The Sky Cleared, The Rain Stopped

Konoha, Autumn of Year 54.

The breeze was steady, the sunlight gentle.

In the backyard of the Uchiha compound, the maple leaves blazed red like fire, swaying with the wind.

At that moment, three-and-a-half-year-old Sasuke was mimicking his brother's movements, hurling a shuriken with all his might.

Whoosh!

Thud.

The shuriken hit the bullseye dead-on.

But it didn't stick—it fell right off.

He had the aim, but the strength—was lacking.

Drip.

Drip.

Sweat slid down his cheeks, gathered at his chin, and finally dripped onto the collar embroidered with the Uchiha clan crest.

"Hah, so tired."

He paused, then turned to wash his face.

But when he spotted the lazy figure sprawled on the courtyard wall, his brow furrowed in spite of himself.

"Hey!" Sasuke shook his aching wrist, disgust coloring his voice. "The sun's almost down. How long are you planning to lie there?"

"Until the sun sets—or until One-vs-Seven brings back some Three-Color Dumplings."

Hearing that, Uchiha Jin rolled over, poking half his face out from the blanket.

Sunlight filtered through the maple leaves beyond the wall, scattering dappled spots of light across his face:

Four years had passed, and the little toddler had now taken on the shape of a youth.

The lines of his brows and eyes were gradually sharpening.

The only thing unchanged was that—lazy, languid air.

"Don't call him One-vs-Seven! Call him big brother!"

At the words "One-vs-Seven," Sasuke's mood soured even more, two veins even popping on his forehead.

"Do you know, big brother graduated today with the top score in the whole academy!"

If his eldest brother, Uchiha Itachi, was his idol!

Then the second brother lying on the wall before him was the parasite in his eyes.

Lazy. A chatterbox.

That was Sasuke's only impression of Uchiha Jin.

Over the years, every time he saw this brother of his, he was either sunbathing on the wall or wandering the village looking for someone to chat with!!

And every exam—he always scraped by with a passing grade!

Dead last!

A total dead last!

But no matter how angry he got, Jin on the wall not only didn't argue back—he actually—smiled?!

Seeing the smile on Jin's face, Sasuke couldn't hold it in anymore.

He grabbed a training shuriken and barked like a puppy that couldn't get its milk:

"Uchiha Jin! You're disgracing the Uchiha like this! I challenge you to a duel—"

"Shh, don't talk. Listen." Jin suddenly raised a finger and waved it. "The sky's cleared. The rain's stopped."

His serious expression even made Sasuke think something was really happening.

He instinctively held his breath. All he heard was the rustle of maple leaves in the wind.

Nothing?

No rain!

Damn it, Jin, tricking me again!

In a fit of anger, Sasuke fumed.

But little did he know, Jin was genuinely smiling.

Before his eyes, prompts kept appearing.

[]

[Conversation Target: Uchiha Sasuke.]

[Copyable Traits: Brother Complex (Black), Get Stronger by Getting Hit (Black), Child of Destiny (Color), Lightning Release Mastery (Purple), Tsundere (White), Shuriken Familiarity (White), Loud Voice (White).]

[Copy successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the common trait: Shuriken Proficiency (White).]

This trait—Uchiha Jin hadn't just noticed it for the first time.

But every time he saw it, he couldn't help sighing: sure enough, things like brother complexes and little-brother complexes were always mutual.

Before that arrogant brat even had memories, this special trait had already appeared.

As for Get Stronger by Getting Hit?

Jin felt that might have something to do with Sasuke's personality.

There was a saying that fit well: the sky clears, the rain stops, and Second Pillar thinks he's good again.

Every time he got stronger, Second Pillar was either getting beaten up or on his way to pick a fight and get beaten up.

And the thing was... he loved pitting his own weak points against his opponent's strong points.

Wasn't that just pure insanity?

Of course, after all these years, Jin had long gotten used to it.

The reason he was smiling wasn't because of that, though—it was because of the system's new notification.

[Ding, congratulations, host. You have basked in sunlight for 108 minutes. Chakra +108.]

[Ding, current Chakra: 1,000,000!]

[Congratulations, host. Your Chakra has broken through the million mark. Success rate for copying traits through conversation: 5% → 10%.]

[Success rate for copying traits by defeating an opponent: 50% → 75%.]

[Number of traits plundered from corpse looting: 1 → 1~2.]

This was the reason Jin was smiling.

The system's change!

More precisely, its evolution!

Especially the conversation copy rate, jumping from a single digit to a double digit.

The impact wasn't just a mere 5% increase.

Not to mention the defeat trait—75% was almost... Thinking this far, he couldn't help glancing at Second Pillar.

Here, it seemed, there was a ready-made test subject?

And at that moment, Second Pillar was completely unaware. Kunai in hand, he coldly looked towards Jin and said, "Hmph! You idiot, Uchiha Jin. I, Uchiha Sasuke, challenge you to a duel!"

Hearing this, Jin waved his hand and chuckled lightly. "Sasuke, have you ever lost?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Sasuke froze, frowning in confusion.

Shing!

But just then, Jin casually tossed down a shuriken.

It made Sasuke's brow twitch in irritation. "You look down on me too much! I'll make you regret this!"

But just as he was about to attack, his vision suddenly blurred.

Before him, that single shuriken instantly became twelve!

They shot in from bizarre angles!

Swish, swish, swish!

Sasuke's pupils sharply contracted—the trajectories of these shuriken were constantly shifting!

In the end, they precisely pinned him in place!

The corners of his clothes, the tips of his hair, even the seams of his training vest under his armpits—all pierced by cold metallic light, yet not a single scratch on his skin!

Drip.

For a moment, he couldn't tell if it was cold sweat or hot sweat that slid down his cheek.

He stood there, stunned.

A bizarre thought suddenly rose in his mind: could it be that just basking in the sun makes you stronger?