Chapter 51: Developments on the Battlefield
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over the report in his hands.
After a brief pause, he chuckled.
"Protect the Uchiha clan... prioritize kekkei genkai..."
He had to admit that Gōenji wasn't wrong.
The other villages had indeed been targeting shinobi who possessed kekkei genkai.
The report was rather interesting.
It seemed Uchiha Gōenji had already recognized the weaknesses within his own clan. Unlike most Uchiha, he was more like Kagami Uchiha.
Kagami had always wanted to change the Uchiha's arrogance, but unfortunately, that was an extremely difficult task.
Even Konoha itself was collecting information and resources related to kekkei genkai.
Perhaps their protection measures really did need to be strengthened.
But that was troublesome.
The purpose of possessing a kekkei genkai was to gain an advantage during war. If those who possessed them needed to be protected instead, wouldn't that defeat the entire purpose?
"Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Gōenji..."
Hiruzen smiled.
"They're both good kids."
...
Konoha Cemetery
The wind swept through the fallen leaves, carrying them across the desolate cemetery.
Chrysanthemums decorated the lonely graves, their colors illuminated by the morning sunlight.
Two graves stood side by side.
A Konoha forehead protector rested on each one.
A fallen leaf drifted toward Gōenji's lips, but Fūjin caught it before it could land.
"Zē's belongings have also been delivered to his family. I hope the two of them can find their loved ones in the Pure Land and live happily there."
Gōenji remained silent for a moment.
"The dream Ryōma left behind..."
The short sword at his back reflected a cold glint of light, as though listening to his words.
"I'll fulfill it."
He looked at the two graves.
"And we'll have to work harder, too. We need to become stronger so that our comrades don't have to die beside us again."
Gōenji had once believed he would never become emotionally attached.
He had been naïve.
He simply didn't experience emotions that intensely.
He still possessed the ordinary emotions of a human being.
And, in a strange way, he was relieved by that.
At least he was still human.
...
Uchiha District
Gōenji watched several children playing nearby.
They were all children of the Uchiha clan.
The Uchiha district possessed its own complete social structure and was almost like a small town. There were shops, streets, markets, and countless children running around outside.
Gōenji sat on a swing, gently rocking back and forth.
For the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely relaxed.
"If I didn't know the original story..."
He looked at the children.
"I'd probably just smile and slowly accept my death. I'd be slaughtered by Itachi along with the rest of the clan, disappear from this world, and that would be the end."
He sometimes had thoughts like that.
Perhaps that really would have been the best outcome.
But reason quickly rejected the idea.
He hadn't even experienced the true wonders of the shinobi world yet.
How could he simply die?
He wanted to see the entire world.
He wanted to fight every famous expert.
Or, more accurately...
He wanted to rewrite the history of Naruto.
"Teacher Gōenji, are you sad?"
A young voice suddenly came from beside him.
Uchiha Itachi stood before the swing, staring at him.
"Is it because of what happened on the battlefield?"
Gōenji turned toward him and smiled.
"Kid, don't worry about things that aren't meant for someone your age. Instead, tell me how your studies have been going recently."
"Hehe, they're fine."
Itachi smiled.
"I'm making a lot of progress in mathematics, especially dynamics and parabolic trajectories. I can throw shuriken much farther now."
"Very good."
Gōenji nodded.
"You're only three years old and already capable of this. Looks like you've been studying seriously."
He's barely three years old.
In my previous life, I had only just learned how to walk at that age.
Still, I'm not bad either. If I'd transmigrated earlier, I definitely would've been more of a genius than him.
"Hehe."
Itachi scratched his head and laughed.
"Come here. I have nothing else to do anyway. I'll teach you some fundamentals. That way, you'll be able to bring glory to our Uchiha clan in the future."
Coincidentally, Gōenji wanted to rest for a while.
His body was injured and genuinely needed time to recover.
Teaching was also incredibly relaxing.
