A voice rang out nearby.
Three children who looked about six or seven years old emerged one after another from the woods.
They wore short-sleeved ninja hoodies in deep purple, dark blue, and charcoal gray. The Uchiha Clan's flaming fan crest was printed on the backs of their clothes.
"Ah, my friends are calling me."
"I should get going, Yu. See you next time."
Seeing his Uchiha Clan companions calling him back,
Shisui chuckled, winked at Yu, and turned to leave.
"What? So this kid isn't an Uchiha after all."
"How could a boring little brat like him be friends with the Uchiha Clan's genius, Shisui?"
By then, the three Uchiha children had walked over to the grass nearby.
The black-haired child in the middle folded his arms across his chest, wearing a haughty expression as he looked at Yu with disdain.
What the heck?!
Had he just been insulted out of nowhere?!
Yu had already said goodbye to Shisui, but now this Uchiha kid was suddenly sneering at him. He couldn't help feeling baffled.
And what was with that instantly antagonistic tone?!
Did this brat think he was Madara or something?!
Faced with the three Uchiha children's inexplicable sense of superiority, Yu gave a helpless smile.
Sure enough, aside from the three oddballs Shisui, Itachi, and Obito,
every member of the Uchiha Clan had the personality of an overbearing chosen one. Even the future Uchiha Sasuke was no exception.
"Um, I was saying..."
Looking at the three overbearing Uchiha children, Yu spoke in an even tone.
"My friend is Shisui, not you three, right?"
Ever since their old rivals, the Senju Clan, had vanished from the Ninja World,
the Uchiha Clan had become the foremost clan in Konoha—and indeed, the entire Ninja World.
Their illustrious history had fostered an arrogant, self-important attitude in every member of the Uchiha Clan.
The Nine-Tails' invasion hadn't happened yet,
but it was already clear that the Uchiha Clan's haughty way of conducting themselves
was gradually creating an invisible rift between them and Konoha's other clans and ordinary ninja.
That was why, whenever the Uchiha Clan came up in conversation, other ninja in Konoha Ninja Village wore such strange expressions.
"What did you say, brat?!"
Sure enough, the moment Yu finished speaking,
the black-haired Uchiha child beside him was instantly enraged by Yu's even tone.
"Looks like I'll have to teach you a proper lesson..."
"I'll show you how you're supposed to speak to the Uchiha!"
With that, the black-haired Uchiha child lowered his arms.
His chakra surged through his body. Clearly, all three Uchiha children were students at the Ninja Academy.
"Izuma! Kan! En! You three, stop!"
Seeing the black-haired child, Uchiha Izuma, make a move, Shisui's expression changed.
"Heh. You want to teach me a lesson..."
Faced with Uchiha Izuma, who was gearing up to come and teach him a lesson,
Yu stood where he was, curling his lip in disdain. He quietly activated the String-String Fruit's power, slightly raising the middle, thumb, and little fingers of his right hand.
"If you think you can, then come and try!"
Parasitic Thread!!
Countless invisible, transparent threads
spread through the air above everyone's heads, then quickly disappeared from sight.
"Don't stop me, Shisui! You're just too softhearted!"
Ignoring Shisui's attempt to stop him,
Uchiha Izuma lowered his body slightly, a malicious smile appearing on his face.
"Brats who don't know their place deserve a good beating..."
Bang!!
But before Uchiha Izuma could finish speaking,
a fist slammed into his face, and blood immediately streamed from his nose.
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned, including Shisui.
"En! What are you doing?!"
Uchiha Izuma turned around, his face smeared with blood and disbelief.
He saw a familiar face framed by long, black hair parted down the middle. It was his companion, Uchiha En!
"Damn it! I can't control my body!!"
But just like Uchiha Izuma, Uchiha En looked utterly incredulous. His eyes suddenly widened in terror.
"Izuma! Watch out behind you!!"
Bang!!
Uchiha Izuma took another hard kick to the back.
The one who had attacked him was Uchiha Kan on the other side!
"What the hell?!"
"Kan! What's gotten into you too?!"
Attacked by both of his own companions,
Uchiha Izuma was already battered and looking both shocked and furious.
"I don't know what's going on either!"
"I can't control my body! Watch out!!"
Uchiha Kan looked terrified too, but his body still threw another punch at Uchiha Izuma of its own accord.
"Hahahaha..."
Watching the haughty Uchiha Izuma get pummeled by his two companions,
Yu, who was still standing off to the side, couldn't hold back his laughter.
He lightly curled the middle, thumb, and little fingers of his right hand,
continuing to control Uchiha En and Uchiha Kan as they attacked Uchiha Izuma.
Parasitic Thread—one of the String-String Fruit's abilities.
First, dozens of threads are spread through the air. They then fall like a meteor shower and pierce the opponent's body, allowing the user to control their limbs.
But the threads Yu could control at the moment only wrapped around the skin of the targets under his control, so he couldn't interfere with their will.
"What is this...?"
Watching the unbelievable scene unfold,
Shisui noticed the subtle movements of Yu's hand beside him, and his eyes widened slightly.
"A Kekkei Genkai...?"
Seeing Yu use such a strange ability without forming any Hand Seals,
Shisui, a genius of the Uchiha Clan, immediately thought of a Kekkei Genkai.
"So you're the one behind this!!"
Just then, Uchiha Izuma spotted Yu standing nearby, laughing as he watched the show.
After being pummeled repeatedly by his two companions, Uchiha Izuma finally figured it out.
Fury blazed in his eyes, and he roared as he charged at Yu.
Crack!!
But he hadn't gone far
before someone grabbed the wrist of the fist he'd clenched.
Shisui had appeared at his side without anyone noticing.
What incredible speed...
Yu narrowed his eyes slightly as he took in the scene.
It seemed that Shisui, a once-in-a-generation genius of the Uchiha Clan,
was already stronger than the three Ninja Academy students, even though he was Yu's age and hadn't yet enrolled at the academy.
"That's enough..."
"Let's stop here."
Holding Uchiha Izuma by the wrist,
Shisui spoke calmly, but the force in his gaze left no room for argument.
"But..."
Faced with Shisui's intervention, Uchiha Izuma was clearly still unwilling to let the matter go.
"I said, that's enough!"
Shisui sharply cut him off.
Staring at Uchiha Izuma before him, Shisui's fierce gaze was every bit as intimidating as the legendary Sharingan, even though he hadn't yet awakened the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai.
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