Tree Climbing focuses on the "absorption" of chakra, allowing one's feet to stick to trees through this controlled absorption. Water Walking trains the "emission" of chakra, expanding the surface area affected by the feet on water and increasing buoyancy, enabling a person to stand on the surface.
This concept of "absorption" and "emission" may seem simple, but it greatly enhances chakra control. Combined with hand seals, one could theoretically master all forms of ninjutsu in the world—though practically speaking, chakra nature and other requirements also play important roles.
Shiyu Uchiha even felt that if one could perfect this balance between absorption and emission, it might be possible to grasp the very essence of chakra itself. However, this was just a feeling—not yet a theory, nor did he have any clear method. Still, this didn't stop him from striving toward that goal.
Getting ahead of myself—Shiyu Uchiha was still in the early stages of his training. Relying on his recent swordsmanship training which improved his control and understanding of chakra, combined with his spiritual power and talent, he had already grasped the most basic levels of "absorption" and "emission" within just three days.
The day after he mastered it, he finished dinner as usual, and as always, Uchiha Shizhi led his children into the courtyard for sword training. Shiyu Uchiha then demonstrated his Tree Climbing and Water Walking skills to the two of them.
Because Shiyu had met Uchiha Shizhi's expectations, under the pretense of rewarding him, Shizhi decided to teach him Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Shiyu thought it odd—normally, Uchiha Shizhi had always held him back, encouraging him to build a solid foundation. Shiyu himself fully agreed with this philosophy; after all, even the tallest tower begins with its foundations.
Therefore, he hadn't been allowed to train in any C-rank or higher-level ninjutsu before now, so he couldn't help wondering why his father had suddenly eased up on him. Thinking carefully, he suddenly recalled a recent hot topic spreading around.
It was about Renshu—the younger brother of Tsunade, who would later become one of Konoha's Sannin—and also the grandson of the First Hokage. During a mission, Renshu accidentally triggered a trap and died in an explosion caused by explosive tags when he was only twelve years old. His death signaled that the Great Ninja World War would soon begin.
Reflecting on this, Shiyu suspected that perhaps Shizhi sensed the upcoming outbreak of war and feared that he might graduate early and head to the battlefield. Maybe that was why he wanted to strengthen his son's abilities.
After all, unless Konoha became involved, the usual conflict was between Iwa-nin and Suna-nin near Ame Ninja Village, resulting in many civilian casualties in Ame Country. This enraged Sanshouo Hanzo, leader of Ame, pushing him to finally declare war directly against the three major ninja villages. Normally such conflicts should continue for another two or three years before the war officially broke out—around the time Shiyu would graduate.
So instead of guessing any further, Shiyu asked directly, "Mother, is it because a great ninja war is about to begin?" Though Shiyu had never personally experienced such a war before, he could imagine how devastating it would be—with countless lives lost. His tone carried a certain heaviness.
It was a simple sentence, but it marked the first time Shiyu Uchiha had ever seen both his sister and mother react with such shock at once. Mikoto Uchiha was clearly taken aback by what she just heard.
Uchiha Shizhi wasn't surprised by the outbreak of The Great Ninja World War, but rather stunned that her son had figured it out—after all, such insight was unusually profound.
With such vision, he'd already surpassed every other Uchiha—including probably most in Konoha Village. And those few who might match him were high-ranking officials with access to intelligence far beyond what Shiyu possessed.
"Shiyu, is this your own guess?" Uchiha Shizhi asked with a complicated tone.
Suddenly realizing he may have spoiled something, Shiyu felt a slight headache. He knew he had shown too much, but there was no way around it—he couldn't possibly reveal he was actually a transmigrator. After thinking it through, he built a logical story from the outcome backward, carefully adjusting his words before speaking again.
Finally, he answered: "I read that the First Great Ninja World War broke out hastily because the Ninja God, First Hokage Hashirama Senju, who kept the ninja world under control, passed away. Then it ended quickly due to the deaths of the Second Kages, which destabilized internal politics in each village.
"The only surviving Second Kazekage endured the first war but died soon after, obviously because he was already dying. Therefore, most villages retained considerable strength, but political instability left them unable to continue the war.
"In the past fifteen years or so, under the leadership of each village's Third Kage, stability has now been achieved, followed by several more years of development. Now there are actually too many ninjas—Konoha is relatively better off because we occupy the most prosperous territory in the ninja world and can sustain development, but other countries aren't doing as well.
"Put it bluntly, imbalanced economic growth among countries has widened the resource gap, thereby making it impossible to support so many ninjas. Only Konoha is somewhat okay; thus, militaristic factions have risen in other villages, promoting expansion through force, raiding resources to sustain themselves and their villages.
"Under these circumstances, the current stable situation in the ninja world will naturally begin to shake. Conflicts between countries are gradually escalating. The next Great Ninja War is imminent—it won't take longer than three years at most; if someone deliberately ignites it, it could happen as soon as tomorrow. Whoever can do this must be an extraordinary hero." That was how Shiyu described Sanshouo Hanzo during The Second Great Ninja World War.
Then Shiyu paused briefly before ruthlessly continuing, "Should they fail, it would still consume a massive number of ninja, freeing up enough resources for the rest—that's the reality right now. Mother, what do you think?"
He looked somewhat uneasy after finishing. After all, having never even killed a chicken, he still struggled with the idea of death and would need to experience battle firsthand before becoming accustomed to it.
Then silence fell over the courtyard as mother and son gazed into each other's eyes. Shiyu saw extremely complex emotions in his mother's gaze. Before either could speak, an incongruous voice interrupted from nearby: "I'm not quite getting it—what exactly does all this have to do with war?"
Mikoto Uchiha's eyes held a puzzled look as she scratched her head, clearly overwhelmed by what was going on. At that moment, she suddenly felt slightly out of place within the family.
Her interruption broke through the tense atmosphere in the courtyard, allowing Shizhi Uchiha to calm down. He finally spoke seriously, "Shiyu, you must never speak of this to anyone. Mikoto too—both of you must keep this secret. From today onward, even when we're the only three present, you cannot mention it again. Understand?"
Though unsure of the reason, Mikoto quickly nodded upon seeing her mother's serious expression and replied, "Understood." Shortly after, Shiyu also agreed.
The courtyard fell silent for a short while before Shizhi Uchiha said, "Shiyu, Mikoto—come with me. I'll teach you Fire Release Ninjutsu." With that, he led the two to a training ground.
Before Shizhi could demonstrate the technique himself, Mikoto Uchiha eagerly raised her hand and said, "Mother, let me show it first, okay?"
After receiving a nod from Shizhi Uchiha, Mikoto swiftly formed hand seals—in the order of Snake–Goat–Monkey–Boar–Horse–Tiger—and shouted powerfully, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
She then raised her hand to her mouth and exhaled a massive fireball that struck and ignited a nearby wooden stump, showcasing its impressive power. The only downside was that the fireball was a bit slow, so it'd be easier to dodge.
Then, Mikoto proudly boasted, "How about that? My Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique is amazing, isn't it?"
Seeing Mikoto showing off, Shiyu Uchiha immediately praised her excitedly, "Onee-sama is amazing! Teach me next time, okay?" He raised his thumb as he spoke.
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