Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou

"Wow, Kushina, you're pretty bold to be so greedy." After everyone had left, the usually gentle Mikoto Uchiha suddenly teased Kushina Uzumaki with a smile.

Kushina's face instantly turned bright red, her flushed cheeks showing a mix of stubbornness and defiance.

"Mikoto, what did I even do?! How is this called greed? Sister Tsunade has mentioned how much the Sarutobi clan has quietly pocketed over the past twenty years..."

Kushina Uzumaki, in her flustered state, accidentally spilled some insider information about Tsunade, revealing a few things that made the calm Uchiha Shirou, seated at the table, have a flash of understanding deep in his eyes.

It seemed that Tsunade had begun to take things seriously. Her wariness of Konoha's higher-ups was more than just surface-level. After all, following the incident in the Land of Grass, he had leaked some intel to her.

For instance, he had informed her that certain individuals in Konoha had long been preparing plans targeting the Senju and even White Fang. Whether Tsunade believed him or not, the seeds of doubt had already been planted.

Once doubt sets in, Tsunade would undoubtedly take precautions and even investigate further. And once she started investigating, could the higher-ups remain clean? Especially when it came to the development of their clans.

The Sarutobi clan, in particular, despite being a fairly sizable family even during the Warring States period, couldn't claim to have been completely clean over the years, could they? The very thought made Shirou glance subtly at Kushina Uzumaki and silently think to himself:

"It seems Sister Tsunade has uncovered some interesting truths. No wonder she's so determined to strengthen her alliances with the other clans."

In the original story, after the death of the Third Hokage, Konohamaru was free to enter the Hokage building's archive room at will. This alone suggested that certain behaviors had become normalized, to the point where even the Anbu instinctively turned a blind eye.

Then there were the three consecutive Shinobi World Wars. The Third Shinobi World War, in particular, was so disastrous that the Third Hokage was compelled to resign. The sheer brutality of that conflict was unimaginable.

And yet, despite the devastation of that war, within just over a decade, the Sarutobi clan displayed such dazzling strength during the Fourth Shinobi World War that they even surpassed the Hyuga, who was known as the Konoha's most powerful clan.

The Hyuga couldn't compare. By that time, the Senju clan had declined, and the Uchiha clan was nearly exterminated. If anyone believed the Sarutobi clan hadn't benefited from Konoha's resources to bolster themselves, they'd be lying to themselves.

"Mikoto, didn't you say once that being born into a great clan means you're often not in control of your own life?"

Inside the room, Kushina Uzumaki, her face still red, refused to back down and raised her eyebrows as she retorted to Mikoto Uchiha. Mikoto covered her mouth and nodded with a laugh.

"I understand. After all, Kushina is also from a prominent clan, so you're bound to have seen a lot."

As the two continued their playful banter, Kushina paused at Mikoto's words. Had she seen a lot? Back in the Uzamaki main's residence, she had indeed witnessed many such things. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, but that's because the one seated in power then was her father—much like the person sitting at the table now...

At that moment, Kushina couldn't help but turn her head to look at Shirou seated at the table. Her gaze grew distant, caught in her memories.

The proud Uchiha would rather face the battlefield than deal with such matters, wouldn't they?

For some reason, Kushina's mind conjured up an image of her father's weary smile, which slowly began to overlap with Shirou's calm, composed expression. Both of them wore the same light, carefree smile to mask their exhaustion.

"Shirou must be very tired right now, Kushina," Mikoto suddenly said softly while also looking at Shirou. "After all, he's constantly doing things that go against his heart. I bet what Shirou loves most is fighting. Only on the battlefield can he let go of all these troublesome matters."

At that moment, Kushina puffed out her chest with a defiant look, pulled out a scroll from her ninja pouch, and handed it over. "Uchiha Shirou, this is something Sister Tsunade told me to give to you."

