It's Decided, Ichiraku!

In the dense forest,

the security squad formed a perimeter, cordoning off the area so that no one outside the squad could approach.

A faint smell of blood drifted through the wind. It was unpleasant, but the security squad wasn't made of softies. Seeing blood alone wasn't enough to shock them.

They each patrolled their assigned areas. At the first sign of anything unusual, the signal flares in their hands would light up the night sky.

By the time Yamashiro Ryuta arrived, the security squad had already placed the three corpses together.

"How is it?" Yamashiro Ryuta asked as he pulled on a pair of white gloves, crouched before the bodies, and lifted the shroud.

The shinobi in charge looked grim. "Not good. Three people are dead in total. One of them was a Konoha Ninja. As for the other two..."

The first corpse Yamashiro Ryuta uncovered was indeed the Konoha Ninja. His throat had been cut with a sharp weapon, killing him in one strike without giving him a chance to resist. His clothing and forehead protector identified him as a Konoha shinobi.

"What about the other two?"

"The other two... their faces are unrecognizable. When we arrived, their clothes had already been burned to ash, so we can't determine their identities."

Yamashiro Ryuta lifted the other two white sheets. Two naked corpses lay where they had been left, their entire bodies charred black, clearly burned by fire.

He took only one glance before covering them again. His expression dark, he stood up, removed his gloves, and accepted a cigarette from the shinobi beside him.

"These two probably aren't from Konoha. Go back and investigate to confirm.

"As for the Konoha casualty, verify his information, then arrange compensation for his family."

With that, he prepared to leave.

"Captain, what happens next?" his subordinate hurriedly asked.

"Next?" Yamashiro Ryuta glanced at him and chuckled. "Then everyone goes home to find their own mothers."

"The corpses were burned this badly specifically to keep us from confirming which country these two belonged to."

Then, as if he had thought of something, he added, "Send two people to search the surrounding area for clues. We'll talk about anything else after you find something.

"Oh, right. Things have been unstable lately, so it's best not to act alone."

Watching Yamashiro Ryuta leave, the remaining few exchanged glances, speechless.

The person who had asked the first question looked somewhat angry.

"The captain's attitude was way too perfunctory! What if something huge is behind this?"

The person beside him sighed and stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder. "You can't blame the captain. During the Third Shinobi War, every kind of monster and demon came crawling out of the woodwork. How many times has something like this happened this month? Five or six, at least, right?"

"And someone even destroyed the bodies to erase the evidence. They clearly don't want us investigating. Even if we do keep digging, it'll probably end with nothing.

"Our time would be better spent handling other matters."

The man lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists tightly. Then he helplessly relaxed them and left the area in silence.

The night deepened...

The next day,

in the small courtyard of Sora Uchiha's home,

the scorching wind blowing in from outside the courtyard ruffled the boy's hair, revealing eyes as dark as obsidian.

Sora Uchiha gave a light yawn, his gaze falling on the energetic boy who had been up bright and early.

The latter's gaze was resolute. He rapidly formed Hand Seals, ending in the Tiger Seal.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, a one-meter-diameter fireball slammed into the empty ground before him. The scorching wave of heat surged into his face, dispelling the last trace of drowsiness from Sora Uchiha.

"Clap, clap, clap—"

He applauded without reservation and praised the boy, "Just as expected of you, Haki Shisui. Your Great Fireball Technique is no worse than mine."

Hearing his brother's praise, Shisui bashfully scratched his head. Then, remembering something, he asked curiously, "Brother, what does Haki Shisui mean?"

"Um... it means I'm praising you." Sora Uchiha gave a reasonable explanation.

"Hehe, then you're Haki Sora." Shisui grinned.

Hmm, Haki Sora. It doesn't sound bad. It's much better than being called that Uchiha brat by the person yesterday.

Inside the house, Momosuke pushed open the door and saw that his two sons had not slacked off despite the early hour. He nodded in satisfaction.

With sons like these, what more could he ask for? They were both his pride. Thanks to Sora Uchiha, his standing within the Uchiha had even risen, and he was now second only to the clan head.

"Sora, show me the results of your recent training. Hmm... use the Great Fireball Technique."

The smile Sora Uchiha had just raised immediately froze.

The results of my training? I don't have any! The only things I've practiced are the basics of Shuriken and Kunai.

"Yes," he answered sullenly.

Then, under the expectant gazes of Momosuke and Shisui, he formed Hand Seals.

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, a fireball one and a half meters in diameter erupted from his mouth.

Hmm, one and a half meters. That's a full half-meter larger than Shisui's, even though he's six years younger than me.

It was visible to the naked eye that Momosuke's face had darkened.

Shisui was still too young to understand what that meant. He only knew that his brother's Great Fireball was bigger than his own.

"Wow! Brother, you're amazing! Just as expected of my brother..." As he spoke, his voice grew weaker and weaker,

because he had finally noticed that his father seemed... very dissatisfied.

"Sora, how big was Shisui's Great Fireball?" Momosuke asked expressionlessly.

"One meter in diameter." Sora lowered his head and answered with some embarrassment.

"When did Shisui learn the Great Fireball Technique?"

"Yesterday." Sora's voice grew quieter still.

"How big was your Great Fireball Technique three years ago?" Momosuke asked his final question.

"One and a half... meters in diameter..." Sora hunched his neck, feeling too ashamed to face anyone.

Three years. Three whole years, and his Great Fireball Technique had not improved in the slightest. Even he felt ashamed to bear the title of Uchiha genius.

Shisui's eyes widened. He was shocked that his most amazing brother had gone three entire years without improving his Great Fireball Technique.

At the same time, he felt a little delighted. He was delighted that he had finally found something in which he could surpass his brother.

The gloomy atmosphere did not last long.

Sora Uchiha felt that he had nowhere to put his face. With a strange cry, he said,

"Father, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do today. I'm leaving first."

With that, he fled through the door without looking back.

Watching Sora Uchiha's panicked escape, Momosuke shook his head helplessly. He was not actually angry, only puzzled.

His son's excellence was plain for all to see, so why was he so poor at the clan's ninjutsu? Instead, his talent had manifested in the strange Summoning Technique. No one in their branch was good at Summoning Techniques, either.

After leaving home,

Sora Uchiha's embarrassment had finally faded somewhat. He kicked the can at his feet and looked at the deserted street, suddenly unsure what to do.

[System, are there any quests?[]

[None.]

[What a useless piece of junk.]

[Host, please watch your language.]

Sora Uchiha clicked his tongue and ignored the system. Then he thought of something to do.

His stomach was rumbling. He had not eaten breakfast yet.

Since that was the case...

"Then it's decided. Ichiraku, my man!"