Estrangement!

Three days later, Sunagakure signed a compensation treaty as the defeated nation. Since Li had killed a Sunagakure chunin in accordance with the agreement, they had no choice but to accept it despite their resentment. Three days later, the Third Kazekage departed Konoha with his entourage, bringing the matter to a close.

"Li, what was that Ninjutsu you used when you fought the Sunagakure ninja?"

With the Sunagakure affair settled, the workload at the Military Police Force eased, and Uchiha Hao took the time to summon Li to his study to inquire about Flash Step.

"That is a dojutsu inherent to my eyes after my Sharingan evolved into a Two-Tomoe Sharingan. I call it Flash Step!"

Li bowed slightly, his face devoid of any panic. He met Uchiha Hao's gaze with his black pupils, showing no signs of strain. He had prepared this excuse long ago; after all, Sharingan dojutsu were strange and varied. Even if Uchiha Hao didn't know, surely not even Madara Uchiha could predict what kind of dojutsu another person's Sharingan might manifest.

"A dojutsu?" Uchiha Hao frowned slightly upon hearing this, weighing the truth of the statement in his mind. My Sharingan has already evolved to Three-Tomoe, yet I have no dojutsu. Why would Li's, being only a Two-Tomoe, possess one? Uchiha Hao was puzzled. He knew of the Mangekyo Sharingan; after awakening his Three-Tomoe, he had visited the Uchiha Clan Ancestral Hall and read the stone tablet. It recorded that when the Sharingan evolved to its peak, the Three-Tomoe would change, evolving into the more powerful Mangekyo. Each Mangekyo Sharingan would harbor a unique dojutsu, but due to individual differences, the dojutsu harbored in each person's eyes varied, hence the name "Mangekyo."

However, for a mere Two-Tomoe Sharingan to manifest a dojutsu was truly mind-boggling.

"Hmm, I see. You may go now!" Unable to make sense of it, Uchiha Hao decided to set the matter aside for the time being.

"Yes, Clan Leader!" Li narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing that Uchiha Hao might have become wary of him because of this. The tone just now clearly carried a faint sense of alienation. After a slight bow, Li exited Uchiha Hao's study.

What exactly are you thinking? Li...! Watching Li's retreating figure, Uchiha Hao narrowed his eyes. At that moment, he felt the terrifying nature of the boy. Although Li's performance had been seamless and perfect, it was precisely that perfection that sowed suspicion in Uchiha Hao's heart. He felt more and more that Li was shrouded in a fog, impossible to see through.

Unlike Uchiha Hao, the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan worshipped Li. After all, Li had killed a chunin at the age of six; he was a genius-level figure with the potential to surpass the ancestors of the Uchiha Clan.

"Young Master Li!"

Along the way, any young clansmen who saw Li would stop and respectfully call out "Young Master Li." The ninja world was a place where the strong preyed on the weak; strength represented everything. With Flash Step, Li's current strength was only enough to kill a chunin, but one must not forget that Li was only six years old. In a few years, the Uchiha Clan might very well use the strength of this six-year-old child to restore the glory of the Uchiha Clan.

After returning to his residence, Li closed the door and sat in a chair, frowning. Uchiha Hao's attitude made him feel a sense of unease; the alienation was not even masked. Li knew this wasn't entirely due to Flash Step; his past habits had likely already made Uchiha Hao wary, but because it wasn't too obvious, Uchiha Hao had instinctively ignored it. Now, Flash Step was merely the fuse that sounded the alarm for Uchiha Hao.

Indeed, if there were no accidents, the next leader of the Uchiha Clan would certainly be Uchiha Fugaku. However, Li was now an anomaly. Whether in terms of schemes or talent, he posed a great threat to Uchiha Fugaku. Although Li had never thought about becoming the leader of the Uchiha Clan, it was hard to guarantee that Uchiha Hao wouldn't think so.

"I didn't expect Sunagakure to bring me such big trouble this time!" Li exhaled slightly. If he had the strength of Madara Uchiha, he might have run to Sunagakure to start a massacre.

He hadn't thought about it carefully before, but once he did, Li realized the problems he might face next. First, Uchiha Hao would definitely be wary of him, fearing he would compete for power with his son. Second, the Third Hokage had originally taken him as a disciple to repair the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha, but now the Third Hokage would surely think of him as a deep-scheming and ambitious person, effectively ending their master-disciple relationship. Third was Danzo, lurking in the shadows. That guy would hardly let anyone who could pose a threat to Konoha go. Danzo's mentality was almost identical to the Second Hokage's, full of wariness toward the Uchiha Clan and eager to eradicate them. As long as they were under control, he wouldn't act, but once there were signs of losing control, Danzo would likely strike quickly. Now that Li had shown such excellence, a slight investigation would reveal his usual personality and habits, and upon reflection, they would likely conclude that Li was a deep-scheming person.

As a college student in his previous life, being reborn into this world, it was natural that he couldn't play with other children. This was normal for Li, but for Uchiha Hao, the Third Hokage, and Danzo, it was abnormal. They would only think that this child had been different from a young age, and the meaning of "different" went without saying. Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were different back then. Was Li the type like Madara Uchiha or the type like Hashirama Senju?

"Why think so much? The most important thing right now is to improve my strength. As long as I have strength, I can deal with whatever happens!" Li cast these thoughts aside. With his current strength, thinking more was useless. If Uchiha Hao wanted to eliminate a threat for his son, he wouldn't have the ability to resist now. If Danzo wanted to strike at him, he would be equally powerless.

Thinking of this, Li quickly entered the System Space. His top priority now was to improve his strength, specifically his chakra. As long as his chakra increased, and he mastered more Ninjutsu and awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, even Danzo would have to weigh his options before striking.

"System, list items that can rapidly generate cells for me!"