Uzumaki Mito narrowed her eyes, making Tsunade tense up. Her hands clenched without her realizing it.
"Salamander Hanzo is known as a demigod. His strength is beyond what you three youngsters can withstand. Remember, there's a reason he has such a fearsome reputation," Uzumaki Mito said calmly.
Tsunade gritted her teeth. "Grandma, this is the first mission our teacher has given us. I don't want to give up! I know Salamander Hanzo is a Kage Level powerhouse, but how can we know unless we try?"
Her eyes shone with something called determination. Seeing this, Uzumaki Mito didn't look pleased. Instead, she sighed.
"If that's how you feel, I won't try to talk you out of it. Just come back alive," Uzumaki Mito said, closing her eyes.
"I don't want to lose you, my granddaughter." Uzumaki Mito's words drifted through the air, leaving Tsunade momentarily dazed. She couldn't help thinking back on her grandmother's life.
She had left her homeland to marry into Konoha, moving far away from home and her clan. She had lost her husband in middle age and her son in her later years. Now, her only blood relatives were Tsunade and her younger brother.
And now both siblings were going to war. How difficult that must be for an old woman to accept. Tsunade had been so focused on proving her own strength and showing that Senju Hashirama's granddaughter was a strong shinobi that she had forgotten: all her grandmother wanted was for the two of them to be safe and happy.
"I will, Grandma. I'll come back alive." Tsunade's eyes were red, and her voice trembled slightly.
Uzumaki Mito suddenly seemed to think of something. "Oh, Tsunade, I remember that a squad leader can take a trusted person along, right? Have you chosen anyone?"
"Huh? Grandma, I haven't chosen anyone yet. But someone recommended a boy from the Kato family. I heard his Spirit Transformation Technique is unusual." Tsunade wiped away her tears.
"The Spirit Transformation Technique? In the end, it's just a minor trick." Uzumaki Mito shook her head. "I think that boy from the Uchiha Clan would be a better choice."
"Xiao? But he's only a Genin!" Tsunade exclaimed.
Uzumaki Mito rose and walked toward the door. Then she turned to look at Tsunade. "That little one's Sharingan may only have one tomoe, but the chakra within it is stronger than that of most Two-Tomoe Sharingan. It even rivals the Three-Tomoe."
Tsunade froze. Three tomoe? Did that mean Xiao could fight like an elite jonin? Even so, the person from the Kato family seemed to be a jonin too, and he had the unusual talent of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
By comparison, Xiao still seemed inferior. Just as Tsunade wondered about this, Uzumaki Mito added, "That boy can also use Magnet Release."
Tsunade's pupils contracted. Magnet Release! A Kekkei Genkai formed by combining Wind and Earth chakra. It was a Kekkei Genkai unique to their old rivals in Sunagakure. How could it appear in someone from the Uchiha Clan?
"Uchiha Xiao can use Magnet Release, so why hasn't he shown it before?" Tsunade asked, puzzled. She couldn't understand why Uchiha Xiao would hide such a talent instead of revealing it.
"That's where he's smarter than you. The tallest tree catches the most wind. His clan doesn't value him; in fact, he's often discriminated against. And in the village, he's a member of the Uchiha Clan. Who could he trust?" Uzumaki Mito said with a smile.
"Even I only noticed that faint trace because of the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. So, Tsunade, find a way to bring Uchiha Xiao along tomorrow. I have a feeling that boy is no ordinary person," Uzumaki Mito said earnestly.
Then she left Tsunade's room without looking back and returned to her own to sleep.
Tsunade changed out of her clothes and thought it over carefully. The Spirit Transformation Technique was certainly unusual, but it had a major drawback: its user's body had to be protected. If someone stabbed it while the user was away, the soul couldn't return, and the user would die.
Besides, the Spirit Transformation Technique was child's play against a Kage Level powerhouse. Its floor was high, but its ceiling was low. Magnet Release, on the other hand, was different. Even before Sunagakure was founded, it had Magnet Release masters.
And without exception, those who mastered Magnet Release would become Kage Level. The current Third Kazekage was a Magnet Release master, and his Iron Sand Magnet Release was a special variant.
On top of that, the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan could also help Xiao reach Kage Level. So, all things considered, Xiao was better suited for the position of trusted companion.
Having made up her mind, Tsunade decided to ask Xiao what he wanted tomorrow. After all, you couldn't force someone to do something they didn't want to.
As she thought about it, Tsunade drifted off to sleep.
The night passed quickly. The stars shifted, and a new day began.
Around five in the morning, Uchiha Xiao woke up. It was this body's biological clock. The first thing he did after getting up was fold his bedding and put it back neatly in its place.
Then he went to wash up. Clear water flowed from the tap. Uchiha Xiao cupped some in his hands, and a chill spread through them.
He shivered, then splashed the water onto his face. Brr—so cold it cleared my head! It was uncomfortable the first time, but he got used to it after that. It even felt kind of nice.
After washing his face, Uchiha Xiao wiped it dry and headed to the Senju Clan Compound's training ground. He couldn't let a day of training go to waste.
He took eight shuriken from his ninja pouch and threw them using his well-practiced Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu. The eight shuriken struck one another in midair, then flew toward the wooden dummy's head.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
The tips of all eight shuriken lodged in vital spots on the wooden dummy's head: the temples, the center, the back of the skull, and elsewhere. Uchiha Xiao's technique was viciously precise.
Next, Uchiha Xiao took out an utterly ordinary standard-issue long sword—or, more accurately, a katana, though in Japan it seemed to be called a sword.
As soon as he drew it, his eyes lit up. Relying on muscle memory, he spun and slashed diagonally, then kicked at his target. A slash appeared over the wooden dummy's carotid artery. Uchiha Xiao kicked its body, rebounded into a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree midair flip, and landed perfectly.
Well, how should he put it? That was very Uchiha: high damage, but with a flair for the dramatic.
If that slash had landed on a person, they would probably already be clutching their throat with both hands, dead.
Uchiha Xiao's mouth twitched. Uchiha swordsmanship was powerful and intricate, but how could he put it? As a young man from the twenty-first century, he couldn't help finding it a little... showy.
He pushed the thought aside and continued practicing swordsmanship for another forty minutes. Then he sheathed his sword. He'd held back enough to avoid destroying the wooden dummy.
After all, this wasn't his training ground. Still, with so few people at the Senju Clan Compound, it was the first time he'd had the whole place to himself. It made him happy.
Uzumaki Mito was inside, using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. In fact, she'd woken up as soon as she heard Uchiha Xiao throwing shuriken. She'd wanted to see how far his training could take him, so she stayed in her room and watched him with the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
She found that Uchiha Xiao had not only solid fundamentals but was also exceptionally diligent. He was nothing like the exaggerated rumors about him.