Exploiting a Bug

And so, ten days before the night of the clan's massacre, the Uchiha ninja hastily concluded their discussion on whether the Uchiha Clan should seize power from Konoha by force.

Still, there was one gain: six years after the Nine-Tails Incident, the Uchiha had united once more—with only a few individuals refusing to fit in.

Zongyi Uchiha: "..."

Uchiha Shisui: "..."

Uchiha Itachi: "..."

After the meeting ended, clan head Uchiha Fugaku left first, but the Uchiha ninja present didn't move. They turned their gazes toward Uchiha Izuna.

Uchiha Fugaku paused. He looked back at his clan members with a complicated expression, then cast a meaningful glance at Uchiha Izuna.

Uchiha Izuna cleared his throat. "It's getting late. Everyone, go home and rest. I, Uchiha Izuna, promise you all that from now on, I will never soften my stance toward the Konoha High Command, never compromise, and never give in!"

"Yes!" x10086. The next moment, the ninja turned into streaks of shadow and vanished from the clan meeting hall.

Uchiha Fugaku turned and left as well, his figure looking somewhat dejected. Uchiha Izuna almost said something, but he absolutely couldn't show weakness now.

After all, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, and Zongyi Uchiha were still present.

Uchiha Izuna looked at them with amusement. "What? You're still not leaving?" He turned around, his long hair flowing, his face full of mockery. It was as if the three of them were mere ants in his eyes.

"War, when did you get such incredible power?" Uchiha Shisui asked, puzzled. He'd visited Uchiha Fugaku's home plenty of times while spending time with Itachi.

So he'd often greeted Uchiha Izuna, too. At Uchiha Fugaku's home, War had been like a complete nobody. Whenever anyone greeted him, he'd nod and bow, all stiff and awkward.

Who would've thought Uchiha Shisui had been so wrong about him? The guy had more chakra than Lord Hokage, surely!

"Just now." Uchiha Izuna smiled.

Uchiha Shisui's mouth twitched. You expect me to believe that? Still, it was his secret, so Shisui couldn't very well press him further.

Only Uchiha Itachi furrowed his brow, looking annoyed. "War, if you don't want to tell us, then don't. Why mess with Shisui?"

"Sure, whatever you say." Uchiha Izuna shrugged. Honestly, if Itachi didn't believe him, there was nothing he could do about it.

Uchiha Itachi's veins bulged. He was going to teach his ignorant little brother a lesson and show him how to treat his older brother.

This time, Uchiha Shisui didn't stop Uchiha Itachi, because he was curious, too, about just how powerful Uchiha Izuna had become.

Ding! Congratulations, host, you've completed the task: rebut Uchiha Shisui. Completion rank: SSS. Reward: Indomitable Body (incomplete). Each hit reduces damage taken by 10%, up to a maximum of 100%.

[Because you're afraid of dying, the system has rewarded you with a damage-reduction skill.]

Uchiha Izuna's eyes lit up. A conceptual ability! The corners of his mouth lifted as he seemed to think of a way to exploit a bug.

Then he raised his middle finger at Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Itachi froze, not understanding what Uchiha Izuna meant—but he was sure it wasn't anything good!

"War, I challenge you!" Uchiha Itachi's gaze turned cold, and he started forming the Seal of Confrontation.

Uchiha Izuna simply waved him off. Uchiha Itachi's eyes filled with contempt and disdain. So he was all talk, after all. He was backing down as soon as things got serious?

Uchiha Shisui, however, suspected there was more to it, so he quietly watched to see what Uchiha Izuna would do next.

"Itachi, I think we should be at the training ground, not here. Don't you agree? This is where the Uchiha Clan holds its meetings. It wouldn't be good to break anything." Uchiha Izuna spoke casually.

Uchiha Itachi paused. That did seem reasonable, so he nodded. "In that case, I'll wait for you at Training Ground 7."

With that, he vanished into thin air, turning into a flock of crows.

If Uchiha Izuna had only been a Genin, this move might have startled him. But after merging with Uchiha Madara's [Founding of Konoha] template, he saw this so-called Crow Clone Technique as nothing more than a cheap trick.

Once you had enough chakra and a powerful Mangekyō Sharingan, you could see through the very foundations of all ninjutsu.

Uchiha Shisui didn't leave. He kept watching Uchiha Izuna, only to see him give Shisui a thumbs-up. Then, in the blink of Uchiha Shisui's eye, he disappeared.

Uchiha Shisui went pale. Uchiha Izuna had vanished from his sight in the time it took him to blink!

But he quickly recovered. He knew where they were headed, so he used the Phantom Body Flicker Technique and raced toward Training Ground 7.

When Uchiha Shisui arrived, Uchiha Itachi smiled faintly. "Shisui, would you be the referee?"

Uchiha Shisui looked at Uchiha Izuna and nodded. "All right." Then he turned to Uchiha Izuna. "War, rest assured. I'll oversee this fight as fairly as possible, staking the honor of the Uchiha Clan on it."

Uchiha Izuna nodded. Since Uchiha Shisui had staked the Uchiha Clan's honor on it, that showed just how determined he was to be fair.

Seeing Uchiha Izuna nod, Uchiha Shisui raised his hand. "Three, two, one—fight! (Open the Senzu beans.)"

The corners of Uchiha Izuna's mouth lifted. Then he slapped himself on the chest ten times.

Thud, thud, thud, thud...

Uchiha Itachi looked puzzled. Was his little brother an idiot? Why had he started by slapping himself ten times?

Ding! Damage reduction: 10%, 20%, 30%...100%.

The system's notification rang out, and Uchiha Izuna's mouth curled up.

All right, he was ready. Now it was time to fight!

Uchiha Itachi didn't understand what Uchiha Izuna was doing, but in a ninja fight, striking first was the key to victory!

Uchiha Itachi drew his long sword and pointed it at Uchiha Izuna. "My foolish little brother, today I'll show you that even if you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, relying on its abilities alone won't let you stand against a battle-hardened ninja."

With that, he lunged forward, closing the distance, raising his katana and slashing at Uchiha Izuna.

Uchiha Izuna didn't dodge or move. He stood his ground! Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted, and he immediately tried to pull back. But it was too late; he only managed to stop halfway.

The katana came down toward Uchiha Izuna's shoulder.

"Damn it, are you stupid? Move!" Uchiha Itachi roared. He'd wanted to teach his little brother a lesson, but he'd never meant to kill him!

Uchiha Izuna smiled at Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted as his sword struck Uchiha Izuna's shoulder with a sharp clang!

Sparks flew everywhere!