"As Hokage, I have to consider the bigger picture."
"So I hope Lord Izuna can understand."
Uchiha Ren made his position clear.
For Konoha's sake, his bottom line was extremely flexible.
If Senju Tobirama could create greater value for the village, then Uchiha Ren could only ask Uchiha Izuna to make a small sacrifice.
"I understand."
Uchiha Izuna looked at Uchiha Ren and nodded.
As the former second-in-command of the Uchiha Clan—
Or, in practice, its true decision-maker—
He could understand Uchiha Ren's actions.
For the clan's long-term interests, sometimes certain individuals had to be sacrificed.
He had made similar choices before.
To complete missions for employers, he had occasionally sent clan members on assignments from which they were almost certain not to return.
Understanding was one thing.
Hating it was another!
After all—
The person being sacrificed now was him!
To hell with the bigger picture!
He wasn't even included in that picture!
Uchiha Izuna still despised Uchiha Ren's decision.
He wanted nothing more than to punch Ren in the face and teach him what it meant to respect his elders.
Unfortunately—
When standing beneath another person's roof, one had no choice but to lower one's head.
Uchiha Izuna decided to swallow his anger for now.
Once an opportunity appeared in the future, he would repay this humiliation many times over.
Then he turned his gaze toward Senju Tobirama.
That naturally evil Senju was still standing there, laughing at his misfortune!
"If I make a greater contribution than Senju Tobirama…"
"Will I also be able to obtain control over his body?"
"And do whatever I want with him?"
Uchiha Izuna redirected all his hostility toward Senju Tobirama.
After his death, his elder brother had suffered so much humiliation.
He had been pushed aside by Tobirama and lost the opportunity to become the Second Hokage.
Later, he defected from Konoha, became an avenger, and was ultimately killed.
At the root of it all—
It was Senju Tobirama's fault!
There was his elder brother's grudge.
And there was Izuna's own.
This hatred stretched endlessly.
He would settle every last account!
Uchiha Ren remained silent.
He merely glanced calmly at Uchiha Izuna.
Senju Tobirama had been standing nearby, enjoying the prospect of watching two irritating Uchiha tear into each other.
He had never expected Izuna to suddenly turn the spear toward him.
Worse still—
Izuna wanted to defeat him in the field of research, the area in which Tobirama took the greatest pride.
Senju Tobirama immediately burst into laughter.
He began mocking Uchiha Izuna without hesitation.
"Hmph. Defeated loser!"
"Do you even understand what research is?"
"Can you even write the word?"
"And you still dare boast so shamelessly!"
"Shut up!"
"I merely never bothered studying those strange experiments."
"Do you think that means I'm incapable?"
"I possess the Sharingan!"
"The Sharingan?"
"Who was it that activated the Sharingan and still got cut down by me with one strike?"
"Research requires a brain."
"Do you have one?"
"You and Uchiha Madara are nothing more than reckless brutes!"
"Neither of you belongs anywhere near serious work!"
"Go to hell!"
Uchiha Izuna and Senju Tobirama began arguing furiously again.
However, with Uchiha Ren standing beside them, both rationally refrained from attacking.
They merely continued belittling each other without pause.
Unfortunately—
Uchiha Izuna remained at a disadvantage.
After all, he had once been defeated by Senju Tobirama.
How pitiful.
Tobirama's insults left him unable to raise his head.
Since neither man appeared ready to fight, Uchiha Ren did not interrupt their argument.
Instead, he stood to the side and watched their "war" with great interest.
At the same time, a question appeared in his mind.
Did Uchiha Izuna possess talent for scientific research?
According to their established roles—
Uchiha Izuna and Senju Tobirama had both served as their elder brothers' deputies.
Both were strategist-commanders.
Their intelligence and natural talent should have been roughly equal.
The difference was that the Uchiha Clan relied heavily on the Sharingan.
Most ninjutsu and taijutsu could be learned after observing them only once.
Uchiha Izuna had even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He possessed two powerful dojutsu abilities and the towering Susanoo.
Why would he ever waste time on research experiments or developing strange forbidden techniques merely to increase his combat power?
Senju Tobirama, meanwhile, had also been born into an ancient bloodline clan—
The Senju Clan.
But even the Senju could not compare to an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Tobirama had therefore taken another path.
He had "taken shortcuts" through ninjutsu, developing countless techniques to increase his strength.
Perhaps—
Uchiha Izuna was also a research genius comparable to Senju Tobirama.
"Tobirama, since Lord Izuna wants to contribute to Konoha…"
"And wants to establish himself in the field of research…"
"You should support him!"
