I Have Nothing Left to Teach You

"They're here."

As he watched the boy in his field of vision, Uchiha Shisui's voice remained calm, yet his emotions inexplicably churned.

It was like facing Itachi in the past.

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

But because of all sorts of recent circumstances, that will had become tainted and was no longer pure.

Even now, Shisui still regarded Itachi as his closest friend, but there were some things he could no longer speak of openly.

The Uchiha's submission could buy peace for the village.

But.

What about the clan?

The Fourth Hokage's descendant, Naruto Uzumaki, was a cautionary example.

Arata's emergence, Arata's resistance, and Arata's fearless resolve had allowed him to see another hope.

"If war breaks out between the village and the clan, I will still stand with my family."

"I am Arata of the Uchiha!"

"That stance will not change."

Arata Uchiha did not exchange polite greetings. Instead, he went straight to the point, meeting Shisui's gaze with solemn determination.

He truly had never thought this conflict could be resolved without bloodshed.

After all, if even Shisui had failed to accomplish it, how could he?

One had to know that Shisui's reputation was extremely high, whether within the clan grounds, in the village, or even across the entire Ninja World.

At those words, Uchiha Shisui's gaze dimmed somewhat.

This answer was no different from those of the clan's radicals. It was not the answer he wanted, though even he did not know what sort of answer he wished to hear.

But then Arata added,

"However, I swear upon these eyes."

"My power will absolutely not be used against ordinary villagers. It will only be used to kill every invader who steps into the clan grounds and protect my fellow clansmen."

"Of course, traitors must die!"

Arata Uchiha's voice was cold.

A distinct Single-Tomoe appeared in his eyes.

The Sharingan was a symbol of the pain of losing those one loved, the truest emotion in the Ninja World.

Shisui's eyes brightened slightly.

Naturally, he could tell that the deliberately emphasized word "traitors" referred to himself and Itachi.

But he did not care.

Protecting his fellow clansmen and killing those who deserved to die—perhaps this was already the best answer.

With that thought, he skipped over their original topic and said on his own, "Genjutsu is a form of attack that targets an enemy's five senses. Our clan's Sharingan uses sight as its point of entry, making it one of the hardest forms of genjutsu to defend against."

"However, that is not the only way to use the Sharingan to cast genjutsu."

"Do you remember Itachi's kunai? That was a type of preset genjutsu. The moment eye contact was made, the specific trigger conditions for the genjutsu had already been set."

"Of course, once your ocular power reaches a certain level, you will not even need external aids. A single hand gesture or a single spoken command can plunge a target into genjutsu."

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

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

For the sake of that resolute will to protect.

He was willing to pass down his abilities, because he clearly understood that his own temperament and abilities could no longer change the current situation.

Although he had abandoned his plan to use Kotoamatsukami to control the entire clan, he likewise could not bring himself to oppose the village.

At the end of the day, the blood flowing through him belonged to the Uchiha!

Passing down his abilities was also a form of escape.

Hearing this, Arata said nothing else and instantly cast the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.

Although he did not know what the young man before him was thinking, opportunities to have Shisui, the greatest genjutsu master in the Ninja World, serve as his sparring partner were truly rare!

"Again. You put too much ocular power into it. Wasteful!"

"Again. With that little ocular power, are you treating your opponent like a pig on a chopping block?"

"Again."

The sun gradually sank westward.

The afterglow falling upon the cascading waterfall held an indescribable beauty.

Yet Uchiha Shisui, who had always loved this scenery, no longer had the mind to admire it.

His expression had become somewhat stiff. No, it would be more accurate to say vacant.

Just what kind of person was this boy in his sight?

Arata did not possess particularly outstanding talent. He was even ignorant of some basic ninjutsu knowledge and combat fundamentals, and his ocular power remained stuck at the Single-Tomoe stage.

He was decent enough, able to suppress freshly graduated children through brute force and the Sharingan, but that was all.

He lacked experience and was even more deficient in observation and analytical ability.

Once he reached a real battlefield, he would be utterly incapable of bringing out his full strength.

Especially when facing experienced shinobi like those from Root, individual combat strength often could not determine victory.

Even Itachi had once been suppressed during sparring, mostly because he had underestimated his opponent and treated the match as an ordinary clan bout.

If he had activated his Sharingan from the very beginning, the battle might have ended quickly.

However, what truly made Arata stand out was his nearly mad training method. This had, in turn, given him a solid foundation, allowing him to quickly grasp taijutsu and swordsmanship and apply them in actual combat.

He had once heard the clan elders say that Arata was extremely diligent. Every day, regardless of wind, rain, frost, or snow, he adhered to a training schedule precise almost to the minute.

At the time, Shisui had not thought much of it. This was simply the self-discipline a qualified shinobi ought to possess.

But after truly witnessing Arata train, only one person came to mind.

Konoha jonin, Might Guy.

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

Once his ocular power was exhausted, he went aside to practice sword swings.

They were nothing but simple, monotonous swings. He did not waste time or stamina on any fancy movements.

At noon, he merely swallowed a Military Ration Pill.

One had to know that while Military Ration Pills were highly nutritious and could even restore chakra, they tasted no better than bran.

Unless it was wartime or they were carrying out a top-secret mission, no shinobi would be willing to replace ordinary food with these little pills. Yet Arata simply swallowed them without putting on any airs, then returned to his monotonous sword practice without pause.

And if it had only been for one day, that would have been one thing.

But the same continued for dozens of days afterward, as though he were mechanically repeating the same routine!

This gave Uchiha Shisui the exact same numbness Gekko Hayate had felt some days ago.

Whether it was ocular techniques, the Body Flicker Technique, or ordinary tracking and concealment, as long as Shisui was willing to teach it, the boy absorbed every bit of knowledge greedily like an endlessly unsatisfied sponge.

Of course, this also gave some relief to Shisui's nerves, worn weary by the conflict between the village and the clan.

"You need to distribute your chakra more precisely. Make every figure a real body—that is the essence of the Body Flicker Technique. However, your ocular power is still insufficient, so you cannot achieve overly precise control yet. Take it slowly."

Looking at the dozens of Shadow Clones around him, Shisui's voice carried an inexplicable sense of relaxation.

It was like when he had once taught Itachi how to train with shuriken.

"Yes."

Arata dispelled all the Shadow Clones, walked up to the young man, and asked somewhat impatiently, "What are we learning next, Brother Shisui?"

Faced with the boy's question, the Uchiha genius's expression stiffened slightly before he replied bitterly, "I have nothing left to teach you."

He was not holding anything back.

Because both Susanoo and Kotoamatsukami were advanced ninjutsu that could only be performed with the Mangekyō Sharingan. The little fellow before him simply could not learn them.

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

And most precious of all were the practical combat experiences he had gained while stationed at the border, through slaughter and through the tempering of iron and fire!