Shisui's Misunderstanding

"Such shocking, perfect swordsmanship. Can a samurai truly be this strong? What a perfect body this must be! Is this what the Uchiha are capable of?"

Orochimaru's gaze was filled with jealousy and greed, shifting from disdain to genuine gravity.

The Uchiha clan, the perfect eyes—what a delightful body!

At this moment, Orochimaru solidified a conviction: he must obtain an Uchiha corpse for his research!

Baiyu used the blade in his hand to demonstrate his astonishing talent.

"Lord Orochimaru, we cannot delay any longer. Let's go!"

Yakushi Kabuto said, his face deathly pale from the poison.

The wounds that even his Mystical Palm Technique could not heal were causing him immense trouble.

They were currently in the middle of being hunted, and he feared Orochimaru would lose his temper and become entangled with the enemy.

A large group of Anbu were following close behind; they could not afford a prolonged battle.

"Let's go. Next time we meet... I will definitely return!"

Orochimaru looked at Baiyu with lingering reluctance, spat out the words with frustration, and, supported by Yakushi Kabuto, vanished in a puff of smoke, not even bothering to retrieve his Kusanagi Sword.

Seeing Orochimaru depart, the remaining three guards abandoned their siege of Uchiha Itachi and attempted to flee.

In the end, Uchiha Itachi seized the opportunity, and one guard, whose movements were sluggish, had his body turned into a hedgehog by shuriken.

The turmoil ceased, and the surroundings returned to silence, the chaotic scene bearing witness to the fierce battle that had just transpired.

"Are you alright?"

Uchiha Itachi hurried over to support the trembling Baiyu.

"It's not a major issue, mostly just the snake venom causing my body to go numb."

A wry smile appeared on Baiyu's face; his chakra was completely exhausted.

For the first time in his life, he had become the Lucky One, reaping a massive harvest from the lottery.

His strength had leaped forward!

After three empty ten-pulls, the seven treasures he obtained included an S-rank golden reward that instantly granted him mastery over an entire school of swordsmanship; Baiyu was now a true master of the blade.

The lottery really is addictive!

Baiyu shook his head; five years of cultivation could not compare to a single moment of drawing prizes.

This moment had saved him decades of training time.

Swordsman's Dignity! Cultivation should be a path of unyielding progress; there are no shortcuts.

Just as Baiyu felt lost, the special item he hadn't used yet, "Swordsman's Dignity," suddenly underwent a change.

It pulled him back from his deviated path.

His Sword Heart stabilized.

The item then vanished into the system space.

Regaining his senses, Baiyu finally looked at Uchiha Itachi beside him.

"You have very little chakra left. Let's find a place to rest and recover!"

Uchiha Itachi had fought four opponents alone without losing the upper hand, but even his terrifying strength could not withstand such consumption.

"Alright. While I was clearing the battlefield, I discovered that Orochimaru dropped something."

Itachi reached out and handed a cold, gleaming longsword to Baiyu.

The Kusanagi Sword!

It was the divine weapon held in the right hand of Orochimaru that Baiyu had severed.

"Since you found it, according to the rules, it belongs to you..."

Baiyu glanced at it; during the battle, he had envied Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword.

After the fight, that thought had gradually faded.

No matter how good a weapon is, it is inferior to superior swordsmanship.

This divine weapon, one of the artifacts in the Naruto World, had always been gathering dust in Orochimaru's hands.

"You severed his arm; it is your spoils of war by right."

Uchiha Itachi shook his head, refusing to accept it.

Baiyu eventually took the Kusanagi Sword and laughed: "Orochimaru's severed arm is yours! You performed just as brilliantly during the battle!"

Uchiha Itachi had fought four people alone, using genjutsu to control the enemies for so long, which had created a massive opportunity for Baiyu.

"This..."

Uchiha Itachi looked hesitant, but under Baiyu's insistence, he finally accepted the severed arm of Orochimaru as his spoils.

After clearing the battlefield, Baiyu led Itachi to find a hidden corner to rest.

