Back in his clan Uchiha Takashi looked at the report that had been delivered to him and wearily rubbed his eyes.
With the Uchiha Clan incorporating the Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha's military strength and high-level combat power were once again dispersed.
Now, only 33% of the Tomoe members remain as available mobile forces; of course, he didn't count those outside the Mitsudomoe.
However, it wasn't entirely without good news. After six months of adjustment, most of the Shimura Clan was now available for redeployment, eliminating concerns about defections on the battlefield.
Including the Hyuga were already sent to the Senju front lines, the Uchiha's strength on the border has actually increased, which is one of the few pieces of good news.
Seeing this, Uchiha Takashi shook his head. He still lacked the strength. If he had Madara Uchiha's strength, he would have swept through the Shinobi World, and all this trouble wouldn't have happened.
Unfortunately, while Uchiha Takashi is currently a Clan Head Level expert, his only truly effective technique is the Mangekyō Sharingan. He's still developing the Chidori Stream Ninjutsu, and currently only the Lightning Blade is usable. He lacks a wide range of offensive methods.
Uchiha Takashi sighed. The Mangekyō Sharingan was powerful, but it would cause blindness after only a few uses; the side effects were too great, and he was hesitant to use it.
Uchiha Takashi needs a stronger attack method, and one without side effects.
Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind— Senjutsu!
That's right, it's Senjutsu! If he learns Senjutsu, wouldn't he be able to maintain absolute Super Kage strength without using the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Uchiha Takashi's assessment of a "weak Super Kage" is a conservative estimate based on his Mangekyō Sharingan's dynamic vision and enhanced Ninjutsu abilities, suggesting he learned and skillfully used Senjutsu.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan's enhancement, he's already at the Kage Level without even needing Dōjutsu. Couldn't he reach Weak Super Kage by learning a Senjutsu?
If he was a shadow before learning Senjutsu, and he's still a shadow after learning Senjutsu, then wasn't his learning a waste?
A weaker Super Kage is a conservative estimate; a stronger Super Kage is entirely possible!
However, Uchiha Takashi's summoning beast is Ninja Cat, which does not belong to any of the Three Great Sage Lands.
If, as in the original story, he enters the Holy Land through reverse summoning by a spirit beast, it seems he wouldn't have any way to enter the Holy Land to learn Senjutsu.
"As long as we don't give up, there's always a way!" Uchiha Takashi encouraged himself. Finding a sacred place was nothing; how could that be a problem for him, the Uchiha Clan Head?
Anyway, he had nothing better to do, and he happened to remember that the original story mentioned that the Toad of Mount Myōboku sometimes came out, so he refused to believe it and went to look for them one by one. Given time, he was sure he could find the Toad of Mount Myōboku!
"Damn it! This isn't it either!" Uchiha Takashi glared angrily at the Toad in front of him, his Mangekyō Sharingan gleaming. This was the seventeenth Toad he had ever found!
Looking at the Toad's foolish appearance, Uchiha Takashi laughed, "I'm so stupid, really! I actually naively thought I could find the Toad of Mount Myōboku within the Uchiha Clan Compound! Let whoever wants to look for these Toad look for them! I'm not looking anymore."
Behind Uchiha Takashi, several members of the Konoha Military Police Force exchanged bewildered glances and murmured, "How many times has this happened now?"
"This is the third time the chieftain has said this since we arrived here. Every time he says it, he goes to find someone else the next second."
"What kind of Toad is the clan chief looking for? He's looked for it so many times."
"Well, who knows? The clan leader must have his reasons for doing this. Don't worry about it."
Hearing the whispers behind him, Uchiha Takashi's eyes twitched violently. He clenched his fist and sneered, "Are you guys really that bored? The guards have so much work to do, why aren't you doing yours? Is it fun watching me catch Toad?"
Upon hearing this, the Uchiha had been watching the spectacle behind them immediately ran away, as fast as they could, as if their feet were greased.
