Taijutsu battles had a faster rhythm, and the advantage of the Sharingan's dynamic vision became even more apparent.
The training ground was a muddy mess by now, so the two of them paused, standing still to catch their breath and adjust their states.
In the next round of hand-to-hand combat, Arima decided to make the first move and seize the initiative.
He dashed toward Tobirama, kicking up mud in his wake. In a flash, he reached his granduncle, who stood ready, composed and prepared for the assault.
Arima was much shorter than Tobirama, so his best striking zone was the latter's chest.
Arima snapped his right leg up in a feint, aiming a side kick at Tobirama's head. But the moment the attack launched, Tobirama calmly caught his leg with his left hand.
Arima instantly used Tobirama's arm as leverage, jumping and spinning mid-air.
Using the momentum of his rotating body, his left leg came whipping toward Tobirama's chest with force.
But Tobirama countered effortlessly, neutralizing the attack with a firm motion of his right hand.
Using the recoil, Arima quickly pulled away to widen the distance between them.
Next, he planned to target Tobirama's lower half. Adjusting his stance, he flickered forward with a Body Flicker Technique, dipped low, and delivered a heavy side kick toward Tobirama's knee.
But Tobirama had already sensed his move and was prepared to leap on the spot.
Arima, watching through the Sharingan, noticed the intention in his granduncle's body language.
Just as Tobirama prepared to jump, Arima altered the trajectory of his kick mid-motion, redirecting it toward Tobirama's abdomen.
The sudden shift caught Tobirama slightly off guard, but he responded instantly, crossing his arms to block the blow.
And then came Tobirama's counterattack.
He slightly raised his left arm to obscure Arima's view, and at the same time, his right hand shot toward Arima's calf.
Arima caught the movement with the Sharingan. But physically, he was no match for Tobirama's strength. His leg was jostled upward slightly, and his view was obscured for a split second.
Even though his eyes clearly saw Tobirama's right hand coming, his body couldn't keep up.
Despite reacting in time, Tobirama's hand still tapped his lower leg.
Arima quickly pulled back, trying to reset the tempo of the fight. Just as he felt a flicker of relief for escaping in time, Tobirama vanished from view.
In the next instant, Arima saw him reappear beside him, courtesy of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He could only watch, helpless, as Tobirama's fist closed in on his head.
The Sharingan's dynamic vision allowed him to see everything in detail, but his body couldn't respond fast enough to match what his eyes perceived.
That brief moment when his vision was blocked had given Tobirama the perfect opening to mark his calf with the Flying Thunder God seal, turning the battle in his favor with a single move.
In close combat, Tobirama was a legend whose name had echoed since the Warring States Period.
His experience was overwhelming, and every reaction came as naturally as breathing. He could read his opponent's intentions just from subtle shifts in their stance.
Arima still needed time. He had to accumulate experience through actual combat.
But now that he had awakened the Sharingan, he could rapidly learn and mimic his opponent's taijutsu, using its dynamic vision to read movements in advance.
This helped make up for his lack of experience, allowing his taijutsu skills to improve quickly.
Fighting Tobirama right now was the perfect opportunity for Arima to study his granduncle's techniques.
As the exchange went on, Arima found himself growing more comfortable with the Sharingan's abilities.
But after only three rounds, he was subdued.
Tobirama's fist hovered a finger's width from Arima's forehead, the gust from the punch rustling his bangs.
Arima couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. While ninjutsu could be grasped quickly with the help of the system, taijutsu required time and experience.
Thankfully, the Sharingan gave him a shortcut to growth.
Tobirama offered a slight smile.
"You've improved a lot. I used to fight you with only half my strength, but now I have to stay fully focused.
Once your body matures and your strength increases, you'll be able to last even longer against me."
Arima knew there was still so much he had to learn.
At first, he thought his current strength was already at the level of an elite Jonin and that he could unleash his full potential on the battlefield.
But now, he realized, if he were swarmed by enemies, his body might not be able to keep up with what his eyes could see.
This defeat pulled him back down to earth, cooling the inflated confidence he had gained from his recent power surge.
Tobirama noticed the thoughtful calm on Arima's face and was quietly relieved.
In Uchiha history, many members became arrogant and delusional after awakening their Sharingan, drunk on the illusion of newfound power.
