Chapter 3

"Heh, a ninjutsu I grew bored of at four, you only learned at six, yet you dare boast of being a once-in-a-millennium genius? You're more like a once-in-a-millennium turtle!"

Madara's disdainful teasing was cut short when he noticed a scorching wave of heat radiating from where Mingye stood.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Mingye raised an eyebrow, his hands moving in a rapid blur of seals. A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, surging straight toward Madara. Reacting just in time, Madara sluggishly formed his own seals as the flames were about to strike, spitting out a slightly smaller fireball that collided with the incoming attack. A massive cloud of dust billowed between them. Not stopping there, Madara formed the "Tiger" seal, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Fire Style: Firefly Jutsu!"

Plop.

Countless tiny sparks of fire rained down toward Mingye. As the dust cleared, however, Madara found that Mingye had already dived into the lake. As a C-rank ninjutsu, the "Firefly Jutsu" had no way of penetrating the water to inflict damage. Extremely annoyed, Madara crossed his arms and walked to the water's edge, glaring at Mingye, who was hiding in the water with only half his head exposed. "What is the meaning of this, Mingye!"

"You're attacking me—do you expect me not to run?" Mingye's reply was matter-of-fact. Having exhausted his chakra on that one Fire Style technique, there was no way he would continue fighting a jerk like Madara. He had simply jumped into the lake, knowing full well that his arrogant older brother refused to use any of the other four elemental styles, even if he knew them. Mingye had exploited this weakness perfectly.

"...!"

Mingye's retort left Madara speechless. He certainly had a hundred ways to force Mingye out of the lake, but they all required using non-fire elements. Madara was far too proud; while beating up Mingye was fun, it wasn't enough to make him resort to other ninjutsu. With a huff, he turned and headed toward home.

When Mingye walked back to the clan compound alone, he was shocked to see seven white flags raised. Since his birth, he had never seen the Uchiha clan hoist so many.

"One white flag for every life lost. I never expected our losses to be this heavy in this skirmish," said Uchiha Shimizu, Mingye's third uncle and Tajima's younger brother, his voice heavy with sorrow as he stood beside him.

"Third Uncle!"

"Go inside and see for yourself. This mission was indeed too reckless." Shimizu had no heart for further explanation. Seeing Mingye bow, he patted the boy's shoulder and walked through the gates.

Mingye followed him in, his heart heavy as he saw seven coffins lined up. His father, Tajima, was covered in wounds, and Madara was kneeling beside him, tending to his injuries.

"I didn't expect those Senju bastards to join the fray this time. It seems they are officially intervening in the Land of Fire. We must be extremely cautious from now on. Until my wounds heal, avoid any direct confrontation with them. Once I recover, I will annihilate those scum!" Tajima shoved Madara aside, his wounds tearing open again from the exertion. He stood proudly before his clansmen and swore his oath.

"Father!" Madara looked on with concern as the wounds bled, but a single glance from Tajima silenced him. Tajima turned back to the crowd.

"It is nothing! This is the fate of our clan. From today on, you must all strive harder. As long as we can slaughter every member of the Senju clan, we shall restore the glory of our ancestors!"

"Yes! Clan Leader! Kill the Senju scum! Kill the Senju...!" The Uchiha clansmen, their eyes burning with rage and hatred, stared firmly at Tajima and shouted in unison.

When the crowd dispersed, Shimizu helped Tajima into the study, with Madara and Izuna following close behind. Mingye hesitated for a moment before trailing his brothers inside.

"Those wounds don't look like they were caused by the Senju clan," Shimizu said after helping Tajima sit and re-dressing his injuries.

"The bastards from the Hagoromo clan arrived as well," Tajima replied with a weary sigh.

"This conflict is going to drag on for a long time," Shimizu muttered, thinking of the Senju and the Hagoromo.

"Go and make preparations. While I recover, you will handle the communications with the generals to protect our clan's interests," Tajima ordered, not wanting to discuss these matters in front of his three sons.

"Understood."

Shimizu nodded, recognizing the dismissal, and left the study. Once the door was shut, Tajima turned to his three sons.

"The three of you, come here!"

"Father!" The brothers approached and knelt before him.

"How is Mingye's practice of the Fireball Jutsu coming along?" Tajima asked, his voice weak from his injuries.

"He can release it at will. Although he lacks a bit in chakra control, in terms of speed in learning and executing ninjutsu, he is definitely the best in the clan!" Madara looked up and answered earnestly. Though he loved to eat, sleep, and beat up his brother, he was strictly professional when it came to clan matters, and his honest assessment made Mingye proud.

Tajima nodded in satisfaction and looked at Mingye, speaking earnestly: "Seven clansmen died today. Mingye, I know you hate fighting, but as a member of the Uchiha clan, you must fight for our honor. If you don't want to be forced onto the battlefield and slaughtered by the enemy, you must learn to wield your blade and wipe out everyone you see!"

"I understand, Father!" Mingye knew his father meant well and replied respectfully.

"If you understand, then do it. I have time now, so I will personally oversee your training." Tajima was pleased that Mingye had mastered the Fireball Jutsu in a single night. "Father, there is a ninjutsu I wish to learn, but I only know the theory and cannot complete it. I was hoping you could help me perfect it!" Mingye suddenly remembered that the Shadow Clone technique didn't seem to exist in this era, which was why there were so many meaningless sacrifices during scouting and combat. If he could improve the basic Clone Jutsu into the Shadow Clone, he could prevent these losses!

"Modify the Clone Jutsu? Distributing your own chakra equally among the clones? Wouldn't that just make you weaker?" Izuna looked at Mingye, confused. If a person was 'one', splitting that into several parts would only weaken the whole. It didn't seem like a useful technique for battle.

Mingye shook his head and carefully explained the principle of the Shadow Clone to the three of them. The advantage of the Shadow Clone was that it could instantly transmit information from thousands of miles away back to the original—a feat no other clone technique could achieve. That was why it would be considered a forbidden technique, existing as a B-rank jutsu with no offensive capabilities.

"Big Brother, have you considered that if one clone only carries half your chakra, it's inefficient, but what if we create ten? Twenty? Even thirty or a hundred? When the number exceeds our limits, couldn't we achieve 'a thousand refinements'? If we can create a thousand clones a day to train at full capacity, the experience we gain when they disperse would grow exponentially. At that point, the weakness becomes the technique's greatest strength!"

"Hmm! If the technique Mingye describes can truly be completed, then aside from those with the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, no one would be able to detect it. We could learn enemy tactics or avoid ambushes without losing any combat strength. Not bad, not bad at all... However, Mingye, I need time to study this. You three may leave. I will give you some guidance on this tomorrow." Tajima pondered for several minutes, calculating the feasibility of the technique. Having made his assessment, he needed time to think in solitude and dismissed his sons.