The weather in Konoha was excellent that day.
Bright sunlight filled the village.
Shikatoki had already been studying under Mito for three days.
And every single day he came, Tsunade was there too.
Eventually, Shikatoki couldn’t suppress the question in his heart any longer.
“Lady Tsunade…
don’t you have anything to do?”
“Why are you here every single time I come?”
Tsunade didn’t care in the slightest.
In fact, she answered with complete confidence.
“Obviously, I’m studying fūinjutsu with you.”
“But you fall asleep beside us every time.”
“Mind your own business.”
Tsunade suddenly looked at him expectantly.
“By the way, do you have any money?”
“Lend me some.
I’ll pay you back later.”
Shikatoki turned his pockets inside out right in front of her.
“I’m six years old.
How much money do you think I have?”
“These two hundred ryō are just what I had left after eating ramen.”
“That’s fine.
I’m not picky.”
Tsunade’s eyes lit up.
“Two hundred ryō is still enough for me to make a comeback.”
“Tsuna!”
Mito Uzumaki’s voice rang out.
Tsunade, who had been full of fighting spirit only moments earlier, instantly shrank like a chastised child.
She looked pitifully at Mito.
“Grandma~”
“I’ll definitely win it back this time.
Trust me.”
“No means no.”
Mito remained completely unmoved.
“If you don’t want to stay here, go find Nawaki or take a mission.”
Tsunade’s face immediately fell.
Shikatoki finally understood.
No wonder he saw Tsunade here every day.
It turned out Mito was preventing her from gambling!
“Shikatoki, come inside.”
“We’re continuing with the fundamentals of fūinjutsu today.”
“Yes.”
The entire day passed in study.
That evening, after eating dinner at Mito’s residence, Shikatoki said goodbye and began walking home.
His mind was still filled with everything he had learned about fūinjutsu that day.
Lately, Shikatoki had been studying even harder than he had before transmigrating.
He was terrified of missing even a single important point.
Night had fallen.
The streets were silent.
Shikatoki suddenly frowned.
“Too quiet.”
“Something’s wrong!”
Almost instinctively, Shikatoki threw himself into a roll.
A short blade sliced directly over his scalp, cutting away a small lock of hair.
Kakaku Uchiha looked down at him.
“Not bad, brat.”
“Good reflexes.”
“An Uchiha?”
Those three-tomoe Sharingan were far too conspicuous.
Shikatoki’s expression changed.
“And a Jōnin?”
“You came here to kill me?!”
Shikatoki suddenly felt as though the entire world had gone insane.
He was a six-year-old brat!
And they had sent a Jōnin to assassinate him?!
Wasn’t this the kind of situation where novels were supposed to send a Genin or Chūnin?!
This was blatant discrimination!
Shikatoki complained internally even as he turned without hesitation and sprinted towards the Senju Clan compound.
As he ran, he shouted,
“Are you insane?!”
“Is the Uchiha Clan rebelling or something?!”
Kakaku Uchiha answered casually,
“Yes.”
Shikatoki froze for half a heartbeat.
“Huh?!”
He had watched Naruto.
But he definitely didn’t remember this part!
Boom!
A violent explosion suddenly sounded in the distance.
Moments later, flames rose into the sky.
Good lord!
You Uchiha really have guts!
Tobirama Senju is still alive!
Even Izuna Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan had failed to defeat Tobirama.
And now a bunch of three-tomoe Sharingan users had somehow convinced themselves they had a chance?
“Die!”
The speed of a Jōnin was far beyond anything Shikatoki could match.
The short blade flashed towards him again.
Fortunately, Shikatoki had already prepared himself.
A shadow belonging to Kakaku Uchiha appeared in front of him.
Kakaku sneered.
“Once your technique is understood, it’s nothing more than a cheap trick.”
The next instant—
Agonising pain tore through his body.
Then his consciousness plunged into an illusion.
Just as Kakaku prepared to dispel the genjutsu, he suddenly realised that his chakra had been sealed.
Even his Sharingan forcibly deactivated.
