sharingan chakra.

"Or are you planning to imprison me inside your body and steal the power of our Uchiha Clan? Don't even think about it! I'll show you the power of our clan!"

As his words fell, Li Ke's mind went hazy. A surge of powerful, cold Yin Release Chakra shot straight toward his brain. At that moment, Senju Tobirama's chakra rose to block it, and Li Ke immediately canceled his summoning of Izuna Uchiha.

"Damn it..."

Izuna Uchiha's soul vanished unwillingly, and the chakra that had been sustaining it returned to Li Ke. The cold, sinister chakra rushing toward his brain also gradually calmed down and began to spread throughout his body.

"I told you to be careful, brat."

Senju Tobirama snorted. If he hadn't intervened in time, Li Ke would have been trapped forever in the Uchiha Clan's genjutsu.

But just as he was about to keep scolding Li Ke, he sensed the chakra Li Ke had used to sustain Izuna Uchiha suddenly running wild. Neither Li Ke nor Senju Tobirama could control it. It frantically burrowed into Li Ke's only remaining left eye!

A wave of excruciating pain struck, and the sinister, cold chakra vanished. But Li Ke felt that something had changed in his left eye. His heart began pounding wildly, and blood rushed rapidly toward his head.

At that moment, Senju Tobirama roared.

"Kid! Look at your eye!"

Without hesitation, Senju Tobirama used Li Ke's body to perform Ice Release ninjutsu. Li Ke opened his eyes wide and stared at them in shock, for he saw a Mangekyo spinning in his eye.

After the Mangekyo appeared, the uncontrolled chakra didn't stop. Instead, it suddenly rushed into Li Ke's empty right eye socket!

The next moment, Li Ke felt a sharp pain in his right eye, too. Before their very eyes, a snow-white eye—undeniably a Byakugan—grew in Li Ke's empty socket!

"..."

"..."

Neither of them could find anything to say. At the same time, deep beneath the earth in a distant wasteland, a withered old man suddenly raised his head.

"This feeling... Izuna?!"

The shinobi named Madara Uchiha covered his eyes. He couldn't be mistaken! Although these weren't Izuna's eyes, his brother's ocular power was still inside them! He couldn't mistake that throbbing sensation! That was Izuna's ocular power!

Then he flew into a rage, because there was only one technique in the world that could make him feel this way again.

Impure World Reincarnation!

Someone was playing with his younger brother's soul! And it was those people from Konoha!

"Senju Tobirama!!"

Madara Uchiha let out an utterly frenzied roar.