I have a bunch of relatives who want to become Hokage.

He unleashed another shuriken, completing the hand seal with one hand.

Fire Release: Red Phoenix Claw!

The air in front of Obito Uchiha was ignited by the flames of Fire Release: Fire Release. The flames wrapped around each shuriken, and as the shuriken spun, they turned an extremely dangerous color, like petals falling from all directions and attacking Obito Uchiha.

"A boring trick." Obito Uchiha's pupils widened, and space itself seemed to distort.

The flames and shuriken were swallowed up by the swirling, twisting space, leaving nothing in front of Obito Uchiha.

The gleaming blade was aimed directly at the mask.

He sneered inwardly, but Obito Uchiha did not continue to use his eye technique to nullify it. Instead, he sprouted wooden branches from his body and stabbed at Shingen Uchiha.

The speed of the wooden branch was undeniably fast, but Uchiha Shingen's speed seemed even faster; before the branch even reached him, his figure had already vanished.

The blade struck again from the blind spot, and a sturdy tree trunk replaced Obito, being sliced ​​into several pieces by the blade imbued with wind-style energy.

The earth rumbled, the soil was ripped up, and thorny, strangely shaped trees burst forth from the ground, spiraling upwards. Uchiha Obito stood atop the thorny forest, coldly watching Uchiha Shingen, who had been drawn into the strangulation range.

[Alright, kill them!]

Jue, who was far away, silently gave a thumbs up in his mind.

Then it saw Uchiha Shingen glance in this direction from afar.

The next second, the kodachi slashed upwards, cutting it in two.

With half its body flying in mid-air, Zetsu saw a shuriken that had somehow gotten stuck where it was standing.

It seems like... it was when those two were throwing shuriken at each other earlier?

It saw a familiar mark fading from the shuriken and immediately understood.

[Damn it! This guy actually learned Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God Technique!?]

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Bold Idea

Using the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape the strangulation range of Wood Release, and incidentally slashing Zetsu, Uchiha Shingen looked at the thorny forest chasing after him, quickly forming hand seals, puffing out his cheeks, and opening his mouth.

Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation Arrow.

The chakra spewed from his mouth formed an exaggeratedly large arrow-shaped flame that swept away everything in its path. The vast sea of ​​fire recklessly engulfed everything. The originally ferocious forest was powerless against this cataclysmic power. The earth was burning, and one raging wave of fire after another appeared, baring its fangs and claws as if it wanted to swallow the sky as well.

This once again proves that the power of Wood Release has nothing to do with the power of Wood Release itself.

[How...how is this guy so strong?]

The creature, which had already fallen to the ground with a "plop," hadn't even gotten up yet. Looking at the towering sea of ​​fire in front of it, it suddenly had a bold idea.

Uchiha Shingen had already formed hand seals again.

The Sharingan was fixed on the unharmed figure amidst the raging inferno.

The earth began to churn again.

Countless ice blades tore through the soil, soaring into the sky to form towering glaciers. The cold air extinguished the flames, and a "crackling" sound echoed in the air—the sound of the earth's remains being frozen.

[His Ice Release has surpassed that of the Snow Clan...]

Feeling the chill emanating from the earth, he was absolutely certain that based solely on this temperature and attack range, Uchiha Shingen's Ice Release was superior to that of the so-called Snow Clan.

In Zetsu's memory, even some Uchiha ninjas in history who possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan probably couldn't defeat the current Uchiha Shingen.

Another Tobirama Senju?

Zetsu's age is longer than the history of ninjas. Starting from the time when Hagoromo Otsutsuki established the Ninshu sect, Zetsu witnessed the vitality that chakra energy could unleash in the hands of humans. He had to admit that the potential of humans is limitless.

By the late Warring States period, ninjas, having evolved over a thousand years, had become thorough weapons of war. Each ninja clan had reached a stage where their ability to develop ninjutsu had reached its peak. During this period, new ninjutsu would emerge every year, with all sorts of ninjutsu appearing one after another.

But before Hashirama Senju appeared, the Mangekyou Sharingan of the Uchiha clan still stood at the highest point.

Only those with the Mangekyou Sharingan are true Uchiha. Without the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan, the Uchiha might not be much stronger than other ninja clans.

However, a thousand years of time eventually gave birth to a ninja prodigy who stood at the same level with pure talent, making Zetsu remember him.

That person's name is Tobirama Senju.

Back then, everyone was frantically developing ninjutsu, but Tobirama Senju's style was a little different.

His painting style is called—prolific like a sow!

Finally, this prolific ninja master achieved an astonishing feat.

Despite lacking the chakra of Indra or Ashura, he defeated the Mangekyou Sharingan in a direct confrontation.

No one but Senju, the reincarnation of Ashura, has ever accomplished this. At that moment, Tobirama Senju not only surpassed his own identity but also that of a large number of reincarnations of Indra and Ashura throughout history.

After all, not every reincarnation is outstanding, and those who are so powerful that the entire ninja world simply sits down to watch the two-person show are few and far between.

