Uchiha Shisui

Upgrading the Chakra Refinement Technique cost far less than upgrading the Sealing Technique.

Perhaps because the direction Yuzuru Hyuga had provided was not difficult—merely increasing the total amount of chakra—the system only required 10,000 free experience points to upgrade his Chakra Refinement Technique into a special A-rank refinement technique.

Life Return.

Of course, the name was purely for style. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Life Return from One Piece.

According to the system's description, the effect of this refinement technique was:

While rapidly and efficiently refining chakra, it used chakra to nourish life. As it consumed mental energy and physical energy, it also increased the upper limits of both.

The essence of chakra was the fusion of mental energy and physical energy.

Mental energy could broadly be summed up as spiritual power. The consumption of ocular power was often tied to spiritual power as well. In addition, precise chakra control, chakra perception, and using ninjutsu all required spiritual power.

Physical energy, simply put, was stamina.

And stamina was related to physical strength.

Even if Might Duy had died, reincarnated, and possessed Rock Lee's body, he still could not accomplish at the age of ten what twenty-year-old Might Duy could do. Physical strength was always tied to age. No matter how talented someone was, they could not defy the objective laws of biological development. Even if ninjas developed relatively quickly, a five-year-old body could not do what a fifteen-year-old body could.

Simply put, if it would not stand up, it would not stand up.

But Life Return could bypass the limitations of age and the body, directly using chakra to nourish both the body and the mind.

If other ninjas used chakra like filling a gas tank—however large the tank was, that was how much fuel it could hold, and however powerful the engine was, that was its output—then Yuzuru Hyuga could fill the tank while expanding it at the same time, all while constantly upgrading the engine. He did not need to wait until he got older for an upgrade.

Quick summary: Yuzuru Hyuga would never run out of mana again!

Never running out of mana meant he could cast ninjutsu repeatedly. Developing both physical and mental energy would turn him into a tireless pile driver. As long as training did not kill him, he would train himself to death.

"Very good. First, one hundred Rotations."

Yuzuru Hyuga declared his lofty ambition.

But reality was somewhat cruel. After using it only six or seven times in succession, his vision began to swim.

On one hand, the chakra consumption was truly brutal. On the other, his Rotation was the "Neji version" of Rotation.

The Caged Bird was not merely a tattoo. When that damned cursed seal activated, it caused the Byakugan's originally flawless three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision to lose one degree directly behind the spine.

That meant the so-called absolute defense had a blind spot.

In the original manga, Neji, one of the rare super geniuses of the Hyuga Clan, had taught himself while finding a breakthrough solution to the problem that he could not use Rotation like the Main House.

If the Byakugan had a flaw and could not see everything, and Rotation had a weak point, then why not just spin? As long as I spin fast enough, the weak point does not exist!

Thus, to make up for that flaw, using Rotation under the restrictions of the Caged Bird required spinning his entire body at high speed.

He could spin and leap, but he could not close his eyes. Even a figure skater would not dare spin that fiercely.

"Huff." Yuzuru Hyuga endured it and sat on the ground, refining chakra to recover.

Every additional strand of chakra rapidly nourished his body. On one hand, it silently expanded the container; on the other, while refining chakra, it replenished the consumption of both.

One hundred points of stamina became one hundred points of chakra, and then the chakra refunded thirty points. Combined with some natural recovery, Yuzuru Hyuga's recovery speed became astonishingly fast.

While Itachi Uchiha grimaced as he babysat, teaching Izumi from scratch how to master the Chakra Refinement Technique, he secretly glanced at Yuzuru Hyuga from the corner of his eye.

Yuzuru Hyuga looked like an electric fan with a faulty connection. He would rest for a while, get up and whir around several times, then sit down to rest again. Shortly afterward, he would whir around in circles once more.

The park ground had even been gouged into a small spiral pit by Rotation.

This guy...

He was terrifyingly strong.

While Itachi Uchiha sighed at that, he also felt sadness and anger for him.

