Choice Paralysis

In the original story, aside from the protagonist Naruto, who else could use Multiple Shadow Clone so recklessly?

Besides his own soul and will, Naruto also carried Indra's will, Kurama, Kushina, and Minato. All together, he was basically a rainbow dumpling.

Uchiha Gen did not have that kind of treatment, and as the developer, every step was exceptionally dangerous.

"Next is the Body Flicker Technique. While applying Chakra to my legs, continuously stomping the ground within one second can double my speed. Once I become proficient, it can increase even further. At its peak, I could even stomp on the air. Of course, that last part is still just a hypothesis. At present, I can only increase my Body Flicker speed threefold at most."

After listening to Uchiha Gen explain the advanced applications of the Three-Body Technique, the two brothers exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with amazement. They had never expected the advanced effects of the Three-Body Technique to be so powerful, nor its feasibility to be so high.

"Next is that ball I used while sparring with Big Brother just now."

Uchiha Gen stretched out his hand and slowly condensed a Rasengan in his palm.

"I call it the Rasengan. As the name implies, it forms a central anchor point in the palm, then releases Chakra to continuously rotate irregularly around that anchor point."

Once the ball was formed, Uchiha Gen pressed it into the ground with a backhand motion. Dirt flew everywhere, and a large pit was drilled out in moments.

"This ninjutsu has powerful concentrated destructive force, but it also has a side effect: it damages the cells in the arm."

As he spoke, he pulled back his sleeve, revealing an arm that was smooth and flawless, without the slightest scar.

Madara and Izuna immediately gave him skeptical looks.

"Ahem. My control is stronger, so I've already eliminated the side effects. This ninjutsu also has an advanced version."

Uchiha Gen looked around for a suitable target, but finding none, he could only turn toward an open patch of ground.

"I, Toma, take the kidney and liver!" (Big Ball Rasengan)

A Chakra sphere one meter in diameter, larger than Uchiha Gen himself, shot forth. With no target to use as a reference, he could only press the technique into the ground again.

Rumble!

The power of that attack startled Madara and Izuna, and they hurriedly leaped to either side.

As soon as the ninjutsu's power faded, they rushed over to inspect it. The instant they saw the damage caused by that massive ball, they both sucked in a sharp breath.

"Is this ninjutsu hard to learn?" Izuna asked impatiently. "Can I learn it, little brother?"

"It's not hard. Anyone with passable Chakra control can learn it, and this is a truly seal-less ninjutsu."

"Good, good, good!"

Seal-less ninjutsu was a rare treasure among ninjas, often capable of producing extraordinary results at critical moments.

"Once this Rasengan reaches its later advanced stages, it can also incorporate Chakra nature transformation. Things like Wind Ball and Fire Ball are all extremely powerful."

Uchiha Gen did not demonstrate those balls, because such ninjutsu had already reached S-rank. Not only were they troublesome to use, but they were also harmful to the body. He did not have the Nine-Tails to heal his injuries.

Afterward, he continued discussing his views on the Summoning Technique and its potential for development.

Summoning Technique (Release) + Substitution Technique + Chakra Mark = Flying Thunder God (teleporting others)

Summoning Technique (Reverse) + Chakra Mark + sensory ninjutsu = Flying Thunder God (teleporting oneself)

After wasting so much breath, Uchiha Gen had practically stopped short of plainly telling Izuna to beware of Flying Thunder God.

Yet the two brothers had not considered that at all. Instead, they were completely immersed in Uchiha Gen's wildly imaginative ninjutsu theories.

"Little brother! You really are a genius!"

"Hehe, I'm not that great."

Actually, Uchiha Gen still had more he wanted to say, but he worried that too much would be as bad as too little. Besides, there might not be only the three of them watching at this time.

Black Zetsu had always been keeping an eye on Asura's reincarnation. Madara was likely being monitored at all times, and Black Zetsu's interference could be seen behind many events. He could not afford to be careless.

As the sun set, another pleasant day passed. Heavy snow continued throughout the winter, and even by the end of January, the weather remained bitterly cold.

Wearing only a thin garment and carrying a cat in his arms, Uchiha Gen walked beside a quiet path.

He had come out to clear his head and organize his thoughts. His current strength had reached a bottleneck. Logically, his next step should be developing taijutsu, but taijutsu required strong self-discipline. Yet his lazy nature was acting up, making him instinctively resistant to discipline.

"Should I develop the Eight Gates, Eight Trigrams Taiji, or Ultra Instinct? Wing Chun... Bajiquan..."

There were simply too many martial arts on Earth, and Uchiha Gen was struck by choice paralysis.

"Although the Eight Gates offer greater combat power, it's a forbidden technique that unleashes strength at the cost of one's life. If I develop it according to that template, there could be a Kaioken advancement from Dragon Ball later on. But that would not provide much of a boost in normal state, and besides... it would require immense time and potential to improve physical fitness."

Uchiha Gen idly stroked the cat's head as he wandered aimlessly down the snow-covered road. Before he knew it, he had arrived before a frozen stream.

"Ice? A Kekkei Genkai?"

Seeing the frozen river, inspiration suddenly struck him. Besides ordinary ninjutsu, there were also Ice Release, Flame Release, Scorch Release, Kekkei Tota, and more.

"This path isn't bad either..."

Hmm?

As he pondered, a subtle change came in the sound of the wind by his ear. Uchiha Gen's sensory ability was only average, but his enhanced cells had made his five senses sharper.

"Someone upstream?"

With a trace of curiosity, Uchiha Gen slowly headed upstream, wondering who would be bored enough to wander around in such freezing weather.

Upstream of the creek.

Madara and Hashirama sat cross-legged on the frozen river. They clinked cups like old friends, and no outsider would have imagined that their clans shared a blood feud.

"Hashirama, the plan is nearly halfway complete. I've beaten half the ninja clans in the Land of Fire into submission. In no more than three years, the name of my Uchiha clan will once again resound throughout the Shinobi World."

"Peace is not far away. A thousand years of turmoil will end in the hands of the two of us."

Madara took a sip of sake, but there was not the slightest joy on his face.

"Once you gather the ninja clans together, how do you intend to manage them?"

"Hmm... I want to establish a unified regime, like the Daimyo, and bind everyone into a single whole."

"The Daimyo? That man is still dealing with rebellions right now. Do you think that method will work?"

"It doesn't matter. Rebellions happen only because of poor management and a lack of absolute military suppression. But we're different..."

The two exchanged smiles, as though everything had been understood without words.

"Big Brother? Hashirama Senju?!"

Uchiha Gen stepped across the ice and appeared soundlessly not far from them, startling them both.

Madara's expression stiffened beyond description, as if he had been caught in bed with someone.

"What are you two doing here?"

Uchiha Gen wanted to laugh inside, but he still asked knowingly:

"I smell the scent of a conspiracy~"