Start with the Mangekyo Sharingan: Follow Lord Madara out of Konoha

One week later.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three shuriken flew out in a triangular formation, colliding mid-air, and scattered in different directions amidst the sparks.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The shuriken embedded themselves into different tree trunks, each precisely hitting a falling leaf.

Kamihane slowly retracted his hand and glanced at Uchiha Hikari beside him, saying softly, "Shurikenjutsu is something that we Uchiha can master quite easily. I believe you'll reach this level soon."

Hikari frowned slightly, "Can you be more specific? I don't understand."

Kamihane blinked, as if choked.

After Uchiha Hikari joined the team, he was surprised to find that his own foundation wasn't actually the worst in the group.

In contrast, Hikari's fighting style was much more barbaric. Whether it was because she had been sealed for too long or because her basics were inherently weak, she could only use her ocular techniques. Her taijutsu didn't even follow the simplest patterns, and her chakra control, along with shurikenjutsu, was utterly crude.

In this regard, she was quite similar to Kawaki from the original timeline, who only knew how to manipulate the power of the "Karma" while his foundational training was abysmal.

Even Madara couldn't help but shake his head and left only this remark:

'Such trivial matters, Kamihane, you can teach her.'

Thinking of this, he cleared his throat and said, "Training in shurikenjutsu requires sufficient observation and physical coordination. You possess the Mangekyō Sharingan, so your observational skills are naturally exceptional. What you need to do now is try to synchronize your movements with your thoughts. As for the technique of throwing shuriken..."

He pondered for a moment, then extended a finger and smiled, "Use your favorite method, whatever feels comfortable for you!"

Uchiha Hikari was left speechless, with a black line floating above her head, "Is this how Madara-sama taught you?"

"You might be misunderstanding something; I wasn't taught by Madara-sama," Kamihane spread his hands, "To be honest, my foundation is also quite poor, just slightly better than yours."

"You're lying."

She frowned, her tone calm, "You can precisely control the direction and landing points of hundreds of shuriken. Teach me."

"Well... it's accumulated practice over time, combined with certain epiphanies during life-and-death moments. Of course, the experiences and guidance of comrades are also crucial."

Hikari tilted her head, her eyes flashing with confusion, "Life-and-death moments?"

"Ah, in the Warring States era, not everyone was like you, a trump card only appearing at the critical moment to secure victory," Kamihane shook his head, "As a foot soldier charging on the battlefield, if your combat skills aren't strong, you can only be cannon fodder. Often, human potential is forced out."

He picked up a shuriken from the ground, "On a chaotic battlefield, if your throw isn't accurate, you and your comrades could be in danger; similarly, if you can't move freely on water, you'll only be drowned by the enemy—"

With a "whoosh," the shuriken shot through the air, drawing a graceful arc around the two, and then, like a swallow returning to its nest, it landed back in front of Kamihane, spinning on his fingertip.

"This... this is good, teach me," Hikari slightly widened her beautiful eyes, like a child discovering a beloved toy.

"Simple trajectory calculation, considering wind direction, air humidity, and so on, then whoosh, hey... in short, it's whoosh~ hey..." Kamihane gestured a couple of times, imitating the motion.

Hikari clenched her small pink fists, veins popping on her smooth forehead, "If you keep mocking me, I'll kill you!"

"Uh, let's not get so violent," Kamihane recalled the fear of being dominated by Amaterasu, his expression turning grim.

"This is the task Madara-sama assigned to you," she stared straight into Kamihane's eyes, her small hand extended, "Teach me."

"Be serious," she added.

Kamihane sighed deeply; it seemed Madara was destined to be a hands-off leader.

"It seems your desire to become stronger is even more urgent than mine," Kamihane said, "Do you also think the Eye of the Moon Plan is feasible?"

Not long ago, Madara had formally introduced his "Eye of the Moon" plan to the two, including the Rinnegan, the Outer Path Statue, the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, and the Infinite Tsukuyomi, a world-ending ocular technique.

According to Madara, these were all recorded on a stone tablet in the basement of Naka Shrine, left by the Uchiha ancestor Indra, with the full details only visible to those with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

These revelations solidified his beliefs and guided his path forward.

However, before proceeding, Madara decided to assess the world's current state, to determine if Hashirama's method had truly brought peace. If this peace was only superficial, as hypocritical as Konoha's acceptance of the Uchiha, then he would stick to his convictions and immediately execute the "Eye of the Moon" plan.

"If Madara-sama thinks it's possible, then it's possible," Hikari said calmly.

Such confidence, almost indifferent... Kamihane thought to himself.

He knew well that the so-called "Infinite Tsukuyomi" plan was merely a scheme by Black Zetsu to revive Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. The contents of the clan's tablet had been tampered with by Black Zetsu, and even Madara had become a pawn in his game.

An "ideal world," "true peace"—all of it was a complete sham!

Black Zetsu, or more accurately, Kaguya's ultimate goal, was to revive and consolidate defenses to prepare for the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki clan!

If Kaguya succeeded in reviving, all of humanity would be transformed into White Zetsu by the Divine Tree; if the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki invasion succeeded, then all of humanity would become nourishment for the Divine Tree, devoured by the Ōtsutsuki clan...

