What the Hell Do You Mean, This Is a Shonen Manga?

Konoha, a few kilometers away.

Space twisted into a vortex, and Obito and Itachi Uchiha emerged from it.

Itachi collapsed to the ground, coughing uncontrollably.

A huge handprint was visible on his throat.

He'd come this close.

Just a few hundredths of a second more, and Star Platinum would have snapped Itachi's neck like a chicken's. If not for Obito, Itachi would already be dead.

"Is he really that strong?"

Obito couldn't believe it.

This was Itachi Uchiha, a peerless genius who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at thirteen!

Even Obito—or even Madara Uchiha in his prime—couldn't have beaten Itachi that badly in such a short time.

"He's strong."

Itachi recalled the details of the fight.

He had indeed underestimated his opponent, allowing Lin Qing to seize the initiative.

But underestimating him wasn't an excuse.

"The speed, strength, and explosive power of that 'invisible enemy'... exceeded the limits of human ability."

Seizing the initiative wasn't frightening on its own.

But combine that with unmatched speed and precision, and overwhelming strength—

That was terrifying.

"He was practically like a Tailed Beast."

Itachi Uchiha got to his feet and looked back toward Konoha.

But he would only fail this once.

The element of surprise only worked the first time.

Itachi wouldn't underestimate Lin Qing the next time they met.

What Itachi didn't know was that Lin Qing wasn't going to stay the same.

Given enough time, Lin Qing could draw one Stand after another, each with a completely different ability.

Obito returned to his usual nonchalant manner.

Well, Uchiha could always pull off all sorts of incredible things.

"Should we go back and kill him?" Obito asked.

Itachi shook his head. "No need. Let's go."

He had kept his promise to Danzo.

Whether one or two people were left wouldn't affect the bigger picture. Konoha's other ninja weren't fools, and going back would only invite unnecessary trouble.

Obito shrugged. Space twisted again, and the two disappeared.

The Uchiha Compound.

"You defeated Itachi Uchiha and received 800 Soul Shards."

"Repaying the mortgaged soul: 500 Soul Shards deducted. Remaining Soul Shards: 300."

Three hundred shards left. That meant...

Thirty draws!

Lin Qing felt an urge to draw another Stand right away.

He glanced at Star Platinum, standing guard beside him, and managed to restrain himself.

At first, Lin Qing had 500 Soul Shards.

To get enough for a ten-pull, he had mortgaged 30 shards.

It had taken 470 shards to level up Star Platinum from Level 1, 0% to Level 2, 7%.

Thinking it over, it took 400 shards to go from Level 1 to Level 2.

And to go from Level 2 to Level 3...

It would take a full 1,000 shards!

That was expensive.

Drawing Stands was expensive, and so was training them.

But the results were incredible.

Its strength, speed, and reflexes were all a cut above what they'd been at Level 1.

Susanoo had been an absolute defense, impossible to break. At Level 2, Star Platinum could smash right through it.

Of course, Itachi Uchiha had summoned Susanoo in a hurry and wasn't in his right mind, among other factors.

But even so, Star Platinum was only Level 2.

A Stand's maximum level was tied to its star rating.

Four-star Hermit Purple could be raised to Level 4 at most.

Five-star Star Platinum could be raised to Level 5 at most.

Once Star Platinum reached Level 5, its sheer strength and speed would be enough to smash any living thing that came within its range.

After some thought, Lin Qing decided to save his Soul Shards for now. Later, depending on what he faced, he could decide whether to draw a Stand or level one up.

He looked at the system notification.

"So that kid's name was Itachi Uchiha."

Lin Qing rummaged through his predecessor's memories and found some information about Itachi Uchiha.

"So he was also a member of the Uchiha Clan? One of their own killing their own?"

Lin Qing wore the thousand-yard stare of an old man looking at his phone.

What was the point?

The Uchiha Clan was powerful and wealthy. Even a good-for-nothing freeloader like Lin Qing could live off their handouts, drinking and enjoying himself.

Itachi Uchiha was the clan's pride and joy. He'd only have received more resources.

Could it be that killing the entire clan brought even greater benefits?

That had to be the only possibility, right?

Lin Qing had received a proper education in the art of dragon slaying and read his fair share of history. He couldn't have guessed in a million years that Itachi Uchiha had massacred his own family out of some noble desire to prevent unrest within the clan from sparking a war.

Clan unrest, sparking a war...

What did that have to do with an eighty-year-old woman?

Or with the kids who came over to play video games?

Or with a "useless" guy like his predecessor, who got winded after running a few steps?

"Brother Qing... are you all right..."