Seeing Shirou's puzzled expression, Kushina's eyes darted nervously, but she forced herself to remain composed as she explained:

"Sister Tsunade said that during wartime, you don't have much time to learn more advanced ninjutsu. This scroll contains the Second Hokage's Body Flicker Technique and some of his sword-fighting techniques. Sister Tsunade said that since you're focusing on Lightning Release right now, whether it's taijutsu or ninjutsu, it takes time to develop. But Lightning Release, which enhances physical activation and greatly boosts speed, is your best path forward..."

As Kushina explained, Shirou smiled knowingly.

She was right about one thing: amid war, he didn't have the luxury of time to train extensively in taijutsu or ninjutsu. It was better to focus on one thing—speed. His current Lightning Release activation technique already significantly increased his speed. Combining that with the Second Hokage's Body Flicker Technique and swordsmanship would further amplify this strength.

After all, with his Three Tomoe Sharingan, he wasn't lacking in ninjutsu or genjutsu for now. Enhancing his speed was the quickest and most effective way to improve his combat power.

"I see..."

As Kushina's explanation grew more flustered and her eyes avoided his, Shirou suddenly looked up at her and teasingly asked:

"So, can Mikoto also take a look at this Body Flicker Technique and swordsmanship scroll?"

"Of course—!" Kushina instinctively replied, but before she could finish, she stopped herself midway, her words catching in her throat as her face turned crimson. Her eyes filled with embarrassment, exposing her true feelings.

"So, this is a gift from Kushina for me, huh?" Shirou teased further.

Mikoto, ever the mediator, laughed and stepped in to ease the awkwardness. "Don't worry, Kushina. I'll just take a peek. It's fine."

Still flustered, Kushina huffed in defiance and turned her head away. "Fine! Of course, Sister Mikoto can look at it too..."

Her heart raced like a startled deer, but she failed to notice the slip in her own words. Mikoto, ever perceptive, gently took Kushina's arm and led her outside the room, her warm smile softening the mood.

"Body Flicker Technique and swordsmanship techniques from the Second Hokage, huh..."

As Shirou unrolled the scroll and began to study its detailed contents, his eyes occasionally flickered with amazement.

The Body Flicker Technique was classified as a basic D-rank skill, a common technique that even academy students could learn. Yet from the lowest-ranking shinobi to Kage-level elites, everyone used it, albeit in different ways.

The basic Body Flicker Technique involved controlling the chakra in the legs and feet to create a burst of energy for high-speed movement. However, powerful and talented shinobi often infused their unique abilities into the technique. Some combined it with ninjutsu, others with genjutsu, and even dojutsu.

For instance, Shisui Uchiha's iconic Body Flicker Illusion Technique utilized his Sharingan's genjutsu. The Raikage of the Cloud Village used Lightning Flicker by amplifying it with Lightning Release chakra. Hanzo of the Salamander was known for his Water Flicker technique.

"The Second Hokage recorded so much detail about this simple technique, even developing countless variations. He truly deserves the title of the greatest ninjutsu innovator in history."

Studying the scroll, Shirou couldn't help but feel admiration. Setting politics aside, the Second Hokage's talent in ninjutsu was unparalleled. As for the Third Hokage's reputation as the Professor, Shirou could only chuckle sarcastically. In just two decades, not only the wider shinobi world but even Konoha itself had nearly forgotten the brilliance of the First and Second Hokage.

"And these sword techniques... there are so many! Even techniques used by samurai weren't overlooked. Over a hundred styles analyzed in such depth..."

Shirou's eyes sparkled with excitement as he delved into the scroll. While the Uchiha clan was known to rival the Senju in their heyday, their foundation in such areas paled in comparison.

It wasn't that the Uchiha were weak, but their pride in their Sharingan often led them to neglect other disciplines. They focused primarily on powerful ninjutsu, often ignoring taijutsu and other arts.

The Senju, on the other hand, lacked unique abilities like the Sharingan. This forced them to diversify their skills, mastering ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu over generations, resulting in a vast accumulation of knowledge.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had stood atop this, creating one forbidden jutsu after another.