Uchiha Ren decided to cast the line first and see whether anything bit.
Either way, he had nothing to lose.
"Hey, Uchiha Ren!"
"You actually believe Uchiha Izuna's nonsense?"
"He understands research?"
"Does he possess the necessary knowledge?"
"Does he even know—"
Senju Tobirama began reciting technical terms as rapidly as though he were reading a menu.
Some of them were even concepts he had invented himself.
Uchiha Ren did not understand them.
Neither did Uchiha Izuna.
"Enough!"
"If Lord Izuna doesn't know, you can teach him."
"Or are you afraid?"
"Afraid that once Lord Izuna learns, his research ability will surpass yours?"
Uchiha Ren used a small trick.
Directly asking Senju Tobirama to teach Uchiha Izuna would never work.
The best method was provocation.
"Hmph. Afraid of him?"
"Teaching an idiot is an enormous waste of time."
"I could mercifully instruct him a little."
"But aren't you worried that he'll slow down my research?"
"When progress drops and I fail to submit the required number of results, you'll start nagging beside my ear again."
"Will you accept responsibility for that?"
Senju Tobirama immediately saw through Uchiha Ren's little trick.
He brought up the research progress Ren constantly obsessed over.
"Hmm…"
Uchiha Ren felt somewhat helpless.
It wasn't that he feared the research schedule would slow down.
The problem was that once he agreed to take responsibility, Tobirama would gain another excuse to conceal research results.
In the end, he might even turn around and push all the blame onto Uchiha Ren.
"Descendant, you have to believe me!"
"I am no worse than Senju Tobirama."
"If he can do it, then so can I!"
Seeing Uchiha Ren hesitate, Uchiha Izuna immediately stepped forward to speak for himself.
"Hmm…"
"Fine."
"I'll accept responsibility."
"We'll conduct a two-month trial."
"For the next two months, Uchiha Izuna will study under you."
"I can reduce your performance requirements appropriately."
"Of course—"
"You must teach him sincerely."
"Just as you teach Orochimaru."
"You are not allowed to hide anything."
Uchiha Ren decided to gamble.
He hoped Uchiha Izuna would not disappoint him.
"Hmph."
"Teaching an idiot is nothing but a waste of time."
When Senju Tobirama saw Uchiha Ren accept responsibility, regret appeared in his heart.
Had he known, he would have refused outright.
Why would he willingly teach Uchiha Izuna the knowledge he had painstakingly discovered and accumulated piece by piece?
Knowledge was extremely precious in the ninja world!
But they had already spoken this far.
If he refused now and tried to go back on his words, Uchiha Ren would definitely mock him for being afraid.
Still—
Senju Tobirama did not take Uchiha Izuna seriously.
A reckless brute who only knew how to use the Sharingan wanted to defeat him in scientific research?
It was nothing more than a foolish dream.
Though the arrangement was not entirely without benefits.
"And one more thing, defeated loser."
"If you're going to study under me, shouldn't you call me Teacher?"
Senju Tobirama walked proudly in front of Uchiha Izuna and spoke with overwhelming arrogance.
"Keep dreaming!"
"Hmph!"
"I'm merely using you as a stepping stone."
"You think you're qualified to become my teacher?"
"You?"
"If Uchiha Ren hadn't begged me, you wouldn't even be qualified to become my student's student!"
"You're nothing more than a defeated loser!"
"…"
"All right, all right."
"Stop arguing."
Uchiha Ren stepped forward to mediate.
Once these two old men started arguing, it never ended.
"Lord Izuna, I'll prepare a new body for you shortly."
"Then I'll teach you the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
"You should be able to create close to a hundred clones, just like Senju Tobirama."
"For the next two months, you will study behind him twenty-four hours a day without interruption."
"Not a single moment can be wasted."
As Uchiha Izuna listened, he gradually sensed something was wrong.
Dozens of clones?
Studying twenty-four hours a day without stopping?
No rest at all?
"Descendant, although I never learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, I know the Shadow Clone Technique."
"I remember that abusing this type of technique causes serious problems for the body."
"I know."
"It can cause severe exhaustion and sudden death."
"But you're already dead."
"What are you afraid of?"
Uchiha Ren spoke as though it were perfectly natural.
That almost sounded reasonable.
No.
It wasn't reasonable at all!
He clearly wanted to work Izuna like a beast of burden!
"Not even a little rest?"
"I can't sleep?"
"Shouldn't studying require a balance between work and rest?"
Before Uchiha Ren could respond, Senju Tobirama spoke from the side with obvious delight.
"Sleep?"
