After the match, Yusuke left the Training Ground.
Izumi and Kabuto were already waiting outside. When Yusuke came over, Izumi happily leaped into his arms.
"Big brother, you were so cool! I knew you'd win!"
Holding the petite Izumi with his left arm, Yusuke patted her head with his right and smiled. "Of course."
Izumi blinked her big, dark eyes and pleaded, "Big brother, that sword technique of yours that sets your blade on fire is amazing. Can you teach it to me, too?"
"Sorry, there's nothing I can do about that. It's a special ability of mine, and no one else can use it. But don't worry. I'll teach you other powerful jutsu someday."
At Yusuke's words, Izumi pouted.
But she soon moved on and asked, "Then Shisui's going to be okay, right? He looked pretty awful when they carried him out just now. He was acting weird, suddenly challenging you and all, but you didn't hurt him too badly, did you?"
Itachi, standing nearby, also looked at Yusuke with concern.
Yusuke patted Itachi on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Shisui's fine. He just needs some time to recover."
Yusuke was about to take the three children back to the Uchiha Clan's compound when a hearty voice called out from behind them.
"Yusuke, congratulations on beating such a tough opponent! Let's all go celebrate with some barbecue!"
They turned toward the voice. It was Guy, who had just left the Training Ground as well. Kakashi, Asuma, and the others were with him.
Seeing the expectant looks on Izumi and Kabuto's faces, Yusuke accepted Guy's invitation and decided to take the three children out for a good meal.
"Sensei, I'm very sorry, but I'm worried about Shisui's injuries. I'd like to go visit him." Itachi looked apologetic.
Yusuke nodded to show he understood. But when Izumi heard that Itachi wasn't coming, she looked a little disappointed.
Inside the Third Hokage's office in the Hokage Office.
"Sarutobi, you saw today's fight. We have to find a way to curb the Uchiha Clan's power!" Danzo said grimly.
Only the Third Hokage and Danzo were in the office. Even the Anbu who usually guarded the Third Hokage from the shadows had been dismissed. Clearly, they needed to discuss something highly confidential.
At Danzo's words, the Third Hokage furrowed his brow but said nothing, as though deep in thought.
Seeing that the Third Hokage remained silent, Danzo continued, "As for Uchiha Yusuke's strength, I doubt even you could beat him—let alone me."
"What's more, Uchiha Shisui isn't much weaker than him. If you ever lose control of Shisui, the Uchiha Clan will have at least two shinobi who can match you, the Hokage."
"And I'm sure Uchiha Fugaku has been hiding his own strength, too. The village may no longer have enough power to suppress the Uchiha Clan!"
Danzo laid out the situation for the Third Hokage, hoping to get him to take a stance and move against the Uchiha Clan as soon as possible.
"That's enough. Let me think about it." The Third Hokage waved a hand, telling Danzo to stop.
Danzo snorted, deeply dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's indecision.
"If you keep this up, you'll regret it sooner or later." Danzo sharply flung his kimono sleeve and left the Third Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage rubbed his temples, his head aching.
"Uchiha Yusuke, what should I do with you?"
His plan to make Shisui the Uchiha Clan's representative had failed. Instead, he had greatly boosted Yusuke's standing within the Uchiha Clan and even throughout the village.
What worried the Third Hokage most was that he couldn't see the limits of Yusuke's strength.
Should I use Shisui's eyes to control him first?
The Third Hokage considered it, but in the end, he abandoned the idea.
The power of Shisui's eyes was too important, and the time required before they could be used again was too long. The Third Hokage wouldn't use them unless he had no other choice.
At a barbecue restaurant in Konoha, Yusuke had brought Izumi and Kabuto along to join some of his fellow shinobi for a rare get-together.
At Guy's invitation, the others there were Kakashi, Shiranui Genma, Asuma, and Kurenai.
They sat around a barbecue table, each with a large drink in front of them. They weren't drinking alcohol, though—just ordinary fruit juice.
None of them were old enough to drink legally, and the restaurant owner had firmly refused Asuma's attempt to order alcohol.
Izumi and Kabuto were busy eating, while Yusuke chatted with his fellow shinobi.
"Yusuke, how did you learn that fiery sword technique? It was incredible," Asuma asked with interest.
At Asuma's question, everyone turned their attention to Yusuke. His display of strength that day had been astonishing, and the most memorable part was undoubtedly the katana wreathed in roaring flames.
"As a shinobi, isn't it perfectly reasonable to know a little swordsmanship with flames?" Yusuke said with a smile.
He'd used Ryujin Jakka's techniques for the first time that day, and they'd been remarkably effective, so Yusuke was in a good mood. He couldn't resist making a joke that no one there would understand.
"I heard the clan leader's son, Uchiha Itachi, is your student too. Will you teach him that special technique?" Genma asked.
