Tobirama's analysis

Inside Tobirama Senju's tent, behind a table piled with scrolls.

He stared at the writing board in his hand, densely covered in symbols and curves. Several scrolls he had just finished analyzing lay open beside him.

"Brother, I have the results." Tobirama did not even look up, his voice as cold as the rocks outside.

Hashirama sat across from him, holding a cup of water.

"Mm, go ahead." Hashirama took a sip.

"His energy and chakra are two different things." Tobirama turned the board around and pushed it toward Hashirama. "Look at this fluctuation graph. Chakra fluctuates in regular patterns. Spiritual and physical energy mix together, like oil and water stirred together. Mixed, but still traceable."

He pointed to another, golden curve.

"His energy is frighteningly pure. It's simply an outburst of physical energy, but its concentration and intensity... are absurdly high. And its circulation bypasses the chakra pathway system entirely. It's another cycle we've never seen before."

Hashirama looked at the curves. He could not quite understand them, but he got the general idea.

"Meaning we can't learn it?"

"We can't replicate it," Tobirama said firmly. "Every existing ninjutsu, hand seal, chakra nature transformation, and shape transformation was developed based on the chakra system. His energy belongs to another system. It's like trying to perform Fire Release with Water Release seals. Completely impossible."

He took the board back.

"I tried using Sealing Jutsu to simulate his energy fluctuations. It failed. I tried using chakra to simulate his circulation pathways. That failed too. The two systems are incompatible."

Hashirama fell silent for a few seconds.

"Then... his power is useless to us?"

"No." Tobirama shook his head. "The power itself is useful, and very strong. But the techniques aren't, because we can't adopt them. We can only try to win him over. Don't expect to learn his methods."

He looked up at Hashirama.

"So, Brother, your recruitment strategy needs to change. Stop thinking, 'Once we bring him in, we can master this power.' It's impossible. What we can work toward is getting him personally on our side."

Hashirama smiled.

"That was what I meant all along."

Tobirama froze for a moment.

"You already knew?"

"Not in this much detail." Hashirama stood, walked to the tent entrance, and lifted the flap to look outside. "But when I judge someone, I don't look at the power itself. I look at the person using it. He's willing to protect people. That's enough. Whether we can learn his power... doesn't matter."

Tobirama clicked his tongue.

"You're still so... idealistic."

"It's called being practical." Hashirama turned back with a smile. "Since we can't learn it, let's stop wasting time studying it. Take a different approach. Work with him."

"How?"

"He needs to get stronger, gain combat experience, and get intelligence," Hashirama said. "We need his combat strength, need to understand the limits of his abilities, and need him on our side. Each side gets what it needs."

Tobirama thought for a moment.

"I can exchange data with him. He demonstrates more applications of ki, and I provide the Senju Clan's taijutsu techniques and battlefield intelligence. We can help each other train and both get what we need."

"That's good." Hashirama nodded. "Go talk to him."

"Now?"

"Now."

Tobirama stood, picked up his board, and left the tent.

Ryuto stood alone at the edge of the training ground.

His eyes were closed as he replayed yesterday's fight with Tobirama in his mind.

That guy's taijutsu... was exquisite.

It wasn't strength, but finesse. Every bit of force was used perfectly. Any more would be wasted; any less wouldn't be enough.

Especially his chakra use. When he struck, it instantly concentrated at a single point. When he defended, it spread out evenly, as naturally as breathing.

"Could I control ki like that too?" Ryuto opened his eyes and raised his right hand.

Pale golden ki poured from his palm like a flame.

He tried concentrating it at his fingertips.

The ki obediently contracted toward them, and a point of golden light lit up at his fingertips.

"Then... imitate how he applied force?"

Ryuto recalled the feeling of Tobirama's punch coming at him. It was not that his entire fist was hard. At the instant of contact, force traveled from his arm to his knuckles, then erupted outward.

He punched the air.

His ki followed his fist, but at the instant it struck the air, he tried making the ki burst sharply across his knuckles.

Bang!

A dull report rang out, and the gust from his punch sent a patch of loose stones flying from the ground ahead.

"This could work." Ryuto's eyes lit up.

He kept trying.

A straight punch, with ki erupting at his knuckles.

A side kick, with ki bursting across his instep.

An elbow strike, a shoulder slam...

After nearly an hour of practice, Ryuto was sweating all over, but his movements grew smoother the more he trained.

He discovered that making ki imitate chakra's pattern of "instant concentration and release" not only increased its power, but actually reduced consumption.