"Why would a dead man need sleep?"
"That would be a complete waste of time!"
Uchiha Ren nodded deeply in agreement.
As expected!
Under the influence of his noble moral character, Senju Tobirama's awareness had risen by more than one level.
"Shut up!"
"Can you really study twenty-four hours a day without interruption?"
Seeing Senju Tobirama's gloating expression, Uchiha Izuna instinctively assumed Tobirama was trying to harm him again.
"Hmph. Defeated loser."
"This is my daily life."
"Dozens of clones working twenty-four hours a day without interruption."
"Of course—"
"It will also be your life from now on."
Senju Tobirama's expression became complicated.
He almost wanted to cry.
Uchiha Izuna looked at Senju Tobirama.
Then he looked at Uchiha Ren.
In only an instant, he was stunned by Tobirama's horrifying workload.
It seemed he had fallen into an enormous pit.
But if he retreated now—
Then what did all his earlier words amount to?
Wouldn't he become a complete clown?
"Lord Izuna, I have great expectations for you!"
"Senju Tobirama has a student named Orochimaru."
"Although Orochimaru possesses exceptional talent, he is still limited by being alive."
"He needs sleep."
"He needs rest."
"And he cannot use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to accelerate his learning."
"Because of that, his progress has been somewhat slow."
"He has already studied under Senju Tobirama for several years, yet only now can he handle projects independently."
"But you are different."
"You can create nearly a hundred clones and study twenty-four hours a day without interruption."
"If your talent is no worse than Senju Tobirama's, then you should need only a short time to establish yourself in the field of research!"
Uchiha Ren looked at Uchiha Izuna and explained his expectations.
If Izuna truly possessed scientific talent comparable to Senju Tobirama's—
Then Uchiha Ren would have profited enormously!
Two nuclear-powered donkeys working for him.
Wouldn't the number of research results skyrocket?
Double the happiness!
More importantly—
Those two nuclear-powered donkeys hated each other.
With only a few small tricks, Uchiha Ren could make them compete against each other endlessly.
Until they worked themselves to death—
No.
They were already dead!
They could not be worked to death at all!
"Lord Izuna, you won't disappoint me, will you?"
Uchiha Ren looked sincerely at Uchiha Izuna and spoke slowly.
"Mm…"
"Don't worry, descendant."
"I won't disappoint you!"
Uchiha Izuna swallowed hard.
In the end, he could only nod helplessly.
He had chosen this path himself.
Even if his teeth shattered, he had to continue walking forward.
Senju Tobirama was still standing beside him.
Izuna absolutely could not allow Tobirama to look down on him.
"Excellent, Lord Izuna!"
"Then I wish you success!"
Uchiha Ren nodded and began preparing a new body for Uchiha Izuna.
Naturally—
Just as he had done with Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Ren placed a large number of commands upon Izuna.
He also added a special command forbidding the use of force inside the laboratory.
To prevent Uchiha Izuna from secretly escaping and causing some terrifying disaster—
Uchiha Ren quietly pulled Senju Tobirama aside.
He intended to have Tobirama watch Izuna.
"Tobirama, I'll also leave the task of guarding Uchiha Izuna to you."
"He'll be following behind you and studying twenty-four hours a day from now on."
"So no one is more suitable for the task."
"Hmph."
"You really know how to order me around."
"I can't escape."
"What makes you think a mere Uchiha Izuna can?"
"There's no harm in being cautious."
"If you had been more careful back then, you wouldn't have been ambushed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku."
"Shut up!"
"Stop bringing up the most painful subject every time!"
Senju Tobirama became furious.
Why did Uchiha Ren constantly cling to his darkest history?
That damned Kumogakure!
If not for them, he never would have fallen to his current state!
Senju Tobirama began muttering bitterly in his heart.
"I'm only reminding you to reflect upon your mistakes."
"You must never lower your guard."
"Don't forget—"
"Uchiha Madara is still living out his retirement in Konoha."
"If he happens to see Uchiha Izuna walking around the village…"
"The consequences would be terrifying."
Uchiha Ren emphasized Uchiha Madara's existence.
If that old man saw that Uchiha Izuna had been resurrected through the Impure World Reincarnation—
And discovered that the soul of his beloved younger brother was being manipulated after death—
Madara would definitely erupt and start cutting people down.
Uchiha Ren had no desire to be chased by a Buddha statue covered in Susanoo.
"I understand."
"Don't worry."
Senju Tobirama nodded.
This matter concerned Konoha's safety.
Although he spoke as though he didn't care, Tobirama would never truly lower his guard.
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