[Shadow Imitation Technique: Modified Version: The user’s shadow must first touch the enemy’s shadow.
The enemy’s shadow can then be extracted and made to fight its original owner.
Damage sustained by the shadow will be reflected back onto its original owner.]
[Loaded Templates:]
[Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique — Compatibility: High: When the shadow disperses, a Fear effect will be triggered simultaneously.]
[Four Symbols Seal — Compatibility: Medium: When the shadow disperses, a Sealing effect will be triggered simultaneously.]
“You really thought I was an easy target?!”
Shikatoki didn’t hesitate for even a second.
Executing that entire combination had completely drained his chakra.
Against a Jōnin, neither the Fear effect nor the chakra seal would last very long.
He had only one chance.
Shikatoki snatched Kakaku’s blade from his hand and prepared to finish him off in a single strike.
But the next instant—
Bang!
Shikatoki was kicked violently through the air.
The force was so great that he coughed up blood.
His opportunity vanished.
Kakaku recovered as well.
“Kakaku, you were careless.”
“Thanks, Gen.”
Kakaku wiped himself off.
“That brat almost got me.”
Standing in front of Shikatoki now were two Uchiha Jōnin.
Shikatoki had no words left.
Wasn’t this villain being a little too cautious?
Two Jōnin.
To kill a six-year-old child?!
“Brat, you nearly killed me.”
Kakaku’s expression turned murderous.
“That alone is something you can be proud of.”
“Die!”
Shikatoki sighed.
Well…
looks like this is where I die.
Boom!
A cloud of dust exploded across the street.
Shikatoki instinctively opened his eyes.
Kakaku Uchiha had been sent flying backwards and smashed straight into a wall.
Standing in front of Shikatoki was Tsunade.
“Not bad, brat.”
Tsunade looked impressed.
“You nearly killed that Uchiha.”
Shikatoki managed a weak smile.
“Nearly is still nearly.”
Then he looked at her.
“By the way, if you got here earlier, couldn’t you have stepped in earlier too?”
“I was giving you an opportunity to gain some combat experience.”
“Princess Tsunade!”
Kakaku Uchiha and Gen Uchiha stared intensely at her.
Tsunade had not yet earned the title of one of the Sannin.
But her monstrous strength combined with the Senju Clan’s powerful physique had already made her famous among Jōnin.
“Perfect.”
Kakaku’s expression hardened.
“We’ll kill the heir of the Senju Clan while we’re at it!”
His hands rapidly formed seals.
“Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!”
Gen followed immediately.
“Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!”
Tsunade showed absolutely no intention of dodging.
“Earth Release: Earth Wall!”
A hoarse voice rang out.
A massive earthen wall erupted in front of them.
The Uchiha fire techniques struck it head-on but failed to shake it in the slightest.
“Did I make it in time?”
Orochimaru’s hoarse voice sounded nearby.
“Just in time.”
Tsunade glanced around.
“By the way, where’s that idiot Jiraiya?”
“Excellent question!”
A voice suddenly rang out.
“Behold!
The Toad Sage has arrived!”
Jiraiya struck what he clearly believed to be an incredibly handsome entrance pose.
It received widespread critical acclaim.
Orochimaru: “Idiot.”
Tsunade: “What’s wrong with you?”
Realising the situation had turned against them, Gen and Kakaku exchanged glances.
They immediately attempted to flee.
The three blocked their escape routes.
The future Sannin had already begun revealing their terrifying potential.
Kakaku and Gen Uchiha barely managed to put up any resistance before being captured.
Only then did Tsunade return to Shikatoki and begin treating his injuries.
“So this is the brat Lord Tobirama thinks so highly of?”
Jiraiya looked Shikatoki up and down several times before finally reaching a conclusion.
“This kid isn’t as handsome as me!”
“Idiot.”
Orochimaru rolled his eyes.
Then, surprisingly gentle, he introduced himself.
“I’m Orochimaru.”
“Your ninjutsu interests me greatly.
