The battle concluded swiftly. Kamihane expertly arranged the corpses of the Konoha shinobi together and incinerated them into ashes with a single fireball.
Shinobi combat is, after all, also a battle of intelligence.
Destroying the bodies and erasing traces can maximize the concealment of one's own information. Even corpses can be used by shinobi to extract intelligence.
At this moment, Madara approached.
"I've watched your battles yesterday and today. Hmph, I must say, you rely too heavily on your ocular abilities," he commented, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied.
"Ah... I'd like to hear the details," Kamihane immediately became reserved.
"Whether it's ninjutsu or taijutsu, they are all too crude. Not only is your fighting style lacking in elegance, but you also rely solely on the information gap to win battles. Such an approach will never make you a true powerhouse!"
Madara shook his head, "With your current fighting style, if you can't achieve an instant kill on the first encounter, you'll definitely suffer greatly in your next battle."
Kamihane broke into a cold sweat. Madara's critique was sharp and to the point.
His foundations were indeed weak. He had barely trained before being thrown onto the battlefield, and his fierce and brutal fighting style had been honed in the heat of combat. After awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, he had taken this all-or-nothing approach to the extreme.
In summary, while the Mangekyō Sharingan granted him god-tier abilities and allowed him to grow powerful rapidly, it also led him astray—focusing solely on killing efficiency while neglecting fundamental training.
It must be understood that truly formidable techniques are built up through meticulous effort and accumulation of details over time.
Take Might Gai from the original timeline as an example. His awe-inspiring kick that almost ended the entire war—was it solely due to the Eight Gates? No, the Eight Gates merely amplified his physical capabilities to an extreme degree. The true strength still lay within Gai himself.
If not for decades of relentless training and meticulous refinement of his body, how could he have gained power far surpassing the Five Kage after opening the Eighth Gate? How could Night Gai possess such devastating force capable of overwhelming even Six Paths-level opponents?
Without accumulating small steps, one cannot traverse a thousand miles; without gathering small streams, one cannot form a vast river or sea.
This principle holds true in all aspects.
"Taijutsu is not about brute force and aggression. The key lies in the control of details. Ninjutsu is not about merely unleashing chakra to increase its power..."
Madara's critique continued, and by the end, he shook his head and said, "Forget it. Since you're still young and haven't completely gone down the wrong path, I'll give you some guidance."
Kamihane was both startled and delighted, his eyes sparkling as if filled with starlight.
"Judging from your fighting style, you're bold yet meticulous. That chakra blade technique of yours also proves you have the talent for precise chakra control. Hmph, you could indeed be considered a promising candidate..." Madara raised his chin, "So, are you willing to endure my tempering?"
"I am willing!" Kamihane nodded immediately, like a chick pecking at rice.
After clearing the battlefield, Kamihane looked ahead at the stone wall, where a complex and esoteric sealing formula came into view. He wisely stepped aside to make room for Madara.
Madara placed his fingers on the stone wall and murmured, "Sealing space-time... I see."
Kamihane was excited. He hadn't expected Madara-sama's sealing techniques to be so formidable. Just as he was eagerly anticipating how Madara would undo the seal, a sea-blue light suddenly flashed across his eyes.
Madara activated the initial form of Susanoo. As the massive blue fist swung out, the stone wall instantly shattered. Amid the billowing dust, the sealing formula was also obliterated.
"Uh..." Kamihane stared blankly.
"What are you looking at?" Madara glanced at Kamihane, crossing his arms. "As long as the medium is destroyed, even the strongest sealing technique becomes ineffective."
The rubble continued to fall, and as the dust settled, a dark, gaping hole appeared before the two of them.
"Fire Style: Ignite."
Kamihane snapped his fingers crisply. The air above his fingertips twisted slightly, and a wisp of flame ignited out of thin air, quickly expanding into a palm-sized fireball.
Under the illumination of the firelight, the situation inside the cave became clearly visible.
"Oh? Mastery of fire release to this extent?..." Madara stared at Kamihane's manipulation, slightly surprised.
Generally, ninjas can regulate the flow of chakra by hand seals, applying it inside or outside the body, which is called "jutsu." The ancestor of the Uchiha, Indra, once established twelve basic hand seals, which have been passed down and benefited the entire ninja world.
However, for ninjas proficient in a certain jutsu or nature transformation, as their bodies are already familiar with the chakra's flow, they can simplify the sealing process. Those with exceptional talent can even perform jutsus instantly without forming seals.
Kamihane held a fireball ahead; the innermost part of the cave was a spacious open area, where a pattern resembling a formation in ink was dissipating in circles.
"It's underground," came Madara's voice from behind.
"Hmm," Kamihane nodded, seeing Madara not making any move, he tactfully began forming seals, pressing one hand on the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave."
A peculiar fluctuation spread in all directions, centered around Kamihane's palm, the soil turned a layer at a time, flowing like a small stream.
Kamihane's chakra possesses six attributes: wind, fire, water, earth, lightning, and yin. Although he is not skilled in many jutsus, they are all practical, such as fire and lightning releases focused on attack, earth release for defense and assistance, all serving for combat and survival.
Soon, a shallow pit appeared on the ground, inside which a black-haired girl was crouching, hugging her knees.
She was petite, dressed in ragged black clothes, her long hair like silk spread on the ground, resembling a lonely lily.
Sensing the air flow and the faint warmth of the firelight, she shivered slightly and slowly raised her head.
"Uchiha Nameless, from today onwards, you are free."
A fair hand stretched forward, extending to her.
She looked up, her dark eyes reflecting a gentle and handsome face.
"You are... who? Why? Why release me?"
She tilted her head in confusion, her voice soft and melodious, like a swaying wind chime.
"Like you, I was abandoned. As for the reason for releasing you... you can consider it as seeking warmth together."
Kamihane smiled, in the warm firelight, his eyes were as gentle as jade, his faint smile seemed capable of exuding sunlight.
"In short, you never have to stay in this dark place again."
"Unconditionally?" She hesitated, "But why, why would you save someone like me for no reason..."
"What, have you resigned to your fate?"
Kamihane looked into her eyes, recalling Boruto's lines from the original timeline, his voice filled with determination, "Don't lose to the fate decided by others, decide it yourself, create it yourself, this is your destiny!"
For a moment, a ripple stirred in her gaze, as if a stone had been dropped into a clear lake, creating gentle ripples.
She stared blankly at the youth before her. In the dark seal, she couldn't even sense the passage of time, her long emptiness had almost annihilated her emotions, leaving only endless hatred and layers of ice built up in her heart.
But now, these layers of ice were melting, one by one.
As if by a ghost's hand, Nameless, or rather Uchiha Hikari, grasped Kamihane's hand, allowing him to pull her up.
Kamihane unintentionally measured her height with his eyes; she was half a head taller than him.
She appeared to be about 12 years old, probably frozen at the age she was sealed, her features beautifully painted, her eyes clear like autumn water, her face a soft oval, her features perfectly proportioned, though a bit dirty, her elegance was hard to conceal.
Her black clan clothes were tattered, her slender white feet exposed without shoes, only rough bandages wrapped around her ankles.
The moment she stepped out of the cave, the blinding sunlight illuminated her pale cheeks, making her squint uncomfortably.
She raised her hand to shade her forehead, gradually moving out of the cave, as if the last time she walked in the sunlight was a long, long time ago.
"This is Nameless?" Madara also observed her.
After a while, she finally adapted slightly to the light, her vision slowly focusing, Kamihane's back figure becoming increasingly clear, until a familiar "fan" clan emblem came into her sight.
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