The Wind Is So Noisy Today

The first thing he did after getting up in the morning was stimulate his body with Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Sure enough, he felt much more awake. Lightning Release was so useful—far more useful than Fire Style, which couldn't even burn people to death.

After tidying up a little, he looked at the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll, which he had already memorized completely. After some thought, he decided it was better not to leave such a secret Ninjutsu Scroll in an unlocked Pharmacy.

But he had nowhere else to put it, so for now, he could only keep it together with the Three Jutsu.

As soon as he went downstairs, he unexpectedly found Uchiha Itachi sitting in the hall.

The door Anko had broken still had not been repaired. It felt as though anyone could just walk in whenever they wanted.

"Qingfeng, morning!"

Hearing Itachi's greeting, Uchiha Qingfeng deliberately stepped outside to check the sky. That was right—the sun had only just risen. This was a perfectly normal schedule.

Ever since learning the Eight Inner Gates Formation, Qingfeng had completely lost his habit of being unable to get up in the morning. His physical condition was simply too strong; even very little sleep was enough to keep him energetic all day.

He could even go several days without sleeping. He would naturally wake up in the morning, and after that, he could no longer fall asleep.

"Itachi, when did you get here?"

Seeing the breakfast Itachi had brought on the table, Qingfeng sat down without ceremony and started eating. It just felt like the breakfast had gotten a little cold.

"I only got here a little while ago too."

Qingfeng could not be bothered to fuss over it. Ever since Itachi got himself a little brother, he had basically vanished. All he did was stay home and look after the child. If he had come so early today, there had to be something going on. Otherwise, he would never have come.

As Itachi's friend, Qingfeng absolutely could not allow him to keep degenerating like this. He had to give him a little push.

"My father would like to invite you to dinner at our home tonight."

"And the Clan Head has persuaded the three Elders to reform the Uchiha. The first step will be handing over control of the Leaf Village Military Police Force."

Qingfeng raised his head. Sure enough, no one was stupid, especially not someone capable of becoming the Clan Head of a major family. They were sharper than anyone.

Could Fugaku really fail to see what Shisui and Itachi could see?

Though Qingfeng did not know what had happened in the original story, perhaps the methods had differed, but there must have been some effort made toward peaceful coexistence.

As for why it had failed, either it had come too late, or certain petty people had interfered from the shadows.

You guessed right. It was some Konoha higher-up with the surname Shimura.

Now that Fugaku had acted ahead of time, it was a good thing for the Uchiha. Less bloodshed, fewer sacrifices.

It had to be said that the reason Fugaku had finally made up his mind was that conversation with Qingfeng.

"That's a good thing, but why did the Clan Head suddenly invite me over?"

Itachi considered several reasons, only to find that none seemed very likely.

"I don't know either. You'll find out when you go tonight."

That was the downside of being too smart. He could not imagine that Fugaku had invited Qingfeng over for dinner merely so that Itachi and Qingfeng could bond a little and talk more.

After all, Qingfeng was the only person his age who could stand on equal footing with Itachi. In fact, he stood even higher than Itachi.

"Alright. I'll head over early tonight."

Seeing that Qingfeng had agreed, Itachi rose to take his leave. His adorable little brother was still waiting for him at home!

Qingfeng stopped him.

"Itachi, wait a moment. Let me show you something."

After finishing the last bite of breakfast, he led Itachi directly to the place where he usually trained.

"Are you going to show me a Ninjutsu? Making such a big deal out of it... Is it the Great Fire Dragon Technique? Or Great Fire Annihilation?"

Itachi named two B-rank Ninjutsu. He knew all the Ninjutsu Qingfeng had mastered, and at Qingfeng's current level, B-rank should have been about the limit.

Unfortunately, he had guessed wrong.

Qingfeng wanted to give Itachi a push, to keep him from becoming immersed in childcare and forgetting his training. For a Ninja, strength was the most important thing.

"Itachi, watch closely. This is the first time I'm truly using this Ninjutsu."

Uchiha Itachi saw arcs of electricity begin to flicker visibly across Qingfeng's body, circling around him.

He could already sense that this Ninjutsu was extraordinary. Using Lightning Release to temper the body was not so easy.

Especially since Itachi clearly knew that Qingfeng possessed Fire Release Chakra. If he could use Lightning Release, that meant Qingfeng had already completed the development of his second nature.

Uchiha Itachi himself had long known that his second nature was Water Release, but his strength was insufficient, and he had not yet begun developing it.

When Qingfeng had first met him, he had still been a frail boy bullied by the four members of Trident, relying on Itachi's casual assistance.

But now, he had already surpassed Itachi!

"Don't be surprised yet. It's not over!"

Qingfeng's words interrupted Itachi's thoughts. As Qingfeng formed Hand Seals, a mass of lightning appeared in his right hand. Tendrils of electricity slithered constantly around it, producing a piercing sound.

"Chidori!"

With Qingfeng's shout, his figure seemed to turn intangible. All that could be seen was a dazzling flash of lightning striking a large tree ahead at incredible speed.

"Has your Body Flicker Technique reached this level too?"

The instant Itachi spoke, the tree struck by Chidori toppled over.

"Is this an A-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu?"

A look of surprise appeared on Itachi's usually expressionless face. He truly had not expected Uchiha Qingfeng to improve so quickly.

Qingfeng smoothed down his disheveled hair, not forgetting to continue provoking Uchiha Itachi.

"Even without using these eyes, Itachi, I should be stronger than you now, right?"

Though unwilling to accept it, Itachi knew Qingfeng was speaking the truth.

Although he trained every day during this period, a large part of his attention was still focused on his newborn little brother.

If he slackened in training, being surpassed was only a matter of time.

"On the Ninja's path, if you don't advance, you fall behind. Itachi, do you understand?"

Uchiha Itachi pondered for a while before finally reaching a conclusion.

That was: "Qingfeng, your talent has already surpassed the realm of genius. You stand above geniuses."

Qingfeng had not expected Itachi to reach such a conclusion. He had only wanted to provoke him a little. This time, he had truly been careless.

"What genius? Let alone someone beyond genius. I only use the time others spend playing and sleeping to train."

Listen to that. He sounded exactly like some literary master. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that the breakfast Itachi bought for him had nearly gone cold by the time he woke up.

"Alright, Qingfeng. I understand what you mean. But don't worry, I haven't neglected my training either."

Qingfeng was at a loss for words. He had clearly taken the risk of using Chidori before fully mastering it, yet though Itachi was somewhat surprised, he remained unmoved.

Because his little brother was more important than anything.

The provocation had been delivered. What happened next was up to Itachi himself. Still, seeing Itachi today reminded Qingfeng of Ninjutsu Scrolls.

"Itachi, do you have a storage-type Ninja Scroll? I need one now."

Itachi pulled one from his Ninja Tool Pouch and handed it to Qingfeng.

"The space isn't large, and there are some necessities inside. I'll give those to you too."

There was no need for politeness between friends. What's yours is mine, and what's mine? I have nothing at all—a complete pauper.