Hitomi and Izumi Uchiha

The next day, Baiyu rose early to continue his daily training.

Baiyu now kept his mornings packed: two hours of draw-sword practice, one hour of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu sword techniques, and three hours dedicated to comprehending the Wind-Riding Sword Style.

He would maintain his breathing technique from the very start, pushing himself until he could no longer hold it.

Currently, Baiyu could guarantee a full hour of maintaining the breathing technique.

While the duration of an actual battle might be shorter, he could at least sustain it for twenty minutes.

Time flew by during his training, and in the blink of an eye, it was already noon.

Baiyu packed his gear and headed toward the gates of Konoha, where he had arranged to meet Uchiha Itachi the day before.

However, he needed to stop by a weapon shop first.

The twin blades he had commissioned a long time ago should be ready by now.

It was best to be fully equipped before heading out on a mission.

In front of the blacksmith shop, two girls were conversing with Kin Uchiha.

"Boss, can't you give us a discount? One million for a single sword—that's as much as an S-rank mission!"

A delicate and cute girl spoke. She wore a purple short-sleeved shirt with deep purple trousers; such an outfit was something only someone naturally beautiful could pull off.

The other girl wore a light blue shirt under a white vest, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Her furrowed brows betrayed her inner conflict.

"If you don't have enough money, don't buy equipment. Just use kunai or something. Even if you had swords, you wouldn't know how to use them; sword techniques in Konoha have always been secret traditions."

Kin Uchiha chuckled. These two little girls wanting to commission a sword were clearly overestimating themselves.

Within the entire Uchiha clan, few ninjas understood swordsmanship, and every style was a closely guarded secret.

This wasn't something you could learn just by using the Sharingan; it required bitter, grueling practice, one strike at a time.

But born into the Uchiha, how many would actually endure such grueling physical training? Once the Sharingan was awakened, what ninjutsu couldn't be learned? What taijutsu couldn't be seen through?

That was the current mindset of the Uchiha—they were that arrogant!

There was no one in the village who could suppress the Uchiha.

"It's just one million, right? We'll just save for another month, and it'll be enough. Let's go, Hitomi! Time to go on a mission."

The two girls were none other than Hitomi Uchiha and Izumi Uchiha.

Izumi spoke with great resolve. They had been arguing for a long time, but this boss refused to budge.

"But..."

Hitomi was deeply conflicted. She really wanted a sword so she could learn swordsmanship just like Big Brother Baiyu.

But swords were considered a particularly precious type of ninja tool.

The more special metal used in a weapon, the higher the price.

"Make it a five-million-ryo custom order."

A familiar voice rang out from behind. Hitomi turned around, pleasantly surprised.

She happened to see Baiyu standing behind her, watching her with a smile.

"Big Brother Baiyu!"

"I completely forgot to commission one for you as well. It's too late for this time, but you can come pick it up next time!"

Baiyu said to Hitomi. After he had acquired one hundred million, he hadn't thought about it for a moment.

Seeing him, Kin Uchiha immediately retreated into the shop to retrieve the swords Baiyu had commissioned.

Kin Uchiha was terrified of Baiyu. He suspected that the "star of misfortune" standing before him was the very same person who had been assassinating high-level Uchiha experts recently.

After all, he had realized that a long sword he had sold previously was now in the hands of this very man.

This guy even dared to kill a squad leader of the Military Police Force; as a mere bladesmith, he didn't have the guts to stand up to such a dangerous person.

Upon hearing Baiyu's words, he quickly added, "A five-million-ryo custom blade will take a month to finish. The iron materials need time to be prepared!"

His tone of voice shifted instantly.

It was a total masterclass in changing faces!

Izumi Uchiha looked at Baiyu with curiosity, carefully sizing up the "big brother" her friend was always talking about.

He wore a gray linen shirt with a mesh ninja undershirt, and two long swords were tucked into his waist. He didn't give off the slightest aura of a ninja.

