Everyone who lived by the sea knew that before a storm, it was always eerily quiet.
For three days straight, the sky over Konoha had been so blue it was almost white.
Those three days, Uchiha Rei's life had been peaceful and uneventful.
Of course, even that peace had its ripples.
After he treated the watermelon-head little boy, more and more people began looking at him with awe and excitement. Some even whispered behind his back, calling him a Medical Genius.
He had only demonstrated Medical Ninjutsu at the Jonin level, yet it had earned him more recognition than his Sharingan ever had.
He couldn't help but reflect on it. Medical Ninjas were safe, while the Mangekyō Sharingan was dangerous.
If he had shown off his Mangekyō Sharingan that day, he might not have earned respect. Instead, he might have been secretly documented and watched, or even quietly placed on the village's danger list.
Konoha wouldn't tolerate power it couldn't control.
Medical Ninjutsu, on the other hand, was much easier to accept.
Even the usually haughty Hyuga Clan had sent someone to invite him to "sit down for a chat," bearing a message from their Clan Head.
That person was none other than Hyuga Natsu.
Uchiha Rei had never liked dealing with girls, especially pretty ones. But he also understood that beautiful women found it easier to get close to him.
The Uchiha Clan was known for producing handsome men, while the Hyuga Clan was known for its beautiful women. That had always been a Konoha tradition.
Hyuga Natsu was a classic short-haired girl. Her smooth black hair was neatly trimmed behind her ears, giving her a clean, capable look that seemed both youthful and energetic. Her Byakugan was as clear as the moon, its gaze gentle and luminous.
"The clan says you can come back," Hyuga Natsu said, sitting opposite him. Her voice was softer than usual, as though she were afraid of disturbing something.
"Come back? So you can place the Caged Bird Seal on me and take my Byakugan?" Uchiha Rei's tone was flat and cold.
"You're one of the Hyuga Clan," Hyuga Natsu said quietly, her hands folded on her lap, her posture calm and dignified.
She wasn't lying. Uchiha Rei did have a trace of Hyuga blood, enough to give her a reason to persuade him. But the flicker in her eyes made it clear to him that she wasn't speaking only for her clan.
He didn't reply. He simply looked into her eyes. His reflection lay in those pale eyes, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether she was looking at him or he was looking at himself.
The room fell quiet for a moment. Hyuga Natsu leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table and lightly tapping a finger against the rim of her cup. It seemed she was waiting for him to speak, but couldn't bear to press him. Her movements were graceful, though she leaned toward him with a hint of deliberateness. A faint floral scent drifted from her, mingling with her own subtle fragrance, and Uchiha Rei instinctively shifted to the side.
"You shouldn't keep standing outside the door," Hyuga Natsu finally said.
"I've never stepped through that door," Uchiha Rei replied coolly. Maybe he would return to the Hyuga Clan one day, but never in his current capacity.
Hyuga Natsu froze, then sighed softly and rose to her feet. "Maybe one day, you'll come inside. I hope I'll still be standing at the door then."
With that, she turned and left. Uchiha Rei didn't look back, but he could tell she glanced at him as she walked out of the tavern.
In a tree across the street, the real Uchiha Rei toyed with the crystal ball in his hand. The "him" in the tavern was nothing more than a skillfully crafted Genjutsu clone.
He hadn't been idle these past three days.
As the Number one Genjutsu user in Konoha, Rei had practically turned the whole village into his playground.
On the first day, he infiltrated Konoha's Forbidden Zone: Root Headquarters.
It was his first time infiltrating in person. The "Uchiha Itachi" from before had been his Genjutsu clone.
Only his real body could trigger a sign-in.
Unfortunately, this time, it didn't work. The system didn't respond.
"As expected, Root and I aren't meant to be."
Still, he hadn't come away empty-handed.
Rei had swapped out a rare potion from Root, one that was supposedly capable of neutralizing Ibuse's poison. It was the antidote the Root Captain had mentioned.
But after carefully examining it, he discovered—
Unfortunately, the supposedly special antidote was far more effective than the purple potion left behind by the Third Hokage, yet it still couldn't purge the deadly poison inside him.
Either the poison had been specially enhanced,
or the old fox Danzo had given him a fake antidote.
But Uchiha Rei was more inclined to believe it was the former.
Inside Root, he had seen the researchers who worked day and night. There was no way a fake medicine could fool the entire Root research system.
"If that old bastard Danzo ever gets infected with enhanced Ibuse poison..."
"And then finds out his antidote doesn't work at all."
"That'll be quite a show!"
After returning from Root Headquarters, he went straight to the Public Training Ground in Konoha and signed in again.
[Sign-in reward: Taijutsu improvement!]
The system's prompt rang in his mind. The muscles in his body trembled slightly as his reaction speed and strength improved.
On the second day, he quietly sneaked into the Hokage Building and signed in with gusto under cover of darkness.
[Sign-in location: Hokage's office!]
[Sign-in successful!]
[Sign-in reward: Telescopic Technique!]
A clear, gleaming crystal ball appeared in his palm.
Early on the third day, he returned to the training ground. This time, Might Guy was there. Burning with the fires of youth, he trained in Taijutsu alongside Uchiha Rei.
[Sign-in reward: Power Prelude!]
If he didn't count the Eight Gates, his Taijutsu was now on par with a miniature Might Guy.
It was worth noting that Might Guy was the only character who appeared exactly the same in all three official guidebooks: the Book of Rites, the Book of Battles, and the Book of Formations. Might Guy was no weakling in this era.
And the Third Hokage's Telescopic Technique, combined with his own Byakugan, was like adding wings to a tiger.
Rei activated the crystal ball, and Hyuga Natsu appeared in his view.
She had just left the tavern. Her steps were light, but she looked a little tired.
She didn't go straight back to her room. Instead, she headed to the Clan Hall and bowed formally to the Clan Head. From her lip movements and gestures, Uchiha Rei guessed that they were talking about him.
The Clan Head said little, merely raising a hand slightly before leaving.
Hyuga Natsu then turned and walked back to her residence.
Uchiha Rei watched as she opened the door and went inside. Perhaps the smell of alcohol she'd picked up at the tavern bothered her. She went straight into the washroom, where hot water was waiting and steam curled through the air. She slowly loosened her sash, stepped barefoot into the wooden tub, and sank into the water.
The scene in the crystal ball turned hazy. "...This burns through chakra too fast." It was like a 3D edition of Icha Icha Paradise.
He shook his head and immediately switched targets. With a thought, the Telescopic Technique locked onto another mark: Tōdō Xiao Dong.
When he had treated the watermelon-head little boy at the Ninja Hospital, he had deliberately placed a Genjutsu mark on the doctor. Now, using both his Byakugan and the crystal ball, he quickly pinpointed the man's location.
He wasn't in the village.
Rei immediately poured in more chakra, and the image rushed forward. The view swept through a sea of trees, catching a familiar figure moving through the forest.
"That guy... ran away?"
The light inside the crystal ball dimmed. Uchiha Rei put it away and stood up.
"You can't just run away after doing something wrong." His voice was low, but his tone was unnervingly calm.
Konoha hadn't held him accountable, but he had no problem making sure Doctor Xiao Dong answered for himself.
His clone was still at the tavern, keeping up appearances. Meanwhile, his real body slipped out of the village and headed straight for his target.
Beyond Konoha was nothing but forest. Ordinary Ninjas could easily lose their way in terrain like this, but Uchiha Rei had the Byakugan and the Mangekyō Sharingan.
To most Ninjas, this forest was a natural barrier and maze. To Uchiha Rei, it was practically a map spread out before him.
"You... can't get away."
Before you continue