Chapter 117: Tobirama Senju: "The Second Hokage's Will of Fire was a Failure!"
Fugaku let out a long, weary sigh and dropped his practice katana onto the
scorched earth.
"I yield—"
His heart was a storm of conflicting emotions. There was the natural humiliation
of losing to a boy half his age, but beneath that was a strange, budding sense
of gratitude toward Seisui.
Based on Fugaku's original plan, once he retreated, he would have attempted to
break the Bringer-of-Darkness Genjutsu while simultaneously casting a wide-range
Fire Style to evaporate the mist.
But Seisui had predicted that move instantly. If the boy hadn't warned him about
the volatile ash in the air, Fugaku's own Fire Style would have ignited the
cloud while it was still inside his lungs. He would have turned himself into a
human explosion.
"Seisui... weren't you worried I'd refuse to surrender?" Fugaku asked, looking
at the boy. "In that fog, without your warning, I could have kept fighting."
"I never considered it. A man as honorable as Big Brother Fugaku would never
cheat a comrade," Seisui (Tobirama) replied, flashing a bright, "Little Sun"
smile.
"Besides... we're Uchiha. We're family. Why would I want to see a family member
get hurt?"
Fugaku froze, then let out a boisterous, barking laugh.
The Uchiha "arrogance" usually made them prone to petty grudges, but Seisui's
words were like high-grade sake—smooth and intoxicating. Losing to a boy who
called you "Honorable" and "Family" felt better than winning a fight against a
rival. The sting of defeat vanished, replaced by a surge of paternal pride.
"A hero of the next generation! Truly!"
Fugaku gave Seisui a massive thumbs-up, flashing his teeth. "I, Fugaku Uchiha,
declare you the greatest genius in our clan's history!"
"An Uchiha like you is exactly what we need to lead us into the light!"
In the background, Obito and Shisui shared a whisper. "Does Fugaku-sama look a
little... stupid? He's doing the Guy-pose, but it looks so forced."
"I think it's called 'trying too hard,'" Shisui noted. "He's trying to be
charismatic, but he's just acting like a dork."
The other Uchiha veterans winced, unable to look directly at their Vice-Chief's
attempts at "Friendly Leadership."
"Seisui, you have a new 'brother' waiting for you at my estate. You must visit
soon!"
Fugaku walked over and threw a heavy arm around Seisui's shoulders. "His name is
Itachi. He's barely a year old, but I have high hopes for him. As soon as he can
walk, I'm taking him to the front lines. He's going to see the reality of the
world so he can grow up to be as strong as you!"
Tobirama took a slow, deep breath. He was trying to accept the Uchiha's "unique"
psychological landscape, but this was a new level of idiocy.
What kind of mental patient sends a toddler to a war zone?
Even in the brutal Warring States period, you only sent a three-year-old to the
front if your clan was on the verge of extinction. To do it voluntarily while
the village was at peace was a form of sociopathy that even the Second Hokage
found alarming.
"Does anyone else here think Big Brother Fugaku's plan for Itachi is a good
idea?" Seisui asked, raising his voice for the crowd.
Fugaku beamed, waiting for the cheers.
Instead, the Uchiha veterans all shook their heads. With the Academy being
modernized and the new welfare checks coming in, the clan members were finally
enjoying the idea of a peaceful childhood for their kids. No one wanted to send
their babies to be slaughtered.
Tobirama felt a wave of relief. At least the rank-and-file are sane. It's just
the middle management that's broken.
"Fugaku-sama, your heart is in the right place," Seisui said, his tone becoming
grave.
"But you are a terrible teacher. Truly."
"Sending a toddler to a battlefield is a violation of the Will of Fire, and it
goes against the spirit of the Great Patriarch."
Fugaku blinked, confused. "How? The Patriarch was the 'God of War'! Surely he
would want our youth to be tempered in blood?"
Fugaku desperately wanted to defend his logic, but a part of him knew Seisui was
smarter. He stayed quiet, waiting for the lecture. He realized that following
Seisui's lead was the fastest way to look "Deep" and "Strategic" in front of the
clan.
"You're mimicking the Patriarch's style, but you only see the surface," Seisui
lectured, sounding like a professor of war.
