Uchiha: Starting as Tobirama's Jinchuriki

Bang bang bang! ORZ!

Chapter 24 A Question That Pierces the Soul

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha was covered in blood after being cut open by Muramasa's blade.

His self-destructive ash-burning technique ignited a massive fire, drying the blood from his wounds. As a result, his body was covered with brownish scabs, and his once handsome and composed face now looked like that of a deserter hiding among piles of corpses on the battlefield.

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha knelt helplessly on the ground. The weakness caused by massive blood loss made his brain begin to suffocate, while the oppressive feeling from the Qing Shui brought back precious memories of his life, causing extremely realistic hallucinations to appear in his eyes.

He stood frozen on the ground, staring blankly at the blood-stained Muramasa in Qingshui's hand and the red light in his eyes.

In his eyes, Qing Shui looked exactly like the portrait that Uchiha Yatsushiro's grandfather had drawn for Uchiha Izuna.

During the Warring States period, when Uchiha Izuna disciplined troublemakers within his clan, he calmly fought and reasoned with them, conquering each disobedient clansman both physically and mentally. His strictness was convincing, leading the Uchiha clan to become increasingly united and powerful.

It was only at this moment that the Eighth Hokage of Uchiha belatedly realized what was happening.

Although Aokiji is only twelve years old at most, his physique is already that of an adult ninja.

With long arms, a slender waist, broad shoulders, and strikingly handsome features, the advantages of the Senju and Uchiha bloodlines were fully displayed on Qing Shui's body. Coupled with his bewitching Sharingan and the Muramasa still dripping blood in his hand...

Before stepping into this place, in the mind of the Eighth Hokage, Aokiji was still an immature child, but now…

Aokiji walked slowly toward Uchiha Hachiro, his face expressionless.

As Qing Shui approached, a huge sense of panic welled up in Uchiha Yatsuhoshi's heart.

If Aozumi had consistently used Tobirama Senju's fighting style, then this three-tomoe Uchiha would have been able to maintain his composure and wouldn't have lost his composure like this.

Because Tobirama Senju was the common enemy of the Uchiha clan, even if the Eighth Hokage was beaten badly, he would not show such a cowardly expression to his enemy; he still had to retain his last bit of dignity.

but…

When Aokiji's appearance suddenly resembled that of Uchiha Izuna, the whole situation changed.

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha was like a child who had done something wrong and was caught by his grandfather. Even if he was spanked and felt resentful, he could still swallow his pride and beg for forgiveness without any psychological burden.

Ultimately, this is their own business...

"Uchiha Hachiho, I'm very disappointed in you. As a renowned three-tomoe fighter in the clan, you've performed so poorly..."

As Aoshui spoke coldly, he channeled Fire Release chakra into the blade. Muramasa's excellent chakra conductivity caused the blade to ignite with fierce flames. The intense heat scorched the ground, which the blade's tip hadn't even touched, and the flames spread along Aoshui's steps.

“It’s so similar, so very similar…” Tobirama Senju exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

He had heard about what Uchiha Izuna had done in order to seize power from the Uchiha clan.

After his father, Senju Butsuma, died, Tobirama Senju even tried to emulate the essence of it. In his view, even if Izuna Uchiha were alive, he would basically follow the same procedure.

Inviting guests, beheading, taking in dogs...

The card played now is a decapitation strike—severing the head of pride in one's heart!

A sense of apprehension arose in Tobirama Senju's heart.

In the past few days, Tobirama Senju's guard has weakened somewhat because of Aoshui's attitude and actions towards Rin Nohara, Might Guy, and Ikkaku Umino. However, he does not want to see an Uchiha Izuna emerge from the Uchiha clan.

That's really too dangerous.

But it's as if it were echoing what Tobirama Senju was thinking...

A ball of water-style chakra appeared in Qing Shui's left hand, spinning violently to form a sharp, turbulent current that hummed in his hand.

This is one of Tobirama Senju's secret Water Release techniques: Hard Vortex Water Blade!

Tobirama Senju was stunned, watching this scene thoughtfully. After a long while, he curled his lip and said, "Tch... I'll continue to observe you for now, you boring brat."