Because he did not need to maintain full-body coverage constantly. He only needed one hard burst when and where it was needed.

"Isn't this just... canceling recovery into a special move in a fighting game?" Ryuto grinned. This world might not have that concept, but he understood it.

He tried the Kamehameha again.

He cupped his hands at his waist, and ki began gathering.

This time, however, he did not try to cram all his ki in at once. Instead, he attempted it in stages.

First, gather a small core, then quickly wrap an outer layer around it, then compress...

"Kamehameha-"

A golden pillar of light blasted out, a little faster than the one he had used in yesterday's spar.

It was only a tiny bit faster, but Ryuto felt it.

There was room for improvement.

"Ryuto."

A voice came from behind him.

Ryuto turned.

Tobirama Senju stood at the entrance to the training ground, still holding that board.

"Need something?" Ryuto withdrew his ki.

"The research has produced results." Tobirama walked over. "We can't decipher your energy or replicate it."

Ryuto raised an eyebrow.

"So? Giving up?"

"No," Tobirama said. "We'll cooperate differently. You demonstrate more practical combat applications of ki. I'll provide the taijutsu techniques the Senju Clan has accumulated, along with battlefield intelligence. We'll spar regularly. I'll help you train, and you'll let me record data."

Ryuto looked at Tobirama.

"You're certainly direct."

"It's efficient," Tobirama said. "Do you agree?"

"Do those taijutsu techniques include the Senju Clan's secret teachings?" Ryuto asked.

"The basics and some general techniques are available," Tobirama said. "The core secret teachings aren't. Those are clan rules."

"Fine." Ryuto nodded. "What about intelligence? Does that include the Uchiha?"

"Yes," Tobirama said. "But only public information and some of our analysis. I can't give you specific operational plans."

"Deal." Ryuto held out his hand.

Tobirama glanced at it but did not shake it, merely nodding.

"Start now?"

"Start now."

The two walked to the center of the training ground.

"Use what you were practicing just now first," Tobirama said. "Let me see."

Ryuto wasted no words and charged straight at him.

This time, he moved faster. As he sprinted, his ki no longer covered his entire body, concentrating only in his legs and fists.

He reached Tobirama and threw a punch.

Ki burst across his knuckles.

Tobirama turned sideways and blocked with one arm.

Thump!

They exchanged a blow, each retreating one step.

"Your explosive power has improved," Tobirama said as he retreated, already pulling out his board and quickly jotting down a few notes. "But the windup is still obvious. Gathering ki takes time."

"Again." Ryuto turned and swept his leg toward him.

Ki erupted at his ankle.

Tobirama jumped, flipped in midair, and drove a kick downward.

Ryuto raised his arms to block, his ki instantly concentrating in them.

Bang!

He was knocked back again, but this time he retreated one step less.

"Your concentration speed is faster when defending than attacking." Tobirama landed and kept writing. "An instinctive response?"

"More or less." Ryuto shook out his hands. "When I'm getting hit, my body knows where to protect."

"Interesting." Tobirama put the board away. "Keep going. This time, I'll attack and you defend."

He charged, thirty percent faster than before.

Ryuto immediately focused. The instant he sensed an attack's trajectory, his ki covered the corresponding area.

Tobirama attacked in succession with fists, elbows, and knees.

Ryuto blocked. With every collision, his ki erupted at the point of contact, canceling out the force.

After more than twenty exchanges, Ryuto discovered that this "instant defense" saved much more ki than his previous full-body coverage, and responded faster too.

"Stop." Tobirama jumped backward, opening up the distance.

Ryuto caught his breath. He had consumed roughly twenty percent of his ki, less than during yesterday's spar.

"The defensive optimization works." Tobirama took out his board again. "But your anticipation is lacking. When my attack changes course, your ki coverage lags half a beat."

"Can't help that," Ryuto said. "I don't have a Sharingan. I can't see through every move you make."

"You don't need to," Tobirama said. "With enough combat experience, you'll develop intuition. The Senju Clan's taijutsu emphasizes unified offense and defense: anticipating counterattacks while attacking, and preparing counterattacks while defending."

He walked over.

"I'll demonstrate. Attack me."

Ryuto charged and punched toward Tobirama's chest.

Rather than dodge, Tobirama advanced, deflecting Ryuto's fist with his left hand while his right shot straight toward Ryuto's throat.

Ryuto hurriedly leaned back, ki instantly covering his neck.

But Tobirama's hand stopped before touching his neck.

