Yellow Dog found Yōkō.
"Fox, Vice Commander requests your assistance. Go see him," Yellow Dog said.
"During the tactical discussion, I mentioned that you could use the Secret Technique: Water Gun Technique to leave traces and lure the Kiri-nin into pursuit.
Vice Commander Uchiha Kane, upon learning you've mastered the Water Gun Technique, wants you to provide special training for the Uchiha Young Master. I agreed."
Yōkō understood Yellow Dog's meaning. With two Uchiha battalions in the ambush force, having the Vice Commander's support would make the mission smoother.
When Yōkō arrived at the designated training ground, he saw four Uchiha.
Jōnin Uchiha Tōka, and his three Uchiha disciples, among them the Young Master, Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku stood beside Uchiha Tōka, looking curiously at the Anbu member wearing the fox mask.
Uchiha Tōka said: "Jōnin Fox, thank you for coming to help me provide special training for my three disciples."
"Lord Uchiha Kane is providing such strong support for Captain Yellow Dog's operation plan; this is the least I should do."
Uchiha Tōka moved aside, and Yōkō came before the three Uchiha Genin.
Yōkō said: "Next, I will attack you using the methods of the Kiri-nin, especially the Hōzuki clan ninja.
The Hōzuki clan has many unique abilities.
The Hydrification Technique, which ignores all physical attacks.
When a Hōzuki ninja uses Hydrification, Fire Release can have a surprising effect.
After forcing out the Hydrification Secret Technique, you must follow up with Fire Release or Lightning Release.
The Water Gun Technique, a rare seal-less jutsu in the shinobi world.
You must be very careful of sneak attacks using the Water Gun Technique.
Then there are the ninja swords and Water Release; members of the Hōzuki clan are all master swordsmen, and the Seven Ninja Swords are masterpieces of the Hōzuki clan.
Now we begin sparring. Be alert, you feeble Genin."
As soon as Yōkō called the three in front of him feeble Genin, Uchiha Fugaku activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Looking at the rotating three tomoe in the crimson pupils, Yōkō couldn't help but glance at Uchiha Tōka.
Uchiha Tōka nodded, indicating that what he was seeing was real.
Young Master Fugaku was a prodigy in dōjutsu. After a few months on the battlefield, stimulated by war and death, he had already awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Yōkō formed hand signs and released his first Water Release, simulating the Kiri-nin's Water Release: Water Shockwave.
A massive flow of water, like a tidal wave over ten meters high, spanning dozens of meters, rushed towards the three Uchiha ninja.
"Kiri-nin are adept at combination jutsu near the coast; the scale of their jutsu is roughly this level."
Uchiha Fugaku took out shuriken attached to wires and swiftly threw them diagonally backwards.
The shuriken, carrying the wires, wrapped around a tree trunk, pulling Fugaku off the ground.
"A poor choice. The tree you're perched on will be knocked over by the Kiri-nin's combined Water Release."
Fugaku looked in shock at Fox, who had instantly appeared beside him. Fox delivered his critique and then vanished with a Body Flicker.
Sure enough, the tree he was hanging from was toppled by the Water Release.
He had to throw another wire-guided shuriken to move to another tree.
While in the air, Fugaku saw Fox appear beside one of his teammates with a Body Flicker, criticizing that his teammate's Earth-Style Wall was garbage.
He sighed inwardly, Is this the Anbu Jōnin that both Father and Sensei value so highly?
The next moment, he saw Fox standing horizontally on the nearest tree trunk beside him.
"When you're transferring through the air, you are most vulnerable. Kiri-nin might attack you while you're mid-air and unable to leverage any force."
Yōkō raised his hand, and a Water Gun Technique formed at his fingertip.
The water droplet shot out like a bullet, severing the wire below the shuriken.
Fugaku's heart jolted. So this is a seal-less jutsu? Even if my eyes catch it, I can't react in time. If that Water Gun had been aimed at my heart, I might have died.
As Fugaku fell, he noticed Fox using another Water Shockwave.
