Chapter 285: Plans For Sento and Tenko

Hearing this, Tatsuma immediately understood what the method was: it was the Eight Inner Gates.

This is the pinnacle of Taijutsu and also requires the greatest sacrifice. Tatsuma had actually considered learning this technique himself.

However, he ultimately could not abandon other techniques to specialize in Taijutsu. Furthermore, Dai had never mentioned it to him. Despite Dai's seemingly carefree demeanor, the Eight Inner Gates were something he kept very well-hidden.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to teach, but rather that this technique is not something just anyone can learn. Teaching it lightly would only harm the person learning it.

Being able to get Dai to reveal this secret and express his willingness to teach them shows that Sento and Nawaki have already earned Dai's recognition, which is quite an achievement.

However, this is a forbidden technique. Tatsuma furrowed his brow and asked, "The process of teaching a forbidden technique isn't that simple. If you learn it, the village will inevitably find out. Have you considered this situation?"

"Don't worry!" Sento suddenly flashed a bright smile and said, "I've already thought it through. It doesn't matter if others find out. Or rather, the more spectators there are when I'm in my prime, the more my passion will surge!"

Seeing that Sento was aware of the consequences, Tatsuma could only nod and say, "Actually, learning the Eight Inner Gates will benefit you. Your meridians and acupoints are much more open than average.

Moreover, you have the Byakugan, which allows you to see your own body. While others might need a lot of effort to find and open these 'gates,' for you, it might just be a difficult but surmountable obstacle."

"But precisely because of this, when learning this technique, you must avoid being short-sighted. After all, the Eight Inner Gates are progressively stronger, but the cost also increases gradually."

Sento nodded, then realized and asked, "How do you know it's the Eight Inner Gates? And how do you know so much about this technique? Did Brother Duy also tell you about it?"

Tatsuma hesitated for a moment, then recalled that Sento only mentioned a forbidden Taijutsu technique without specifying which one, so he had inferred it himself.

But Tatsuma quickly regained his composure and gave a somewhat "arrogant" smile, saying, "Don't forget, I inherited the legacy of the Second Hokage. I have all the intelligence he collected during his lifetime."

"Is that so?"

Sento scratched his head, but considering Tatsuma had always been very intelligent and was the most knowledgeable among them, any lingering doubts quickly disappeared.

Minato, based on their conversation, also roughly understood the power and cost of the Taijutsu forbidden technique known as the Eight Inner Gates. As for Tenko, he had been deep in thought with his head lowered since earlier.

After Tatsuma and Sento finished their conversation and fell into silence again, Tenko finally raised his head and asked, "How many Tomoe do you think I should open in my Sharingan?"

Sento looked at him with a baffled expression and said, "Aren't you already at Three Tomoe? Do you want to open more?"

But Tatsuma and Minato reacted. Minato asked, "Aren't you hiding it anymore?"

"It's been four years. I've heard too many rumors. I don't really care myself; after all, I know my own situation. But my grandmother and Obito have also been subjected to some negative comments because of me."

Tenko's tone carried a sense of guilt. After experiencing war and the deaths of his uncle and aunt who protected him, he hadn't revealed his awakened eyes. When the war had just ended, no one criticized him.

At that time, the entire Uchiha clan was in a state of excitement and grief, two extreme and conflicting emotions. But as life returned to normal after the war and the Uchiha clan experienced a significant loss of strength, a wave of seeking new blood swept through the clan.

Someone like Tenko, who had been on the battlefield, naturally became a focal point for observation. His experiences should have triggered the awakening of his Sharingan, but he had been very good at hiding it and continued to appear mediocre.

Over time, some negative voices emerged within the clan. Although his grandmother and Obito understood and even comforted him, saying that being alive was more important than anything, Tenko still couldn't bear seeing his remaining family being criticized.

Especially for Obito, as a child of the Uchiha, he should have been valued in the post-war Uchiha clan. However, due to Tenko's mediocrity, Obito was also regarded as talentless.

Even his peers in the clan ostracized him; otherwise, Obito wouldn't have gone outside the clan to find friends. Tenko felt deep guilt towards Obito, as he was responsible for Obito losing his parents at a young age.

Tatsuma pursed his lips and said, "Do you want the clan to know first, or the village?"

"Hm?"

Tenko was a bit confused. Tatsuma continued, "I have a guess. The Uchiha's strategy has been adjusted. They are trying to show goodwill to the village and resolve some misunderstandings.

If you are willing to let the village know about your Sharingan first, I will work hard to make you a bridge between the village and the Uchiha. However, if I fail, it might attract suspicion from the village and contempt from the clan."

"And if the clan knows first, you will be valued by your Clan Head line, but will also be marked with a deeper Uchiha stamp."

"Let the village know first."

Before Tatsuma could finish, Tenko interrupted.

He did not explain the reason, but his expression of disdain made Tatsuma understand. Tatsuma nodded and looked at Sento, saying, "Sento, you don't mind becoming Tenko's benefactor in awakening, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tenko can awaken his Sharingan, but it absolutely cannot be four years ago. The best time is now. Since you plan to learn Eight Inner Gates, I will inform the Third Hokage about the intelligence we have on Tsuyui discovered by the Uchiha, as well as the determination you and Tenko have and the changes you are willing to make or have already made for this. This way, you will have a legitimate reason to study Eight Inner Gates, and Tenko can reasonably awaken his Sharingan."