Sasuke's young voice came from behind him.

Lin Qing pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at the little boy in front of him, searching his memories for a moment.

"So you're Sasuke."

I'd heard a lot about you.

Even though Lin Qing had never watched Naruto, he'd seen the kid's future in all sorts of memes—

Covering his face with one hand, one eye peeking out between his fingers as he yelled, "Amaterasu!"

Lin Qing rubbed his parted hair and thought of an old friend who wore a tracksuit.

"Brother Qing, my brother..."

Thinking of his parents dying right before his eyes, Sasuke changed how he addressed him. "Is Itachi dead?"

"He escaped."

Sorrow flashed in Sasuke's eyes, followed by hatred.

He couldn't understand why his once incredibly kind older brother had slaughtered the entire clan.

But the reason didn't matter. It had already happened. What mattered was that Sasuke had to avenge his family, avenge everyone in the clan...

Revenge!

"What do we do now?" Sasuke asked.

"Wait for help. After something this big, even if they keep pretending not to hear or see anything, they should be showing up by now."

Lin Qing pointed toward the village.

"Look, here they come."

A dozen figures were hopping across rooftops like fleas, flickering as they rapidly approached.

Lin Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

Tonight's disaster was finally over, at least for the time being.

Lin Qing imagined himself wrapped in a blanket, holding a cup of hot cocoa, quietly watching the rescue workers bustle about.

That was usually how things went in disaster movies.

Now that the killings were over, even the big shot behind the scenes couldn't just brazenly wipe out the two survivors, Lin Qing and Sasuke... right?

Naruto was a shonen manga, after all. It couldn't be that dark, could it?

"How many more times do I have to tell you?"

"We're the victims. Itachi Uchiha, the killer, got away. Sasuke and I are witnesses. You're the experts; surely you can find physical evidence at the scene."

"What else are you trying to investigate? Or..."

Lin Qing stared at the interrogator across from him, suspicion and distaste practically spilling from his eyes.

"What answer are you trying to get out of me?"

The interrogation room was dimly lit. Lin Qing's hands were cuffed to the table.

Four ninja belonging to Root stood in the room, one in each corner, keeping Lin Qing under constant surveillance.

As if Lin Qing were the killer.

Yamanaka So sat across from Lin Qing.

He was a member of the Yamanaka Clan, skilled in the Mind Body Switch Technique. He was also well versed in soul interrogation and memory searches, making him the interrogator assigned to question Lin Qing.

As a master interrogator, Yamanaka So could tell from Lin Qing's tone, expression, and eyes that the young man wasn't lying—even without using his clan's secret techniques.

But the truth often didn't matter.

What mattered was the goal of those in power.

What mattered was Lord Danzo's decision.

Knock, knock.

A knock came from outside, and the heavy metal door swung open.

A Root ninja stood in the doorway and beckoned to Yamanaka So.

Yamanaka So stepped outside.

Lin Qing spread his fingers toward him.

"Hermit Purple."

A purple vine wound around Yamanaka So's boot and followed him out, its other end pressed against Lin Qing's ear.

Bang.

The interrogation room door shut again.

The voices of the two Root ninja carried clearly along the vine.

"Lord Danzo gave the order. Kill him. Leave no trace."

There only needed to be one Uchiha left in the village.

There was no need to leave two.

Besides, Danzo's deal with Itachi Uchiha was for Sasuke. There'd been no buy-one-get-one-free offer.

"Understood."

Yamanaka So didn't question the order, or ask why.

Lord Danzo gave an order; they carried it out.

That was the rule.

"What about the other one?" Yamanaka So asked.

"That's not your concern."

Yamanaka So gave a slight nod and apologized.

He'd overstepped.

"Leave it to me."

Killing someone without a sound was as easy as could be for the Yamanaka Clan. He gripped the heavy handle of the interrogation room door and turned it halfway—

Boom!

The metal door, a full ten centimeters thick, slammed into Yamanaka So like the iron palm of a giant, flattening the professional interrogator against the wall like a fly.

The Root member who'd come to deliver the message stared at the scene in disbelief. Years of training kicked in, and he drew his Kunai, taking up a defensive stance.

"Ora!"

Star Platinum's punch came down. The Kunai, the man's arm, and his ribs all shattered.

The messenger went flying and landed on the metal door.

The two men and the iron door were stacked together like a human-meat burger.

With a clang, they hit the ground. They were still barely alive, staring in horror at Lin Qing as he walked out of the room.

Lin Qing let out a sigh.

"What the hell do you mean, this is a shonen manga? This is way too dark!"