"These two swords were both used by Clan Head Tajima in his day. Later, they were passed down to the brothers Madara and Izuna for their use in their early years, although they switched to new weapons after they grew up."
"However, the materials and forging craftsmanship of these two swords are exceptional. They have been maintained by myself and the previous Great Elder. Even though fifty years have passed, they are still considered top-grade."
The Great Elder held the two ninja swords one after the other and handed them to Uchiha Gen and Uchiha Mikoto.
As soon as the sword was in his hand, Uchiha Gen felt an inexplicable sense of compatibility. In an instant, Gen knew that this sword was the one passed to Uchiha Madara.
This was the sword Madara used during his youth; it was perfectly balanced for the swordsmanship of that period. Since Gen was currently equipped with the Young Madara character card and had absorbed the essence of Madara's early combat style, his habits were nearly identical. With this blade in hand...
"Draw it and give it a try," the Great Elder said to the two.
"Clang!"
Two sword hums overlapped. A long blade shimmering with a cold light appeared, its bright surface reflecting Uchiha Gen's eyes. Beside him, Uchiha Mikoto gently caressed the blade with her slender fingers. From her gaze, it was clear she was deeply satisfied with the weapon.
The Great Elder watched this scene with a slight smile on his aged face. Seeing Uchiha Gen's posture, which bore a striking resemblance to an old friend, the smile on his face deepened.
When he had last seen Gen and Mikoto sparring, he noticed that Gen's sword was a common item worth only tens of thousands of ryo. Since then, he had been intent on finding a better blade for him. This one was just right. Although not forged from chakra-conductive metal like the Sword of the Thunder God, it was still a masterpiece. Its sharpness and toughness were first-class, enough to serve Gen until he became a Jonin.
"By the way, Great Elder," Uchiha Gen said, sheathing the sword. "The day after tomorrow, my squad will be heading to the battlefield in the Land of Rain. The clan has issued a batch of war subsidies. I wanted to ask, how should I spend this money?"
"Heading to the battlefield, eh..."
The Great Elder walked outside, found a stool to sit on, and spoke leisurely.
"I have experienced the chaotic battles of the clans in the Sengoku era, and I have seen the large-scale warfare between villages in the First Shinobi World War. No matter the era, the resource most lacking on the battlefield is never weapons, but supplies—especially medicine."
"Military Ration Pills that can restore chakra are of the utmost importance. When you are in danger, being able to restore your reserves in time is the fundamental way to survive."
"The importance of medicine probably doesn't need to be said. How many people survive the battle only to die in the medical tent?"
"I heard that you learned some Medical Ninjutsu from Princess Tsunade, but you still need to be prepared. The price of medicine has surely risen lately. I still have some reserves here; I'll sell them to you cheaply at last month's market price."
"Thank you, Great Elder!" Uchiha Gen said gratefully. He could feel how much the old man truly cared for him.
"If you're not in a hurry to go back, stay for dinner tonight. I can pass on some of my experiences from when I was young to you and Mikoto."
"Yes!"
The dinner at the Great Elder's house lasted until very late. While passing on his wisdom, the Great Elder inevitably used his own life as an example, and once an old man starts reminiscing, there is no end to it.
Later on, the Great Elder even cooked a few small dishes, drinking wine while recounting the glory of the past. He spoke of the struggles in Uchiha Tajima's era, the interactions with Madara and Izuna, and following them into battle after reaching adulthood. He spoke of the rivalry with the Senju Clan, Izuna being mortally wounded by Tobirama, Madara's eventual defeat, and the grievances that followed Konoha's establishment during the First Shinobi World War.
The next day, the Orochimaru Squad assembled once again.
Since their departure was imminent, Orochimaru did not arrange for the hellish training of the past. Hard training takes time to show results, and the squad was leaving for the front lines tomorrow. Cramming at the last minute wouldn't be useful. Instead, Orochimaru arranged for the members to spar to maintain their combat edge.
However, Uchiha Gen's current strength had already pulled ahead of his teammates by a significant margin. Neither Sarutobi Enjun nor Uzuki Ruri was a match for Gen when he activated his Sharingan and gave it his all. Orochimaru simply had the two of them team up against him.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Two similar fire techniques collided, and the scene from the Academy graduation exam played out once again. Only this time, Sarutobi Enjun's fire lasted for an even shorter duration—even though his power had grown significantly under Orochimaru's tutelage.
With his technique broken, Enjun performed a clumsy roll to escape the range of the Great Fireball. At that moment, the tomoe in Uchiha Gen's Sharingan spun rapidly. With a diagonal slash of his Sengoku-era sword, he blocked an attack from Uzuki Ruri behind him.
"Konoha-Style Swordsmanship: Shadow Leaf!"
Two ninja swords clashed. Uzuki Ruri knew that in close combat against an Uchiha with the insight of the Sharingan, she was at a disadvantage. After cautiously exchanging a few moves, she decisively retreated before she could fall into his rhythm.
Uchiha Gen could have pursued her and secured victory in a dozen rounds, but Sarutobi Enjun had already regrouped. He summoned a thin monkey that transformed into a long, slender iron staff, which he swung as he rushed toward Gen.
"Let's go, Enryu!"
This monkey, like the Third Hokage's summon, Enma, came from the same clan in the Water Curtain Cave.
As time had passed, Uchiha Gen wasn't the only one who had made great progress. The support Sarutobi Enjun received from the Third Hokage was equal to, if not greater than, what Gen had received from the Great Elder.