Temporary Cooperation

Shisui eventually left, and Chen returned to Training Ground No. 7 to continue his training.

This outing had yielded the Flying Thunder God and Pale Fire Drop; both powers were quite excellent.

However, Chen did not want to rely entirely on the system, so he began to consider whether he could develop some techniques of his own.

The Flowing Fire Blade from before was one such example, and at this moment, Chen was continuing to research his own strength.

"Hey, aren't you worried that Shisui will tell others about your affairs? If that happens, you'll become a rogue ninja immediately. Aren't you worried at all?"

Seeing Chen's indifferent attitude, the system was extremely puzzled.

"What can I do? Even if I lied, there's no way to fool Shisui; he isn't a fool."

"Have you forgotten the penalty for failing the mission?"

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Even if you escape Konoha, I reckon you'll soon suffer from shrunken genitals. Tell me, will you grow a tail in the end?"

Faced with the system's perverse sense of humor, Chen had no desire to engage. If circumstances allowed, he would absolutely dismantle this system.

Grow a tail, my ass? Would it just pop out from behind while I'm carrying a burden?

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? By the way, if you grew a tail, would that count as atavism?"

"Can you disappear? Can you go be a system for someone else?"

"That won't do. This system is a conscientious one that sees things through to the end. Since I've come to you, I'll stay until the end—wait until you kick the bucket."

Chen finally understood; this wasn't a cheat, it was a life-shortening disaster.

The entire day passed, and Chen returned to his home. Shisui had not come to find him since he left, and Chen had not sensed anyone else approaching him.

"Chen, you're back? Did you go to the training ground again? You're just a child, yet your head is full of nothing but training. Be careful not to ruin your body; remember to balance work and rest."

In the evening, Uchiha Izumi came to find Chen, clearly very concerned about him.

"Don't worry, Sister Izumi, I'll be careful. You don't need to worry about me."

"True, you wouldn't listen anyway. Come on, follow me."

"Where to?"

"To my house, of course. You haven't prepared dinner anyway, so let's eat together."

Without waiting for Chen to answer, Uchiha Izumi pulled him next door.

In fact, Uchiha Izumi had hoped more than once that Chen would simply live at her place; in her eyes, it was too pitiful for Chen to live alone.

It had to be said that Uchiha Izumi was truly kind, and she and Uchiha Itachi were indeed a perfect match.

"Sister Izumi, should I go get Brother Itachi?"

Upon hearing Uchiha Itachi's name, Uchiha Izumi blushed instantly, looking exactly like someone with a guilty conscience.

"No, no need. He just went back."

Chen was puzzled, but seeing Uchiha Izumi acting so strangely, he didn't ask further.

"System, what do you think is wrong with Uchiha Izumi?"

"How would I know? I've been with you the whole time; if you don't know, how could I?"

"Fair point."

"But I bet something happened between the two of them. Maybe they'll have a kid in a year. Didn't you hear Uchiha Izumi say 'he just left'? That means Uchiha Itachi was just here."

"System, I have to remind you, although Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi are older than me, they are only seven years old. Use that filthy, cluttered brain of yours—do you think that's possible? Setting aside that it's impossible for them to do anything, even if they did, do you think it's possible for them to have a child at their age?"

Chen was truly speechless. What exactly was inside this system's head?

"What's impossible about it? According to human physiological structure, it's entirely doable."

"You can disappear now. I'm truly defeated by you. I really don't know what was in the head of the guy who created you."

The system didn't care about Chen's complaints and instead let out a villainous, triumphant laugh.

Uchiha Izumi, who was busy nearby, had no idea what had happened. If she knew the system was gossiping about her, even someone with her good temper would likely blow a fuse.

After having dinner at Izumi's place, Chen returned to his own residence.

Although Izumi intended to have Chen stay the night, Chen was still deeply worried that a certain brother-obsessed Itachi would toss him into a genjutsu dimension.

"Brother Uchiha Shisui, it seems you've made your choice?"

Not long after returning to his room, Chen saw Uchiha Shisui appear on his windowsill.

Chen really wanted to complain about this; was it fun to ignore a perfectly good door and jump through a window instead?

Next time, he would definitely install an electric fence on the window to see who still liked crawling through it.

"That is indeed the case."

"Then, Brother Uchiha Shisui, do you intend to hand me over to Konoha, or do you plan to help me carry out the plan?"

"Neither."

Hearing this answer, Chen was not surprised; if Uchiha Shisui were that easy to fool, he wouldn't be Uchiha Shisui.

"Then what is your intention, Brother Uchiha Shisui?"

"To monitor you. I will help you carry out your plan, but not as an ally—rather, as a monitor."

"I see. Since you've agreed to help, Brother Uchiha Shisui, you can decide who we take with us."

"You aren't surprised?"

Seeing Chen's reaction, Uchiha Shisui was actually quite taken aback. He had expected Chen to be dissatisfied, propose conditions, or even resist.

But it seemed as if Chen had anticipated his answer all along.

"It was within my expectations. However, Brother Uchiha Shisui, I do have conditions."

"So, you have already established your own force outside?"

Uchiha Shisui was very puzzled. One had to know that Chen was only four years old, and on the surface, he had never left Konoha.

Although according to his own observations, Chen had left twice, could that really be enough to build a force?

"You will know in the future, Brother Uchiha Shisui, but now is not the time.

Whether you want to monitor me or cooperate with me, it doesn't make much difference to me. After all, my goal has been achieved."

Uchiha Shisui nodded with a hint of helplessness. It wasn't that he trusted Chen, but the plan Chen proposed could be considered the only solution at the moment.

Abandoning a portion of the clan to leave Konoha, or taking action against a high-ranking official in Konoha—the former was clearly more in line with Uchiha Shisui's thinking.

It was just that the thought of having to leave Konoha one day left an indescribable feeling in Uchiha Shisui's heart.

"You don't actually have to be so sad, Brother Uchiha Shisui. Perhaps when the darkness dissipates and the light arrives, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha will change."

"I understand. For now, we will do as you say."

Uchiha Shisui nodded, though he remained mostly resigned.

"Ding! System notification: Mission to gain Uchiha Shisui's recognition complete. Reward..."

"Screw you, System! What kind of reward is this!"