The Money Giver

"When I appear on the battlefield, it is enough to be remembered, letting the enemies who block my path fall to my Wind Taming Sword Technique.

You are jealous of my Wind Wall, the strongest defense.

The sharpness hidden in my eyes never chooses to flee.

I can close the distance in a second and quell any dispute."

Seeing no trace, Uchiha Shiraha chose to close his eyes, feeling the sensation of the wind flowing over his body.

If one cannot grasp the wind, how can one speak of taming it?

Standing foolishly atop Uchiha Madara's head for a day, what kept echoing in his mind were the cocky quips from Yasuo.

A heavy sense of pretentiousness.

Pretension is like the wind, always by my side.

"The strongest defense, a Wind Wall that blocks all projectiles; once truly mastered, it can almost immunize one against the vast majority of ninjutsu attacks!"

Uchiha Shiraha mimicked the sword-swinging posture of the Wind Wall, attempting to find the trajectory of the wind within the air.

The Wood Blade Arc Light carved an invisible path through the void.

Yet, the scene before him remained unchanged.

"If I use the ultimate technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, using extreme speed to slice the air and generate gravity..."

Uchiha Shiraha tried swinging the wooden sword in his hand, executing the first stance of the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki.

The air before him parted, forming a vacuum that released a suction force, and a hurricane gradually gathered around him.

"This is merely creating a wind, not truly controlling it. A failure..."

Uchiha Shiraha stopped before executing the second stance, attempting to fuse the Wind Wall into it.

The gravity formed by the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki remained completely unchanged.

"Hissagi!"

Uchiha Shiraha let out a low cry, his wooden sword thrusting out in an instant, forming a straight curve in the air.

The void remained exactly as it was...

The void ignored you...

"I need to find someone to test it on! Perhaps I need a target."

After experimenting for a long time without progress, Uchiha Shiraha decided to set his sights on the tag-alongs following him.

"The three Anbu are closest to me; it'll have to be you lot."

Uchiha Shiraha, standing atop the Uchiha statue, suddenly moved. After stepping into a blind spot, he approached the three ninjas hiding in the shadows at an incredible speed.

The Anbu ninja closely monitoring the situation suddenly spoke:

"Captain, the target has vanished!"

"Vanished? Gone! What is going on? This mission is truly not simple!"

Hearing his subordinate's report, the Anbu squad captain's expression shifted, and he immediately ordered his two team members to search for the target's movements.

But after a thorough check, the three of them could not see a shadow.

"Where did he go? How did we not notice anything at all!? What kind of speed is this!? What is happening!"

The Anbu captain felt a flash of shock, leading his subordinates to search everywhere for Uchiha Shiraha's tracks.

At first, upon hearing the Hokage's mission to monitor a Uchiha chunin, he had been quite surprised.

Aside from the clan head, who else in the Uchiha clan was worth an entire Anbu squad's surveillance?

Anbu squad captains were generally of jonin strength, and their subordinates were at worst special jonin, with a few being elite chunin.

Out of respect for the Hokage's mission, the three of them had not slacked off for a single moment. They never expected to fail!

"Who are you looking for?"

Suddenly, a voice filled with confusion came from behind them.

"Who are we looking for? Who else could it be? Uchiha Shiraha, of course!"

The Anbu captain answered subconsciously.

Suddenly realizing the voice was wrong—it wasn't his teammate's—the Anbu captain hurriedly turned around.

"Why are you looking for me?"

Uchiha Shiraha rested his left hand on his wooden sword, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The Anbu captain recoiled, preparing to launch an attack, but the subordinate beside him suddenly said:

"We are Konoha Anbu, just passing by while executing a mission."

"Passing by, are you?"

Uchiha Shiraha looked at this Anbu playfully; they were quick to come up with excuses.

That Anbu felt a panic rise from the bottom of his heart under his gaze. A massive pressure enveloped him; the person before him felt like a malevolent ghost.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

While they were talking, another Anbu appeared on the lakeshore using the Body Flicker Technique.

Bolstered by the vast lake water, the water dragon was nearly five meters in width and length, its momentum immense.

Without any wasted words, the fight began immediately.

A deeper smile spread across Baiyu's face; he had been worrying about not having an excuse to make a move.

He had been concerned that if he used them to test his blade, they would go back and report to their "parents," causing him a headache.

Since they struck first, it spared Baiyu any future trouble.

Dealing with the Third Hokage was a massive nuisance.

Baiyu had no desire to get too deeply involved with the Third Hokage, a man who knew only how to brainwash others with the Will of Fire.

"Steel Tempest!"

Baiyu instantly swung his wooden sword, thrusting it forward.

The Water Dragon Bullet grazed his clothes as it flew past his flank, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activating without him even realizing it.

"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"

Switching to the state of Thunder Breathing, his entire aura shifted instantly; the cells in his body began to tremble subtly as they sensed the thunderous energy coursing through him.

As his energy circulated, it gradually influenced his lower body, and his speed began to climb.

A single breath passed, and his speed increased by nearly fifty percent, directly surpassing the Body Flicker Technique.

He had exceeded the speed of a ninjutsu using nothing but physical velocity.

His blinding speed left the enemy with no chance to counter, and he drew his blade to strike.

The two drawing motions were completed in two seconds, and the thrust took only one.

"Steel Tempest—still not quite there."

Baiyu shook his head and stepped back, having no intention of continuing the fight.

These actions were all completed within a few breaths; the Anbu captain hadn't even reacted before realizing two bloody holes had appeared on his body.

The holes were not large, but they had precisely pierced through his white armor and inner lining, leaving two fingernail-sized red wounds on his chest.

At this moment, the wounds were bleeding incessantly, quickly staining his white armor crimson.

"Go back! Tell your superiors not to send anyone else; next time, it won't just be two holes."

Baiyu said softly, though his tone turned abruptly cold, filled with chilling killing intent.

The clever Anbu shuddered, forgetting even to assist his own captain.

The Anbu who had cast the ninjutsu returned to the side, walking silently to his captain's front.

Behind their white cat-faced masks, their expressions were hidden, but the sweat dripping down their necks and their trembling arms betrayed their absolute terror.

In that instant, they had felt the proximity of death.

It was only a single step away.

After the Anbu captain and one subordinate left, supporting each other, the remaining Anbu stared deeply at Baiyu, attempting to etch his face into his memory.

Baiyu looked at him with curiosity and laughed, "You're quite interesting. What's your name?"

"Farewell!"

The Anbu spat out a single word, offered no answer, did not remove his mask, and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.

Got some personality!

Watching the Anbu leave, Baiyu turned around and opened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, looking toward a spot on the rock wall.

The location where the clan's surveillance agent was hiding.

"If you weren't a member of the Uchiha clan, you would already be dead."

"Don't misunderstand, I am Uchiha Dojoma. The Clan Head has matters to discuss with you! I was ordered to come and find you; I saw nothing."

Uchiha Dojoma spread his hands and stepped out from the shadows of the rock wall.

The scene he had just witnessed had shattered his understanding of taijutsu.

If he were to encounter such an opponent from any other clan, there might still be a sliver of a chance.

But the moment Baiyu revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he knew immediately that he had zero chance of success.

Therefore, he walked out honestly and surrendered to Baiyu.

"The Clan Head wants to see me? Lead the way!"

Baiyu put away his wooden sword and returned to his normal breathing, his body instantly relaxing.

The guy bringing the money had arrived.

Sensing the scent of wealth, Baiyu gave up on his continued exploration of the Wind Taming Sword Technique.

The Wind Samurai was happy, but pay-to-win was even happier.