Qingyu looked at the system prompt, the corner of his mouth twitching.
This quest description... System bro, have you been watching too many survival shows lately?
"I'll participate." He looked up and spoke earnestly.
Fortune favored the brave, and experience came from taking risks!
Wasn't it just a trip to Sunagakure for an exchange?
He could treat it like a work-sponsored vacation...
Even if the vacation spot was a desert and he could be buried in sand at any moment.
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Fugaku's eyes. "Excellent! Starting tomorrow, Shisui will be in charge of your special training, and Itachi will also guide you when he has time."
"Yes!" Qingyu stood up straight.
"Also..." Fugaku took another small scroll from his drawer.
"This contains some advanced techniques for Uchiha Style Shuriken. The Swallow Return you used before was only a basic technique. There are more complicated variations in here."
Qingyu took the scroll, so moved he nearly burst into tears.
Clan Head!
You're the Clan Head I never had!
This was practically a beginner's gift pack!
Fugaku: When the clan gets wiped out, will you come home for dinner?
Qingyu: Get lost, get lost, get lost! One thing at a time!
"Thank you, Clan Head!"
"You're welcome." Fugaku waved a hand.
"The future of the Uchiha will ultimately depend on you young people."
By the time Qingyu left the Clan Head's house, dusk was approaching.
He walked along the streets of the clan grounds with the scroll in his arms, feeling almost light on his feet.
He'd taken in too much information today. He needed time to process it.
"What do you think?" he asked the two teachers in his mind.
"It's a good thing," Izuna said first.
"With the clan's support, you'll grow much faster. That's how my brother trained me back then."
"But you need to be careful, too," Tobirama warned.
"The Uchiha aren't united in every respect. The Clan Head's favor today might attract... attention from certain people."
"Attention?" Qingyu's heart tightened.
"Jealousy, attempts to recruit you, suppression... all are possible," Tobirama analyzed calmly.
"Every organization has internal factional struggles. For a major clan like the Uchiha, things will only be more complicated."
Qingyu sighed.
All he wanted was to quietly grow stronger. Why was that so difficult?
"By the way," he suddenly remembered something. "When Itachi mentioned 'observing Sunagakure's movements' earlier... has the Uchiha Clan noticed something?"
There was a brief silence in his mind.
"...Perhaps," Tobirama said slowly.
"That red-haired Jinchuriki was very unstable today. If Sunagakure makes a move, the Jinchuriki will certainly be key."
"And besides," Izuna added,
"Back when I was alive, even before Sunagakure was established, those people were always up to something. I doubt they've changed."
Qingyu nodded.
It seemed the Uchiha were very vigilant.
Rip!
Once he got home, Qingyu eagerly opened the scroll the Clan Head had given him.
The scroll recorded seven advanced Uchiha Style Shuriken techniques in detail:
"Twin Swallow Rotation"
"Triple Swallow Skimming Sky"
"Four-Direction Death Strike"
...The names got more and more over-the-top, and the techniques more and more absurd.
Take "Four-Direction Death Strike," for example. It required throwing four shuriken at once, making them collide and change direction four times in midair, then striking the target from four different angles.
Qingyu's head started to ache just reading about it.
Could a human really do that? Didn't he need the Sharingan to help?
"Of course you do," Izuna said in his mind. "But you have that 'Byakugan Youth Version' now, so you can give it a try."
"Start by practicing 'Twin Swallow Rotation,'" Tobirama suggested. "Practice for two hours a day, and you should master the basics in a week."
Qingyu resigned himself to his fate, picked up a shuriken, and prepared to practice in the backyard.
But just then...
Knock, knock, knock.
Who was coming by so late?
Qingyu cautiously went to the door. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Yashiro." A steady male voice came from outside.
Yashiro Uchiha? The jonin who'd grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out during the clan meeting?
Qingyu opened the door, and sure enough, Yashiro Uchiha stood outside.
He was even holding... a box of pastries?
"Senior Yashiro, what brings you here...?"
"Visiting a patient." Yashiro handed him the box. "I heard you were discharged, so I stopped by on my way."
Qingyu took the box, flattered. "Thank you, Senior! You're too kind!"
"While I'm here," Yashiro said, walking inside and sitting down as if he owned the place, "let's talk."
"Huh!?"
"What, you're not happy about it?"
Yashiro's gaze darkened, and the air in the room seemed to grow heavier.
Qingyu's heart skipped a beat.
Here it comes! The Uchiha's layers upon layers of schemes! Give you something sweet first, then start asking questions!
So devious!
Yashiro: What, got a problem with that?
Qingyu: I'm helping you up...
He hurriedly poured Yashiro some tea, then obediently sat down across from him.
Yashiro took a sip of tea and slowly began, "The Clan Head called you in today about the joint activity, right?"
"Yes," Qingyu answered honestly.
"Mm." Yashiro nodded. "It's an opportunity. Make the most of it."
He paused, then looked at Qingyu. "But there's something the Clan Head might not have said outright."
Here it comes! The important part!
"The Uchiha's situation in Konoha... isn't good," Yashiro said bluntly.
"The Police Force is being ostracized, its budget is being cut, and the younger generation has fewer and fewer opportunities."
Qingyu listened quietly.
"The Clan Head wants to change things," Yashiro continued.
"So he'll focus on cultivating promising young people and sending them out, so more people can see how capable the Uchiha are."
He stared at Qingyu. "You're one of them."
Qingyu felt the weight on his shoulders grow.
So they were going to cultivate him as the Uchiha's public face!
Qingyu: "I've been drinking it since I was little!"
Just remember to hold the coconut milk in your arms!
"I... I'll do my best," he could only say.
"Doing your best comes second." Yashiro suddenly smiled, though there was something complicated in that smile.
"The most important thing is... to stay alive! Only the living have a future."
Why did that sound like a death flag, Senior?!
"All right, I've said what I needed to say." Yashiro stood up.
"Get some rest. Starting tomorrow, things won't be easy for you."
After seeing Yashiro out, Qingyu looked at the box of pastries on the table, feeling conflicted.
He opened it. Inside were red bean paste pancakes from Naka Shrine—the same kind he'd snuck before.
He couldn't take it anymore...
But the Uchiha were pretty thoughtful, weren't they?
The Uchiha's eyes never lied...
Sharingan Genjutsu!
That's enough, that's enough, I won't look anymore!
Stop hitting me, I won't look anymore!
So this was... officially sanctioned access to the offerings?
A welcome gift from the Uchiha Clan?
He picked one up and took a bite. It tasted just the same, cloyingly sweet.
Yet for some reason, it tasted a little different this time.
[Beep!] [System Prompt: Hidden Side Quest "Expectations of the Uchiha" progress updated!] [Current Progress: 2/4] [Completed: Clan Reputation: Rising Star; Personally received by the Clan Head] [Remaining: State your position at a clan meeting; ??? (Unknown)] [Hint: You have officially entered the Uchiha's core development program. Future storylines will involve clan politics, internal Konoha conflicts, and other elements. Please be prepared (lol)]
Qingyu looked at the word "lol" and felt that the system was becoming more and more like a shady game developer.
``` [System: We're the ones who are truly invested!]
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