The Art of Deception: Uchiha Shingen

With this thought in mind, Uchiha Shingen made his decision. Without further hesitation, he poured all three attribute points into Taijutsu.

A familiar warmth washed over him, and the blood surging from his heart felt as if it were boiling, coursing through his veins to every limb and bone.

Uchiha Shingen's entire body began to heat up, and steam even rose uncontrollably from the top of his head.

His body felt unbearably hot, while his flesh and blood tingled with an intense, itchy sensation accompanied by sharp stabs of pain.

He understood.

This was the result of his Taijutsu Mastery reaching level four; his very physique was strengthening in tandem.

His frame, which had previously been only two or three centimeters taller than Kakashi, grew again during this process, now standing half a head taller.

The muscle definition beneath his clothes became increasingly distinct, yet he did not appear bulky.

When the changes finally subsided, Uchiha Shingen felt all his fatigue vanish, replaced by an inexhaustible surge of energy within his body.

He raised his hand and clenched it, causing the air itself to pop!

Snap—!

A sonic boom exploded within the room.

Realizing what he had just done, Uchiha Shingen was somewhat taken aback.

"The change after reaching level four in Taijutsu Mastery is this significant?!"

"My grip strength alone has likely more than doubled."

"If I were to spar with Kakashi again now, even if I only used a kunai, I could suppress him with raw grip strength alone."

Hoo—!

Uchiha Shingen exhaled a breath of stale air. Feeling his energy overflowing to an excessive degree, he lost all desire to rest.

He grabbed Kotetsu from the table, leaped out the window, and landed steadily in the small courtyard in front of his house, ready to familiarize himself with his brand-new physique tonight.

Clang—!

Kotetsu left its sheath, the blade reflecting the moonlight with a cold, bone-chilling sharpness.

The Hazy Moon Secret Sword he had been practicing under Setsuna Uchiha, and the Sword Leap Flame he had received from Fugaku Uchiha.

Both sword arts were unleashed by Uchiha Shingen.

For a time, firelight and blade flashes scattered throughout the courtyard, appearing like blooming red lotuses or a full moon rippling on water, impossible to track clearly.

Whoosh—!

Whoosh—!

Whoosh—!

As the firelight dissipated.

Uchiha Shingen's blade speed grew faster and his movements more agile, yet the power behind every strike became increasingly immense!

Shing—!

The edge of Kotetsu swept across the ground, leaving a long, thin slash in its wake.

Uchiha Shingen's strikes were perfectly straight, without the slightest deviation, and his execution speed was blindingly fast!

A long while later.

The moonlight spilled onto the ground, illuminating slash mark after slash mark.

They were dense and numerous, having nearly shredded the ground of the courtyard.

Standing in the yard, Uchiha Shingen took a deep breath and looked down at the Kotetsu in his hand, his eyes filled with pleasant surprise.

Previously, he had been unable to wield Kotetsu perfectly, but with his Taijutsu Mastery at level four, those limitations were gone; for the first time, he felt as though the blade were an extension of his own arm.

"With level four Taijutsu Mastery, level two Tool Mastery, plus Kotetsu and the Sharingan, I am confident I could suppress even a Jonin specialized in close-quarters combat."

Uchiha Shingen murmured to himself before flashing back into his room.

A few minutes later.

A window in the corner of the second floor of the small residence suddenly opened. Setsuna Uchiha poked his head out, looking around as if he had sensed something, though he couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"An illusion?!"

"Well, I am getting old. Perhaps I am confusing dreams with reality..."

Setsuna Uchiha's gaze suddenly fell upon the ground of the courtyard. What met his eyes were those nearly invisible slash marks!

Perhaps a light rain or a simple cleaning would make them vanish.

But at this very moment, they lay there, dense and overlapping, as if the courtyard had been sliced into countless pieces.

At a single glance, Setsuna Uchiha recognized that these were the marks left by Kotetsu!

"That brat has already reached this level?!"

Setsuna Uchiha murmured, a hint of gratification appearing on his face, mixed with the smug joy of having seen through Uchiha Shingen's secret.

"My judgment was correct after all."

"On the surface, this kid acts like a good-for-nothing, slacking off in the Police Force, but in his heart, he is competitive to the extreme."

"In this short time, after being slightly provoked by me, he has even compressed his sleep to the absolute limit?!"

"Heh..."

"The Nara style is merely your disguise; the pursuit of power is an instinct carved into the very bones and blood of an Uchiha!"

"Brat!"

After watching closely for a moment longer and roughly gauging the progress of Uchiha Shingen's swordsmanship, Setsuna Uchiha closed the window with satisfaction.

Out of concern for his direct disciple, the very next morning, Setsuna Uchiha had his subordinates specifically purchase medicinal tonics for physical recovery from the Nara clan.

He brewed the concoction himself and watched with his own eyes as Uchiha Shingen drank it, only then feeling at ease.

Training is one thing, but one must not damage their foundation.

"I'm heading out then, old man."

Uchiha Shingen waved his hand, then went to the Police Force to clock in as usual before heading to South District 4 to start his shift.

After his physique reached Level 4, both his overall physical quality and his recovery ability underwent a qualitative change.

Previously, Uchiha Shingen relied on Shadow Clones to train, leaving his body exhausted and forcing him to slack off and catch up on sleep during the day, but now, even with extra training last night, he remained full of energy.

At the very least, the improvement in his stamina was remarkably obvious.

Recalling how he had been beaten black and blue by Setsuna Uchiha all night long, a brilliant yet cruel smile bloomed on Uchiha Shingen's face:

"Old man, you asked for this. I don't intend to take that beating for nothing!"

"Tonight, I'll show you what it means to compensate for a lack of technique with raw stats."

"Oh."

"Now that my taijutsu has improved, my techniques have upgraded too, so that's settled."

Time flew by, and the night deepened.

The moonlight was dim tonight, obscured by clouds, leaving the Forest of Death in total darkness, devoid of any light.

Even the birds and beasts that usually emerged at night had hidden themselves away.

Tap!

Uchiha Shingen weighed the wooden sword in his hand, which felt much lighter, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

The wooden sword hadn't actually become lighter; his strength had simply increased.

"This is the charm of raw stats!"

Uchiha Shingen exclaimed in admiration.

Ahead, Setsuna Uchiha, sitting in his wheelchair, was growing impatient and urged him on:

"Kid, what are you waiting for?!"

"If you can't even endure this much pain, you'll never gain the power to realize your ambitions!"

Uchiha Shingen looked up, his smile warm:

"Alright."

"Then, old man, you'd better hold on!"

For some reason, seeing this, Setsuna Uchiha felt a chill run down his spine.

Could this brat... be plotting against me?!

Did he have a breakthrough with the Hazy Moon Secret Sword during his extra training last night?

But it doesn't matter. A breakthrough is just a breakthrough; his proficiency can't possibly be higher than mine.

The advantage is still mine!

Whoosh!

As Setsuna Uchiha pondered, a sharp, explosive sound suddenly tore through the air.

He jerked his head up, only to realize that in a single instant, Uchiha Shingen had already closed the distance, delivering a fierce Kasagiri from above!