The Ninja World's Universal Matchmaking

A steady rain fell, like dense drops of ink spilling from the pitch-black sky.

The melodious sound of an erhu rose through the rainy night.

"If evil~ is a gorgeous, cruel symphony—"

A childish voice wandered through the rain, accompanied by flashes of lightning in the dark night sky.

The rumble of thunder served as perfect accompaniment to his singing.

Cloud ninjas stood in the rain, silently watching a six-year-old boy sit on a little stool and play the erhu with surprising skill. The gloomy weather matched their mood.

The ninja world had always said that the Uchiha Clan of Konoha was an eccentric bunch. Now they felt these guys were seriously messed up.

They'd barely arrived before he started berating the Cloud Village for bullying them and spouting a bunch of inexplicable nonsense. Then, right in front of everyone, he'd suddenly started playing the erhu. The abrupt, awkward transition was like reading the work of a second-rate novelist—it left you too confused to follow.

But they had to admit, the rap mixed into his song had been pretty catchy. It was much better than the crap Killer B sang.

Every song eventually came to an end. As his performance in the rainy night reached its graceful finale, Qing Xuan handed the erhu in his left hand to Haku, brushed the raindrops from his leg with his right, and stood up.

"One song breaks the heart. Where in this vast world can I find a kindred spirit?"

"Bravo!"

The Uchiha, their faces expressionless, called out their approval and clapped in silence. It was hard to tell whether they liked the song or thought Qing Xuan's line sounded more impressive.

The Cloud ninjas facing them were about ready to puke. Their patience had reached its limit after enduring this long without doing anything, but they didn't dare act rashly.

After all, the Uchiha were famous for their arrogance and fierce pride. And the state of these obsessives' minds seemed a little off, too.

They didn't dare use the same approach they'd taken with the Hyuga. What if these lunatics snapped and started a fight?

But standing there while a six-year-old child humiliated them at will wasn't acceptable either. So a quick-tongued ninja stepped forward at once. "Uchiha! This isn't the place for you to fool around! What are you trying to do?"

She was a female ninja, decent-looking, though she had the haughty air typical of the Land of Lightning. Her gaze swept across the group before settling on Qing Xuan, sharp and intimidating.

But Qing Xuan wasn't intimidated. He looked at the woman and said lightly, "Are you provoking my Uchiha Clan?"

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

"Death is like the wind, always by my side. My glory has long since departed."

The Cloud kunoichi's heart lurched. She felt the child before her had suddenly changed completely.

His childish face was as cold as the night rain, and his clear eyes had turned scarlet.

"Don't look into my eyes. All you'll find there is anger and pain."

The quiet words from his lips fell like the ceaseless rain. Each drop was gentle, but before she knew it, its chill had seeped into her very core.

The kunoichi trembled as she met those Scarlet Eyes. They held only a single tomoe, yet for some reason they left a mark of fear in her heart—faint, but indelible.

A young beast bared its fangs. It might not be fully grown, but it was still fierce!

"Are you provoking my Uchiha Clan?"

His indifferent words rang out again. One after another, pairs of Scarlet Eyes lit up in the dark rain as if at a signal. In the space of a moment, the whole area was awash in red.

Hiss—

Under the gaze of those Sharingan, the intense pressure and sense of danger made the Cloud ninjas' hearts tremble uncontrollably.

What a top-tier experience!

Some ninjas forcibly suppressed the urge to turn and run, cursing inwardly. Was this really the kind of treatment ninjas of their rank were supposed to get?

"I bloom amid slaughter, just like a flower at dawn."

The poetic words rang out again, and that inexplicable pressure climbed another notch.

The air seemed to congeal beneath the restless killing intent. Even the falling rain grew unsteady.

In the rain, the Sharingan glimmered faintly, like stars—or a pack of wolves that had marked their prey and was ready to hunt at will!

They couldn't let the Uchiha get any more worked up!

Dodai, hidden behind the Cloud ninjas, gave a wry smile. At last, he couldn't take it anymore. He pushed aside one stiff body after another and stepped forward.

To his surprise, the instant he appeared, the child protected at the front by the Uchiha sprang up and pointed at him, shouting, "Aha! The Cloud Village still dares to claim you have no plot!"

His shout was like a clap of thunder. It broke the tense atmosphere and snapped the Cloud ninjas out of their oppressive daze, letting them breathe a long sigh of relief.

Without realizing it, the rain had soaked their clothes through.

"Uchiha style, Qing Xuan! You certainly live up to your reputation!"

Looking at the unmistakably familiar face in front of him, Dodai's expression grew more complicated.

Just as the AB Combo of the Cloud Village was infamous in other hidden villages, Konoha also had many powerful duos whose names struck fear into people's hearts.

But one man was a strange exception. He wasn't tied to any single partner. Instead, he was like an all-purpose utility player who could pair up with any Konoha ninja.

From the Second Shinobi World War through the years leading up to the Third, he had appeared in every major event, earning one fearsome title after another recognized throughout the ninja world: Konoha's Bandit Couple; Uchiha's Mad Laughing Duo; Konoha's Golden Flash and Scarlet Spiral Double Team; the Darkness of Dual Roots...

The duo he formed with the late Fourth Hokage had by far the most outrageous name, but they were also the strongest!

Even now, Dodai remembered the encounter they'd had many years ago, before the Third Raikage was surrounded by ten thousand Iwagakure ninjas: the AB Combo against them—facing the Golden Flash, whom the Fourth Raikage could never catch, and the Giant Black Figure, who had overpowered the Eight-Tails and beaten it mercilessly.

Against that bizarre duo, the normally invincible AB Combo hadn't stood a chance. They'd been crushed in an instant.

But fortunately, Ryuu Uchiha had gone to the Pure Land alongside the Third Hokage, and Minato Namikaze had died at the hands of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Otherwise, Dodai couldn't imagine what the ninja world would be facing if they were still alive.

"Hey, old man, what are you spacing out for? You're the Cloud's most influential guy. Shouldn't you have something to say?"

The Uchiha brat's blunt, childish voice rang out through the rain. Dodai came back to himself and chuckled.

That brazen attitude reminded him of his many past dealings with Ryuu Uchiha, so he openly voiced what was on his mind. "I was thinking about how to kill you before you grow up."

In an instant, pair after pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan fixed on him, filled with cold, murderous intent.

Even Dodai, a veteran who had served two generations of Raikage, was beginning to find it unbearable.

Damn it! Was this the kind of treatment only Kage Level powerhouses got to enjoy?

It seemed the Uchiha Clan really cared about this kid!

As he thought this, he heard the child speak cheerfully.

"Old man, no one in Konoha can kill me! Not even your Raikage could do it himself."

Just then, the Third Hokage emerged from the Hyuga compound with a group of ninjas.