Three Days of Sign-In Rewards

Those who live by the sea know that it's always eerily quiet before a storm.

The sky over Konohagakure had been a pale, washed-out blue for three consecutive days.

During these three days, Uchiha Rei's life had been as calm as a still lake.

Of course, even calm had its ripples.

After healing that little boy with the watermelon head, more and more gazes began to hold a mixture of awe and eagerness. Some even whispered behind his back, calling him a Medical Genius.

He had only displayed Jonin-level Medical Ninjutsu, and it had unexpectedly earned him more recognition than the Sharingan.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Medical Ninjas were safe, while the Mangekyo Sharingan was dangerous.

If he had displayed the Mangekyo Sharingan that day, he might not have been respected, but rather secretly documented, guarded against, and perhaps even quietly placed on the village's list of dangerous individuals.

Konoha would not tolerate uncontrollable power.

Medical Ninjutsu was more easily accepted.

Even the usually arrogant Hyuga Clan had sent someone to "have a chat." With a message from their Clan Head.

That person was none other than Hyuga Natsu.

Uchiha Rei had never liked interacting with girls, especially pretty ones. But he also understood that beautiful women were more likely to approach him.

The Uchiha Clan was known for its handsome men, and the Hyuga Clan for its beautiful women; this was a tradition in Konoha.

Hyuga Natsu was a typical short-haired young girl. Her smooth, dark hair was neatly trimmed behind her ears, clean and sharp, giving her a youthful and capable appearance. Her Byakugan were as clear as the bright moon, emitting a gentle glow.

"The clan says you can come back now," Hyuga Natsu said, sitting opposite him. Her voice was a little softer than usual, as if she were afraid of disturbing something.

"Go back? Without the Caged Bird Seal? Without handing over my Byakugan?" Uchiha Rei's tone was flat, devoid of warmth.

"You are one of our Hyuga family," Hyuga Natsu said softly, her hands clasped on her knees, her posture quiet and dignified.

She wasn't lying. Uchiha Rei did possess a trace of the Hyuga bloodline, which was enough reason for her to come and persuade him. However, the flicker in her eyes at that moment made Uchiha Rei clearly sense that her words were not solely for the sake of her clan.

He didn't reply, merely gazing into her eyes. His reflection in those Byakugan made him momentarily unsure whether she was looking at him, or he was looking at himself.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Hyuga Natsu leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table, her fingertips tapping the rim of her cup. She seemed to be waiting for him to speak, yet reluctant to urge him. Her movements were elegant, yet she leaned in with a slight, deliberate closeness. A faint floral scent wafted from her, mixed with a hint of her body odor, causing Uchiha Rei to subconsciously shift his body slightly to the side.

"You shouldn't always stand outside the door," Hyuga Natsu finally said.

"I have never entered that door," Uchiha Rei replied indifferently. Perhaps he would return to the Hyuga family someday, but definitely not in his current capacity.

Hyuga Natsu paused for a moment, then sighed softly and stood up. "Perhaps one day, you will come inside. I hope that by then, I will still be standing at the door."

After speaking, she turned and left. Uchiha Rei didn't look back, but he could feel her stealing a glance at him as she walked out of the tavern.

Perched on a large tree across the street, the real Uchiha Rei was toying with a crystal ball in his hand. The "him" in the tavern was merely an exquisite Genjutsu clone.

These past three days, he hadn't been idle.

As the current Number one Genjutsu user in Konohagakure, Rei treated the entire village almost as his playground.

On the first day, he had infiltrated Konoha's Forbidden Zone, the Root's headquarters.

This was the first time he had infiltrated as his true self; before, "Uchiha Itachi" had been his Genjutsu clone.

Only the true main body could trigger the sign-in.

Unfortunately, he hadn't succeeded this time; the system hadn't responded.

"As expected, Root and I have no connection right now."

However, he hadn't returned empty-handed.