"Madara Uchiha was called the 'Battlefield Rose' and the 'Asura of the Leaf' not
because he loved blood, but because his strength was so absolute that he could
turn a slaughter into art. He was a master of his own rhythm."
"You can't reach his level by just looking for a fight. You have to learn his
Obsession for Perfection. If you send a child to die before they can even mold
chakra, you aren't 'tempering' them—you're wasting Uchiha potential."
"To be glorious in the light, one must suffer in the dark of the training
grounds first. We grind so that we don't have to bleed."
Seisui looked at the crowd. "We must all work harder! We must master our forms
until we can match the Patriarch's thần thái (aura)! I believe in you, Big
Brother Fugaku. You have the strength; you just lack the focus!"
The speech was a masterstroke of psychological manipulation. By reframing
"Training" as "Madara's Obsession," Seisui gave the clan a reason to work harder
without the need for a war. He was seizing the "Interpretive Rights" of the
Uchiha's history.
In the Mountains' Graveyard.
Madara Uchiha leaned toward his "Zetsu-TV," his eyes wide.
"This kid... he gets it!" Madara rasped. "The world only sees my power, but this
boy sees the sweat! He sees the nights I spent perfecting my fan-swings while
Hashirama was busy napping!"
"Izuna used to say the same thing... 'Brother, stop training and eat your
dinner!'"
Madara felt a sudden, sharp pang of nostalgia. His interest in "Seisui" was no
longer just about a "vessel." He felt a genuine, spiritual connection to this
boy who looked like his brother and understood his soul.
"But... why does he use those '腌臢' (filthy) Senju techniques?" Madara grumbled,
his mood shifting. "He looks like Izuna, but he fights like Tobirama. It's like
a masterpiece with a bird-dropping on the corner."
Madara realized the "Kagami connection" explained the jutsus, but it still
irritated him. He hated that Tobirama's "Software" was running on Uchiha
"Hardware."
Back at the Field.
Fugaku, now fully "converted" by Seisui's logic, asked the question that had
been bothering the veterans.
"Seisui... why do you study the techniques of the Second Hokage?"
"Our Fire Style is supreme. Why waste time on 'Gimmicks' like the Water Dragon
or those weird Genjutsus? Especially since they belong to... him."
Even in the clan grounds, Fugaku was careful not to use a slur. He was a High
Commissioner now; he didn't want Danzo or Hizashi opening an investigation on
him.
"Gimmicks?" Seisui laughed softly.
"Big Brother, we must be honest with ourselves. The Second Hokage, Tobirama
Senju, was the ultimate predator of our clan."
The air in the arena turned cold.
"His policies, his combat system, his very existence—everything he built was
designed to suppress the Uchiha. He was our natural enemy."
"And that is exactly why I study him. To defeat an enemy, you must first
understand their 'Blood.' I am turning our Greatest Rival into a Resource Pool
for our expansion."
Seisui cleared his throat, his expression turning sharp and judgmental.
"I've studied the records. The Military Police Force policy was a trap. It was a
vicious, cynical move by the Second to isolate us and ruin our reputation with
the civilians."
"Compared to the Third Hokage, Tobirama Senju's 'Will of Fire' was an impure
failure! He let his own prejudice poison the relationship between the village
and its strongest clan!"
Seisui (Tobirama) was speaking with such conviction that his chakra actually
flared.
Internally, however, the Second Hokage was screaming. Saru! You see what I'm
doing for you? I'm literally calling myself a 'Vicious Failure' and a 'Low-life'
just to win over these red-eyed idiots! You better give me a massive research
budget for this!
The Hokage Office.
Hiruzen watched the scene through the crystal ball, his mouth hanging open.
"Master... you really are the greatest actor in the Ninja World," Hiruzen
whispered, his voice full of awe.
"To smoothly denounce your own life's work just to get a promotion in the Uchiha
clan... you truly are the 'God of Strategy.'"
"I won't let your sacrifice go to waste, Master. I'll play along."
Hiruzen smirked, looking at a photo of Danzo on his desk.
"Danzo, if the Master is going to use you as the 'Common Enemy' to unite the
Uchiha... I'm sorry. I can't stop him. I have to prioritize the mission."
"I'll buy you a nice lunch after it's over. Maybe two."
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you