I Fight Madara to a Standstill!

Swish!

Madara instantly body-flickered between the two, glanced at Izuna, and then looked at Yuan. His Mangekyō Sharingan was already active at that moment, yet he had failed to see what had just happened in the blink of an eye.

"Yuan! What kind of ninjutsu was that just now?"

Seeing Madara's solemn expression, Uchiha Yuan did not hold back and directly explained the mystery of the Three-Body Technique.

"...That's how it is. The principle remains the same. Although the Three-Body Technique is a beginner's ninjutsu for shinobi, the so-called ultimate truth is found in simplicity, and its potential for development is actually much greater."

"Oh?"

Madara pondered the possibility of condensing hand seals for the Substitution Technique, feeling that this idea was indeed very feasible.

This was because the substitution technique used by ordinary shinobi usually involved selecting an object in advance to switch places with, and they would typically prepare their own substitution log. After all, there were simply too many emergencies in the wild, and if the substitution failed, it meant instant death.

Hearing Uchiha Yuan say this, Izuna beside them immediately fell into a daze of thought, continuously simulating the scene of their recent clash in his mind as the delight on his face slowly grew stronger.

"Third brother, could you show me that jutsu again? I think I'm getting the hang of it, please!"

Izuna showed no bearing of an older brother whatsoever, directly bowing with his hands pressed together, which caught Uchiha Yuan off guard all at once.

"Don't be like that, Second Brother. If you guys want to learn, naturally I will teach you without holding anything back."

Hearing Yuan say this, Izuna was as happy as a child weighing over a hundred and forty catties, while Madara felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Yuan, ninjutsu is a shinobi's foundation. It's fine to tell the two of us, but don't easily display it to others from now on."

"I know. After all, taking the enemy by surprise is the way to achieve victory."

Subsequently.

Uchiha Yuan demonstrated this youth-edition Flying Thunder God ninjutsu to the two brothers once more, but upon turning his head, he saw two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan staring intently at him.

"Uh... Although our Sharingan has the function of copying, this practical operation is still a bit difficult."

Uchiha Yuan had to speak up and explain. Copying and pasting was fast, but if the body couldn't keep up with the operation, it was still useless.

Madara revealed a confident smile, took a kunai from his weapon pouch, waved his palm, and applied a substitution technique mark right onto it, then threw it backward toward the open ground with a backhand motion.

Swish!

Bang!

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

"It's not that difficult either—it just requires very high chakra control skills to make the chakra leave the body and imprint a mark. To put it bluntly, this jutsu is equivalent to changing the method of release."

The moment Izuna saw his eldest brother learn it immediately, he followed suit and took out a kunai, but trying to imprint the substitution mark onto the kunai left him stumped.

"This... why won't it imprint?"

Izuna scratched his head anxiously.

"Second Brother, this is similar to shinobi tree-climbing and water-walking, except the covered chakra is replaced with the mark of the substitution technique."

Izuna was suddenly enlightened.

"So that's how it is."

He immediately reached out and pressed his hand onto the kunai, and sure enough, he succeeded on the first try.

"Haha, I did it!"

As if he had received a new toy, Izuna took another kunai and threw them simultaneously with his left and right hands. With two bangs, he played with it to his heart's content.

Uchiha Yuan shook his head. The principle of this jutsu was simple, but many people simply couldn't make that mental leap.

Moreover, the evolutionary direction of this substitution technique was very long. For example, after learning Sage Chakra, one could resonate with natural energy; at that time, they could freely substitute with any object possessing natural energy within their sensory range. Later on, with the Six Paths Power, when one could perceive space, they could directly shift and swap positions with the target person (referring to Sasuke's Amenotejikara).

"Alright, let's take a break."

Inside Uchiha Yuan's home, Uchiha Haru cradled the black cat and sat quietly on the steps.

The sunlight spilled onto the ground, her pitch-black long hair reflecting a glossy sheen, painting a picture of tranquility and peace amidst the passing years.

Uchiha Yuan lived a simple life and even insisted on doing many things himself, which instantly reduced Haru's workload considerably. Every day amounted to little more than cleaning up, preparing ingredients, and washing laundry.

Yet Uchiha Yuan ended up doing many of these chores himself most of the time, leaving her with even more free time. It just so happened that there was now an extra cat at home to keep her company and help pass the time.

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

The black cat let out a lazy meow, seemingly responding to her words.

"Oh? Do you also think it should be the virtuous type? I actually think a petite and cute one would be better. After all, Lord Yuan always complains about his height for no reason; he seems quite bothered by his current stature."

"Meow (Everything you say is right)."

"I wonder where I'll go when the time comes. I'll probably return to my original state of living alone. After all, I was only responsible for coming to take care of Lord Yuan in the beginning; I never expected to stay for so long..."

"...Meow."

In the afternoon.

In the training ground, the three of them began a new round of sparring. This time, Madara and Izuna no longer held the mindset of offering guidance; Uchiha Yuan's way of thinking truly left them feeling utterly unfathomable.

"Are you switching with Big Brother this time? Then I'll have to use my full strength, or I might not last very long."

"As you wish. Could it be that you have other new ninjutsu up your sleeve?"

"Hehe."

Seeing him act this way, curiosity likewise arose in Madara's heart. He wondered how many more surprises this third brother could bring him.

"Let's begin."

"Alright!"

This time the rules were the same as the previous match: ninja tools were unsharpened, and the Mangekyō Sharingan could not be used.

Uchiha Yuan did not adopt a roundabout tactic this time, nor was he arrogant enough to match ninjutsu head-on with Madara. One had to know that Madara's chakra in his normal state was also in a state augmented by the Mangekyō Sharingan; that ability completely belonged to a passive skill.

"Ninjutsu! Clone Technique!"

Bang!

Ten Uchiha Yuans suddenly appeared on the field and took the initiative to launch an attack on Madara.

The ordinary Clone Technique possessed no offensive capability whatsoever and vanished upon being hit, wholly belonging to a supplementary ninjutsu used to confuse opponents. In Yuan's hands, however, it was played to a whole new height.

"Going to engage in taijutsu?"

Madara guessed Yuan's intention. Strictly speaking, he had no tactical understanding of Yuan, so he only used thirty percent of his strength when striking.

Poof!

The first clone that ran fast was kicked apart by Madara with a single kick, and with a turn and a punch, the second one was shattered as well.

In less than three seconds, the clones rushed forward in wave after wave, as if throwing their lives away.

"Meaningless chakra consumption? Or is there some other intention?"

Unable to accurately gauge Uchiha Yuan's thoughts for a moment, Madara directly abandoned continuing his attacks on these ninja clones and moved at lightning speed to assault Uchiha Yuan's true body.

It was practically instantaneous; the distance of over a hundred meters was covered in the blink of an eye. When his fist swung out, Madara clearly saw Uchiha Yuan's expression, which even seemed to carry a trace of surprise, prompting a brief wave of doubt in his heart:

"Is this really all there is?"

Poof!

"What?! It's actually a clone too!"

Madara looked back. A dozen or so Uchiha Yuan clones were all looking at him with smiles.

"Interesting. He actually managed to blend a clone in right under my nose."

Yuan did not reply and continued to manipulate the clones to launch attacks. However, in terms of taijutsu, Uchiha Yuan lagged far behind Madara and was suppressed almost entirely, his clones collapsing at the slightest touch.

Yet...