Madara and I Were Evenly Matched!

Whoosh!

Madara instantly flickered between the two of them. He glanced at Izuna, then at Gen. His Mangekyō Sharingan was already activated, yet he had failed to see what had happened in that instant.

"Gen! What ninjutsu was that just now?"

Seeing Madara's grave expression, Uchiha Gen did not keep anything back and directly explained the secrets of the Three-Body Technique.

"...That's how it works. The principle is still the same. Although the Three-Body Technique is a beginner-level ninjutsu for ninja, the greatest truths are often the simplest, and that leaves even more room for development."

"Oh?"

Madara considered the possibility of forming marks with the Substitution Technique and felt that the idea was indeed highly feasible.

After all, the Substitution Technique used by ordinary ninja involved selecting an object beforehand and switching places with it. They usually prepared substitution logs themselves. There were simply too many unexpected circumstances in the wilderness, and if the substitution failed, death would be the immediate result.

Hearing Uchiha Gen explain it like that, Izuna fell into deep thought. He continuously replayed the scene of their earlier exchange in his mind, and delight gradually filled his face.

"Third Brother, can you show me that technique again? I think I'm getting somewhere. Please!"

Izuna showed none of the dignity expected of an older brother. He immediately bent at the waist and pressed his palms together, leaving Uchiha Gen utterly at a loss.

"Don't do that, Second Brother. If you want to learn it, I'll naturally teach you everything without holding anything back."

Hearing Gen say that, Izuna was delighted like a child weighing over a hundred and forty pounds, while Madara seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

"Gen, ninjutsu is the foundation of a ninja's livelihood. It's fine to tell the two of us, but don't reveal it so easily to others in the future."

"I know. Only the unexpected can achieve unexpected victory."

Afterward.

Uchiha Gen demonstrated this youth-version Flying Thunder God ninjutsu for the brothers once more. When he turned his head, he found two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan staring intently at him.

"Uh... although our Sharingan can copy techniques, putting this into practice is still somewhat difficult."

Uchiha Gen had no choice but to explain. Copying was fast, but if the body could not keep up with the execution, it was useless.

Madara revealed a confident smile, pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, and swept his palm over it, attaching a Substitution Technique mark to it. He then tossed it into the open space behind him.

Whoosh!

Bang!

In an instant, Madara switched places with the flying kunai.

"It isn't that difficult. It just requires extremely precise Chakra control to project Chakra from the body and imprint the mark. Put simply, this technique merely uses a different method of activation."

Seeing his elder brother learn it immediately, Izuna copied him and took out a kunai as well. However, he was stumped when he tried to imprint the substitution mark onto it.

"Th-this... why won't it imprint?"

Izuna scratched his head anxiously.

"Second Brother, it's like a ninja climbing a tree or walking on water. Only, instead of coating the object with Chakra, you're applying the Substitution Technique's mark."

Izuna immediately came to a realization.

"So that's how it is."

He promptly reached out and pressed his hand against the kunai. Sure enough, he succeeded on the first try.

"Haha, I did it!"

As though he had received a new toy, Izuna took out another kunai and threw both, one to the left and one to the right. Two bangs rang out as he played to his heart's content.

Uchiha Gen shook his head. The principle behind the technique was simple; most people simply could not make that mental leap.

Moreover, the Substitution Technique had a long path of evolution ahead of it. For example, after learning Sage Chakra, one could resonate with Natural Energy. At that point, one could freely substitute with any object containing Natural Energy within one's sensory range. Later, after gaining Six Paths Power and becoming able to perceive space, one could directly switch positions with a target person. This was similar to Sasuke's Amenotejikara.

"Alright, let's rest for a while."

Inside Uchiha Gen's home, Uchiha Haru sat quietly on the steps with the Black Cat in her arms.

Sunlight spilled across the ground, and her jet-black hair reflected a soft sheen. It was a peaceful, tranquil moment.

Uchiha Gen lived simply and even handled many tasks himself, greatly reducing Haru's workload. Every day, she only needed to clean, prepare ingredients, and wash clothes.

Yet Uchiha Gen often did even those things himself, leaving her with even more free time. Fortunately, there was now a cat in the house to keep her company and help pass the time.

"Kitty, what kind of wife do you think Lord Yuan will marry in the future?"

The Black Cat let out a lazy meow, as though answering her.

"Oh? You think she should be the virtuous type too? I think someone petite and cute would be better. After all, Lord Yuan always measures his height whenever he has nothing to do. He seems to care a lot about how tall he is right now."

"Meow. (You're right about everything.)"

"I wonder where I'll go then. Maybe I'll return to living alone like before. After all, I was only supposed to come here to take care of Lord Yuan. I never expected to stay for so long..."

"...Meow."

That afternoon.

At the Training Ground, the three began another round of sparring. This time, Madara and Izuna no longer approached it with the mindset of instructing him. Uchiha Gen's way of thinking truly left them unable to predict him.

"This time, it's Big Brother? Then I'll have to go all out, or I might not last very long."

"Suit yourself. Don't tell me you have some other new ninjutsu?"

"Hehe."

Seeing that expression, Madara's curiosity rose as well. He wondered just how many more surprises his third brother could bring him.

"Begin."

"Alright!"

The rules this time were the same as the previous match. Their ninja tools were unsharpened, and they could not use their Mangekyō Sharingan.

This time, Uchiha Gen did not employ hit-and-run tactics, nor was he arrogant enough to clash with Madara in ninjutsu. Madara's Chakra in his normal state was enhanced by the Mangekyō Sharingan as well; that ability was entirely passive.

"Ninjutsu! Clone Technique!"

Bang!

Ten Uchiha Gens suddenly appeared on the field and launched an attack on Madara.

An ordinary Clone Technique had no offensive power at all. A single hit would make it vanish, making it purely a support ninjutsu meant to confuse opponents. But in Gen's hands, it reached new heights.

"Are you planning to compete in taijutsu?"

Madara guessed at Gen's intentions. Strictly speaking, he knew nothing about Gen's combat tactics, so he used only thirty percent of his strength.

Puff!

Madara kicked apart the first clone that rushed in quickly, then turned and punched apart the second.

In less than three seconds, the clones charged forward in groups as though they were throwing their lives away.

"A pointless waste of Chakra? Or does he have some other intention?"

Unable to get a read on Uchiha Gen's plan for the moment, Madara stopped attacking the ninja clones and charged toward Uchiha Gen's real body at incredible speed.

In what seemed like an instant, he crossed more than a hundred meters. As he threw his fist, Madara clearly saw Uchiha Gen's expression. He seemed surprised, and doubt immediately rose within Madara's heart.

"Is this all?"

Puff!

"What?! It was another clone!"

Madara turned around to see over a dozen Uchiha Gen clones, all smiling at him.

"Interesting. You actually slipped among the clones right under my nose."

Gen did not respond and continued controlling the clones' attacks. However, in taijutsu, Uchiha Gen lagged far too far behind Madara. He was nearly being beaten one-sidedly, and his clones collapsed at the slightest touch.

However...