Yusuke shook his head. "I can't teach this swordsmanship to anyone. It's a talent unique to me." After all, without Ryujin Jakka, there was no way to use those techniques.
As he spoke, he glanced at Kakashi and added meaningfully, "But when it comes to swordsmanship, White Fang is second to none. I really admire his skills."
Kakashi still carried the Chakra Short Sword passed down by White Fang and hadn't completely given up on the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship.
But Yusuke knew that before long, Kakashi would focus on developing his Sharingan and become a ninjutsu specialist, later earning the name "Copy Ninja." In Yusuke's eyes, that was a terrible choice.
Kakashi didn't seem to care about Yusuke's words, but he was still unsure about what path to take.
They talked about jutsu for a while longer. As it was getting late, they prepared to call it a night.
Guy was about to ask everyone to split the bill when he suddenly noticed that Kakashi, who had been sitting there, had turned into a mangy dog. Yusuke, Izumi, and Kabuto had become one large teddy bear and two smaller ones.
Asuma and Kurenai had simply faded away like phantoms. They had clearly used genjutsu to sneak out without paying.
Guy, looking dazed, poked Shiranui Genma, who was still sitting beside him. When he realized Genma was really there, he poked him several more times in disbelief.
"Hey, quit poking me. I'm the real deal. But you did invite me, so don't tell me you expect me to pay for you?"
"Then why didn't you just run off too? Why are you still here?"
"I just wanted to see how you'd get the money out of that skintight suit without your flak jacket!"
Guy: ""
Three figures, one large and two small, strolled leisurely down the evening street.
Yusuke held Izumi's hand on his left, with Kabuto walking beside him on his right, as they headed slowly toward the Uchiha Clan's new compound.
"Big brother, you'd already paid the bill. Why did you still use the Substitution Technique to sneak away?" Izumi asked.
"No reason. I just thought it might be fun," Yusuke said with a smile.
At his words, the corner of Kabuto's mouth twitched. He pushed up his glasses and said nothing, his thoughts unclear.
The three chatted as they walked, and soon reached their front door. In the darkness, a small white snake watched them silently.
He sent Izumi and Kabuto inside, then gently closed the door. Yusuke turned and looked toward the white snake.
"Lord Orochimaru, please come out."
With a pop, the white snake turned into a puff of white smoke. A tall, thin figure slowly emerged from it. It was Orochimaru.
"Yusuke, this isn't the place to talk. Come with me."
Yusuke followed Orochimaru, and the two soon reached a secluded grove at the edge of the village.
Orochimaru stopped and turned to Yusuke. "Yusuke, your performance in today's match truly surprised me!"
"It was nothing. I'm sure my strength is nothing compared to yours, Lord Orochimaru," Yusuke replied evenly.
"You're too modest. To be honest, I might not be your match now."
Yusuke didn't respond. Instead, he asked, "Lord Orochimaru, you didn't bring me here just to comment on my strength, did you?"
Orochimaru looked into Yusuke's eyes and said slowly, "The Sharingan. What an enviable gift!"
"That child named Uchiha Shisui had only to rely on the Sharingan to reach a level most shinobi wouldn't even dare dream of attaining in their entire lives!"
Orochimaru's tone remained calm, but Yusuke saw a gleam of desire in his snake-like eyes.
Yusuke hadn't expected his battle with Shisui to spark Orochimaru's interest in the Sharingan so soon.
For ordinary people, transplanting a Sharingan could do more harm than good.
Take Kakashi, for example. The Sharingan was a heavy burden for him. Since he couldn't deactivate it, his Chakra was constantly being drained.
He could only cover the Sharingan with a bandage, which reduced his fatigue and the strain of Chakra depletion to some extent.
But Orochimaru, who possessed the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, didn't need to worry about those problems. If he took over the body of an Uchiha, he would gain the Uchiha Clan's bloodline and be able to control the Sharingan perfectly.
Knowing what Orochimaru had in mind, Yusuke remained silent.
If Orochimaru tried to take over the body of an Uchiha, Yusuke couldn't stand by and do nothing as a member of the Uchiha Clan.
The two met each other's gaze and immediately understood what the other was thinking.
They remained silent for several seconds before Orochimaru spoke first. "Yusuke, you didn't use it in today's match, but you've already awakened the Sharingan, haven't you?"
At Orochimaru's question, Yusuke's heart jolted. He was about to deny it when a long sword suddenly shot from Orochimaru's mouth and slashed toward his chest.
They were only inches apart. Orochimaru's sudden attack, launched from his mouth, caught even Yusuke off guard.
Yusuke quickly retreated, using the Body Flicker Technique to put some distance between them. He escaped injury, but the front of his shirt was slashed open.
"Lord Orochimaru, what do you mean by this?"
Before you continue