And this moment.

Aokiji stood in front of Uchiha Hachigo and said indifferently, "Who I am is not important, but as someone who has betrayed the honor of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Hachigo, what do you think I should do with you?"

Aokiji glanced at Uchiha Yatsushiro's heart, his water blade spinning faster and faster. He then shifted his gaze to Yatsushiro's neck, the flame-wrapped Muramasa slowly moving towards his throat…

Uchiha Yatsuhoku swallowed hard, looking up at the man he couldn't understand at all, and said with difficulty, "I...I don't know, I don't know..."

"If you want to live, I'll tell you what to say and you'll answer." Qing Shui flicked his wrist, dispelling Muramasa's flames and the turbulent current in his hand, but he also inserted Muramasa's blade into his throat, only about a finger's width away from his trachea.

Uchiha Hachiro felt Muramasa's coldness and helplessly looked up at Aoshui's indifferent Sharingan... At this moment, he had no doubt that if Aoshui heard an unsatisfactory answer, he would definitely kill him!

"Who sent you? What is your purpose in coming here? Why did you agree?"

"Elder Setsuna forced me to come. He believes your words and presence are detrimental to the Uchiha clan's morale, so he sent me to strike at you, and also to stand up for Obito Uchiha..."

"I agreed because I think Konoha has gone too far. The restrictions and surveillance on the Uchiha clan are becoming increasingly blatant, not even giving us a sliver of a chance to become Hokage. The future of the clan is bleak, so I have no choice but to support the hawks..."

Qing Shui slowly nodded: "Hawk, what a hawk... I ask you, who is stronger, you or me?"

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha lowered his head.

"Alright...then who's stronger, me or Hiruzen Sarutobi?" Qingshui used the edge of his sword to lift his chin, raising his gaze to meet his own.

Uchiha Yatsuho pursed his lips and said honestly, "Don't underestimate the Third Hokage. He was a man known as a ninja hero."

To his surprise, Aokiji nodded in agreement: "Alright, then who is stronger, me, Shimura Danzo, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, Hatake Sakumo, or Uzumaki Mito?"

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha remained silent.

The people Qingshui mentioned were all well-known ninjas of Konoha, and one of them was even someone that the most extreme Uchiha clan was unwilling to mention.

Is Qing Shui very strong? Yes, very strong…

But not enough.

"Then let me ask you again, in the entire Uchiha clan, who is stronger than those nine people... or rather, in the Uchiha clan, who is stronger than me?"

"You say you support the hawks, but what do you have to offer in support? Your prized three-tomoe jade pendant?"

Qingshui sighed, his gaze towards Uchiha Hachiro filled with a pained disappointment.

A little plot discussion…

1) Mito Uzumaki's time of death: According to the latest Minato manga, Kushina was controlled by the Anbu after becoming the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki and sealed by a barrier, preventing her from meeting Minato. This was around her current age, a few years after graduating from the Ninja Academy...

2) The time of Sakumo Hatake's death.

The anime clearly states that Kakashi committed suicide after graduating. Minato, after becoming a Jonin, recalls, "Five years ago, Zisha..." He was probably around seven years old at the time.

The timeline of Naruto is quite confusing. The official timeline doesn't have a clear definition; it's mostly deduced from the characters' words. There are many inconsistencies in the official guidebooks.

But I understand everyone, nobody wants to watch Naruto from the shadows... but claypot rice is definitely not a cloud! QAQ

As usual, I'm asking you to continue reading!

Chapter 25 Remember this: Only I can save the Uchiha.

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha remained silent, his heart feeling as if it had sunk into an iceberg, chilled to the bone, and he could not even feel the pain in his body for the time being.

It's a very strange feeling.

Before Qing Shui questioned him about this obvious comparison of combat strength, Uchiha Yatsuho hadn't realized how obvious the gap between the two sides was—so obvious it was laughable…

Although some members of the Uchiha clan still possess the three-tomoe Sharingan, due to the Second Hokage's security department policy, most clan members lack practical combat experience in their daily training, raising questions about their combat strength.

