Uchiha Yi Was Destined to Die Young

For a moment, flames shot skyward from the valley, and smoke and dust billowed.

"That brat!" Tsunade knew exactly what Uchiha Yi had just gone off to do.

He had probably used the Sword of the Thunder God to chop down trees. If the people of Konoha found out—especially Hiruzen Sarutobi—they would surely curse him out.

Was the Sword of the Thunder God meant for chopping trees?

Then Tsunade laughed despite herself. Perhaps there was no reason he couldn't use it that way. In the end, it was just a weapon.

Since it had been given to Uchiha Yi, what he did with it was his own business.

"All right, your turn. If anyone runs in another direction, I'll handle them." Tsunade signaled for Hyuga Rinka and Kushina Uzumaki to move.

The two of them hurried toward the valley entrance.

"Damn Uchiha brat!" Six Ninja rushed out of the base. At the sight of the "little" Uchiha Yi and his unmistakable Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the Ninja leading them sucked in a breath.

Uchiha with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan were rare enough. A child with one was unheard of.

He had never imagined anyone could awaken a Three-Tomoe Sharingan so young.

No. This child is terrifying. We can't let him live!

Even if his entire squad was wiped out, they had to kill this Uchiha brat. Otherwise, he would eventually become a grave threat to their village.

The lead Ninja charged at Uchiha Yi. Yi swung the Sword of the Thunder God to block the enormous Shuriken hurtling toward him.

Clang, clang! Uchiha Yi and the Jonin rapidly shifted positions, trading blows without pause.

The giant Kunai and the Sword of the Thunder God rang out each time they collided. Soon, the other Ninja moved to surround Uchiha Yi, but Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Rinka arrived. They rushed in and engaged the remaining Ninja.

While the others fought, Tsunade slipped into the valley. Looking at the flames spread across it, she sighed. So much evidence and so many leads were gone. She would have to capture one of the enemy to learn more.

Just as Tsunade was about to leave, something caught her eye. Her pupils contracted, and she hurried over to pick up a bottle. She opened it and took a cautious sniff. Her expression changed at once.

A deadly poison! It seemed to be Ibuse venom, but this bottle's contents were over a hundred times more potent than ordinary Ibuse venom.

Used well, a single bottle could kill hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people.

She had no idea how much Ibuse venom they had brought. It seemed this outpost belonged to the Land of Rain.

A cold gleam flashed in Tsunade's eyes. She loved peace, but that did not mean any country could provoke Konoha as it pleased.

She could at least understand it if one of the other great nations did so. But now even the Land of Rain was provoking Konoha. Did they think Konoha was that easy to bully?

After a moment's hesitation, Tsunade put the bottle of Ibuse venom away. This was a chance to study the venom of Hanzō's Ibuse. If she could develop an Antidote, Hanzō would lose half his strength.

By the time Tsunade emerged from the valley, the battlefield had split apart. Uchiha Yi was locked in a fierce fight with the Rain Jonin, while Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Rinka worked together against the other five Rain Ninja.

That surprised Tsunade. She had not expected much from Kushina and Rinka at first; the two did not usually get along all that well. Yet their teamwork was remarkably good.

Kushina in particular had mastered the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique at such a young age and could even use it in battle. Tsunade was pleased to see it.

Even Tsunade felt fortunate to be teaching a team of such talented children.

Seeing that none of the three was in danger, Tsunade watched from the sidelines, ready to step in at any moment. For the three youngsters, this was a chance to gain experience. For Tsunade, everything remained under control.

Still, Uchiha Yi's strength had grown astonishingly fast. He could already fight a Jonin.

This Jonin was from the Land of Rain and somewhat weaker than those of the Five Great Nations, but he was still considerably stronger than an ordinary Chunin.

Uchiha Yi fought nothing like a seven-year-old child.

Give him another year, and he might qualify to become a Jonin.

A Jonin at eight years old—who would believe it?

Even her grandfather probably had not been this strong at eight.

Could this brat truly surpass Madara Uchiha?

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were watching the scene from afar as well.

"Konoha seems to have some powerful people following them," White Zetsu told Black Zetsu. "At least three squads are two kilometers away. They're led by Hatake Sakumo, who's been making quite a name for himself in Konoha lately.

"The White Zetsu Clones can't beat them on their own. Lord Madara would have to step in himself."

"Then draw people from the other villages here." Black Zetsu had no interest in Hatake Sakumo. He was merely an ordinary Ninja, hardly worth Black Zetsu's attention.

At most, he would reach the level of a Kage someday. Mother could dispose of him with a glance.

Even Madara Uchiha thought nothing of the Five Kage, let alone Mother. How could Black Zetsu take Hatake Sakumo seriously?

Uchiha Yi, however, had caught Black Zetsu's attention. It was not because Yi had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age. For most Uchiha, awakening the Sharingan too early was not necessarily a good thing.

The Sharingan carried exceptionally powerful Yin Release. If that power grew too strong for the body to keep up, it could cause Bloodline Disease.

Even someone like Madara Uchiha, the reincarnation of Indra's Chakra, would probably have had his Sharingan sealed by Indra's Chakra if he had awakened it too early.

A seven-year-old with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan like Uchiha Yi looked destined to die young. Yet the aura around Yi left Black Zetsu uncertain.

It seemed somewhat like Indra's Chakra, but he could not be sure.

Before the Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, Indra's Chakra was difficult to detect. An outsider could hardly distinguish it, and even Black Zetsu could not do so.