A Huge Improvement

Uchiha Sou was training with Shisui Uchiha. Their eyes were both scarlet, and they moved so fast it was dazzling.

What was even more frightening was that, despite their incredible speed, they could still make quick evasive moves and look for ways to throw each other off.

Anyone else would have struggled to withstand such a relentless assault. Even an average jonin would have had a hard time!

"Clang!"

Their kunai collided violently in midair, and the metallic clanging soon became a continuous din.

Uchiha Sou wore an intensely serious expression. He had always known that Shisui Uchiha was no easy opponent!

Shisui couldn't possibly use his Mangekyō Sharingan during sparring, but with those eyes as his foundation, the boost they gave a member of the Uchiha Clan was simply unimaginable.

This guy's getting faster and faster.

As he fought, Uchiha Sou couldn't help thinking to himself.

Over the past six months, he had lost count of how many times he had fought Shisui. He had witnessed firsthand how much the boy had changed.

Shisui was getting faster and faster—and it wasn't just his body. His reaction speed was improving, too!

And with that speed, his physical coordination had continued to improve as well.

The changes left Uchiha Sou speechless. After mulling it over, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Could this be a change brought on by the Mangekyō?

He hadn't gained the power of the Mangekyō himself, and he didn't know exactly what changes it brought.

But he knew one thing: besides granting its wielder the power they desired most, the Mangekyō also brought changes to their body.

Uchiha Sou couldn't help wondering whether Shisui's speed had changed because of his Mangekyō.

After all, Shisui was growing at an astonishing pace. The visible changes in his speed made it hard not to wonder.

Fortunately, his growth was limited to his body and speed. His chakra hadn't improved much, which was a relief to Uchiha Sou.

And Shisui wasn't the only one who had grown. Uchiha Sou had made tremendous progress over the past six months, too!

During that time, he had to manage all the people under his command and go out on necessary missions.

But he knew perfectly well what mattered most to him.

Strength!

Without strength, he had no idea how he could face that pack of wolves in Konoha High Command, let alone deal with the massacre.

And he had no idea how he could confront that bastard, Uchiha Obito. Only with enough strength could he face all of this with greater confidence!

Fortunately, Anko's troublesome suggestion had led him to Nara Rukawa. With him around, Uchiha Sou had been able to save a great deal of time and energy on administrative work.

Don't assume that working behind enemy lines meant there was no administrative work. Just producing documents like those promoting the Will of Fire took considerable effort.

Then there was coordinating the shinobi who trained the civilians, gathering and reviewing the information they brought back, and arranging all kinds of missions.

Most troublesome of all, they had to keep records of their activities behind enemy lines. Strictly speaking, they had gone against the original instructions from Konoha.

All of this needed to be done by someone, and Nara Rukawa had handled it all remarkably well.

Uchiha Sou only had to review the finished documents and make decisions.

That left him plenty of time for all kinds of training. He had even incorporated his training into actual combat.

That was why he was always the first to volunteer for missions. He also made a point of bringing Shisui along.

Shisui was three years younger than Uchiha Sou, only ten and almost eleven, but he had the Mangekyō.

He had only just awakened it, but if things came down to it, he could still fight with everything he had. At worst, he would simply spend some of his ocular power.

With Shisui backing him up, Uchiha Sou could afford to take risks.

His taijutsu, ninjutsu, and, most importantly, Sharingan had all improved tremendously through real combat.

He never slacked off in his spare time, either. Whenever he could, he sparred with Might Guy and Shisui.

His efforts had motivated the others, too. And since he always volunteered to lead the charge on missions, the prisoners they rescued had come to respect his position even more.

"Clang!"

Another sharp ring rang out, but this time Shisui stumbled several steps backward before regaining his balance.

His speed kept increasing, but his strength hadn't improved much, just like his chakra.

Perhaps it was because of his age. In any case, it was one of his current shortcomings.

"Captain Sou, I lost." Shisui didn't dwell on it. He smiled at Uchiha Sou.

"You're just too young. If you were my age, there wouldn't be such a big gap in strength."

Uchiha Sou shook his head and put away his weapon, then teased him.

"Besides, you weren't using your full strength either, were you?"

"Captain, Mr. Rukawa is here." Shisui didn't respond. Instead, he turned to look at Nara Rukawa nearby.

Uchiha Sou also turned to look. He had noticed Nara Rukawa as soon as he arrived.

Their sparring hadn't ended yet, so he hadn't stopped. Now, though, he was curious what had brought him here.

"Captain Sou." Seeing that the two had stopped, Nara Rukawa hurried over. "Sorry to interrupt, but there are some matters I think you should take care of."

"Rukawa, there's no need to be so polite." Uchiha Sou smiled, then accepted the documents. "Thanks for all your hard work. Without you, we couldn't have gotten things to this point."

"You're giving me too much credit, Captain Sou. Without you, none of this would be here." Nara Rukawa smiled politely.

After exchanging a few compliments, Uchiha Sou began to read through the documents carefully. They recorded the training taking place at the various locations.

They also included plenty of verified intelligence gathered through investigation and shinobi reconnaissance. He noticed that Nara Rukawa had recorded a number of Mist Ninja movements as well.

Judging by those movements, the Mist Ninja seemed to be stepping up their attacks along the front lines!

After reading the intelligence, Uchiha Sou understood what Nara Rukawa was getting at. He was reminding him that six months had passed, and it was time to do something.

It had been six months since Uchiha Sou and the others had ignored Konoha's mission. If they carried on like this, no one knew what the war's end would look like.

"I understand." Uchiha Sou nodded, then looked at Nara Rukawa and said seriously, "You're right. The pressure on the front lines has increased, and it's time for us to play our part."

"Yes, Captain." Nara Rukawa visibly relaxed, then smiled. "I'll notify the people at the other bases right away."

After saying this, Nara Rukawa hurried off once more, and Shisui walked over.

"Is it starting?" Shisui asked quietly. "Our war?"

"Yeah, it's starting." Uchiha Sou nodded. "It's time."

As soon as he finished speaking, a light curtain appeared in Uchiha Sou's eyes, visible only to him.

[Skill Proficiency System activated]

[Chakra Refining Technique (A): Level 4 (140/400)]

[Dojutsu Sharingan (A): Level 10 (970/1000)]

[Taijutsu Uchiha Style (B) Level 9 (300/900)]

[Ninjutsu Transformation Technique (E): Level 5 (144/500)]

[Ninjutsu Substitution Technique (A): Level 3 (130/300)]

[Ninjutsu Body Flicker Technique (A): Level 5 (150/500)]

[Ninjutsu Fire Release Great Fireball Technique (B): Level 1 (12/100)]

[Phoenix Flower Jutsu (B): Level 1 (11/100)]

[Omitted.]