Yashiro Uchiha had been cut in numerous places by Muramasa’s edge, his body drenched in blood.
The fiery inferno triggered by his suicidal Ash Pile Burning technique had scorched the blood dry on his wounds, leaving brownish scabs all over his skin.
A face that had once been handsome and composed now looked as wretched as a deserter hiding among a pile of corpses on the battlefield.
Yashiro Uchiha fell weakly to his knees.
The overwhelming weakness from severe blood loss began to suffocate his brain, while the suffocating pressure radiating from Aomizu stirred long-buried, precious memories from his life, summoning remarkably vivid illusions before his eyes.
He knelt frozen on the ground, staring blankly at the blood-stained Muramasa in Aomizu’s hand and the crimson glint in his eyes.
In his eyes, Aomizu looked strikingly similar to the portrait of Izuna Uchiha that Yashiro’s grandfather had drawn.
During the Warring States Period, whenever Izuna Uchiha disciplined the troublemakers within the clan, he had acted with just this kind of calm composure, speaking as he fought, conquering every rebellious clansman in both body and mind.
Strict yet utterly convincing, he had led the Uchiha Clan into ever-greater unity and power.
Only now did Yashiro Uchiha realize with a jolt of hindsight.
Although Aomizu was barely twelve years old by any measure, his build was already that of a fully grown shinobi.
With long arms, a narrow waist, broad shoulders, and sharp, handsome features, the bloodline advantages of both the Senju and Uchiha were displayed in him to perfection.
Complemented by his enchanting Sharingan and the blood-dripping Muramasa in his grip…
Before stepping into this training ground, in Yashiro Uchiha’s mind, Aomizu was still a child who hadn’t shed his innocence.
But now…
Aomizu walked slowly toward Yashiro Uchiha, his face completely expressionless.
As he watched Aomizu approach, a massive surge of panic swelled inside Yashiro Uchiha.
If Aomizu had continued fighting using Tobirama Senju’s combat style, this Three-Tomoe Uchiha might still have maintained his composure and avoided looking so utterly pathetic.
Because Tobirama Senju was the sworn enemy of the Uchiha; no matter how badly beaten Yashiro Uchiha was, he would never show such a cowardly face to an enemy and would insist on preserving his dignity to the last.
But…
The moment Aomizu’s presence suddenly evoked Izuna Uchiha, the entire nature of the situation changed.
Yashiro Uchiha felt like a child caught making a mistake by his grandfather.
Even if he got spanked on the rear and felt resentful deep down, he could drop his pride to beg for mercy without the slightest psychological burden.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, this was family business…
“Yashiro Uchiha, I am deeply disappointed in you.
As a long-established Three-Tomoe of the clan, your performance was atrocious…” Aomizu spoke coldly as he channeled Fire Style chakra into the blade.
Muramasa’s excellent chakra conductivity caused the blade to ignite into fierce flames.
The intense heat left scorch marks on the ground even where the tip hadn’t touched, spreading with every step Aomizu took.
“So similar…
so truly alike…” Tobirama Senju sighed from the bottom of his heart.
He had once heard about the things Izuna Uchiha did to gain control over the Uchiha Clan.
After his father Butsuma Senju passed away, Tobirama Senju had even emulated the core essence of those methods back then.
In his view, even if Izuna Uchiha himself were standing here, he would follow pretty much this exact routine.
Host a banquet, carry out an execution, and tame them like dogs…
The card being played right now was the execution—decapitating the head of arrogance within his heart!
A trace of apprehension spontaneously arose within Tobirama Senju’s heart.
Over the past few days, Tobirama Senju’s inner guard had loosened somewhat because of Aomizu’s attitudes and actions toward Rin Nohara, Might Guy, and Ikaku Umino.
But no matter what, he had no desire to see another Izuna Uchiha emerge within the Uchiha Clan.
That was far too dangerous.
Yet as if in response to Tobirama Senju’s thoughts…
a mass of Water Style chakra gathered on Aomizu’s left hand, spinning violently into a razor-sharp torrent that hummed loudly in his grip.
This was precisely one of Tobirama Senju’s secret Water Style jutsu: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade!
Tobirama Senju froze, watching the scene in deep thought.
After a long silence, he curled his lip.
“Tch…
I’ll keep watching you for now, boring brat.” And right now.
Aomizu stood directly in front of Yashiro Uchiha, his voice completely detached.
“Who I am is irrelevant.
But as someone who has betrayed the honor of the Uchiha, Yashiro Uchiha, how do you think I should deal with you?” Aomizu glanced down at Yashiro Uchiha’s heart while the water blade in his hand spun ever faster.
He then shifted his gaze to the man’s neck, slowly bringing the flame-wrapped Muramasa to Yashiro Uchiha’s throat…
Yashiro Uchiha swallowed hard with difficulty.
Looking up at this youth whom he could not read at all, he stammered painfully, “I…
I don’t know, I don’t know…” “If you want to live, I ask, you answer.” With a light flick of his wrist, Aomizu extinguished the flames on Muramasa and dissolved the torrent in his hand.
However, he slid the blade of Muramasa against Yashiro’s throat, stopping barely a finger’s breadth from his windpipe.
Yashiro Uchiha felt the icy steel of Muramasa and looked up helplessly at Aomizu’s indifferent Sharingan…
At this moment, he didn’t doubt for a second that if Aomizu received an unsatisfactory answer, he would kill him without hesitation!
“Who sent you, what was your purpose, and why did you agree?” “Elder Setsuna forced me to come.
He believed your statements and existence were harmful to the atmosphere of the Uchiha Clan, so he ordered me to bring you down, and also to stick up for Obito Uchiha…” “I agreed because I feel Konoha has gone way too far lately.
Their restrictions and surveillance on the Uchiha Clan are becoming increasingly brazen, leaving us without even a glimmer of hope to become Hokage.
The clan’s future is pitch-black, so I had no choice but to support the radical faction…” Aomizu slowly nodded.
“The radical faction.
What a grand title…
Let me ask you: between you and me, who is stronger?” Yashiro Uchiha lowered his head.
“Good…
Then between Hiruzen Sarutobi and me, who is stronger?” Aomizu tipped Yashiro’s chin up with the edge of his blade, forcing their eyes to meet.
Yashiro Uchiha pursed his lips and said honestly, “Don’t underestimate the Third Hokage.
That is a man known as the Shinobi Supreme.” To his surprise, Aomizu nodded in agreement.
“Good.
Then between me and Danzo Shimura, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Sakumo Hatake, or Mito Uzumaki, who is stronger?” Yashiro Uchiha went silent.
Every single person Aomizu named was a renowned, established shinobi of Konoha—and one among them was an entity that even the most radical Uchiha refused to speak of.
Was Aomizu strong?
Very strong…
But not enough.
“Then let me ask you further: in the entire Uchiha Clan, who is stronger than those nine people…
or rather, who in the Uchiha Clan is stronger than me?” “You say you support the radical faction.
What do you have to back that up?
The Three-Tomoe you’re so proud of?” Aomizu let out a sigh, looking down at Yashiro Uchiha with pained disappointment at his failure to live up to expectations.