Uchiha Feast

Weaving through the forest, Shen Ye had yet to encounter a single member of the Uchiha clan.

Could that guy have been lying to me? I've come this far and still haven't seen them.

Suddenly, the sounds of combat reached Shen Ye's ears. Following the noise, he saw two members of the Uchiha clan locked in battle.

One of them was an old acquaintance of Shen Ye: Uchiha Fugaku.

He hesitated on the spot; if he rushed in now, his identity would be instantly exposed to a guy like Fugaku.

Even wearing Uchiha robes wouldn't help; that disguise could only fool those who had never seen Ye Xuan.

However, the desire for battle stirred in Shen Ye's heart. Since transmigrating to this world, this was his first time witnessing a real fight.

So what if I'm discovered? Uchiha Fugaku is only a genin right now; I can handle him just fine.

The corners of Shen Ye's mouth curled upward. With eyes full of confidence, he leaped toward the scene, landing on a massive tree branch in a few swift movements.

From here, he could see both combatants clearly.

The other Uchiha clan member also wore a forehead protector, but he was being steadily suppressed by Uchiha Fugaku.

From this, Shen Ye judged that the guy was also a genin, perhaps even inferior to Uchiha Fugaku in strength.

Suddenly, a cunning smile appeared on Fugaku's lips, and his footwork quickened significantly.

His opponent never saw when the shuriken appeared in Fugaku's hand, flying straight toward his forehead.

Shen Ye let out a cold snort. This was the perfect moment to drop in and intercept Uchiha Fugaku's attack.

"Strength of a Hundred!"

A heavy force erupted from his feet, launching Shen Ye's entire body toward the ground. His fist landed with pinpoint accuracy on Fugaku's arm.

The shuriken clattered to the ground. Fugaku hurriedly retracted his force and slid his arm downward.

The immense power was dissipated in an instant, and he leaped back several paces to put some distance between himself and Shen Ye.

"Thanks for helping me block that attack; otherwise, there would definitely be a scratch on my forehead protector."

"Shen Ye? Why are you wearing our clan's robes and appearing here? You thief."

"Go to hell. What I wear is none of your business."

The guy standing behind Shen Ye frowned. Through the exchange between Shen Ye and Fugaku's opponent, he had already realized that the youth before him was not a member of the Uchiha clan.

"Although this is our clan's Uchiha Hunt, intended to distinguish the gap in our strength, this youth just saved me. Please, do not be rude."

Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath, his heart filled with endless rage.

He had only been questioning Shen Ye, yet it was clearly Shen Ye who had been the rude one.

"If that's the case, then enjoy the Uchiha clan's feast. From now on, I will pretend I don't know you."

With that, Fugaku turned and walked in the other direction of the forest, leaving Shen Ye and the other man standing there.

Shen Ye scratched his head, not understanding what Fugaku meant. Was he planning to use other clan members to teach him a lesson?

But since he had chosen to join this "game," Shen Ye felt no fear. Even if the strongest member of the Uchiha clan stood before him, he wouldn't be afraid.

"Your name is Shen Ye, right?"

"That's right. I'm currently staying at Tsunade's place. If you need any help in the future, feel free to find me."

Shen Ye could tell this guy didn't receive much favor within the Uchiha clan and might even be ostracized.

Without lingering with the guy, Shen Ye ran in the direction Uchiha Fugaku had taken, wanting to take this chance to teach him a proper lesson.

However, the sky gradually darkened, and from then on, Shen Ye didn't see another Uchiha clan member.

"Uchiha clan's feast? I can't even see a shadow. No wonder they eventually fell into decline overnight."

Shaking his head helplessly, Shen Ye changed back into his own clothes and headed toward the village, preparing to end today's thieving journey.

Walking back to the village entrance, Shen Ye saw groups of Uchiha clan members wandering about, among whom was a figure he was very familiar with.

Uchiha Fugaku stood not far from Mikoto, his gaze falling on her from time to time.

In the corner of the group was the guy Shen Ye had saved, looking completely invisible.

Fugaku and Mikoto spotted Shen Ye at almost the same time, but both acted with tacit understanding, showing no reaction.

"The annual Uchiha Hunt is coming to an end. Regardless of whether you have gained anything, from today on, internal fighting between clan members is forbidden!"

The highly respected Uchiha clan head stood in the center of the group, reading the announcement. Shen Ye had no interest in this and bypassed the group to enter the village.

Walking into the village, he happened to run into Jiraiya, who was on patrol.

"Shen Ye, it's a rare day off from the Ninja Academy; why did you run outside the village?"

"I heard today was the Uchiha clan's Uchiha Hunt, so I went to see the world. After all, the Uchiha clan is the oldest clan since the founding of Konoha."

Jiraiya didn't say anything, but the smile on his lips was very strange, as if he wanted to express something but stopped himself.

Shen Ye felt a bit puzzled, but he didn't press for details.

"Brother Jiraiya, can I ask you something?"

Shen Ye leaned in close to Jiraiya, looking mysterious.

Jiraiya's interest was piqued by Shen Ye's state, and he tilted his ear to listen intently to what Shen Ye would say next.

"I want to know if you've ever peeked at Tsunade's body. Don't worry, I won't tell her about it."

Jiraiya's mouth twitched twice; he couldn't fathom what was going on inside this little guy's head.

Watching his reaction, Shen Ye instantly confirmed that Jiraiya had never experienced such a perk.

"I already know the result just by looking at your expression."

"By the way, why did you suddenly grow so tall?"

"Tsunade treated me like a lab rat and cast the ninjutsu she had just been practicing on me."

Shen Ye put on a pitiful expression, shifting all the blame onto Tsunade.

The expression on Jiraiya's face shifted, and a rather immature idea suddenly sprouted in his mind.

"Brother Jiraiya, don't let your imagination run wild. Tsunade has already classified this ninjutsu as a forbidden technique and swore in front of me that she would never use it again in this lifetime."