Several days later.
Late at night, all was silent.
Uchiha Tunan sat beneath the eaves, forming hand seals at a steady rhythm.
Neither fast nor slow, he closed his eyes and carefully sensed the flow of Chakra.
He finished the final seal.
Uchiha Tunan extended his right hand and spread his fingers.
"Crackle, crackle~"
Thin arcs of electricity flickered at his fingertips, like sharp needles growing from beneath his nails.
"Chakra shape transformation, huh? Too bad these lightning needles can't be thrown like Senbon."
Uchiha Tunan muttered to himself, then dismissed the technique.
Lightning Release: Lightning Needle required few hand seals. Once his spiritual power grew a little stronger and he became more familiar with Chakra circulation, he could likely cast it without hand seals.
It might be a good move for catching people off guard.
Just imagine it: chatting pleasantly with his prey, then casually driving a lightning needle into their body.
Lightning Release Chakra could also numb their body, preventing them from feeling pain at first and keeping them from crying out immediately.
By the time they reacted, he could use Lightning Release: Earth Run to paralyze them completely.
Mm, not bad.
By now, Uchiha Tunan had mastered quite a few ninjutsu.
For Fire Release, he had Great Fireball, Phoenix Sage Fire, and Phoenix Sage Flower Crimson.
For Lightning Release, he had Earth Run and Lightning Needle.
He also had Mirror Heaven and Earth Turning and the Hell Viewing Technique for genjutsu, as well as the Hypnotic Eye inherent to the Sharingan.
His Chakra reserves had reached the level of a Special Jonin. As for his spiritual power, he had no idea exactly how much it had grown.
All in all, this level of strength barely gave Uchiha Tunan a sense of security.
Over the past few days, Uchiha Tunan had also trained several more white pigeons.
Ninja beasts cost quite a bit of money, mainly because their specialized feed was expensive.
Uchiha Tunan was someone severely lacking in a sense of security, so he placed great importance on reconnaissance ninja beasts like these.
He bought only the most expensive feed.
Even though white pigeons did not eat much.
The living expenses his parents had left him were nearly exhausted.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi had not occasionally sent Anbu members to deliver food, Uchiha Tunan would probably have had to hunt wild animals in the forest to fill his stomach.
He wondered when the compensation for those killed in action would finally be issued.
Uchiha Tunan looked up at the sky, then rose and returned indoors to rest.
The moment he entered the bedroom and prepared to turn off the lights for sleep, he suddenly stopped. Three Tomoe spun in his eyes.
"I hope they're not here for me."
With that, Uchiha Tunan withdrew the hand that had been about to switch off the light, picked up his notes on Will of Fire and Thought, and began reading aloud.
Konoha, in the forest outside the Uchiha Clan Compound.
A Konoha ninja dressed as a Chunin pushed aside the grass before him and cautiously poked his head out.
"I hope the Uchiha Clan hasn't arranged that person in the center of the compound yet."
He then turned his gaze toward a small courtyard at the edge of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Dim light shone from the building in that courtyard, and a hazy silhouette was cast against the window.
"That should be the house. Still awake this late... are all Konoha geniuses this hardworking?"
This Konoha Chunin was named Inoue Shinta, a spy Kirigakure had planted in Konoha just after the end of the First Shinobi World War.
Throughout the entire Second Shinobi World War, Inoue Shinta had only sent back a few unimportant messages, and had never received another espionage assignment.
This recent regional conflict was nearing its end, and before the war concluded, Kirigakure planned to carry out an assassination and eliminate Konoha's young geniuses.
One Jonin spy had gone to Kakashi's home, while Inoue Shinta had been assigned the less difficult task of assassinating Uchiha Tunan.
After all, Kakashi's father was Konoha's White Fang. There was a good chance Anbu were secretly protecting his child.
But Uchiha Tunan was different. He was an Uchiha clansman, so the Anbu probably would not enter the Uchiha Clan Compound to monitor him.
Moreover, the ninja guarding the Uchiha Clan Compound mostly focused their attention on its central area.