After hearing Tatsuma's explanation, Sento nodded and said, "No problem. I have a suggestion: say that Tenko, after learning about Tsuyui, came to me for a sparring match to vent."

"And then after I beat you up, you awakened in a fit of rage. How does that sound?"

"Die!!!"

Tenko erupted, climbing on top of Sento and grabbing his hair. Sento performed a crocodile roll, shaking off Tenko, who then stopped pursuing and smugly asked:

"Who beat up whom is obvious! Rather, it's you who got beaten up by my awakened eyes, and then in a fit of shame wanted to learn that Eight Inner Gates!"

"Shameless Uchiha, using surprise attacks!"

"Hmph, not as bad as your Hyuga clan's meddling and turning black into white!"

Tatsuma and Minato looked away from their "interaction," quietly cleaning up the spilled food and tea. By the time they finished, Tenko and Sento had ended their usual quarrel.

Tatsuma, looking at the two who were calming down, said, "If there are no problems, I will arrange it this way. How do you feel about the Two Tomoe Sharingan?"

"That's about right. The clan's geniuses usually reach this level at around this age."

Tenko nodded and said, "But informing the village first shouldn't affect my ability to learn the uses of Sharingan from the clan, right? After all, revealing this is to gain access to those techniques."

"No problem. Your Clan Head, or at least the Junior Clan Head, has been showing goodwill. Once the Third Hokage is informed, I will host a banquet to invite your Junior Clan Head, gauge his attitude, and also bring up this matter on your behalf."

"That's good to hear!"

Although Tenko wasn't sure how Tatsuma would handle it, he was willing to trust the three here as friends, especially since they were the ones who had kept his secret for years.

Tatsuma nodded and said, "However, if the village and Uchiha do become more friendly, as the bridge between them, you might not be able to bully people anymore."

"That's not bullying! It's the duty of the Security Department!"

Tenko replied angrily but couldn't help asking out of curiosity, "What will I do in the future? If I lose the Security Department's allowance, my grandmother will need medical treatment, and Obito will start school next year..."

As he spoke, Tenko suddenly became a bit flustered. Tatsuma waved his hand and said, "The village will definitely arrange a position for you. I'll also try to get you a position under my command. How does the title of the first Uchiha to join Konoha ANBU sound?"

"Hehe~"

Tenko's face broke into a foolish grin, his eyes unfocused, as if he was already imagining the changes in his life as the first Uchiha to join Konoha ANBU.

"What about me?"

Sento suddenly said with a hint of melancholy. As a friend, why should Tenko get to join ANBU? Was he, Hyuga Sento, not deserving? He needed to join ANBU even more than Tenko to realize his own value!

Tenko could still bully people in the village, go home to his grandmother and younger brother, but what about him? Besides training with Duy and Nawaki, he was left alone at home, with no one there except for Fuyuki, who was too timid to even talk to him.

Tatsuma showed a hint of difficulty and said, "I'll see when the time comes. Tenko's position isn't confirmed yet, so I can't make any promises. If there are vacancies in ANBU, I will prioritize recommending you and Tenko."

Upon hearing this, Sento withdrew his melancholy gaze. Tatsuma hadn't expected that Sento would be interested in joining ANBU, considering that even if Sento spent the rest of his life lounging at home, the Hyuga branch family would still take good care of him.

After finishing the serious discussion, Tatsuma and Minato didn't rush to leave. Instead, they chatted about casual topics among friends and stayed until evening, leaving only after enjoying dinner at Sento's home.

Fuyuki had it rough, as she had probably never worked so hard in her life. The Hyuga family's meals were quite elaborate, and dealing with a big eater was certainly challenging.

Back in Senju Clan's territory, Tatsuma found Nawaki and discussed whether he had decided to learn Eight Inner Gates. Nawaki's response surprised and frustrated Tatsuma. Nawaki was very eager to learn but was afraid that doing so might overshadow Tatsuma, so he had been suppressing his own desire.

Later that night, Tatsuma put on a demonstration of how to thoroughly defeat Nawaki's arguments, making him understand clearly that even if he learned Eight Inner Gates, he wouldn't overshadow Tatsuma.

The next day, Tatsuma went to the Hokage Building to brief Sarutobi Hiruzen on recent events, including Uchiha's friendly gestures and the results of the Uchiha investigation. He updated Hiruzen on Tenko's changes after learning about Tsuyui, Sento's decisions, and even shared some details about the battles, implying that the work had been done thoroughly.

Tatsuma also mentioned some recent discussions he had with Sakumo during the analysis class, providing Hiruzen with a breakdown of the pros, cons, and feasibility.

After listening to Tatsuma for half the morning, Hiruzen silently lit his pipe, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. Amidst the swirling smoke, Hiruzen spoke with a hint of frustration, saying, "Tatsuma, I gave you a vacation after your mission, didn't I? Why is it that you seem busier than I am?"

Hiruzen reflected on his recent activities: mourning his father Sarutobi Sasuke, meeting with old friend Danzo, visiting the cemetery to honor Konoha's fallen heroes, and attending the lantern festival.

It seems like he hasn't done any real work at all. Compared to Tatsuma, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly felt that he was quite incompetent.

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