I Have Nothing Left to Teach You

"They are here."

Watching the youth within his field of vision, Shisui Uchiha's voice remained calm, yet his heart surged with inexplicable turbulence.

It was just like facing Itachi in the past.

They had once shared the same will—the will to prevent war.

But that will had become tainted and was no longer pure due to various recent reasons.

Even though Shisui still considered Itachi his closest friend, there were some things that could no longer be confessed.

The submission of the Uchiha could indeed trade for the peace of the village.

But.

What about the clansmen?

The Fourth Hokage's offspring, Naruto Uzumaki, was a cautionary tale.

The emergence of Arata, his resistance, and his fearlessness had allowed him to see another glimmer of hope.

"If war breaks out between the village and the clan, I will still stand on the side of the clan."

"I am Arata of the Uchiha!"

"This stance will not change."

Arata Uchiha did not offer any polite greetings, cutting straight to the point instead, his gaze meeting Shisui's with solemn determination.

He truly had not expected to resolve this contradiction without bloodshed.

After all, if even Shisui could not accomplish such a thing, how could he possibly succeed?

One had to know that the former's reputation was exceptionally high, not only within the clan grounds and the village but throughout the entire ninja world.

Hearing this, Shisui Uchiha's eyes dimmed slightly.

This answer was little different from that of the radicals within the clan; it was not the answer he wanted, even though he himself did not know what kind of answer he was looking for.

But just then, Arata added:

"However, I swear in the name of these eyes."

"My power will never be used against the ordinary residents of the village; it will only be used to slaughter any invaders who step foot into our clan grounds and to protect my kin."

"Of course, traitors must die!"

Arata Uchiha's voice was cold.

His pupils manifested a distinct Single-Tomoe.

The Sharingan was a symbol of the agony of losing loved ones; it was the most genuine emotion in the ninja world.

Shisui's eyes brightened slightly.

He could naturally hear that the word "traitor," which had been emphasized, referred to himself and Itachi.

Yet, he did not mind.

To protect his kin and to strike down those who deserved it—this seemed to be the best answer possible.

Thinking of this, he skipped the previous topic and said on his own: "Genjutsu is a method that uses the enemy's five senses as the target of attack. Our clan's Sharingan uses vision as the entry point; it is one of the most difficult types of Genjutsu to defend against."

"However, the paths for casting Genjutsu with the Sharingan do not stop there."

"Do you remember that Kunai of Itachi's? That belongs to a type of set-up Genjutsu, where specific trigger conditions for the illusion are established the moment eye contact is made."

"Of course, once your ocular power reaches a certain level, you won't even need these external objects to assist you. A gesture or a spoken word will be enough to plunge the target into an illusion."

"Come, let me feel your Sharingan, Arata."

Watching that still-weak Single-Tomoe, Shisui said slowly.

For the sake of that firm will to protect.

He was willing to pass on his abilities, for he clearly realized that, given his own personality and capabilities, he could no longer change the current situation.

Although he had abandoned the plan to use Kotoamatsukami to control the entire clan, he was equally unable to make an enemy of the village.

When all was said and done, the blood flowing through his veins belonged to the Uchiha!

Passing on his abilities was also a form of escapism.

Hearing this, Arata did not say anything more, instantly casting Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.

Though he did not know what the young man before him was thinking, the opportunity to have Shisui, the number one Genjutsu master in the ninja world, act as his sparring partner was truly rare!

"Do it again. Too much ocular power injected—wasteful!"

"Do it again. With such a pathetic amount of ocular power, are you treating your opponent like a pig on a chopping block?"

"Do it again."

The sun gradually set in the west.

The afterglow falling upon the cascading waterfall possessed an inexplicable beauty.

However, Uchiha Shisui, who usually loved the scenery of this place, no longer had the heart to appreciate such a beautiful view.

His expression had stiffened; no, it could even be described as vacant.

What kind of person was the youth before his eyes?

Arata possessed no particularly formidable talent; he was even ignorant of basic ninjutsu common sense and the essentials of combat, and his ocular power remained stalled at the Single-Tomoe level.

While it was not bad that he could suppress fresh academy graduates through brute force and the Sharingan, that was the extent of it.

He lacked experience, and even more so, he lacked insight and analytical ability.

Once on a real battlefield, it would be impossible for him to exert his full strength.

Especially when facing experienced ninjas like those from Root, individual combat power was often not the deciding factor for victory.

Even Itachi, who had been suppressed for a time during their sparring, was mostly caught off guard because he had underestimated his opponent, treating the match as a routine clan skirmish.

If Itachi had activated his Sharingan from the very beginning, the fight would likely have ended in an instant.

However, what truly made Arata stand out was his near-maniacal training method, which had indirectly resulted in a solid foundation, allowing him to quickly grasp and apply taijutsu and swordsmanship to actual combat.

He had heard the elders of the clan mention that Arata was extremely diligent, adhering to a training schedule precise to the minute every single day, regardless of wind, rain, frost, or snow.

At the time, Shisui had thought nothing of it, believing it to be the self-discipline a qualified ninja should possess.

But when he truly witnessed Arata's training, only one person came to mind.

Konoha Jōnin, Might Guy.

It was just that Arata was nowhere near as flamboyant as that guy.

Once his ocular power was exhausted, he would go to the side to practice sword swings.

It was pure, monotonous sword swinging, without wasting time or stamina on any flashy postures.

At noon, he would simply swallow a Military Ration Pill.

One had to know that although Military Ration Pills possessed high nutritional value and even the effect of restoring chakra, the taste was truly comparable to chaff.

Unless it was wartime or during a top-secret mission, no ninja would be willing to replace regular food with these little pills. Yet Arata swallowed them just like that, without a hint of pretense, and then returned to his monotonous sword practice without a moment's hesitation.

And if this were only for a single day, it would be one thing.

But for the dozens of days that followed, it remained the same, as if he were a machine repeating a cycle!

This made Uchiha Shisui feel the exact same numbness that Gekko Hayate had felt just days prior.

Whether it was ocular techniques, the Body Flicker Technique, or standard tracking and stealth, as long as it was knowledge he was willing to impart, this kid was like a sponge that never knew satisfaction, greedily absorbing every single drop of knowledge.

Naturally, this also allowed Shisui's nerves, frayed by the tension between the village and the clan, to find some relaxation.

"The distribution of chakra must be more refined; making every figure a real body is the true essence of the Body Flicker Technique. However, your ocular power is not yet sufficient to achieve such precise control, so take it slow."

Looking at the dozens of Shadow Clones surrounding them, there was an inexplicable sense of relief in Shisui's voice.

It was just like when he had once taught Itachi to train with Shuriken.

"Yes."

Arata dispelled all the Shadow Clones, walked up to the young man, and asked with unconcealed eagerness, "What shall we learn next, Brother Shisui?"

Facing the youth's inquiry, the face of this Uchiha genius stiffened slightly before he replied with a touch of bitterness, "I have nothing left that I can teach you."

This was not him holding back.

Because whether it was the Susanoo or Kotoamatsukami, they were advanced ninjutsu that could only be performed with the Mangekyō Sharingan, which the little guy before him could not learn at all.

One had to know that he had even imparted his signature technique, the Body Flicker Technique, to Arata!

Of course, the most precious things of all were the combat experiences he had realized through slaughter and the baptism of iron and fire while stationed at the borders!