Copy

Having passed the graduation exam, Shigure naturally received his forehead protector as a genin.

Shigure tied it around his forehead, just enough to cover the slight bulging changes from his bloodline awakening.

"Wow! Brother Shigure! Did you really become a ninja?!" Xiao Xing said excitedly.

"Isn't the forehead protector right on my head? I wouldn't lie to anyone, let alone you!" Shigure said with a smile.

"Brother Shigure! Let me treat you to ramen!" Without letting Shigure refuse, Xiao Xing grabbed his hand and ran toward the other end of the village. In no time, they arrived at a familiar noodle shop.

"Tonkotsu Ichiraku Ramen?" Shigure swallowed as he looked at this place, so familiar from his past life, before being pulled inside by Xiao Xing.

Inside the shop, a young man sat with his eyes seemingly closed.

Shigure stared at the spirited "youngster" before him, unable to connect him to the slightly greasy middle-aged Ichiraku guy of the future.

"Ayame-chan! Uncle Teuchi!" Xiao Xing called out warmly.

"Wow! Big Sister Xiao Xing and Brother Shigure are here!" The little girl called Ayame was incredibly cute, her cheeks still plump and soft despite her young age—anyone would adore her.

Shigure and Xiao Xing weren't much older than Ayame, but due to their circumstances, they looked more mature, so they often came to play with her.

"Wow! You two haven't been here in ages! What'll it be today?" Uncle Teuchi welcomed them.

"One deluxe Tonkotsu Ichiraku Ramen and one regular Udon," Xiao Xing ordered.

"Make it one deluxe Udon and one regular Tonkotsu Ramen instead!" Shigure declined, knowing Xiao Xing wasn't well-off and had upgraded his order for him—he was deeply touched.

"Haha! No need to be polite! I'll make them both deluxe!" Uncle Teuchi clearly liked Xiao Xing, and soon brought out two steaming bowls.

"Thank you!" Xiao Xing said politely.

"Slap!"

"Let's dig in!"

Just as Xiao Xing and Shigure thought they could enjoy a quiet, pleasant meal, an uninvited guest walked through the door.

Shigure narrowed his eyes, watching, while Xiao Xing beside him jumped in fright.

"You're Uchiha Wei... What... what do you want?" It was clear Xiao Xing was terrified of this Uchiha Wei.

Uchiha Wei, on the other hand, grew even more arrogant, curling his lips into a villainous, death-seeking smirk.

"Shigure! Lucky you, huh? Passed the exam?! Let me congratulate you properly!" Uchiha Wei sneered maliciously.

Shigure simply turned his head and asked, "Xiao Xing, did he take your necklace?"

"Yes..." Xiao Xing said quietly.

"What? Got a problem?" Uchiha Wei sneered. "If you want the necklace back, fight me! Meet me in the small forest outside the village!" He then pulled out Xiao Xing's necklace.

"That's my necklace!" Xiao Xing said. "But, Brother Shigure, be careful! Maybe we shouldn't go!"

"Trust me, Xiao Xing." Shigure said nothing more and followed Uchiha Wei out.

Soon, they reached the small forest of Konoha.

Uchiha Wei turned around and laughed. "Uchiha Shigure, an orphan with no parents, and you dare to defy me! I can't believe you got cocky enough to go against me just because you lucked out on some little exam?!"

"Go! Teach him a good lesson!" Uchiha Wei shouted, and five thugs acting as his muscle burst out from the dense bushes.

"Oh? Luring me here—so you planned to rough me up all along?" Shigure didn't care about Uchiha Wei's contempt at all, because in his eyes, these people were already on a completely different level.

"White Rinnegan!" Shigure activated his White Rinnegan, and the thugs immediately surrounded him.

"What... what kind of eyes are those? What are you waiting for?!" Uchiha Wei was startled by Shigure's eyes and urged them on.

The thugs swung their little fists and charged at Shigure.

The Three-Tomoe White Rinnegan instantly read their attack trajectories. Shigure barely moved his body, and all five Uchiha lackeys' strikes missed completely.

"How... how is that possible?!" Uchiha Wei was stunned. When had Shigure gotten so agile?

"You're young and have no real skill, yet you dare to act as recklessly as those scumbags?" Shigure sneered.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" For the first time in a real sense, Shigure used the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and five shadow clones appeared around him.

The five clones immediately attacked the five thugs, punching and kicking. In less than half a minute, Uchiha Wei's men were scattered on the ground, groaning.

"Ah, it hurts..."

"This kid hits hard..."

"Help..."

Uchiha Wei gritted his teeth in disbelief, staring at Shigure, then cursed his fallen men: "Useless! Can't even beat shadow clones! Get lost!"

The five thugs struggled to their feet and scurried away.

"I can't believe you actually learned a B-rank Shadow Clone Jutsu!? How could you, Uchiha Shigure!?"

Uchiha Wei, unwilling to accept it, forced himself to calm down and said, "Looks like the Shadow Clone Jutsu is your trump card, huh?! Haha! Let me show you my jutsu!"

Uchiha Wei began forming hand seals with an air of importance.

"Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Uchiha Wei then gathered a large amount of Chakra in his throat, and with one concentrated effort, expelled it in a burst.

In an instant, a wave of heat surged forth, and a fireball—not particularly dazzling in appearance—hurtled toward Shiyu.

"Boom!"

The five Shadow Clones were instantly engulfed by the great fireball, turning into puffs of smoke and vanishing.

Shiyu hadn't expected Uchiha Wei to barely manage to pull off this technique, and he felt a flicker of surprise.

But Shiyu wasn't afraid. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Through his Three-Tomoe White Rinnegan, he not only easily grasped the key points of this jutsu but also saw that Wei's execution was clumsy and strained.

Seeing that Wei's Chakra reserves were nearly depleted and that he was already at the end of his rope, Shiyu took a step back, widening the distance slightly, and said, "As a student of the Ninja Academy, being able to master a C-rank Fire Style is pretty good for you! But today, let me show you what the real thing looks like! Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"