I Like Farming

After returning home, Shazo deliberately found a blank sheet of paper.

He wrote words like "coincidence," "fate," "arrangement," and "trap" on it, then heavily drew two lines beneath "fate."

Earlier, Shazo had carefully inspected the surrounding area and confirmed that no other ninja were lying in wait and there were no traces of any arrangement.

In other words, his encounter with Shisui Uchiha had been a coincidence, not something orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.

But too many coincidences were definitely abnormal. There could only be some other force pushing things along.

Though it sounded incredible, once all other possibilities had been ruled out, it could only be the pull of fate.

Shazo believed that the increase in strength he had gained on his own was simply too great, like an asteroid suddenly expanding several times in mass.

The asteroid did not need to do anything. The laws of gravity alone would disrupt everything around it, drawing celestial bodies that had originally been unrelated to it into collision or entanglement.

Shazo's strength had surged without any transition, and fate had drawn in people he had never intended to meet, creating tangled threads of destiny between them.

It made perfect sense.

But for the first person to cross paths with Shazo through fate to be Shisui Uchiha was still too abrupt.

"I only thought of Shisui because of saving Uchiha Izumi. I merely thought about it and never took action, yet I still ran into him twice in a row."

"Has the power of fate in the Ninja World become this strong?"

"Tomorrow, I'll try leaving earlier and see what changes."

On the sixth night, Shazo deliberately ended his training fifteen minutes early, swiftly cleaned up all traces, and took the path home that stayed far from the stream.

Yet Shisui Uchiha still stopped him head-on.

Shisui directly called out his name. "Genin Shazo, can we talk?"

Shazo stopped walking and replied, "Of course."

He looked at Shisui Uchiha. "Jonin Shisui Uchiha, what would you like to discuss?"

Shisui said, "Today, I looked into Genin Shazo's records. In the eight months since Konoha Year 54, you have completed three C-rank Missions, but eighty-three D-rank Missions."

He activated his Sharingan and stared at Shazo with scrutiny in his eyes. "Why have you taken so many D-rank Missions?"

Shazo answered frankly, "Because I like farming."

Shisui Uchiha was dumbfounded. "Huh? Farming?"

Shazo nodded. "Farming!"

"Planting seeds with your own hands, watering them, fertilizing them, getting rid of pests, watching the crops grow until harvest... That feeling of fulfillment is addictive."

"That's why I took so many D-rank Missions."

Shisui Uchiha's mouth hung open. He had absolutely no idea what to say next.

Taking a deep breath, Shisui Uchiha pulled himself together and asked, "Why are you still a Genin?"

Shazo found that baffling and asked in return, "As a ninja who graduated less than a year ago, isn't it normal for me to be a Genin?"

Shisui Uchiha was stunned. "Huh? You only just graduated?"

Shazo asked strangely, "Jonin Shisui Uchiha, you said you looked into my records. How could you not know that I graduated in Konoha Year 54?"

Shisui Uchiha was somewhat dazed, but after looking at Shazo, who stood far more than a head taller than himself, he understood why he had made that mistake.

How could he have imagined that this towering brute, nearly two meters tall, was a freaking Genin who had only just graduated?

What normal child grew to two meters tall at fourteen?

Shazo thought back to the painful experience of suddenly shooting up thirty centimeters over the past three days.

He remembered being painfully awakened by calf cramps every morning and the troubles caused by his sudden change in height.

His two-meter height made him extremely conspicuous. He had no idea how to explain it to people who knew him, so he had stayed cooped up at home until now and only went out at night.

Fortunately, he had never joined a team before and had always carried out D-rank Missions alone and quietly, so there were very few acquaintances in Konoha he needed to deal with.

Besides, he had just turned fourteen, the age when people grew wildly. As long as he endured for half a year without causing a stir, everything would be fine.

"Fine. Let's set that aside for now."

Shisui Uchiha took a deep breath, threw all his messy thoughts aside, and narrowed his eyes at Shazo.

He asked word by word, "Your strength has already reached Jonin level. Is that normal too?"

Shazo was stunned by the question.

He truly had not expected that Shisui Uchiha would discover his real strength after they had merely brushed past each other twice.

Shazo put on a dazed look as though his secret had been exposed, while his mind raced as he considered what excuse he could use to argue his way out of this...

No, explain it!

He needed a perfect reason, one that would not only earn Shisui Uchiha's trust but also fit his long-term persona completely, without requiring him to constantly patch up inconsistencies in the future.

That would be far too likely to blow up in his face.

Shisui Uchiha saw Shazo's surprise and hesitation. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes as he realized that he could not give Shazo time to think.

So Shisui raised his voice and sternly pressed, "What exactly is your purpose in concealing your strength and identity? Which village's infiltrator are you?"

Not only had Shazo gained immense strength and height through his own efforts, but his soul had also been elevated in essence, making his mind exceptionally sharp.

But no matter how sharp he was, there was no way he could come up with a perfect explanation in the blink of an eye.

Just as Shazo was at a loss, he heard Shisui's stern accusation.

Then he realized that he did not need to explain anything today. He only needed to refute the idiotic question Shisui Uchiha had just raised.

So Shazo also assumed an angry stance and loudly retorted, "I haven't concealed my identity!"

"I don't have any purpose!"

"I'm even less of a spy. I'm a Konoha Ninja!"

"No matter how strong I am, I earned it all by myself! It has nothing to do with you!"

Everything Shazo said was true.

With the Sharingan's observational ability, Shisui Uchiha confirmed that as well.

He pressed again, "Then why did you hide your strength? Why didn't you advance in ninja rank?"

Shazo gave him a strange look and replied, "What's so strange about hiding my strength? Most Konoha Ninja hide their strength, don't they?"

"Jonin Shisui Uchiha, haven't you hidden your strength too?"

Shisui froze. "Uh, well..."

Shisui Uchiha realized that questioning Shazo over concealing his strength was completely untenable.

Yes, he had publicly revealed that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

But before revealing it, he had concealed it for a full six years.

And even after revealing it, the people who knew were limited to Fugaku Uchiha, the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō, and a few others.

Seeing Shisui's expression, Shazo curled his lip disdainfully. "Besides, I haven't refused to advance in rank. I already registered for the Chunin Exams taking place in a few months."

Shisui Uchiha's momentum had already weakened, but unwilling to accept it, he asked again, "That can't be right. You're so strong, and you graduated normally after completing six years at the academy. You could have taken the Chunin Exams three months after graduation."

Shazo snorted. "I never joined a ninja team, and I don't have a supervising Jonin."

"According to the Konoha Ninja Code, within one year of graduation, a Genin without a Jonin's recommendation is not permitted to take the Chunin Exams."