Still lost in his observation, chakra chains emerged from the ground, coiling around Tekka.
"Well, well, have the Uchiha invaded our valley?" Akemi teased, her crimson eyes sparkling with activated Ketsuryūgan. A genjutsu penetrated and flooded Tekka's mind with visions of a landscape Uzushiogakure, at least as she'd seen it in images...
"You know you shouldn't be snooping..." Akemi said.
Tekka remained disoriented by the scenery. He could tell he was in a genjutsu, but the fact she'd trapped him a Sharingan-active Uchiha was remarkable.
"Impressive, Akemi... I could count on one hand how many people have placed an Uchiha with active Sharingan under genjutsu. Truly, the Chinoike possess an ability comparable to the Three Great Dojutsu."
Walking through Uzushiogakure's streets in the illusion, Akemi stopped and met Tekka's gaze.
"This is exactly why the Chinoike were hunted..."
Without waiting for a response, she continued walking through her genjutsu streets.
"That was long ago, when an alliance between Chinoike and Uzumaki was unthinkable. Yet today you stand united a formidable force."
Pausing mid-step, Akemi locked eyes with her husband.
"Yes, in the end we're two of a kind both betrayed and hunted..." As she finished speaking, the genjutsu began dissolving.
Back in reality, Akemi brushed past Tekka into their house, ascending toward their bedroom.
Tekka's gaze lingered on Riki before following Akemi upstairs. Entering their room, he found his wife undressing for the attached bathroom's tub...
Sitting on the bed, Tekka reflected: He's so young, yet knows so much...
"I'm taking him for training tomorrow."
Only silence answered...
Next Morning
Valley of Hell
Dawn hadn't yet pierced the heavy mist shrouding the Valley. Metallic-tinted steam rose from fissures in the sulfurous earth as rhythmic sounds echoed through the barren rocks: measured footsteps, controlled breathing, impacts against black stone.
Riki.
As every morning, the boy had risen before the sun. He ran treacherous paths between stone cliffs, alternating between chakra-enhanced leaps and pure sprinting, finishing with exhaustive push-ups, sit-ups, planks and squats. His muscles burned, but his mind remained calm.
"Discipline is freedom," he recalled from his past life. "And freedom is what separates the living from the dead in this world."
Returning home, he plunged his exhausted body into the cold washbasin's water. The icy needles cleansed sweat and sharpened senses. No luxury here just stone, wood, and silence.
Dressed simply, he found Tekka on the porch observing the misty void, two wooden practice swords resting nearby.
Darkness shadowed Tekka's eyes Hayato's fate, Root's atrocities, and most painfully, how his son seemed shaped by everything except his Uchiha heritage.
Turning slowly, Tekka called:
"Riki." Firm yet not harsh. "Take the sword. We train."
Riki froze. This invitation was unprecedented. Tekka never initiated training, especially not in clan techniques.
Wordlessly, Riki took the bokken, gripping it with natural yet respectful familiarity. This wasn't a toy it was a rare opportunity. In their world, few survived without mastering the blade.
He knew what the future demanded.
Tekka moved to the yard's center, footsteps precise despite the obscuring mist.
"Uchiha kenjutsu predates Konoha." His voice cut through the vapor. "Forged in the Warring States era, tempered in blood. The main family Madara's lineage were its original guardians. After Konoha's founding, Madara shared it clan-wide, making it our signature art."
Demonstrating, he spun the sword effortlessly simple yet technically perfect.
"Where others cut... Uchiha dominate."
"Dominate?" Riki's focus sharpened.
"Kenjutsu isn't just cutting. It's control. Precision. Winning before the fight begins knowing how to disable most efficiently. This made Konoha's sharpest blade."
Silence returned briefly. When Tekka raised his eyes, they flickered with pain, guilt... perhaps pride.
"I've taught you little." A quiet admission. "It's time that changed. After all..." His grip tightened. "You're Uchiha too."
Riki's fingers clenched the hilt. This wasn't just training it was a gateway to secret Uchiha arts. Damn... I'm actually excited about this.
And he would accept.