Now, Zetsu sees a similar possibility to Tobirama Senju in Shingen Uchiha.

It wasn't talent, but potential. Shingen Uchiha's ability to develop ninjutsu couldn't compare to Tobirama Senju's. It was the Uchiha's exaggerated mastery of ninjutsu at his age that allowed him to see another possibility.

Although it's only a possibility, it's worth a try.

The tip of the knife was pressed against Liao Jue's face.

It didn't care about that, since it couldn't kill it anyway.

[This is really troublesome...the Uchiha clan.]

Sensing the power within the other's body—power that, while not exceptionally strong, shouldn't exist in an Uchiha—Zetsu raised his head, looking at this Uchiha boy who, despite only possessing three tomoe, was excessively powerful.

Ninjas can also distinguish the chakra of different individuals, but in this respect, no one is as talented as Zetsu.

In its eyes, no two chakras in this world are the same; chakra, like the soul, is a unique part belonging to each person.

"You practice Yang Escape?" it asked.

"Can't the Uchiha clan train Yang Release?" Uchiha Shingen asked rhetorically, looking at the ancient treasure beneath his feet.

After Hashirama Senju's death, the old actor standing beneath his feet is the world's greatest treasure trove of Yang Release techniques.

Moreover, acting has become an instinct, and it's acting all the time. Just like now, even though it could have escaped when it landed, it insists on acting, putting on a show as if it's been captured.

The most veteran actor from Naruto took to the stage to invite someone to perform, and Uchiha Shingen gladly accepted.

"Kid, you've learned the Fourth Hokage's technique?" Obito Uchiha appeared on the side, seemingly unharmed, but his gaze was hostile.

“It’s the second generation, not the fourth.” Uchiha Shingen sheathed his sword. “There’s still a difference. After all, I don’t have the core inheritance of the Uzumaki clan. Also, it’s about time we took off our masks and had a proper chat.”

"Are you really concerned about that person named 'Obito'?" Uchiha Obito remained unmoved. "I guess he must be dead. It seems you don't have the talent to awaken the 'Mangekyou Sharingan'; you're just a piece of trash."

Uchiha Shingen noticed that Obito seemed to be steer the conversation in that direction.

This version of Obito Uchiha has a very different art style from the mastermind behind the scenes in the original timeline.

But that's understandable, since he had only recently inherited Madara Uchiha's legacy and was still quite young.

The Hidden Mist Village of the future is the place where he can truly hone his skills.

Turning to the dark side changes one's mindset; it doesn't create new experiences or temper one's spirit.

However, Uchiha Shingen still had a trick up his sleeve. After all, they had all grown up together, and everyone knew each other well.

As if remembering something, he said to Obito Uchiha, "By the way, before coming to the Land of Rain, I visited your house. Your grandmother made me osmanthus cake. Would you like to go back and eat it?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Obito Uchiha roared in fury. "My grandmother passed away last year!"

A thunderclap resounded through the sky.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, rain fell, and a layer of white mist rose from the distant glacier.

In the rain, the two Uchiha and Zetsu fell silent, and the scene was completely quiet.

Obito Uchiha: "..."

Uchiha Shingen: "..."

Zetsu stared at Obito Uchiha with disbelief, his heart filled with a thousand words, yet he didn't know what to say at this moment.

Is it too late for him to replace him?

After a while, thunder rumbled in the sky again.

The rain was getting heavier.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: After My Identity Was Exposed

Then, with flashes of lightning and thunder, the rain grew heavier and heavier, as dense as a waterfall, and was blown by the wind into the form of smoke and mist.

Raindrops the size of marbles pelted the three of them.

"I said Obito." Uchiha Shingen wiped his face and urged with a dark expression, "Hurry up, use Earth Release to block it first."

Obito Uchiha didn't reply, but he still used Earth Release: Earth Release.

The raised earthen walls were pieced together to form a large earthen cover, blocking the rainwater from the sky.

Then, he took off his mask.

Although he was mentally prepared, Uchiha Shingen had to admit that the hand-coded version of bio-technology really couldn't take appearance into account.

"How did you do that?" Uchiha Shingen glanced at Zetsu. "You did it, didn't you? Even the patterns are almost identical."

“If we don’t do this, Obito will die,” Zetsu said in a deep voice. “You should be able to sense that this body is stronger than you could have cultivated on your own.”

"Perhaps, but I only believe in my own strength." Uchiha Shingen waved his hand.

Then he looked at Obito Uchiha.

"Heh..." Obito Uchiha chuckled dismissively and turned his head away.

"Hmm?" Uchiha Shingen's expression changed. "You want to eat osmanthus cake again, don't you?"

Obito Uchiha immediately glared at him angrily: "Bastard! I'll kill you!"

“That’s impossible.” Uchiha Shingen held up one finger and shook it. “We both have space-time ninjutsu, so neither of us can catch the other.”

“But now.” Obito Uchiha resumed his ruthless expression. “Also, you’re really annoying.”

"But that's not what your grandmother said."

“…” Obito Uchiha was speechless.