More importantly, it gave him an opportunity to interact with Uchiha Itachi.
His goal of surviving had never changed.
In his previous life, countless people had joked that Uchiha Itachi was a weasel and that nothing could ever change him.
But Gōenji wasn't willing to accept that conclusion.
He still wanted to try.
As for worrying that Itachi might eventually betray him?
What a joke.
With Gōenji's current talent, Itachi would need many years before he could even hope to catch up with him.
If Itachi could catch up with him by then, what kind of transmigrator would Gōenji be?
He might as well give up his pride altogether.
As he had already calculated, once the Blade of the Rising Sun was fully developed, its offensive power should be enough to pierce the first or even second stage of Susanoo.
One strike would be enough to kill.
Of course, real battles weren't that simple.
Shinobi battles weren't merely contests of offensive power. Tactics, deception, positioning, information, and countless other factors mattered.
But in those areas...
Could Uchiha Itachi really compare with him?
Furthermore, Gōenji's future strength would not be limited to offense.
With his Fire Release techniques, the Fire Release Chakra Mode he had already begun conceptualizing, and the countless possibilities for future Fire Release development, his eventual strength would absolutely not be inferior to that of Senju Tobirama.
Developing ninjutsu?
He could do that, too.
And so, Gōenji began discussing his ideas with Itachi on the spot, explaining the problems he had encountered during his research.
These matters were now relatively easy for him to handle.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to formulate so many Fire Release principles to assist his ninjutsu development.
These were fundamental skills.
If someone had no understanding of mathematics, physics, or chemistry, mastering ninjutsu would be extraordinarily difficult.
The shinobi world was no different.
Aside from those with truly extraordinary natural talent, most shinobi capable of mastering advanced techniques possessed at least some understanding of these fields.
Being a shinobi meant mastering every useful tool available.
There was simply too much to learn.
It wasn't like Naruto in the original story, whose theoretical academic performance was terrible despite eventually becoming extraordinarily powerful.
...
Gōenji's Recovery
Gōenji eventually recovered.
But the battlefield had never stopped.
With the Third Raikage's final battle and the emergence of the Fourth Raikage, the intensity of the war continued to escalate.
On one side, Kumogakure was seeking revenge against Iwagakure.
On the other, after dealing with the Third Raikage, much of Iwagakure's army returned to the front lines and once again turned its attention toward Konoha.
Gōenji carefully reviewed all the intelligence he had collected.
He didn't dare relax for even a moment.
For shinobi, intelligence was crucial.
He understood that better than most.
Sarutobi Shinsuke is leading forces to cut off Iwagakure's supply lines and launch counterattacks.
Namikaze Minato is moving throughout the Iwagakure battlefield, unleashing his full strength. His space-time ninjutsu has left the enemy trembling in fear.
Orochimaru is moving between countries, making the enemy uneasy and occasionally appearing to stir up trouble.
Danzō should still be in the Land of Rain, probably planning something there...
Gōenji carefully examined every piece of information available to him.
As for directly increasing his combat strength, he would have to put that aside for the moment.
After all, raw strength was difficult to increase quickly.
Instead, he picked up his pen and began calculating another formula.
Fire Release–Environment Interaction Formula
The power of Fire Release was heavily influenced by the surrounding environment.
Its basic principle was:
W = E × (1 + H - V)
Where:
W: Actual power output
E: Flame energy
H: Environmental humidity correction — the higher the humidity, the lower the resulting output
V: Wind-speed correction — greater wind speed increases the rate of flame propagation, but reduces the flame's temperature
Gōenji had never forgotten his objective.
He needed to become stronger.
Now that the formula was complete, once his body had fully recovered, he could begin conducting preliminary experiments.
Eventually, he would turn the theory into an actual ninjutsu.
And before long, as Gōenji continued recording his formulas, the first stage of the Blade of the Rising Sun finally began to take shape on paper.