Shisui eventually left, and Chen returned to Training Ground No. 7 to continue training.
This trip had earned him the Flying Thunder God and Pale Fire Drop. Both were pretty powerful.
However, Chen didn't want to rely entirely on the system, so he began to consider whether he could develop some techniques of his own.
Flowing Fire Blade was one such technique. Now, Chen was continuing to develop his own abilities.
"Hey, aren't you worried Shisui will tell other people about you? If he does, you'll become a rogue ninja.
Aren't you worried?"
Seeing how unconcerned Chen looked, the system was very confused.
"What can I do?
Even if I lied, there was no way I could fool Shisui. He wasn't stupid."
"Did you forget the penalty for failing the mission?"
"I don't want to talk to you."
"Even if you escape Konoha, you'll probably end up with your balls sucked back into your body pretty soon. Come to think of it, will you grow a tail?"
Faced with the system's perverted sense of humor, Chen didn't want to humor it at all. If he could, he'd tear the damn system apart.
And what the hell was that about growing a tail?
Would it come out the back after getting sucked in?
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?
If you grow a tail, would that count as reverting to your ancestral form?"
"Could you disappear? Go be someone else's system instead?"
"That won't do.
This system is a conscientious system that sees things through. Since I came to you, I'm sticking with you to the end. We'll talk about it when you kick the bucket."
Chen finally understood. This wasn't some kind of cheat at all. It was a damn death sentence.
The whole day passed, and Chen returned home once more. Shisui hadn't come to see him since leaving, and Chen hadn't sensed anyone else approaching, either.
"Chen, you're back? Did you go to the training ground again?
You're so young, yet all you think about is training. Be careful not to hurt yourself. Remember to balance work and rest."
In the evening, Izumi came to visit Chen. She was clearly very concerned about him.
"Don't worry, Izumi-sis. I'll be careful, so there's no need to worry about me."
"Right. You never listen anyway. Come on, follow me."
"Where are we going?"
"Obviously, to my house. You haven't made dinner, so come eat with me."
Without waiting for Chen to answer, Izumi led him next door.
Izumi had hoped more than once that Chen would simply move in with her. In her eyes, it was too pitiful for him to live alone.
Uchiha Izumi really was a kind person, and she and Itachi were indeed a good match.
"Izumi-sis, should I go get Big Brother Itachi?"
At the mention of Itachi, Izumi's face instantly turned red. She looked just like someone caught doing something wrong.
"N-no, there's no need. He just went home."
Chen looked puzzled. Seeing how strangely Izumi was acting, he decided not to ask.
"System, what do you think is going on with Izumi?"
"How should I know? I've been with you the whole time. If you don't know, how would I?"
"Fair enough."
"But I bet something happened between those two. Maybe they'll even have a child a year from now. Didn't Uchiha Izumi say, 'He just left'? That means Uchiha Itachi was here just now."
"System, I have to remind you that even though Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi are older than me, they're only seven years old.
Use that filthy mind of yours for a second. Do you think that's possible?
Never mind that those two couldn't have done anything. Even if they really had, do you think they could have a child at their age?"
Chen was truly speechless. What on earth was in that system's head?
"What's impossible about it? Their bodies are fully capable of it."
"You can disappear now. I'm seriously done with you.
I can't imagine what the person who created you was thinking."
The system paid no attention to Chen's complaints. Instead, it let out the triumphant laugh of a villain.
Uchiha Izumi was busy nearby and had no idea what was going on. If she knew the system was talking about her like that, even someone as good-tempered as her would have blown a fuse.
After dinner at Izumi's house, Chen returned to his own place.
Although Izumi had wanted him to stay over, Chen was still worried that Itachi, the overprotective brother, would dump him into a genjutsu space.
"Looks like you've made your decision, Big Brother Shisui?"
Not long after Chen returned to his room, he saw Shisui appear on his windowsill.
Chen really wanted to complain. There was a perfectly good door, so why jump through the window? Was it fun?
Next time, he'd install an electric fence on the window and see who still liked climbing through it.
"More or less."
"Then do you plan to hand me over to Konoha, Big Brother Shisui, or help me carry out my plan?"
"Neither."
Chen wasn't surprised by that answer. If Shisui were that easy to fool, he wouldn't be Shisui.
"Then what are you thinking, Big Brother Shisui?"
"I'll keep an eye on you. I'll help you carry out your plan, but not as an ally—as someone monitoring you."
"I see. Since you've agreed to help, Big Brother Shisui, you can decide who to take with you."
"You're not surprised?"
Seeing Chen's reaction, Shisui was surprised instead. He'd expected Chen to object, make demands, or even resist.
But now it seemed Chen had already anticipated his answer.
"I more or less expected it. But, Big Brother Shisui, I do have a condition."
"So you've already established your own forces outside the village?"
Shisui was puzzled. Chen was only four years old, and as far as anyone knew, he'd never left Konoha.
Although Shisui's observations suggested Chen had slipped out twice, could he really have built up a force in that time?
"You'll find out eventually, Big Brother Shisui, but now's not the time.
Whether you're monitoring me or cooperating with me doesn't make much difference. I've achieved what I wanted, after all."
Shisui nodded, looking somewhat helpless. It wasn't that he trusted Chen; it was just that Chen's plan was arguably the only solution available right now.
Giving up part of the clan and leaving Konoha, or attacking one of Konoha's higher-ups—the former clearly suited Shisui better.
Still, the thought of leaving Konoha someday left Shisui with an indescribable feeling.
"Big Brother Shisui, you don't need to be so sad. Maybe when the darkness passes and the light returns, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha will change, too."
"I understand. For now, let's do as you suggested."
Shisui nodded, though he still looked helpless.
"Ding! System notification: Mission to gain Uchiha Shisui's approval complete. Reward..."
"You son of a bitch, system! What kind of reward is this?!"
Before you continue