"Those brats!" Uchiha Takashi snorted coldly, watching the group run away before letting out a sigh of annoyance.
He then scratched his spiky head in frustration. "Ugh, so annoying! There aren't any Toad from Mount Myōboku in the Uchiha Clan Compound, only Hakimi."
"Of course not!" someone suddenly chimed in after Uchiha Takashi finished his retort, "If it weren't for the fact that you Uchiha keep so many Ninja Cat, would we be hiding all the time?"
Uchiha Takashi turned his head sharply in the direction of the voice and saw a Toad squatting there, speaking in human language.
"Wow! The Toad can talk!" Uchiha Takashi exclaimed, mouth agape in exaggerated disbelief. The Toad twitched its lips. "I was so excited just now, and you don't even know our special abilities?"
Uchiha Takashi coughed twice, then asked, "What business does your Mount Myōboku have with me?" Toad: "Weren't you looking for us?" "Shut up."
Toad: "Didn't you just say 'shut up'?"
Uchiha Takashi chuckled and said, "That's not true. Just tell me why you wanted to see me."
The Toad narrowed its eyes, though its eyes were naturally squinty. "Alright, I've come to see you on the orders of the Great Toad Sage. The Great Toad Sage wishes to see you."
Upon hearing the name Uchiha Takashi, the image of that old, sleeping giant Toad from the anime automatically popped into his mind.
"It? What does this Great Toad want with me?" Uchiha Takashi crossed his arms and said, "What do I have that would warrant it contacting me?"
"It's the Great Toad Sage, not the Great Toad!" the Toad corrected. Uchiha Takashi waved his hand. "They're pretty much the same. Let's get down to business."
The Toad, however, persisted, insisting that Uchiha Takashi change his mind before he would speak. Uchiha Takashi, annoyed beyond measure, finally changed his mind.
The Toad then said, " The Great Toad Sage only mentioned the future of the Shinobi World, but didn't know the specifics, and only told me to come find you."
Uchiha Takashi frowned upon hearing this. The future of the Shinobi World?
Yes, indeed. Everything he's doing now is practically dancing to the tune of the original plot. Why would the Great Toad that can predict the future come looking for him?
"Heh, I'd like to see what this Great Toad is up to." Although Uchiha Takashi understood why the Great Toad had sought him out, he wasn't afraid. He had a clear conscience about his actions; the one in the wrong was the old man Otsutsuki. What did he have to fear?
It's not like the old Sage of Six Paths did all that nonsense; would Asura and Indra even fight?
If those two hadn't fought, would their reincarnations have continued to battle? Would the war between the Uchiha and Senju have even broken out?
He kept talking about peace, but in reality, the biggest mastermind behind the war was that old man, Six Paths.
Uchiha Takashi was naturally dissatisfied, but he didn't show it. He took advantage of this trip to Mount Myōboku to learn Senjutsu from the Great Toad.
"Ready?" The Toad pulled a scroll from somewhere, spread it out on the ground, and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Takashi thought for a moment, then called over a clansman, "Go tell Tatsu Uchiha- senpai that I'll be leaving for a short while."
Let him look after the family for a while. I'll be back in a day at most, so don't bother looking for me; you won't be able to find me anyway.
Uchiha clansman. "?" No, clan leader, what are you saying?!
After giving his instructions, Uchiha Takashi turned to the Toad and said, "Alright, that's all. Let's go."
The Toad leaned back in his chair, muttering with disdain, "Such a concise way of explaining things, I've never seen anything like it before."
Uchiha Takashi snorted twice, "Hmm, this is a unique feature of our Uchiha Clan. Never seen it before, have you?"
The Toad didn't want to argue with Uchiha Takashi, so it made Uchiha Takashi sign a contract.
Then, he clasped his hands together and began Hand Seals: " Reverse Summoning Technique!"
With a loud bang, a cloud of smoke billowed out, Uchiha Takashi and the Toad vanished from the spot.
When Uchiha Takashi opened his eyes again, he had already arrived at the sacred Mount Myōboku.