He was handsome enough, but she didn't know what his true nature was like.

Being able to casually pull out five million ryo, he clearly wasn't short on money.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Izumi Uchiha's mind.

"Since that's the case, Hitomi, you'll just have to come pick it up next month. I might be going on a mission soon, but when I return, you can start practicing swordsmanship with me!"

Seeing that Hitomi truly intended to learn swordsmanship, Baiyu was naturally very happy. His understanding of the Way of the Sword was becoming increasingly profound, and he could certainly guide Hitomi in her training.

"Okay!"

Hitomi agreed excitedly.

"And who is this?"

The moment he saw Izumi Uchiha, Baiyu finally recalled who this familiar name belonged to.

A name similar to Uchiha Madara's younger brother, a girl suspected to be Itachi's sister, the one who died a miserable death...

He hadn't expected her to be Hitomi's friend. If this girl awakened her eyes... could it be because of Hitomi's death?

At this moment, Baiyu couldn't help but overthink. The Uchiha's damned Kekkei Genkai required immense emotional stimulation.

He wondered if the emotional stimulation from the most pleasurable moment could trigger an awakening?

Considering this, Baiyu decided to give the two girls a few words of advice.

"For the time being, don't take on any missions. Wait until I return before considering any missions B-rank or higher."

Hitomi nodded earnestly, just like when she was a child; no matter what Baiyu said, she would listen.

"Okay."

"..."

What could Izumi say from the side? She could only respond with silence.

Having tossed tens of millions of ryo to Kin Uchiha last time, Baiyu took the two blades this time, couldn't be bothered to pay the remaining one million, and didn't intend to pay the five million he had pre-ordered either.

"Settle the bill next time! Remember to finish the scabbards for my divine weapons! And my sister's blade too."

"Yes, yes! Definitely next time."

Kin Uchiha said with a fawning smile.

He didn't care at all about the look of disdain on Izumi Uchiha's face.

Bidding the two farewell, Baiyu hurried toward the village gate.

By the time he arrived, Uchiha Itachi had already been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Baiyu, Itachi showed no expression, maintaining a cold face.

"Let's go!"

Itachi said directly after seeing Baiyu.

"Fine. Let's go!"

Baiyu rubbed his stomach; he hadn't eaten lunch yet. He had intended to grab a meal in the village.

Eating out, money was no object.

But seeing Itachi arrive so early, he felt embarrassed to drag Itachi off to eat.

Better to get the real business done first.

The two arrived at the Hokage Building together. At this time, there were only a few people looking at the mission board in the lobby.

At a glance, they were all young teenagers.

Baiyu walked up to the ninja at the administrative desk and asked, "Where do we accept S-rank missions?"

The mission administrator was stunned by these words. Generally, S-rank missions required a Jonin-led team to execute.

He carefully sized up the two in front of him, shook his head, and said, "You need to be a Jonin to execute missions of that level. The mission board over there lists A-rank missions, and those boards over there are for B-rank and below. Go take a look for yourself..."

The administrator's voice wasn't loud, but it was quite clear in the quiet mission hall, causing several people to turn their heads.

"We are Jonin."

Itachi reminded him. He hadn't worn a Jonin flak jacket since becoming one, and Baiyu was wearing a training outfit, which had caused this misunderstanding.

"Let's go find the Third Hokage! Don't waste time arguing with them."

Baiyu said directly; there was no point in bickering with such small-time characters.

Since they weren't wearing Jonin flak jackets, it was perfectly normal for them to be mistaken.

Baiyu spoke toward a patch of shadow, "Take us to see the Third Hokage!"

The crowd was shocked to see this. There was someone hiding in the hall?

After looking for a long time, no one appeared, and a few onlookers almost laughed out loud.

The Uchiha were getting better and better at putting on airs!

But at this moment, a white-clad Anbu suddenly emerged from the shadows. He took a deep look at Baiyu and said, "Follow me!"