Some even ended up spiraling out of control.
Tobirama thought to himself, 'Looks like little Arima can still stay true to himself.'
He gently patted Arima on the head and said calmly, "I hope you can stay like this, clear-headed.
We are shinobi. Don't let your emotions take over in battle. Never let power control you. Power is just a tool, nothing more."
Arima nodded slowly, deep in thought.
Then Tobirama added, "I'll create shadow clones every day with a fixed amount of chakra. You'll spar with them in taijutsu battles.
It'll help you quickly adapt to close combat and master the Sharingan at the same time."
Arima's face lit up with a huge smile. His granduncle's plan was exactly what he'd hoped for.
Tobirama continued, "I plan to send Hiruzen and five others with the Jonin squad to patrol the border. Once your training is complete, you'll be eligible to take on patrol missions yourself."
Arima hadn't seen senpais in a long time. Tobirama had sent them on various missions to gain experience.
Arima himself trained obsessively, spending most of his free time in the training grounds, which meant they saw each other less and less.
This new patrol mission might take them away for months, maybe even a year. So Arima decided to find time to meet up with them before they left.
He asked Tobirama about the patrol schedule and planned his gathering accordingly so they wouldn't miss each other.
The training field was in shambles by now. Arima was covered in mud from head to toe.
Meanwhile, his granduncle looked as spotless as ever, with only a bit of dirt on his arm. The contrast stung Arima's pride just a little.
Tobirama noticed Arima's slightly downcast mood and glanced at their clothes. He realized the boy had been hit where it hurt.
So he said, "Now that you've awakened the Sharingan, you can start learning the Uchiha clan's Genjutsu.
When cast through the Sharingan, Genjutsu can be nearly impossible to guard against."
Arima's spirits lifted again immediately.
Seeing his reaction, Tobirama smiled faintly. To him, this was the kind of response he expected from a child.
Afterward, Tobirama returned to the Hokage's office. The day's work had piled up, and it looked like he'd be stuck there until midnight.
Arima, meanwhile, took another bath, washing off all the dirt. He felt refreshed again. The Sharingan really was a marvelous tool.
He remembered Tobirama once told him that the evolution beyond the three-tomoe Sharingan was the Mangekyo Sharingan, and that each person's Mangekyo ability was unique.
Most of them were incredibly strange and powerful.
Arima turned his attention to the system's exchange interface and began looking into information on the Mangekyo Sharingan. What he discovered stunned him.
First, there was something beyond the Mangekyo Sharingan, the Eternal Mangekyo and even the Rinnegan.
Second, Mangekyo's techniques could also be purchased through the exchange.
The abilities were as bizarre as they were powerful, some were offensive, some defensive, and some combined space-time elements.
As expected, every one of them came with an exorbitant price tag, hundreds of thousands of virtue points.
Third, beyond the Byakugan lay another evolution, the Tenseigan, with even more powerful dojutsu.
All this left Arima deeply curious about the true nature of this world.
He hadn't expected ocular powers to have such an intricate hierarchy.
According to legend, the Sage of Six Paths created the shinobi world.
Arima began to suspect that the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga clans might all trace their roots back to him. After all, such tremendous power seemed almost divine in nature.
These questions now lingered in Arima's heart, waiting for time to reveal the answers.
The Senju clan didn't keep any detailed records on such matters. He figured he'd need to pay more attention to the origins of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans in the future.
From what he knew, the Hyuga and Kaguya clans had close ties during the Warring States Period.
The Senju and Uzumaki clans were also distant relatives.
That meant at least five ninja clans might have a direct or indirect connection to the Sage of Six Paths.
Thinking about it all gave Arima a bit of a headache. So many truths had been buried by time and were now impossible to verify.
But if he could accumulate enough virtue points, he might one day uncover those secrets himself.
He muttered to himself, "Maybe the ultimate secret of this world really is the Sage of Six Paths."
With that, Arima stood up from the water. The bath was ice-cold now, and despite his Sage Body, the chill had seeped into his bones.
He hadn't seen his mother or Tsunade in days. He suddenly felt a strong urge to go home and visit them.
Climbing out of the cold underground pool, Arima dried himself, dressed, and turned to leave the freezing underground lab behind.
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