Uchiha Itachi began recovering his stamina and chakra, while Baiyu kept watch, simultaneously gathering some herbs to suppress the snake venom.

At the same time, he collected some wisteria and brought it back to the village.

Wisteria is the main ingredient for creating spiritual body ghost toxins.

It is very common on the island.

In the process of suppressing the snake venom, Baiyu only knew about toxins, so he chose to use poison to attack poison.

He concocted a more potent poison to devour the snake venom, and then detoxified himself.

A master of toxins can also become a healer.

Through this experience, Baiyu truly realized the importance of his mastery of toxins.

Without this ability, he would have surely died on this mission.

"Baiyu, why are you here?"

Suddenly, Shisui's voice came. Baiyu looked and saw Shisui looking at him not far away.

"We encountered Orochimaru and couldn't stop him! We only killed his two guards."

Baiyu replied.

A hostile thought emanated from Uchiha Shisui, who did not believe Baiyu's words.

"Where is Itachi?"

Shisui asked again, the killing intent growing stronger, almost impossible to conceal.

Baiyu unconsciously gripped the Kusanagi Sword hanging at his waist. Shisui gave him a very dangerous feeling.

Having mastered a school of swordsmanship, Baiyu's senses became even sharper.

With enhanced five senses, he could more easily detect unusual things.

"Shisui?"

At this moment, Itachi heard the commotion outside and emerged from the hidden cave.

Upon seeing Uchiha Itachi, Shisui's expression finally softened.

"I'm glad you're both alright."

Shisui lowered his guard and concealed his killing intent.

The tense atmosphere dissipated, and for a moment, it was a scene of warm greetings.

Baiyu maintained a cold expression, not because someone was impersonating Shisui with a transformation jutsu, but because Shisui had genuinely revealed malice towards him just now.

"Uchiha Itachi is very important to the team? Shisui values him so much, could it be related to Fugaku?"

Shisui's attitude just now revealed some information.

Baiyu thought of Fugaku's position as clan head and suddenly had a significant realization.

"Is Itachi the next Uchiha clan head being groomed by Shisui?"

Uchiha Itachi was the clan head's eldest son, a genius whose fame in the Uchiha clan was second only to Shisui. Because he was younger, his reputation was gradually beginning to surpass Shisui's.

Following the established timeline, Uchiha Itachi's fame would eventually surpass Shisui's.

In another year, Uchiha Itachi would be promoted to Jonin, and a year after that, he would be recruited by the Third Hokage into the Anbu, becoming an Anbu captain a year later.

An incredible promotion process.

Suddenly realizing this, Baiyu understood why Shisui valued Uchiha Itachi so highly.

Shisui had not pursued the matter of Itachi exposing his concealment of an S-rank mission, which had happened initially.

He had been puzzled, but now he understood part of it.

"Shisui's goal is to cultivate a qualified successor, and Uchiha Itachi is the object he has chosen. He is subtly influencing Itachi's behavior and habits."

This was very realistic; a person's background and status largely determined their actual position.

Baiyu, an orphan who had lost both parents, was merely a tool in the eyes of the higher-ups, even with his considerable talent.

All clan members and ninjas were mere pawns in the games of the higher-ups.

Uchiha Itachi was different; he was the clan head's eldest son, the heir to the Uchiha clan's future.

Even if Itachi betrayed the Uchiha and slaughtered the entire clan, he would still be the noblest bloodline of the Uchiha.

Baiyu looked at Itachi expressionlessly, noticing the faint nasolabial folds on his face.

These folds were like a clan head's mark passed down through generations of Uchiha, from Uchiha Fugaku's face to Uchiha Itachi's.

"A world that is incredibly realistic, yet utterly detestable!"

Baiyu understood the harshness of reality and the fragility of life.

Only the sword in his hand could offer solace.

"Essentially, he's still a pure swordsman! And I like that kind of purity."

Baiyu worried that his own heart might become like theirs.

Cultivating the sword required maintaining a calm mind.

The Uchiha were too chaotic.