"See?" Tobirama withdrew his hand. "My counterattack was already underway as I deflected your attack. You leaned back to defend because you saw my movement. But if I were a little faster, or used the Body Flicker Technique, you wouldn't have time."

Ryuto frowned.

"Then what do I do?"

"Train," Tobirama said. "Until your body moves faster than your mind. Until you know where your opponent will strike the moment they move, and your ki goes there automatically."

"How many fights would it take to learn that..." Ryuto muttered.

"That's why I proposed regular sparring," Tobirama said. "There aren't many in the Senju Clan who can train with you like this. I'm one of them."

Ryuto looked at Tobirama.

The guy wore a cold expression, but his words were practical.

"All right," Ryuto said. "Are we still training today, then?"

"Yes." Tobirama took his stance. "Keep going."

They fought for over another hour.

This time, Tobirama did not just defend and counterattack. He also attacked proactively, using various taijutsu techniques to force Ryuto to adapt.

At first, Ryuto scrambled and took several hits. Gradually, however, his ki coverage grew faster and faster. Sometimes, he could even protect his vital points in advance the instant Tobirama struck.

"You're improving quickly," Tobirama said after they separated from their final exchange. "Your ability to learn is better than I expected."

"It's fighting. If you don't learn, you get beaten up." Ryuto wiped away his sweat. "Get hit enough, and you learn."

Tobirama nodded, took out his board, and finished recording the last of the data.

"That's enough for today. Next time we spar, I'll combine basic ninjutsu with taijutsu. You need to adapt to responding to chakra-coated weapons and surprise ninjutsu attacks."

"No problem," Ryuto said. "What about the intelligence? You promised."

Tobirama took a scroll from inside his clothes and tossed it to Ryuto.

"The basic version. It covers the distribution of strength among the major clans of the Warring States, common tactics, and kekkei genkai characteristics. You'll get more detailed information once you demonstrate more applications of ki."

Ryuto caught the scroll.

"Thanks."

"It's just a transaction." Tobirama turned toward camp. "Same time tomorrow. We continue."

"Got it."

Ryuto watched Tobirama walk away, then looked down at the scroll in his hand and at his own fist.

Ki flowed at his fingertips, more obedient than before.

He clenched his fist.

"I'll head back and take a look first."

Inside the wooden cabin, Ryuto spread out the scroll.

Sure enough, it was densely covered in writing, along with a simple map.

The situations of the Senju, Uchiha, Hyūga, Uzumaki, Kaguya... each clan was laid out clearly.

There was even a rough comparison of Madara Uchiha's and Hashirama Senju's strength. Although it was marked "speculation," it looked fairly reliable.

"Madara Uchiha: Mangekyō Sharingan; proficient in Fire Release, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu; capable of controlling Tailed Beasts... suspected of possessing a more powerful ocular technique."

"Hashirama Senju: Wood Release Kekkei Genkai; enormous chakra reserves; strong regenerative abilities; top-tier Taijutsu..."

Ryuto read through the entries one by one.

The more he read, the more he felt how deep the waters of this Warring States Era really ran.

Relations between the great clans were tangled and complex. They allied today and stabbed each other in the back tomorrow. It was all about interests.

He leaned against the wall, the scroll resting on his lap.

Join the Senju?

With this intelligence, he had a clearer understanding of the situation the Senju Clan faced. Powerful enemies surrounded them, and there was pressure from within, too. Hashirama's vision of peace sounded wonderful, but achieving it would be as hard as reaching the heavens.

But Hashirama himself... at least he genuinely wanted to end the war.

Besides, staying at the Senju camp, with an opponent like Tobirama to spar with and intelligence to draw on, would certainly let him grow stronger faster than training blindly on his own.

Ryuto closed his eyes.

Yamano Tarō flashed through his mind, followed by that enormous crater at the Uzumaki Clan Grounds, then Madara Uchiha's scarlet eyes.

"Get stronger... and then what?"

He asked himself.

After getting stronger, would I join one side and become part of its war machine?

Or keep acting as a third party, like now, helping wherever help was needed?

Or...

Ryuto opened his eyes and looked out the window into the night.

"Or forge a path of my own?"

He didn't know.

But at least now, he had more means to choose.

Ki flowed quietly through his body, more docile than yesterday, and more powerful.

Ryuto rolled up the scroll and put it under his pillow.

He lay down, both hands behind his head.

I still have to spar with Tobirama tomorrow.

Sleep first.

The road is still long. Take it one step at a time.