The sun climbed lazily across the sky as Ishiki walked the rugged path toward Naka, dust swirling under his sandals. But his thoughts were far from the beautiful morning.
His heart was still pounding from the fight with the Sarutobi ninja.
I couldn't even finish off a single Chūnin-level shinobi…
The realisation gnawed at him.
What if there had been three ninjas?Five?A platoon?
What if they targeted his village again?
His chest tightened.
"I'm… too weak."
Hashirama and Madara were forces of nature.He was still a child with a system and dreams far bigger than his body.
But that fear didn't crush him.
It ignited him.
He needed strength, fast.The kind of monsters only this era possessed.
And he was heading toward the two greatest prodigies the world would ever know.
A perfect opportunity.
Arrival at the Riverbank
He pushed himself harder, ignoring fatigue, and reached the training grounds just in time to witness something breathtaking.
Hashirama and Madara were sparring.
No, not sparring.
Clashing like gods.
Their movements were blurs of force and precision. Each strike cracked the air. Each dodge looked effortless. Trees trembled. Dust danced around them like an aura.
Ishiki felt his lips curve slightly.
Perfect.
He inhaled, gathered chakra, and shouted:
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF!
A perfect clone appeared beside him.
Without hesitation, both Ishikis sprinted toward the duelling legends.
"HEY! CATCH THIS!"
It was reckless.It was stupid.It was utterly Ishiki.
Madara reacted first, whipping around with a powerful spinning kick that sent Ishiki flying across the clearing.
Hashirama caught the Shadow Clone's strike with one hand and gently pushed it away—
POOF!The clone vanished into smoke.
Ishiki rolled across the ground but popped up again, panting, exhilarated.
Hashirama jogged over immediately, offering a hand.
"You really are a genius," Hashirama laughed warmly. "To learn Shadow Clone Jutsu in a single day is incredible."
Ishiki grinned, wiping dirt from his cheek.
"Not just that."
He performed the hand signs smoothly,
BAM!—Body Replacement
WHISH!—Transformation
POOF!—Shadow Clone again
The three fundamental jutsus flowed effortlessly from him.
Madara narrowed his eyes… then scoffed.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Those are beginner techniques. I learned them all in a single sitting, unlike you, who needed a whole day."
Hashirama shot Madara a glare.
"Don't belittle Ishiki. Many experienced shinobi struggle with even one of these. Ishiki is learning insanely fast."
Ishiki smirked, tilting his head at Madara.
"Aww… someone sounds jealous."
Madara bristled immediately.
"I am NOT jealous!"
"Are you sure?" Ishiki teased. "I see a little twitch in your eye,"
Madara stepped forward, deadly calm.
"Perhaps you used a new tool. Some… strange gadget."
Ishiki paused.Then laughed.
"Well, since you're curious, yeah."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out the futuristic helmet.
"The Genius Helmet. It boosts comprehension enormously. Let me show you."
Both future legends stepped closer, instantly drawn in by curiosity.
Demonstrating the Genius Helmet
"How does it work?" Hashirama asked, turning the device over in his hands.
"Think of a jutsu," Ishiki explained. "Or a theory. This helmet makes your mind jump ten steps ahead."
Hashirama couldn't resist.He placed the helmet on.
His expression shifted immediately, brows knitting, eyes narrowing, mind racing faster than ever.
Then,Hand signs blurred.He slammed a palm into the ground.
BOOM!
A fully formed Wood Clone sprouted from the earth, perfectly crafted, more advanced than his earlier attempts.
Hashirama ripped the helmet off, stunned.
"It's brilliant!" he exclaimed, grabbing Ishiki's shoulders. "I've been trying to create a wood-based clone technique for months, and the moment I put this helmet on, the entire structure clicked into place!"
Madara, silent yet visibly intrigued, took the helmet next.
He concentrated.The helmet hummed.
Then he stepped forward, inhaled deeply,
"Katon: Great Fireball!"
The resulting flame was denser, hotter, and more refined than anything Ishiki had seen from him so far. Madara lowered his hand slowly.
"…This tool is no joke."
A Day of Genius
The rest of the day became a rare spectacle.
Hashirama experimented with new forms of Wood Release.Madara refined his Fire Style into razor-sharp precision.Ishiki trained alongside them, pushing his basic jutsus to the limits.
The field became a laboratory of genius, shinobi genius and technological genius meeting for the first time.
By evening, they were exhausted yet deeply satisfied.
That peace didn't last long.
Danger Approaches
Just as they were preparing to head home, both Hashirama and Madara froze.
Their eyes sharpened.
Their chakra flared.
Something was wrong.
Madara's voice cut sharply.
"Stay here."
They vanished into the trees like shadows.
For several tense minutes, Ishiki waited, heart pounding in his chest.
When they returned, their expressions were grim.
"It's a group of shinobi," Hashirama reported, tone heavy. "Around fifteen of them. Heading toward your village, fast."
"They reek of murderous intent," Madara added.
A cold dread stabbed into Ishiki.
He knew.
Immediately, instinctively,
He understood.
The ninja he spared.The one who escaped.
He had returned to his clan.And now a squad was coming for revenge.
This was the nightmare he'd feared.
This was the consequence of mercy.
Ishiki clenched his fists, his pulse thundering in his ears.
His village,His Chief,His people,
They were all in danger.
And this time…
He could not run.He could not hide.He could not rely on luck.
He had to fight.