Whichever side prevailed, it would be catastrophic for the world.

The current ninja world may seem peaceful, subdued by the overwhelming presence of Hashirama and Madara, but beneath the surface, there lurked numerous dangers.

An evil deity of unknown origin...

The shadowy manipulator, Zetsu...

The descendants of Hamura on the moon...

The Sage of Six Paths, who observes the world from the Pure Land...

And then there's the Otsutsuki Isshiki, who has taken over the monk Jigen's body, survived for over a thousand years, and harbors far-reaching ambitions...

The ninja world is fraught with uncertainties...

However, even though Kamihane is aware of all this in advance, he cannot speak of it, for no one would believe him, and doing so might only endanger himself.

For now, he can only stay by Madara's side, silently growing stronger, waiting for the right moment to become a player in the game, ultimately taking control of his own destiny.

The so-called "lying low and developing power"—bah! It is precisely the principle of a gentleman hiding his talents and biding his time.

"These are not things I should be considering right now," Hikaru suddenly said, a glimmer of melancholy in her eyes. "All I know is that if I don't get stronger, I'll just be a burden, and I'll definitely be cast aside."

In the afternoon.

Uchiha Hikaru placed one foot on the tree trunk, focusing chakra on the sole of her foot. After taking a deep breath, she placed her other foot on the trunk as well, her body perpendicular to the tree at a 90-degree angle.

She was training her chakra control and balance.

From above, Kamihane's voice rang out:

"For a ninja, walking on trees or water is simply one way of utilizing chakra. The principle involves using chakra to alter the physical properties of the molecular fibers in contact with the soles of the feet, influencing the behavior of hydrogen bonds, thereby increasing the adhesive force between the tree trunk and the soles. The difficulty lies in constantly switching the state of chakra focus while walking..."

Hikaru's face remained tense, and after struggling to take two steps, she fell down.

Rubbing her bottom, she stood up and looked up at the figure in the tree, her expression a mix of exasperation and envy.

In the tree, Kamihane was hanging upside down, his feet firmly attached to the underside of a branch, his black hair standing on end. His natural posture resembled that of a nonchalant bat.

Holding a scroll in his hands, he responded casually, "You're focusing too hard. My suggestion is to try to control your chakra in the most comfortable way possible, imagining yourself walking on flat ground, gradually turning it into an instinct..."

Uchiha Hikaru took a deep breath, her expression serious, and continued her attempts.

Kamihane paid her no mind, his gaze never leaving the scroll in front of him.

"Spiritual Transformation Technique: Separating one's spiritual energy from physical energy, materializing the spiritual energy into a stable 'spirit body,' and using it to engage in combat. The effects of this technique transcend the conventional concept of ninjutsu.

The spirit body possesses the consciousness of the user, can fly at high speeds, traverse any terrain, and is immune to all physical attacks. It can possess an enemy, causing their spirit to collapse from within, or enter another's mental world to forcibly control their body.

Once mastered, the soul becomes specialized, developing a vast range of sensory abilities that can detect the souls of others, regardless of distance or prior knowledge of their location. Upon transforming into a spirit body, the user can instantly reach the target's body.

Depending on the situation and the user's will, this technique can accomplish many things, such as transmitting information, confirming the target's life or death, or even supplying the target with chakra.

However, it has a fatal weakness: when the spirit body leaves the physical body, the latter becomes extremely vulnerable to attack. Without a physical body, the spirit body will quickly dissipate and perish."

"This is practically the legendary 'out-of-body soul travel'!" Kamihane nodded repeatedly, his resolve to master this technique growing stronger.

The reason it's classified as an S-rank ninjutsu is because the barrier to mastering the Spiritual Transformation Technique is exceedingly high. The practitioner must possess high-quality Yin Release chakra, and soul separation itself is an extremely perilous endeavor. Only those with great determination would even dare to attempt it.

At that moment, a figure landed on the branch, causing both of them to look up.

Clad in black, with long hair reaching his waist, and carrying a fan and scythe on his back—it was Uchiha Madara.

"How's the training going?"

"Not great," Hikaru raised her small, palm-sized face and pointed at Kamihane, reporting candidly, "He can't teach properly."

Nani?

Holy crap, sis, you look all innocent and cute, but you're actually ratting me out, and right in front of me!

Kamihane was stunned, hooking a foot onto the branch and swinging himself up to stand on it. "Um... Lord Madara, her shurikenjutsu has improved significantly. When it comes to a single shuriken, she's already achieved perfect accuracy. It's just her chakra control that needs work."

"He's lying. His methods are impossible for me to learn," Hikaru continued, her words shocking everyone.

Kamihane broke into a cold sweat.

"Teach her properly," Madara said calmly, glancing at him.

"Of course, of course," Kamihane nodded nervously.

"More importantly..." He quickly changed the subject, "Lord Madara, did you gain anything from your trip?"

"I just paid a simple visit to an old friend," Madara replied, a faint sneer on his face. "Observing the state of the people is bound to be a lengthy process. We still have a long way to go."

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