He hurriedly formed hand signs and used the Great Fireball Technique.
A reasonably sized Great Fireball clashed with the Water Shockwave.
However, Water Release counters Fire Release; the Great Fireball was soon at a disadvantage and was overwhelmed by the Water Shockwave.
The area was filled with steam generated by the clash of water and fire, the mist exceptionally thick.
"Visibility less than two meters reduces the advantage of your dōjutsu."
Uchiha Fugaku vaguely saw a black figure. He formed hand signs and created a Shadow Clone, which charged forward using taijutsu.
His real body formed Fire Release hand signs, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
However, he heard two sounds of Shadow Clones dispersing.
The black figure his Shadow Clone tactic had defeated was also a Shadow Clone.
Fox appeared behind Fugaku, using the Water Gun Technique to sever a lock of Fugaku's hair.
"Don't look down on basic jutsu like Clone Technique and Substitution Technique. In thick mist, these basic jutsu can be used to devise many highly effective tactics."
The first sparring session ended in complete defeat for the three Uchiha Genin.
While the three Genin were resting, Yōkō went to Uchiha Tōka and said:
"Jōnin Tōka, why is Young Master Fugaku's tactics so conservative?
Repeatedly dodging, using Shadow Clones... he didn't even utilize the perceptive abilities of the Three Tomoe Sharingan to engage me in taijutsu."
Uchiha Tōka glanced at the tense-looking Fugaku and said:
"Fugaku was much more flamboyant back in the Ninja Academy.
He and Senju Nawaki were considered evenly matched rivals, both young masters of their clans, both possessing great talent.
After hearing the news of Senju Nawaki's death, Fugaku came to talk to me.
He had always thought that he and Nawaki would become dazzling new stars; he never expected Nawaki to die suddenly on the front lines.
Since then, Fugaku has become exceptionally cautious. He finally understood that even as the Uchiha Young Master, he could die at any time."
Yōkō turned his head and saw Fugaku watching him cautiously, as if he expected Yōkō to attack him suddenly even during a conversation.
If Senju Nawaki had been half as careful and cautious as Uchiha Fugaku, and hadn't always talked about becoming Hokage, perhaps he wouldn't have died.
His death affected Orochimaru, Tsunade, and even Fugaku.
After the break, Yōkō sparred with Fugaku and the other two Genin again.
This time, Yōkō fought more fiercely: stronger Water Shockwaves, faster Body Flickers, and sharper Water Gun Techniques.
The three Genin were utterly overwhelmed by Yōkō's continuous Water Release attacks.
Uchiha Fugaku's last wire-guided shuriken was severed by a Water Gun, forcing him to face the Water Shockwave head-on.
His Fire Release was no match for the Water Shockwave; a large wave crashed over him, submerging Uchiha Fugaku.
The water impact struck his chest; it felt like being hit by a rock.
When he struggled to his feet from the water, he found a fingertip pointed at his forehead.
"Constantly yielding will only make your situation worse. You need the resolve to sacrifice your life for your comrades, or the ruthlessness to let your comrades die for the mission.
If you lack both resolve and ruthlessness, no matter how strong your Sharingan is, you're just trash."
Yōkō stared into Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, hoping to see some fighting spirit.
But just like in the original story, Uchiha Fugaku was inherently weak-willed, never drawing his sword against Konoha's leadership in the end.
Nodding to Uchiha Tōka, Yōkō left, ending the sparring session with the Young Master.
Fugaku came before his sensei, panting, and asked, "Sensei, does a ninja truly need resolve or ruthlessness?"
Tōka nodded and said:
"The one you sparred with is an Anbu elite. He possesses both ruthlessness and resolve.
He shrewdly identified your problem: you are excessively cautious, but lacking in ruthlessness.
Caution is correct. I would rather see you grow up safely than die young in battle.
Ruthlessness is also necessary, because your enemies are all as ruthless as Fox, perhaps even more ruthless than him."
***
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(End of Chapter)