Shisui turned his gaze to Genya and sighed.
"Clan Head Fugaku said you were reckless and bold. I didn't believe it before, but now I do."
After all, they were members of the Cloud Village Delegation.
Who would have thought Genya would refuse to give them even the slightest face?
He had nearly come to blows with them.
This younger clansman of his really was fierce.
"With Brother Shisui here, even if the Fourth Raikage showed up, I'd still dare to go yank his beard. What's there to be afraid of?" Genya said with a cheeky grin, pretending to be bursting with heroic spirit.
Shisui rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, "No, don't drag me into this!"
The Fourth Raikage had a notoriously violent temper.
If anyone really dared to tug his beard—
The heavens would probably be turned upside down.
"Are you Uchiha Shisui, the famed Body Flicker Shisui? I heard you achieved tremendous merits during the Third Great Ninja War, and Grandpa Hiruzen even praised you as a steadfast inheritor of the Will of Fire. It's finally my honor to meet you today!"
When Sarutobi Taro saw Shisui, he stepped forward in excitement as though he had met his idol.
"The Hokage-sama praises me too highly." Shisui maintained his smile, showing no complacency at the praise.
"I want to learn from Brother Shisui and protect Konoha in the future!" Sarutobi Taro clenched his fist, showing that he would work hard.
"It's wonderful that the village has an ambitious young man like you." Shisui smiled, then asked, "What were you planning to do just now?"
"We were planning to eat at Ichiraku Ramen," Genya answered with a grin.
After thinking for a moment, Shisui said, "How about this? Let's go eat together. It'll be my treat!"
At Shisui's words, Genya and Nami's eyes immediately lit up.
"Brother Shisui, Genya and Nami have huge appetites. You can't treat us—I'll pay!" Sarutobi Taro hurriedly stepped forward.
Shisui was his idol, and he did not want to see him suffer a loss.
After all, he had witnessed the terror of those two foodies...
"Don't say that. You're still young, so you can't eat that much."
Including Itachi, there were four of them in total.
They were all only eight- or nine-year-old children.
At most, they could eat two bowls each.
For Shisui, who held an important position in the Anbu and earned a high salary, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
A trivial matter.
Half an hour later.
Shisui walked out of Ichiraku Ramen, raised his head to gaze at the bright sky and drifting clouds, and felt a faint melancholy settle over him.
Sarutobi Taro had eaten one bowl.
He and Itachi had eaten two bowls each.
Nami had eaten seven bowls.
Genya had eaten fifteen bowls.
They were still so young.
How could they eat so much?
Genya seemed to notice Shisui's gloom and said, "Brother Shisui, I ate too much. Sorry."
Shisui gave a stiff smile. "Brother Shisui has a salary. It's fine. When you're young and growing, you should eat more."
Genya gave an "Oh," then said, "Brother Shisui, can you treat me to Ichiraku Ramen again someday?"
Shisui: "???"
Shisui had thought Genya meant that someday, when he had time, he would treat Shisui to Ichiraku Ramen. Who knew he was asking Shisui to treat him again?
You've gone too far!
After saying goodbye to Sarutobi Taro and Nami, Shisui, Genya, and Itachi headed deeper into the village together.
Genya studied Shisui. He was the Uchiha clan's greatest prodigy in Genjutsu.
He was also a ninja willing to sacrifice himself for the Will of Fire.
He upheld his beliefs and his ninja way.
Even after Danzo gouged out one of his eyes, he chose to leap from a cliff and end his life in order to prevent a war between the village and the Uchiha, resolving the conflict and crisis.
He was an ideal pacifist.
It was only that many things had not developed in the direction Shisui wanted, or rather, things had gone against his wishes.
But there was no denying it.
Shisui was a sincere lover of peace.
Shisui suddenly stopped and turned to Genya beside him with a smile. "Genya, I heard your taijutsu and Ninjutsu are both impressive. How about the two of us spar?"
Shisui had heard from Fugaku, Yashiro, and even Itachi that Genya was an exceptionally talented genius.
When an outstanding genius appeared within the clan, Shisui felt no jealousy.
He only wanted to understand Genya's strength.
In the future, he could guide Genya onto the path of protecting peace in the ninja world, protecting the village, and protecting the Uchiha.