In the thousand-year history of the Uchiha clan, it seems that only now has there been a period when not a single pair of Mangekyou Sharingan existed.

To put it bluntly, it's really not presentable... Three tomoe, no matter how powerful the eye power is, it's still just three tomoe...

Even Aokiji, who stood in front of Uchiha Hachimokuren.

The Eighth Hokage's mind raced, recalling the various three-tomoe wielders he knew: Tekka, Inahisa, Setsuna, Fugaku…

Can these Uchiha, who are even stronger than him, really defeat Qingshui so easily?

If even Qingshui couldn't be defeated, what makes the hawks of the Uchiha clan have to confront Konoha head-on? Rely on mere enthusiasm?

Tears streamed down Uchiha Hachimoku's face, whether for himself or for the Uchiha clan, he didn't know.

Aokiji, who was initially somewhat angry, couldn't help but laugh at the rather comical scene: "Uchiha Hachiho, how old are you? Why are you crying..."

"The Uchiha clan is finished. I... I have failed my grandfather, I have failed my ancestors..."

Uchiha Hachimoku's tears seemed to burst forth, a mixture of the sorrow from being brutally beaten by Aozumi that day and the deep-seated worry for his clan. He cried his heart out, looking as aggrieved as a thirty-year-old child.

"Foolish." Qing Shui slowly shook his head. "Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, could he defeat all of those people I mentioned combined? You still don't understand the basic principles of how Konoha operates..."

"If you want to change the status of the Uchiha clan, it's simple: either you have the power of Madara Uchiha, sweeping away all demons and monsters with absolute force, and ascending to the top of the ninja world."

"Either you abide by Konoha's rules and become one of them."

The Eighth Hokage lay sprawled on the ground, seemingly resigned to his fate, and said in a low voice, "How could I not understand? I understand... If you want to become Hokage, then you have to become a member of their master-disciple lineage. This is an unspoken rule of Konoha."

"Even the renowned Sakumo Hatake, no discerning person would believe he could become Hokage. That's Konoha for you. So what can we, the Uchiha clan, do?"

"Don't even mention the Hokage position, even a position as the Hokage's assistant or advisor would be good enough. Doesn't our Uchiha clan deserve a high-ranking position in Konoha? We are the core of the village's founding!"

In his final words, the Eighth Hokage of Uchiha revealed his true feelings, which also reflected the sentiments of most members of the Uchiha clan.

They weren't unaware that the Uchiha clan was essentially incapable of becoming Hokage, but wasn't a high-ranking position worthy of them? The problem was, the requirements for being an advisor were practically the same as those for being Hokage; you had to be part of the Hokage's master-disciple system…

This is the so-called core power circle, and the Uchiha clan is clearly not in this system.

This sense of despair caused many members of the Uchiha clan to lose hope, and they gradually began to selectively ignore the gap in combat strength, using a so-called tough hawkish stance to mask their panicked inner state.

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha is a typical example of this.

Qingshui looked down at the tearful Uchiha Yatsuho, shook his head: "You see it all very clearly, so how could you do something so foolish..."

“I had no choice but to do this because I understood it clearly,” Uchiha Yatsuho replied, his voice trembling with sobs.

"You still don't understand. The reason you're in despair is because no Uchiha clan member has been incorporated into the Hokage's master-disciple system. Before I appeared, your thinking might have made some sense..."

"But now that I've shown up, do you think I'll get this opportunity?"

Uchiha Yatsuhoku's crying abruptly stopped: "Eh..."

An Uchiha who uses the Will of Fire as his trademark, openly criticizes the Sharingan, is kind to ordinary ninjas, and even received the Third Hokage's attention while still at the Ninja Academy...

Most importantly, Qing Shui is a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, his direct grandson!

If we were to force a conclusion, Qingshui was born into the Hokage master-disciple lineage system, possessing the most reliable blood relation.

Uchiha Hachimoku stared blankly at Aoshimizu. Aoshimizu's past actions seemed to have been electrified in his mind, and every move now seemed to contain too many profound meanings.

He could no longer see through Aoshui, just as he couldn't distinguish whether the Aoshui in his illusion was Uchiha Izuna or Senju Tobirama...