Hearing Madara's words, Gento could not help but feel a surge of joy in his heart.
Another teacher for one of his children was secured!
Meanwhile, on the surface, he remained calm, pondering for a moment before deliberately showing a difficult expression:
"This... might be a bit difficult."
Madara's brows furrowed at once as his voice rose a bit:
"What? Difficult?"
"What could possibly be difficult when I am teaching them personally?"
Gento let out a dry laugh and quickly explained:
"Please calm down, senior. As you know, an Uchiha descendant of this age with such talent is not easy to find."
"To have both outstanding talent and a mature mind, as well as a calm personality… even looking for such a person across the entire history of the Uchiha, only a few can be found."
When Madara thought about how he would be totally outdone by Hashirama, his expression became ominously polite.
A cold light flickered in his Rinnegan, as if saying "you better handle this."
Seeing this, Gento immediately backtracked:
"However, I can still find a few for you to look over."
"With your eye, you will surely choose the one that suits you best."
Madara's expression finally softened a bit, and he nodded:
"Hmph, now you're talking."
"Remember, they must have better talent than the kid next to Hashirama!"
"I have already lost too many times; this time, I absolutely cannot let that guy outdo me!"
"Do not worry."
A smile played at the corner of Gento's mouth, having already locked onto the best candidate in his heart.
With a flash of Flying Thunder God, the two returned to the Hidden Gento Village from the forest outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
Madara could not wait and urged Gento to take him to see the person.
Without saying much, Gento led Madara straight to the training ground of the Uchiha clan compound.
The afternoon sun spilled across the wide training ground, baking the bluestone ground until it was slightly hot.
Several rows of tall trees were planted around the training ground, their canopies like umbrellas, casting patches of cool green shade.
It was currently the peak training time for the clansmen.
Dozens of shinobi were scattered across various areas, some practicing shurikenjutsu, some sparring in taijutsu, and others studying ninjutsu.
But more people's eyes were simultaneously drawn to the center of the training ground.
There, Itachi and Hanyu were conducting their daily combat training.
Itachi stood inside a circle drawn with white lines.
His black hair fluttered gently in the breeze.
The circle was not large, only two meters in diameter, but for Itachi, it was already enough space to execute all his attack methods.
And his opponent was the eight-year-old Hanyu Uchiha.
Hanyu stood dozens of meters outside the circle, wearing deep blue training clothes.
The red hair of the Uzumaki clan he had inherited made his fair face look even more ethereal.
He maintained a modest expression on his face.
His red hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of his head, with a few stray strands hanging in front of his forehead, swaying gently with his movements.
Standing there, he was neither nervous because of the surrounding crowd, nor intimidated because his opponent was the legendary Itachi Uchiha.
His gaze was as calm as water, his spine straight as a pine, and his whole being exuded a sense of balance and peace, making anyone who looked at him feel at ease.
"Let's begin."
"The usual rules: if I step out of the circle, you win."
As soon as the words fell, three kunai had already flown from Itachi's hand, flying toward Hanyu in a triangular formation.
Their speed was as fast as lightning!
Hanyu's Sharingan had already been activated, its three tomoe spinning slowly.
The trajectories of the kunai were clearly visible in his eyes.
He did not panic. He drew two kunai from his waist with his right hand, while his left hand reached out at the same time, managing to parry all three kunai one by one in the blink of an eye.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed across the training ground.
The spectating shinobi let out a low gasp.
Someone whispered in discussion:
"Young Master Hanyu's shurikenjutsu has improved again!"
"Parrying three kunai at the same time, this reaction speed..."
"Is he only eight years old this year?"
Hanyu turned a deaf ear, his gaze always locked onto Itachi.
Itachi did not give him any room to breathe.
The first wave of kunai had just hit the ground, and the second wave followed immediately, in greater numbers and from trickier angles.
Some went straight for his face, some flew toward his ankles, and a few even collided in midair to change direction, striking from unexpected angles.
Hanyu's expression remained unchanged as he shifted his steps, his body moving nimbly within the tight space.
The kunai in his hand danced so fast they left no gaps, knocking away each of the incoming shuriken.
Occasionally, when a few were truly unavoidable, he would twist his body to dodge, letting the sharp edges brush past the hem of his clothes.
After another dense clatter of metal collisions, Hanyu took a breath, light sweat appearing on his temples, but his eyes remained clear.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."
Itachi's ninjutsu transitioned seamlessly like flowing water, as several clumps of fire descended toward Hanyu from different directions like the petals of a phoenix sage flower.
The temperature of the flames was extremely high, and the scorching heat could be felt even from several meters away.
Hanyu did not try to block it head-on.
His figure moved across the training ground like a butterfly weaving through flowers, narrowly evading the flames each time just as they were about to touch him.
The flames fell onto the ground behind him, exploding into charred, shallow craters.
"Great!"
Someone in the crowd could not help but shout in approval.
"Genjutsu: Shackle Stakes."
Itachi's Sharingan spun.
Hanyu's body suddenly stiffened.
His consciousness seemed to be nailed in place, his limbs unable to move.
Abruptly, then, in less than a second, clarity returned to his eyes.
The Yin Release chakra inside his body circulated automatically, neutralizing most of the impact of Itachi's genjutsu.
Itachi did not pause just because Hanyu broke free from the genjutsu; the last few kunai in his hand had already flown out, heading straight for Hanyu's face.
The timing was precise, right at the moment Hanyu had just broken free from the genjutsu and before his consciousness had fully recovered.
Hanyu's pupils contracted.
He did not panic, flipping his wrists as two kunai appeared in his palms.
His body leaned backward, almost touching the ground, his two kunai crossing to block, parrying the kunai aimed at his vitals.
A kunai grazed his right shoulder, leaving a shallow bloody scratch and sending a few drops of blood splashing into the air.
Hanyu did not even knit his brows.
His left hand had already pressed against the wound on his right shoulder, light green chakra condensing in his palm. After a brief moment, the bleeding stopped, and the wound began to heal slowly.
Another commotion broke out among the spectating shinobi.
"Is that Yang Release?"
"He can use Yang Release to stop bleeding at eight years old?"
"This child's talent is simply terrifying..."
Madara stood at the edge of the training ground, arms crossed, watching the battle on the field expressionlessly.
A fight of this level was nothing more than child's play to him.
But he noticed something others could not.
The application of Yin and Yang Release that Hanyu displayed in battle.
Although still very rudimentary, it was indeed Yin and Yang Release.
Using Yin Release for genjutsu resistance and Yang Release to heal wounds, this child had already unknowingly mastered the embryo of the Six Paths power.
One had to know that even Madara himself only fully mastered Yin-Yang Release near the end of his life.
And this child was only eight years old!
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