Rei had swapped a rare potion from Root, said to be able to neutralize Sanshōuo poison, precisely the antidote mentioned by that Root Captain.

It was just that, after he carefully examined it.

Unfortunately, that so-called special effect antidote, while far more potent than the purple potion left by the Third Hokage, still couldn't remove the potent poison within him.

Either this poison had been specially enhanced.

Or, that old fox Danzo's potion was a fake.

But Uchiha Rei leaned more towards the former.

Within Root, he had seen those research personnel who worked tirelessly day and night; a fake potion would never be able to fool the entire Root research system.

"If one day... that old geezer Danzo also gets poisoned by the enhanced Sanshōuo poison."

"And then discovers that his antidote is completely useless."

"It would be quite a spectacle!"

After returning from Root's headquarters, he went directly back to the public training ground in Konohagakure and signed in repeatedly.

[Sign-in Reward: Taijutsu Enhancement!]

The system's prompt sounded in his mind, the muscles in his body trembled slightly, and his body's reaction speed and strength both improved.

On the second day, he quietly snuck into the Hokage Building and, under the cover of night, signed in with a flourish.

[Sign-in Location: Hokage's Office!]

[Sign-in Successful!]

[Sign-in Reward: Telescopic Technique!]

A crystal ball appeared in his palm, clear and bright.

On the morning of the third day, he arrived at the training ground again. This time, Might Guy was there. He was burning with youth, training Taijutsu with Uchiha Rei.

[Sign-in Reward: Power Prelude!]

If he didn't consider the Eight Gates for now, his Taijutsu was equivalent to a miniature Might Guy.

One had to know that Might Guy was the only character who was identical in all three official books: Book of临, Book of斗, and Book of阵. The current Might Guy was not weak.

And with the Third Hokage's "Telescopic Technique," combined with his own Byakugan, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

Rei activated the crystal ball, and Hyuga Natsu appeared in his vision.

She had just left the tavern, her steps light, but with a hint of fatigue.

She didn't go back to her room directly but went to the Clan Hall and gave the Clan Head a proper bow. Judging by her lip movements and actions, Uchiha Rei deduced they were discussing him.

The Clan Head didn't say much, just raised his hand slightly, then left the seat.

Hyuga Natsu turned and left, slowly returning to her residence.

Uchiha Rei watched her push open the door and enter the room. Perhaps the smell of alcohol from the tavern made her uncomfortable, so she went straight into the bathroom. Hot water was ready, steam rising. She slowly loosened her sash, her bare feet stepping into the wooden bathtub.

The scene in the crystal ball was hazy. "...Too much chakra consumption." A 3D version of Icha Icha Paradise.

He shook his head, immediately switched targets, and with a thought, the Telescopic Technique locked onto another mark, Tōdō Xiao Dong.

After saving the watermelon-head little boy at the Ninja Hospital, he had deliberately left a Genjutsu mark on this doctor. At this moment, with the dual detection of his Byakugan and the crystal ball, he quickly located the target.

Not in the village.

He immediately increased his Chakra input, and the image rapidly zoomed in. His vision traversed the sea of trees, catching a familiar shadow moving through the forest.

"This guy... ran away?"

Inside the crystal ball, the light gradually dimmed. Uchiha Rei put away the crystal ball and stood up.

"Trying to escape after doing something bad? That won't do." His voice was low, but his tone was terrifyingly calm.

Konoha hadn't dealt with it, so he didn't mind giving Doctor Xiao Dong an explanation himself.

At this time, his clone was still in the tavern, acting as a cover. But his true body silently left the village, heading straight for the target.

Outside Konoha, it was all forest. Ordinary ninjas could easily get lost in such terrain, but Uchiha Rei had the Byakugan and the Mangekyo Sharingan.

This forest, to ordinary ninjas, was a natural barrier and a maze. But to Uchiha Rei, it was like an unfolded map.

"You... can't escape."