The Hawk Faction and the Dove Faction

Uchiha Setsuna's scarlet Sharingan stared unblinkingly at Qingshui, as if observing his every reaction.

"It was merely luck."

"Haha, perhaps that fellow Fugaku has underestimated you; you possess quite the talent for sensory perception as well."

A flicker of appreciation crossed Uchiha Setsuna's face.

He had once been a Shinobi Head, a rank from the Warring States period.

In modern terms, he was a Jonin—the kind who had survived countless life-or-death battles.

Even though his strength was not what it once was due to his age, the fact that Qingshui could detect him was proof enough of his genius in this regard.

"Isn't it a waste to become a medical ninja? Fugaku is far too weak; he still harbors the naive notion of coexisting with the village."

Uchiha Setsuna's tone carried a hint of anger, clearly dissatisfied with Uchiha Fugaku for a long time.

"Junior, come to my side. I have men under my command who will teach you how to master the true power of the Uchiha Clan. I believe you have the aptitude to awaken your eyes."

His skin-and-bones hand reached out, as if inviting Qingshui.

"Elder Setsuna, I think I will stick to being a medical ninja."

Qingshui politely declined.

Uchiha Setsuna was clearly trying to recruit him into the Hawk Faction to oppose Uchiha Fugaku, who led the Dove Faction.

Qingshui did not want to be so radical, as that would inevitably draw the suspicion and suppression of Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

What Qingshui needed to do now was quietly accumulate strength, plant his own pieces within the Hidden Leaf Village, and build a power base of his own.

When his wings were fully grown, that would be the moment Qingshui would flip the table.

"One day, you will realize that I am right. The Uchiha are currently like a frog being boiled in lukewarm water."

Uchiha Setsuna, having been rejected by Qingshui, instead revealed a faint smile.

"Junior, I believe you will come. My keen nose, which survived the Warring States period, can smell that the ninja world will not remain peaceful for long. When you have thought it through, come find me again."

Uchiha Setsuna turned around and merged into the wall, disappearing to who knows where.

"That is a decent jutsu."

Qingshui did not dwell on Uchiha Setsuna's cryptic words. The ninja world indeed would not remain peaceful for long, which was precisely why he chose to become a medical ninja.

The Third Shinobi World War would be a protracted conflict, lasting for several years.

The longer the war dragged on, the more strength Qingshui could accumulate.

By the end of the Third Shinobi World War, that would be the best time for Qingshui to make his move.

If he had actually listened to Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Shimizu's name would likely already be on the list of those deployed to the front lines.

Instead, Qingshui found himself more interested in Uchiha Setsuna's jutsu.

Being able to merge into walls was a form of Earth Release.

The Uchiha jutsu library was dominated by Fire Release, followed by some Yin Release.

Other elemental jutsus were rare, and Uchiha members rarely possessed affinities outside of their primary ones.

Most people had two or three affinities, focusing on Fire Release and using another as a supplement.

"Now, it is mine."

As Uchiha Setsuna turned away, Uchiha Shimizu had already quietly activated his Sharingan to copy the jutsu.

The insight of the Three-Tomoe was enough to see through the flow of chakra as Uchiha Setsuna used the technique.

Coupled with the enhancement the Byakugan provided to his Sharingan, his perception became even more terrifying.

Everything was clearly presented before Qingshui's eyes.

"Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage."

Qingshui merged into the wall without any resistance, moving as if he were swimming in the sea.

This was a C-rank jutsu that allowed the user to soften the earth-based materials they touched, turning them into a liquid-like state, allowing the user to move through them at will.

Qingshui swam along the length of the narrow wall, moving much faster than he could by walking or running.

Before long, Qingshui returned to his home.

Two years ago, he had possessed no Earth-style chakra.

Later, through simulations, he had acquired several chakra affinities.

He had newly obtained Water-style chakra and Earth-style chakra.

This meant that Qingshui could now unleash a wider variety of jutsus.

The next day arrived quickly.

Qingshui stood in the large training ground, with Uchiha Taro standing opposite him.

A few clansmen were scattered around the perimeter of the training ground to watch, while Uchiha Fugaku stood on a high platform, observing the sparring match between the two.

Although Uchiha Shimizu could work at Konoha Hospital, he still had to complete the basic mission quota required of a ninja. Furthermore, with the Chunin Exams approaching, Uchiha Fugaku wanted to see exactly what Qingshui's strength was.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Taro unleashed the signature ninjutsu of the Uchiha Clan.

BOOM!

A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, radiating rolling waves of heat.

Qingshui shifted and maneuvered his body, easily dodging the technique.

The Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique had an imposing presence, but in the original story, it was actually known as the "kindness technique"—the number of kills it had achieved was zero.

The real reason for this was its long wind-up, making it easy to dodge or counter.

"I am already a Chunin now; you should just concede."

Uchiha Taro closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

After activating the Sharingan, even the scorching fireball seemed to become hotter and larger.

"Body Flicker Technique."

Qingshui's figure swirled and vanished from his spot.

Uchiha Taro's pupils constricted; even with his heightened perception, he could barely catch a glimpse of a dark shadow.

He had lost track of Qingshui's position!

Uchiha Taro's Sharingan darted frantically around his eye sockets, attempting to pin down Qingshui's location.

"Damn it, where is he?"

A bead of sweat dripped down Uchiha Taro's temple.

This match was merely a standard sparring session intended to maintain the martial spirit within the Uchiha Clan.

Initially, upon learning he was only facing a brat who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, he had felt confident of victory.

To perform well in front of Uchiha Fugaku, he had gone all out from the start, even resorting to his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

If he were to be dismissed by a single Body Flicker Technique, he would never be able to hold his head high within the Uchiha Clan again.

As the two were locked in their tense duel, Uchiha Fugaku's brows furrowed slightly.

He had always believed that Qingshui's talent lay entirely in medical ninjutsu, and he only wanted Qingshui to possess a baseline level of strength.

Once Qingshui reached the strength of a Chunin, he intended to forbid him from wasting energy on unrelated ninjutsu, forcing him to focus entirely on researching a cure for the Kekkei Genkai illness, and using that as a foundation to cultivate a group of medical ninjas within the Uchiha Clan.

Because geniuses always had their specialties and a person's energy was limited, it was impossible to perfectly balance every aspect; Qingshui's talent was too rare to be wasted.

"Combat talent, is it?"

Uchiha Fugaku muttered to himself.

At this rate, he would have to change some of his policies regarding Uchiha Shimizu.

Perhaps the Uchiha Clan could also cultivate a second Tsunade?

It seemed he would need to use that ocular technique.