The roars of wild beasts occasionally echoed through the forest, sending chills down one's spine.
But for a Chunin like Inoue Shinta, the sounds of beasts actually put him more at ease.
Inoue Shinta observed carefully for a while. Only after confirming there was no sign of anyone nearby did he lower his guard.
He shot out of the grass, turning into a black shadow as he stealthily approached Uchiha Tunan's home.
What he did not know was that every movement he made had already been seen by a white pigeon perched on a branch behind him.
The pigeon stood quietly on the branch, its body concealed by dense leaves.
Only one cold, profound Sharingan eye was exposed.
"Uphold the principles of ninja, resolutely carry out the Will of Fire centered around Lord Third Hokage.
Follow closely in Lord Third Hokage's footsteps..."
Inoue Shinta lay prone on the roof, listening to the impassioned reading coming from inside. He could not help but sneer inwardly.
Another pitiful fool brainwashed by the Will of Fire.
There was no time to waste. Inoue Shinta slowly drew his short blade, leaped down from the roof, and landed softly.
The entire motion flowed smoothly, without the slightest sound.
With a vicious grin on his face, he walked to the entrance and pushed open the door.
This place was far from the center of the Uchiha Clan Compound. Even if a disturbance arose, those ninja would not be able to arrive in time.
And in Inoue Shinta's eyes, Uchiha Tunan was merely a student who had just entered the Ninja Academy.
So what if he had awakened Three Tomoe? He only had potential.
He was not even a Genin.
It was not as if he could use the Three Body Technique to kill him in return.
At that moment, Inoue Shinta could already imagine the terrified expression on Uchiha Tunan's face as a blade pierced through him.
The instant the door opened.
The bedroom light suddenly went out. The entire house was swallowed by darkness, and the reading abruptly stopped.
This guy really was a genius. He was quite alert.
But before absolute strength, he was still doomed to die.
Inoue Shinta gripped his long blade tightly and stepped into the dark house, one step at a time.
"Drip, drip..."
Inoue Shinta's ears twitched. He recognized the sound as water dripping from a kitchen faucet that had not been fully tightened.
He could not help feeling irritated, but the mission came first, so he ignored such minor details.
In the darkness, Inoue Shinta could vaguely make out the room's layout. His eyes remained fixed on the bedroom door as he approached it step by step.
He slowly reached out and placed a hand on the door.
Kid, say goodbye to this world.
A cruel smile appeared on Inoue Shinta's face. He suddenly pulled the door open, his right hand already raising the long blade to strike down Uchiha Tunan, who was surely putting up a desperate resistance.
However...
No one was there!
Inoue Shinta's heart jolted slightly. Standing at the bedroom doorway, neither advancing nor retreating felt right as he began thinking about where Uchiha Tunan could be hiding.
The bedroom's layout was extremely simple. Other than the cabinet, there was practically nowhere to hide a person.
If it were me, I would hide beside the door.
Using the blind spot in the enemy's vision to conceal myself, then launching a surprise attack from the side when the enemy entered.
But this kid was still a student. If he was timid, he should be hiding in the cabinet.
Inoue Shinta put himself in Uchiha Tunan's position, took a breath, and calmed himself as he listened.
His many years as a ninja had taught him to be cautious.
Because if Uchiha Tunan was hiding beside the door, rushing inside carried a chance of being ambushed.
Even if the chance of a successful ambush was small.
What he needed to do now was listen for the other's breathing, determine his location, and kill him with one strike.
"Drip, drip..."
Other than the dripping water, there was no sound of breathing.
A genius indeed. Had he seen through my intentions?
But seeing through them was useless.
You can't hold your breath forever.
Then I'll wait until you can't endure it any longer.
A hint of mockery flashed through Inoue Shinta's eyes, as though he were laughing at Uchiha Tunan's foolish response.
"Drip, drip..."
Time passed bit by bit.
Inoue Shinta seemed to become the finest hunter in the darkness, patiently waiting for his prey to reveal a flaw.
"Hoo~"
At that moment, a suppressed exhale came from inside the cabinet.
Before you continue