Why did someone with such extraordinary talent have to secretly practice even a Hyuga-exclusive secret technique like Rotation by himself in a park?

It was unfair!

Itachi Uchiha had known Yuzuru Hyuga for nearly a year. From an ignorant little brat, he had been forcibly teased into a scheming four-year-old burdened with worries. Yet none of those experiences had affected their friendship. Over the past year, his relationship with Yuzuru Hyuga had even grown to rival his relationship with Shisui.

They were both teacher and friend.

But the closer they became, the more powerless he felt in the face of everything before him.

Whether it was the death he had witnessed firsthand at Kikyo Mountain, the daily quarrels erupting within the Uchiha Clan, his father's cold detachment toward the Hyuga Clan, or Yuzuru Hyuga's circumstances.

What should I do? I can't do anything!

Itachi Uchiha was feeling dejected when Izumi's sudden delighted cry made his brow twitch.

"I learned it!"

Izumi's large eyes were full of joy. She stood up, crying out "Hoo! Hah! Hey!" but discovered that no matter what she did, she could not create the blue glow around her palms like Yuzuru Hyuga.

"Why won't chakra listen to me?"

She puffed out her cheeks.

Itachi's scalp went numb.

This girl had learned the Chakra Refinement Technique in less than two hours!?

For a four-year-old child, simply settling down to truly think and meditate was already extremely difficult. Refinement required even more talent and that flash of instinctive inspiration.

Even though he himself seemed to have learned it at three, still...

He glanced at Yuzuru Hyuga—could this guy have predicted that, which was why he had deliberately brought this girl along?

After endlessly pondering "adult problems" these past few days, Itachi Uchiha's way of thinking had gradually matured.

Or rather, become realistic.

So annoying. What am I even thinking about?

Itachi Uchiha fell silent, but then suddenly heard someone calling his name in the distance.

"Itachi, are you here?"

Hearing the call, Itachi Uchiha grew somewhat nervous. His first instinctive thought was actually to tell Yuzuru Hyuga to hide.

"Shisui, I'm here."

It should be... fine, right?

Itachi Uchiha showed a rare sunny smile, seemingly thinking of something.

Though Shisui was not much older, only four years older than Itachi, despite being merely an eight-year-old boy, he had already made a great name for himself in the Third Shinobi War.

The title Body Flicker Shisui had quietly left an impression in the hearts of many powerful people.

Kakashi, who was also not very old, was regarded as Konoha's rising star. Kakashi was seen as the next Konoha White Fang, while Shisui was expected to inherit the title of Yellow Flash and become a shooting star flashing across the battlefield.

It had to be said that Konoha truly produced geniuses in abundance.

But for an eight-year-old child to already become a famous figure in the ninja world also, in a sense, showed how badly Konoha's talent pool had withered. They could only place their hopes for the future upon a group of children.

"You're here." Shisui poked his head in from the front of the park.

In an instant, he noticed Yuzuru Hyuga watching him from the corner.

Shisui instinctively restrained his smile.

"This is my friend, the son of Lord Hizashi Hyuga, Yuzuru Hyuga." Itachi Uchiha suddenly spoke, briefly introducing Yuzuru Hyuga's identity.

"I'm Kawai Izumi! Yuzuru's good friend!" Izumi also popped her head out, casting aside the matter of being unable to make blue light. But when she saw that the newcomer was clearly much older than her, a "mature big brother," she no longer wanted to talk much. She slipped behind Yuzuru Hyuga, timidly tugging at his sleeve as she looked at him.

Hizashi was, after all, the head of a Branch House. Naturally, Shisui would not be completely unaware of him.

In fact, he also knew something about Yuzuru Hyuga.

Itachi Uchiha had mentioned this friend to him more than once. Though he had not said much, Shisui roughly understood Yuzuru Hyuga's identity, and he also knew that Itachi had taken quite a few beatings from him.

But this was their first time meeting in person. After all, someone the same age as Itachi was still only a child.