If Genya truly possessed exceptional strength, Shisui could even recommend him as a reserve Anbu member.
Once he graduated from the Ninja Academy in a few days, he could join the Anbu and contribute to protecting the Hidden Leaf Village.
That was also Shisui's purpose in suggesting the spar.
Itachi gave a wry smile and said, "Brother Shisui, you're one of Konoha's elite Jonin. Isn't this just bullying Genya?"
Shisui smiled. "I won't use my full strength."
"But..." Before Itachi could finish, Genya pulled him back and spoke with a smile.
"Brother Shisui, you're a genius of the clan. It would be my honor to fight you, but you'll have to go easy on me."
Genya also wanted to witness the strength of "Body Flicker Shisui."
"Maybe your strength will far exceed my imagination," Shisui replied.
The three of them arrived at the Uchiha Training Ground.
"It's been a long time since I came here." Breathing in the fresh air around him, Shisui sighed.
He had often trained here in the past.
But after joining the Anbu, he had to carry out many missions, so he rarely came here anymore.
This place was also filled with memories for Shisui.
Genya said calmly, "When you have time, you can walk around the clan grounds more. The people here are friendly, and the scenery is beautiful. It's a good place to rest."
Shisui teased, "What, you're so refined at such a young age?"
"You still have to learn how to relax." Genya spread his hands, sounding somewhat helpless.
"Enough talk. Let's begin," Shisui said.
Genya nodded, then took training ninja tools from a nearby stone platform.
For safety, none of those tools had been sharpened, but carelessness could still result in injury.
Therefore, they would control their strength during an actual spar to avoid casualties.
The two stood five meters apart.
Shisui's expression grew serious, his eyes sharp as an eagle's and cold as lightning.
He spoke.
"Genya, I'm going to attack. Show me all your strength!"
"Alright!" Genya answered.
Even against "Body Flicker Shisui," Genya remained completely fearless.
"Good!" Shisui quickly formed hand seals and said slowly, "Body Flicker Technique!"
The moment his voice fell—
His body vanished from before Genya.
As though he had evaporated.
In Shisui's hands, the Body Flicker Technique had already reached its peak.
Moreover, afraid of defeating Genya in a single move and being unable to test his strength, Shisui had not gone all out.
Yet his speed was still terrifying.
In less than half a second, Shisui arrived before Genya and chopped a palm toward his neck.
"Brother Shisui is so fast..." Itachi murmured from afar, filled with envy.
Genya also used the Body Flicker Technique!
Only when Shisui's hand chop landed did he realize he had struck an afterimage.
Genya had already vanished from before him.
A Clash Between Sharingan Users
"Interesting." A faint smile appeared on Shisui's lips, and he was pleased by Genya's high mastery of the Body Flicker Technique.
Genya was powerful.
Only then did Shisui find this duel interesting.
At that moment, Genya had already arrived behind Shisui, and his unsharpened kunai stabbed directly toward Shisui's back.
Genya's attack was tricky. With a clang, sparks flew as the katana on Shisui's back left its sheath, blocking the attack without Shisui even turning his head.
It was effortless.
Genya's gaze sharpened. The kunai became incredibly nimble in his hand, and with a slight movement of his wrist, it slashed straight toward the back of Shisui's neck.
Another clang rang out.
Shisui blocked Genya's attack once more.
Genya gave a cold smile and fully activated his Sage Body. Chakra surged continuously through the meridians within him.
Shisui was powerful.
But Genya was not weak either!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The katana and kunai collided with clear ringing sounds. Genya held nothing back and began using Ninjutsu as well.
The angles from which Genya unleashed Fire Style were hard to predict, leaving Shisui somewhat flustered.
This kid hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet. How can he have such rich combat experience? Shisui knew that if he continued holding back, he might suffer a loss, so he went all out!
The two clashed like needles against wheat awns, turning into streaks of afterimages across the field and leaving Itachi outside the arena stunned.
Shisui was Itachi's idol and the person he had always sought to emulate.
Yet Genya, who was the same age as him, could withstand Shisui for so long.
Wasn't that far too outrageous!?
As an observer, Itachi suddenly felt as though he were eight years old again, standing in the training ground like a mere lackey.
The battle gradually reached its climax!
Two tomoe appeared in Genya's eyes.
Before you continue