I hope we’ll have an opportunity to discuss our research in the future.”
Shikatoki had to admit— the current Orochimaru might already have been obsessed with research, but he was still relatively normal.
“Come on, brat.”
Tsunade finished treating him.
“We’ll take you home.”
“Get a good night’s sleep once you’re back.
You’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
Shikatoki looked towards the distance.
The fighting seemed to have already ended.
“Lord Tobirama should be alright, right?”
“What could possibly happen to my granduncle?”
Tsunade sounded utterly dismissive.
“That guy named Setsuna Uchiha got taken down instantly.”
“I thought he was supposed to be strong.”
“The only thing taking time now is cleaning up the aftermath.”
And that was indeed what had happened.
When Tobirama and Setsuna met—
Tobirama Senju opened with zero frames of start-up.
“Evil Uchiha.”
Before Setsuna Uchiha could even deliver his lines—
Flying Thunder God Slash.
One strike.
Instant defeat.
What else was there to say?
Of course, Tobirama didn’t kill Setsuna.
He was far too valuable as a bargaining chip.
After Tsunade escorted Shikatoki back to the Nara Clan compound, she left.
Shikaku hurried over worriedly.
“Are you alright?”
“I heard the Uchiha launched a coup tonight.
Even Father went out.”
Shikatoki looked himself over.
Aside from some dirt on the edges of his clothes, he looked mostly fine.
“I guess I’m alright.”
“You guess?”
“Enough.
I’m going to sleep.”
“I’m exhausted.”
Shikatoki went to bed peacefully.
The current Uchiha Clan Head, Masatake Uchiha, however— couldn’t sleep at all.
At that very moment, he was frantically explaining himself inside the Hokage Building.
“Second Hokage, this was entirely Setsuna Uchiha’s personal action!”
“I knew nothing about it!”
Masatake knew that Setsuna was a hardliner.
He simply hadn’t realised the man was this hardline.
Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought Setsuna had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Couldn’t he have at least discussed something this enormous with his Clan Head first?!
Now Masatake had been placed in an impossible position.
Truthfully, when he first heard the news, Masatake had become so furious he nearly awakened the Mangekyō himself.
Tobirama Senju’s expression remained completely calm.
“Setsuna Uchiha and the Uchiha members who participated in the coup will all be imprisoned in Konoha’s detention facility.”
“Masatake Uchiha, as Clan Head and Commander of the Konoha Military Police Force, failed in his supervisory responsibilities.”
“The Military Police Force will have three years of funding withheld.”
“Furthermore, all streets and buildings damaged by the Uchiha will be repaired at the Uchiha Clan’s expense.”
“You will receive an itemised list later.”
Tobirama looked directly at him.
“I assume Clan Head Masatake has no objections?”
Imprisoning Setsuna?
Masatake could accept that without hesitation.
But taking away their money?
That hurt.
Three years of funding was no small amount.
The Uchiha Clan could afford all the repairs as well, certainly.
But paying for everything would still be a painful financial blow.
Unfortunately, circumstances were stronger than they were.
The Uchiha could only swallow the bitter pill.
“Fine.”
“We accept.”
Tobirama nodded.
“Then this matter ends here.”
“I hope Clan Head Masatake will exercise stricter control over your clansmen.”
“If something like this happens again…”
“I will not be nearly as merciful.”
After delivering that symbolic warning, the matter was essentially settled.
The incident had not caused particularly severe casualties.
Tobirama imposed a measured punishment.
And the Uchiha Clan could accept the result.
At the same time, Tobirama’s actions during the coup thoroughly intimidated Konoha’s shinobi clans.
Hashirama Senju’s overwhelming strength had never been in question.
He had been so powerful that the other four great nations could do little more than endure it.
Tobirama Senju, however, had always lived beneath the radiance of his elder brother.
Compared to Hashirama, he seemed far less remarkable.
But today—
Tobirama had shattered those doubts through sheer overwhelming strength.
He wasn’t weak.
He was simply not as strong as his elder brother—
Hashirama Senju.