"Hello, Brother Shisui." Yuzuru Hyuga greeted him very politely. The gentle smile on his face made Itachi Uchiha's mouth twitch. He instinctively wanted to expose the mask this guy wore before his brother, but Yuzuru Hyuga had already stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Itachi Uchiha immediately held his tongue. Shisui was so smart; there was no way he could be fooled by this guy, right?

"So you're Yuzuru Hyuga? I often hear Itachi talk about you at home. Itachi has relied on your care these past few days." Shisui greeted him politely as well.

Yuzuru Hyuga pushed up his glasses, his smile remaining gentle. "We've been taking care of each other. Itachi has helped me a lot too."

"Mm, Itachi, your friend seems like a very nice person?" Shisui teased Itachi with an amused look, only to see him staring back in shock, as though asking: No way, you think he's a good person?

Though Shisui had never been someone who judged by appearances, he looked Yuzuru Hyuga over again and again. The boy wore white clothes, his skin fair as snow. With black-rimmed glasses, he looked refined and quiet, and his smile was gentle and sunny. He did not look at all like the bad-tempered person Itachi had described.

"Did Itachi say anything about me at home?" Yuzuru Hyuga put on the curious expression of a well-behaved child.

Shisui did not hold back. "He said you look like you have a good temper, but whenever someone hits a sore spot, you find an excuse to beat them up. He said you have a terrible temper."

"Ah?" Yuzuru Hyuga looked deeply shocked. Wearing an expression of guilt and self-reproach, he lowered his head and murmured, "Is that so? I'm sorry. I thought that was just training."

"I never said it wasn't training." Itachi Uchiha had no choice but to speak up.

If this continued, his Brother Shisui would become someone else's Brother Shisui.

"Itachi, even if you fail, you should not let the pain of failure affect your judgment. You need to turn it into nourishment that helps you become stronger." Shisui taught him seriously.

Itachi Uchiha lowered his head and chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

Sure enough, instead of thinking about grand questions of life and death, was it not more important to think about how to defeat that annoying Yuzuru Hyuga?

Shisui smiled brightly and patted Itachi Uchiha on the shoulder. "I believe you can do it."

He turned and saw Yuzuru Hyuga, who seemed hesitant to speak. "What is it? Is there something you need?"

Yuzuru Hyuga pushed up his glasses, looking embarrassed. "Could I ask you to train with us too? I don't usually get many chances to meet powerful ninjas, so..."

Shisui had no guard up at all, nor did he think it was any burden. He laughed heartily. "Of course. I happen to be on leave these days. If you don't mind, training together is no problem."

"Thank you so much, Brother Shisui!"

Yuzuru Hyuga called out warmly.

Itachi Uchiha unconsciously moved closer to Shisui, glaring at Yuzuru Hyuga with hostility in his eyes.

Was he your brother?

He was my brother!

Mine!

Brother! Beat him to death!

Itachi Uchiha could not help speaking up. "Brother Shisui, don't hold back. He's a genius who can even master Rotation by himself."

Hearing that, Yuzuru Hyuga merely lowered his head shyly. "I'm not that outstanding..."

"Rotation?" Shisui was intrigued.

He said eagerly, "Then, how about we do it right now?"

"Sure!" Yuzuru Hyuga smiled.

The target had been achieved.

At that moment, a small temporary gold mine was right before him.

If he did not grind it now, when would he!?

Fight!

If he did not get beaten flat today, no one was allowed to leave!

He was definitely taking Shisui's experience points. Not even the Otsutsuki could stop him!

Shisui had no idea what Yuzuru Hyuga was thinking. Instead, he greatly admired Yuzuru Hyuga's willingness to challenge him and encouraged him, "Come at me with everything you have! Don't worry about me!"

"Yes!" Yuzuru Hyuga smiled faintly and nudged Izumi, having her go quietly watch from the side.

"Excuse me."

The moment he finished speaking.

Shisui instinctively wanted to reply, "Come at me anytime."

Three kunai glinting with a sinister light shot straight toward his face.