A-Rank Ninjutsu: Chidori

Under the drizzling rain, he had barely stepped outside when he spotted Uchiha Shisui in the distance. Clearly, Shisui had been waiting for some time.

Uchiha Yoru, however, acted as though nothing had happened. He walked over, casually shrugged, and said, "What could possibly require our Genius Shisui to come personally?"

The two entered the woods. Uchiha Shisui did not take offense at his words; instead, he smiled and slowly took a scroll from his Tool Pouch, handing it over.

"Brother Yoru, these are the ninjutsu the elders have granted you, along with the funds you need. Gather at the village gate at exactly six tomorrow morning."

After reporting the mission details, Uchiha Yoru lightly shook his head with a sigh. He understood the Uchiha Clan's urgency, but unfortunately, this gamble was destined to be futile.

Once the official business was done, Uchiha Shisui's expression turned somewhat grave as he said in a deep voice, "Brother Yoru, if you have finished dealing with your matters, at least don't provoke her for now. Otherwise, you'll hurt her."

Shisui's meaning was obvious. The Uchiha Clan was currently like meat roasting over a fire. Getting too close to ordinary civilian ninja would invite trouble and might even bring misfortune upon her.

Hearing this, Uchiha Yoru gave Shisui a strange look before teasing, "Shisui, you'll understand once you get a girlfriend someday."

Good grief. Faced with such shameless words, Uchiha Shisui was left speechless. Looking at Yoru, who was only a year older than him, he simply could not understand.

The two returned to the Uchiha Clan like fleas. Konoha had just endured the Nine-Tails' Rampage and was in the midst of rebuilding; while every ninja was overwhelmed with work, the Uchiha Clan's ninja were instead almost entirely occupied with preparations for relocation.

Back at the temporary residence assigned by the clan, Uchiha Yoru recalled how the Uchiha Clan had been affected during Nine-Tails Night, especially the Konoha Military Police Force. That was precisely why Konoha had used it as an excuse to make the Uchiha relocate their clan grounds.

Opening the scroll, he found not only two B-Rank Ninjutsu, but also Sharingan training methods, control experience, and various precautions. Awakening the Sharingan was one thing, but it still required training. Even among those with Three Tomoe, there were differences in the strength of their Eye Power.

After seeing the various methods for improving and training the Sharingan, Uchiha Yoru shook his head with a smile. Though the system was somewhat rigid, its service was undeniably thorough. After exchanging for a One Tomoe Sharingan, he had also gained countless techniques and experiences, allowing his body to adapt perfectly and directly reach the limits of One Tomoe.

In other words, what the system provided through exchange was the peak state right from the start. Truly, you got what you paid for. But when he turned to the final A-Rank Ninjutsu, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"I didn't expect it to be this ninjutsu."

Looking at the familiar ninjutsu, Uchiha Yoru shook his head and sighed again. "Makes sense. No matter what, the Uchiha Clan is Konoha's undisputed foremost Noble House. For Kakashi to keep the Sharingan, it couldn't have been just because of his relationship with the Fourth Hokage. There also had to be a gesture of goodwill."

The Uchiha Clan could not possibly lower themselves just because he had been the Fourth Hokage. That was not enough. So Kakashi had offered up this ninjutsu, barely smoothing the matter over.

"No wonder the Third and the others never stopped Kakashi when he taught Sasuke in the original story. So this was the reason."

The A-Rank Ninjutsu Chidori was Kakashi's self-created signature technique. It was also a ninjutsu that could be brought to its fullest potential when paired with the Sharingan. Lightning Release was relatively rare even within Konoha, let alone among the Uchiha Clan, so this ninjutsu had remained shelved all along.

A One Tomoe appeared in his eyes as he solemnly memorized every piece of information on the scroll. He had not activated the Sharingan to show off. After all, he was alone in a tent—who was there to impress?

Such a precious ninjutsu scroll naturally bore Sealing Jutsu from the Uchiha Clan. Only when viewed through the Sharingan would its correct contents appear. Ordinary eyes could see something as well, but the contents would differ, with crucial sections altered. Whoever practiced it would soon find out, and the outcome would definitely not be pleasant.

Early the next morning, quite a few people had already gathered outside the Konoha Main Gate. Teams of ninja assembled, then sprang away like fleas—no, they should have been called black shadows vanishing into the distance.

"Brother Yoru, let's go. We'll discuss the mission on the way."

When the Uchiha appeared, the passing Genin and Chūnin showed little reaction, but there was clearly an invisible exclusion among the Jōnin.

There were quite a few members of the Uchiha Clan on this mission. Including him, there were eight Uchiha in total, and the captain leading them was clearly the Uchiha prodigy, Shisui.

As captain, Shisui personally led the group at the front. After widening the distance from those behind them, he said solemnly, "Brother Yoru, this time we're heading to the border near the Land of Sea, where Lord Orochimaru is stationed."

Taking the scroll, Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes as he read its contents, then nodded lightly. "So that's how it is. We're the signal the Uchiha are sending, right?"

Konoha had suffered severe losses in the Nine-Tails' Rampage. Even the Fourth Hokage had died, which showed just how grave those losses were. Unrest had begun to stir along the various borders. That was also why the Third had been able to smoothly retake power—because only Hiruzen Sarutobi could stabilize the current situation in the shortest time possible.

After three days, Konoha's attitude toward the Uchiha had basically been settled: relocation and surveillance. That was an undeniable fact, and the Uchiha Clan had its own way of responding.

They would release a signal of goodwill. Likewise, the Hokage Faction had sent its own signal. After all, the Uchiha had relocated their clan grounds as demanded. Now that the situation was unstable, the Uchiha needed to regain trust, while the village needed the Uchiha's strength.

They were the first signal the Uchiha had sent out: taking up posts and carrying out missions in the border regions. After all, if distrust alone caused every Uchiha elite to be concentrated inside the village, then Hiruzen Sarutobi probably would not be able to sleep at night.

In this special period, both sides began showing goodwill. The Uchiha started sending out their strength to protect Konoha, both to prove themselves and regain trust. At the same time, in the Uchiha's eyes, Konoha had also shown goodwill. Only when everyone was doing well could things truly improve.

"Shisui, this mission takes us to the border. Lord Orochimaru truly is formidable—stationed at the front line, he is practically guarding against both Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning and Kirigakure in the Land of Water at once."

Uchiha Yoru spoke with narrowed eyes and a smile. Uchiha Shisui's mood was clearly good as well, likely because relations between the clan and the village had at least stopped worsening. The signals of goodwill from both sides gave him hope, and he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Shisui was obviously in high spirits. He smiled and nodded at Uchiha Yoru. "Lord Orochimaru is stationed at the front line, guarding against both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water. We Uchiha are going to reinforce the front line."

Konoha had suffered such a major incident, and even the Fourth Hokage had died. It would have been stranger if the other villages had not tried to take advantage of the situation. From the original story, it could be inferred that although Konoha had not entered any major war after Nine-Tails Night, small local conflicts and covert probing had continued without end.

In the original story, Shisui had returned from the battlefield against the Mist Ninja. There was also the Hyuga Clan incident during peace negotiations with Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning. All of it showed the games played between nations.

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