"That's great."
"My father's leading an escort mission in the next couple of days. I asked him about it, and he said you could come along."
Qingyu immediately accepted.
Yūhi Shinku was one of Konoha's finest Genjutsu shinobi, and a formidable opponent who could deflect Sharingan Genjutsu.
Going on a mission with someone like him would be a great learning opportunity. More importantly, it might trigger some kind of Genjutsu-related trait.
If it improved Qingyu's Yin Release abilities, it might even strengthen his Sharingan.
"I'm coming too!"
A breathless voice came from the mouth of the alley.
Sarutobi Asuma had somehow gotten wind of the news and came running over.
"My father also told me to get out more and train. We can go together!"
Yūhi Kurenai glanced at Asuma. She didn't refuse, but she didn't seem especially enthusiastic, either. She simply nodded.
Asuma looked disappointed.
He felt that Yūhi Kurenai had been growing more and more distant lately, and it was all because of Qingyu!
No. He couldn't keep holding back anymore.
He had to show off the strength of the Hokage's son on this mission!
Asuma thought to himself.
The three of them agreed on a time and place to meet. Then Yūhi Kurenai went home first to confirm the details with her father.
Qingyu planned to go home and pack his ninja tools. As he reached the mouth of the alley, he ran into Maruboshi Kosuke.
Kosuke had his huge black pot strapped to his back and held an old scroll tied up with hemp rope.
"Qingyu, just the person I was looking for."
Kosuke handed him the scroll, a puzzled look on his face.
"I was clearing out some old junk at home and came across this. I opened it up and had a look. It seems to be a swordsmanship scroll from the Uchiha Style."
"I probably picked it up by chance on a battlefield when I was young. I put it away in a box and forgot about it."
He scratched his hair, which had started to turn gray, and spoke with a hint of self-deprecation.
"I'm middle-aged now. My memory's not what it used to be."
To be honest, even Kosuke was baffled.
But then he thought about it. It wasn't as if someone would have snuck into his house to plant a scroll.
To outsiders, he was just an Eternal Genin. Only a few people, like Lord Hokage, knew his true strength. Who would go to the trouble of scheming against an old Genin?
"Senior Kosuke, why don't you keep it for yourself?"
Qingyu looked at Kosuke in surprise.
"My techniques are set in my ways by now. My old bones can't handle starting over with a whole new style of swordsmanship."
Kosuke waved a hand, his tone matter-of-fact.
"But you have the Sharingan, and a solid foundation. This might suit you well."
Qingyu thanked the old man sincerely.
After all, even with the Sharingan, Qingyu couldn't learn much Uchiha Style Swordsmanship as things stood.
The Uchiha students at the Ninja Academy alone weren't enough.
Of course, Qingyu couldn't openly go and learn it from them, either. That would inevitably anger the Uchiha Clan.
So he planned to use this swordsmanship only when fighting enemies.
Kosuke waved a hand and ambled off, his huge black pot strapped to his back.
When he got home, Qingyu spread the scroll across the table and studied it carefully.
The scroll wasn't long. It only contained a few moves, but each one was explained in great detail.
Elegant.
That was the only word Qingyu could use to describe it.
This swordsmanship was far more refined than any style he had encountered before.
Qingyu estimated that it was B-rank, or possibly even higher.
```
[Detected collectible trait: Pride of the Uchiha]
[C-rank trait: Pride of the Uchiha]
[Effect: Increases the power of Uchiha Style Taijutsu by 60%.]
Qingyu stared at the words that had suddenly appeared before him and froze.
Who'd sent him a gift?
He hurriedly looked around, but the room was empty, and there wasn't anyone in the yard, either.
Qingyu immediately thought of Madara Uchiha.
In the entire Shinobi World, only Madara Uchiha could casually give him a high-quality trait like this.
"So Madara Uchiha sent this over? Is he planning to raise me as a pawn?"
Qingyuan mused.
If the swordsmanship had come from Madara Uchiha, it was definitely no ordinary technique.
He pushed aside his thoughts, reopened the scroll, and began practicing by following the illustrations.
He had already practiced swordsmanship for nearly a year. Guidance from Maruboshi Kosuke and Hatake Sakumo had given him an exceptionally solid foundation.
On top of that, he had the bonuses from traits like [Sword Fanatic], [Sword Path Mastery], [Seasoned Sword Sense], and [Swordsmanship Foundation]. He learned new sword techniques many times faster than an ordinary person.
After only a few hours of practice, he had already gotten the hang of it.
The katana swept through the air in a series of fluid arcs. His footwork shifted in time with each swing, and his movements were sharper than before.
Meanwhile.
Graveyard Mountains.
In the dim underground chamber, Madara Uchiha sat in a massive wooden chair. His eyes reflected Qingyu practicing swordsmanship, as if he were watching a film.
"Looks like Lord Madara's been watching for hours, huh?"
A White Zetsu emerged from the ground and whispered to another White Zetsu beside him.
"Yeah. Lord Madara's usually asleep by now, but he's been watching the whole time today."
The other White Zetsu answered without a care in the world, making no effort to keep his voice down.
"What do you think Lord Madara's watching?"
"No idea. It must be really interesting, though, or he wouldn't be watching for so long."
The two White Zetsu kept chatting, not bothering to hold back.
Fortunately, Madara Uchiha seemed so absorbed in the swordsmanship that he had no time to pay attention to their chatter.
The two White Zetsu couldn't help but marvel at how ninjutsu could change people's lives.
Ever since Madara Uchiha had used Yin Release ninjutsu once to watch Qingyu through a White Zetsu outside, he had checked in on him whenever he had nothing else to do.
At that moment, Madara Uchiha finally spoke.
"That's enough. You two, quiet down."
The two White Zetsu immediately shut their mouths.
Madara Uchiha turned his attention back to the illusory image.
In the image, Qingyu had just finished a full combination of moves. He lowered his sword and let out a long breath of white mist.
His movements were far from perfect, but they already carried a hint of Izuna's style.
At that moment, Madara Uchiha felt conflicted.
Qingyu was undoubtedly more talented than Obito and better suited to carry out his plan, but Qingyu didn't have Obito's extremism.
And Madara Uchiha didn't want Qingyu to suffer so much.
Back then, Izuna had suffered alongside him his whole life and passed away before he had a chance to enjoy any of it.
"Maybe I don't need to have only one spokesperson?"
Madara Uchiha mused.
What if he had two spokespeople? Obito could travel the world collecting Tailed Beasts, while Qingyu stayed in Konoha as a spy. That way, he could keep tabs on the major shinobi villages, too.
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