Within the Uchiha Clan Compound in Konoha Village, Uchiha Kaede's extraordinary strength displayed during the clan competition garnered the clan's attention.
The clan members looked at him with increased anticipation, and the Great Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, called him over immediately after the competition to thoroughly recount the glorious history of the Uchiha.
On this day, sunlight filtered through the lush branches and leaves of the Uchiha Clan Compound, casting dappled shadows.
Uchiha Kaede was quietly cultivating in a secluded courtyard within the clan, pondering how to further improve his Ninjutsu mastery.
Suddenly, a clan messenger rushed over, bowed respectfully, and said, "Lord Uchiha Kaede, the Great Elder requests your immediate presence at the clan training ground."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Kaede inwardly thought, 'Here it comes,' but his expression remained calm. He merely nodded slightly, then calmly stood up, tidied his clothes, and unhurriedly walked towards the training ground.
The training ground was located deep within the clan compound, usually only accessible to high-ranking members like the Clan Head for training. When Uchiha Kaede arrived at the venue, he took a deep breath, calmed his breathing, and then respectfully walked towards the Great Elder.
"You're here," Uchiha Setsuna's low, authoritative voice came before he had even walked halfway.
"Great Elder, thank you for your guidance," Uchiha Kaede said calmly after bowing respectfully.
Uchiha Setsuna stood up, gazed at the clan compound, and after a moment, said, "Kaede, since I promised to teach you Ninjutsu, how could I go back on my word? You are another hero of the family. I hope you remember that you are a member of the Uchiha Clan and will contribute to the glory of the Uchiha Clan."
A hint of joy flashed in Uchiha Kaede's eyes, but it quickly returned to its usual calm.
He bowed respectfully again and said firmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Great Elder. Kaede will do his utmost and live up to the expectations of the family and the Great Elder."
"Mm, first tell me, what are your Chakra natures?"
"Lightning and Fire." Kaede had known his attributes for a long time. Just like the Second Pillar in the original work, these were the two most ostentatious attributes.
"Oh, coincidentally, I also have these two attributes, so I can demonstrate them directly to you." Uchiha Setsuna nodded slightly, showing no surprise, and his expression became serious.
He turned and walked with Kaede to the edge of the training ground, his back to Uchiha Kaede, and began to form hand seals quickly. He chanted, "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
In an instant, a surging, immense flame erupted from his mouth, like a roaring fire dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it surged forward.
The scale of the flames was enormous, and the scorching heat instantly distorted the surrounding air. Wherever it passed, the ground was scorched black, and even the nearby trees had their leaves withered and curled by the heatwave.
"This is Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation, one of the classic Fire Release Ninjutsu of our Uchiha Clan, with powerful destructive force. It requires condensing a large amount of fire-nature Chakra and precisely controlling the force and direction of its eruption to unleash its maximum power. Watch closely." Uchiha Setsuna explained the key points in detail as he performed it again.
His gaze remained fixed on Uchiha Kaede, as if to convey the essence of this Ninjutsu through his eyes.
Kaede also watched this technique with great interest. He was very familiar with it; this was the powerful Fire Release that Uchiha Madara would use in the Fourth Great Ninja War, a single move that required a squad of Water Release users to block.
It was just that the power displayed by the Great Elder was far inferior to Madara's, perhaps because he was holding back.
Uchiha Kaede focused intently on every movement of the Great Elder, firmly imprinting the hand seals, the flow of Chakra, and the key points during release into his mind. His gaze was focused and calm, without any impatience or panic.
Next, Uchiha Setsuna demonstrated another A-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Blazing Inferno Shark Dance!" After completing the hand seals, fire-nature Chakra rapidly condensed in the air in front of the Great Elder, forming huge, shark-like fireballs. These fireballs burned fiercely, as if alive, and whistled towards the distance.
Each fireball that landed caused a violent explosion, with flames soaring into the sky, blasting large craters into the ground, and sending surrounding earth and stones flying.
"For this Fire Release: Blazing Inferno Shark Dance, the key is to shape the fire-nature Chakra into the form of shark bombs and imbue them with powerful explosive force.
In actual combat, you must flexibly adjust the launch direction and sequence of the shark bombs according to the enemy's position and movements. You must carefully understand the use of Chakra within it." Uchiha Setsuna explained patiently, his eyes revealing his expectations for Uchiha Kaede.
Afterward, Uchiha Setsuna demonstrated an A-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Fang!" The Great Elder quickly formed hand seals, and instantly, strands of blue electricity wrapped around his hands. These currents continuously jumped and flickered, emitting crackling sounds.
Immediately after, Uchiha Setsuna violently swung his hands forward, and two thick bolts of lightning shot out from his hands, like two blue giant pythons, rushing towards the distance.
Wherever the lightning passed, the air was ionized, emitting a pungent ozone smell, and once it hit a target, it would cause a strong explosion, shattering the target.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Fang, this is one of the more powerful Lightning Release Ninjutsu of our Uchiha Clan. Performing this technique requires strong control over lightning-nature Chakra, to stably gather the current on your hands, and to precisely control the direction and power of the lightning bolts. You must thoroughly grasp its secrets," Uchiha Setsuna solemnly instructed.
Uchiha Kaede deeply understood the preciousness and power of these Ninjutsu. In the following days, he dedicated most of his time to cultivating these A-rank Ninjutsu.
Although he previously had ample Chakra, his offensive methods were too few. These several Ninjutsu could greatly compensate for his shortcomings.
So every morning, he would arrive early at the clan's training ground. In an undisturbed environment, he would quietly cultivate, repeatedly practicing hand seals, carefully feeling the flow of Chakra, and attempting to release Ninjutsu again and again. Even when he failed, his expression remained calm; he would simply analyze the reasons silently, adjust his state, and continue cultivating.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage Office in Konoha Village, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, holding an intelligence document from the Hidden Sand Village in the Land of Wind, his brows furrowed.
At this moment, Danzo walked in and said unceremoniously, "Hiruzen, you know about Uchiha Kaede, right?"
"Hm? What about him?" Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't look up.
"I heard he once harmed a teammate during a mission. Such a person would be safer entrusted to Root."
"Danzo, the Uchiha are also members of Konoha, and Uchiha Kaede is already a Ninja. He cannot be handed over to you."
"If you don't let me handle such an unsettling factor, you'll regret it!"
"Danzo, I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen slammed the table, rebuking him.
"Bang!" Danzo slammed the door and left.
Hiruzen Sarutobi could not possibly agree to Danzo taking an Uchiha at this point in time. Danzo's approach to the Uchiha was different from other Ninja clans; for other clans, he would train them to join Root, but for the Uchiha, Danzo would likely kill them and take their eyes directly.
After Danzo left, Hiruzen looked at the intelligence report with a headache again. It was just a report about internal unrest in the Land of Wind, but he was struggling with whom to send to investigate the details.
The crucial point was that Konoha Village was currently experiencing a decline in talent, and Shisui had died a few days ago.
For a moment, he couldn't find a Ninja who could go to Hidden Sand Village; ordinary Ninja wouldn't be able to withdraw safely.
This was unimaginable before; the mighty greatest Ninja village now had no one to spare.
He looked at the information about Uchiha Kaede on his desk again, and suddenly an idea sparked in his mind: why not send him? But only him?
Who else had this strength? As for Danzo's side, he wouldn't send anyone.
At this moment, he thought of a Ninja who had once been in Root: Kakashi Hatake!
Subsequently, the Third Hokage issued an order for the messenger Ninja to notify Uchiha Kaede and Kakashi to come to the Hokage Office.
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