In the void, Arisu opened his eyes again.
Three years of letting things run their course had come to an end. It was time to die.
Arisu's gaze fell on the black-haired young man at the Uchiha clan training ground, personally instructing the clan members in their training.
Uchiha Izuna.
No, the transmigrator who had taken over that body.
Over these three years, this guy had indeed made quite a name for himself.
His prestige had broken into four digits, his influence within the clan had risen sharply, and even some of the elders had begun privately discussing, "Lord Izuna's strength may already be no weaker than the clan leader's."
The precision of his Sharingan, his chakra control, and the fusion of Fire Release and taijutsu had all been honed to an almost abnormal level.
More troublesome was that he seemed to have exchanged quite a few fragments of ninjutsu through the system that should not have appeared in this era. Although he had yet to publicly use anything high-level, the hidden danger had already been planted.
If he continued developing, many ninjutsu that should not exist in this era would appear one after another.
For example, Raikiri and Chidori.
"Sigh...", Arisu let out a soft sigh.
"If I don't do something now, things really will get out of hand."
Arisu muttered under his breath, a trace of weariness in his voice.
The original plot had to be maintained.
Izuna had to die.
And he had to die at the hands of Senju Tobirama. His eyes had to be left for Madara. Madara had to completely collapse after losing his only family member, driven by hatred and despair onto that path.
Any ending where Izuna survived, or where Madara's state of mind deviated from the original plot, was not allowed.
———
[Uchiha Clan Grounds, Clan Leader's Residence]
Madara had just finished dealing with a batch of battle reports sent from the front line, his brows tightly furrowed.
Over these three years, the conflict between the two clans had never truly stopped.
Although there had been no large-scale decisive battle like the one in the river valley three years ago, small-scale clashes, struggles over supplies, and border conflicts occurred almost every month.
Hashirama still occasionally sent people to convey messages, trying to push for peace talks, while Madara coldly refused every time.
The reason was simple: Izuna did not agree.
And every reason Izuna gave was logically sound and struck directly at the key points, leaving Madara with no room to refute him.
"Nii-san."
The door was gently pushed open, and Izuna walked in.
"There is news from the front line again."
"It seems the Senju are gathering their forces. Tobirama is personally stationed in the eastern valley. Several elders in the clan suggest that while they haven't completely prepared yet, we should strike first."
Izuna placed a scroll on the table.
Madara looked up at him and remained silent for two seconds.
"What do you think?", Madara asked.
Izuna did not answer immediately.
Actually, Izuna wanted to fight, because he had already reached the limit of farming prestige within the clan.
After all, there were only so many Uchiha. Relying on those small favors to farm prestige was too slow, and it was nowhere near enough to unlock new ninjutsu.
So Izuna needed a major war! One that would allow him to gain a huge amount of prestige.
Izuna walked to the window and looked at the clan members training outside. His voice was calm. "Fighting now is beneficial to us. The cultivation methods I've organized over these three years are already beginning to show results."
"The basic ninjutsu proficiency of ordinary clan members is at least thirty percent higher than it was three years ago, and our food reserves are enough to support a large-scale battle."
"And..."
Izuna paused, then turned around and looked directly at Madara.
"Tobirama seems to be researching some new technique lately. If we let him continue his research, I'm afraid he'll become a major problem."
Izuna himself was also afraid that Senju Tobirama might develop some forbidden technique.
After all, in the original story, he was killed by Tobirama. Izuna was worried that the world's power of correction might somehow kill him for no reason.
Madara's brows moved slightly.
"Are you sure?" Madara asked.
"Not sure." Izuna shook his head. "But my instincts tell me we can't delay any longer."
Madara remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.
"Then we'll fight."
———
In the void, the corners of Arisu's mouth lifted slightly.
"Good. He came to me himself."
Arisu nodded slightly.
———
[Elsewhere, Senju Clan Grounds, Tobirama's Underground Laboratory]
Tobirama had indeed been working on perfecting the marking and teleportation precision of the Flying Thunder God lately.
After Izuna had exposed it to his face three years ago, he had devoted almost all the time he could spare to this research.
The technique, which originally needed at least another five to seven years before it could become practically usable, had reached the threshold of actual combat application ahead of schedule under his almost obsessive research.
Only one final complete test remained.
Just then, the mark in Tobirama's hand suddenly stabilized.
Tobirama froze for a moment, then a hint of delight flashed through his eyes.
"It worked..."
———
[Half a Month Later]
[An Uninhabited Canyon]
The elite forces of the Uchiha and Senju faced each other once again.
This time, neither side wasted any words.
Madara and Hashirama charged toward each other almost at the same time. The Mangekyo and Wood Release collided in an instant, kicking up clouds of dust.
On the flank, Izuna and Tobirama faced each other once again.
Three years had passed, and both sides had changed.
Izuna's swordsmanship was heavier and steadier, while the predictive ability of his Sharingan had almost reached a suffocating level.
Tobirama, meanwhile, had become even more gloomy.
The Flying Thunder God's mark could now be used stably over short distances.
Although it was still far from the level it would eventually reach, where distance was practically irrelevant, it was already enough for him to escape from desperate situations repeatedly in close combat.
The two had exchanged no more than fifty moves when the battlefield around them had already been completely torn apart.
"You've gotten stronger."
Tobirama said in a low voice as the blade of his sword clashed with Izuna's again, sending sparks flying.
Izuna gave a cold laugh without answering.
He knew very well that his current strength had already surpassed his own level from three years ago, and in some aspects, he was even approaching Madara.
If he were given a little more time, and could exchange for higher-level abilities through the system, he could completely change the situation in this war.
However, he did not notice that Arisu had already been silently watching all of this.
Just then, Izuna suddenly felt his body stiffen.
His entire body slowed for several seconds.
But when fighting an opponent at Tobirama's level, that was already enough.
It was this instant of distraction.
Tobirama's Flying Thunder God mark lit up instantly.
The next second, Tobirama's figure disappeared from its original position and appeared less than half a foot behind Izuna's side.
His blade had already thrust out.
Izuna's Sharingan caught the danger, and his body turned almost instinctively.
But that slight stagnation in his chakra caused his movements to slow by a tenth of a second.
The blade failed to completely miss.
It pierced deeply into Izuna from beneath his left ribs, passing through his lung and nearly scraping past his heart.
"...!"
Izuna's vision suddenly went black, and blood surged from the corner of his mouth.
Tobirama gave him no chance.
He pulled out his sword, his figure disappearing again, and his next strike went straight for Izuna's neck.
Izuna used the last of his strength to turn his head. The blade swept past beside his left eye, leaving a line of blood.
His entire body fell backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.
In the distance, Madara's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Izuna!"
Madara almost instantly abandoned his clash with Hashirama and turned into a blur as he rushed toward the flank.
Hashirama was stunned as well.