Standing Out Doesn't Mean Being a Flag

Uchiha compound.

Shin-getsu was in the courtyard practicing his hand seals.

He had already mastered the Great Fireball Technique.

However, his hand seal speed was still quite slow.

In actual combat, if his seals were too slow, the enemy would never give him the chance.

Therefore, what he needed to do now was to drill the basic seal sequences until they became muscle memory.

Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.

Once.

Twice.

Ten times.

A hundred times.

His fingers moved faster and faster.

Yet, his wounds were still being aggravated.

Cold sweat gradually began to bead on his forehead.

The Police Force ninja responsible for guarding him watched with a twitching eyelid.

"Shin-getsu, that's enough, isn't it?"

"Your wounds haven't healed yet."

Shin-getsu did not stop.

"Ten more times."

The Uchiha ninja couldn't help but say:

"You've already said 'ten more times' three times since this morning."

Shin-getsu's movements remained constant.

"This time is for real."

The corner of the man's mouth twitched.

He finally understood why Uchiha Tekka had said that this kid was a ruthless man wrapped in a child's skin.

Ruthless to his enemies.

Even more ruthless to himself.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Uchiha Tekka walked in.

He held a scroll in his hand, his expression complex.

Shin-getsu stopped his hand seals.

"Did you finish checking the secret passage?"

Tekka nodded.

"Finished."

He briefly recounted the results.

After listening, Shin-getsu was not particularly surprised.

"The core evidence was destroyed?"

Tekka's expression darkened.

"Yes."

"The hidden compartment was incinerated by a sealing formula."

Shin-getsu nodded.

"Normal."

"If I were the person behind the scenes, I would also set up automatic cleanup measures."

Tekka gritted his teeth.

"But we still managed to find quite a few things."

"Old-style Anbu Communication Needles."

"Traces of recent maintenance."

"Anbu-system sealing techniques."

"This time, they won't be able to brush this off so easily."

Shin-getsu did not answer immediately.

A moment later, he asked:

"What did the Hokage Building say?"

Tekka's expression turned strange.

"The Hokage provided compensation."

Shin-getsu raised an eyebrow.

"For the Uchiha?"

"A portion of it."

Tekka said, "During the investigation, they are allowing the Police Force to take over the defense of the clan grounds' perimeter, and they've also permitted us to set up our own sealing barriers."

"Additionally, there is something for you."

"For me?"

Shin-getsu was somewhat surprised.

Tekka handed him a scroll.

"The Third Hokage cited your two consecutive attacks as the reason to grant you a quota to learn a C-rank ninjutsu."

"He also granted you one-time access to the first floor of the Konoha Public Training Archive."

Shin-getsu took the scroll, his eyes flickering.

Compensation from the Hokage.

This was interesting.

Was the Third Hokage trying to appease him?

Or was he trying to signal to the Uchiha in this way that the Hokage Building was not hostile toward Shin-getsu?

Regardless of which it was, it was no loss for Shin-getsu.

A C-rank ninjutsu learning quota.

The first floor of the Konoha Public Training Archive.

Although these weren't high-level resources, they were exactly the foundational accumulation he needed most right now.

Especially the archive.

It might not contain powerful ninjutsu, but it likely held a vast amount of notes on tactics, ninja tools, Chakra Control, and taijutsu training.

These were of high value to him at his current stage.

Tekka frowned and asked:

"What do you think?"

Shin-getsu put the scroll away.

"Accept it."

Tekka was taken aback.

"Aren't you afraid they might tamper with it?"

Shin-getsu said indifferently:

"The Hokage Building wouldn't dare tamper with the compensation right now."

"At least, not openly."

"Besides, since the resources have been delivered to our doorstep, it would be a waste not to take them."

Tekka grinned.

"I knew you would say that."

After saying this, he lowered his voice.

"However, there are some voices within the clan now."

Shin-getsu looked up.

"What kind of voices?"

Tekka's expression turned unpleasant.

"Some are saying the clan head is too conservative."

"Even though the secret passage was discovered, he is still waiting for the Hokage Building to handle it."

"Others are saying that you were the most clear-headed person during this incident."

"Some even feel that you should be allowed to speak at the next clan meeting."

Shin-getsu's eyes turned cold instantly.

It was starting.

His first reaction was not happiness.

Instead, he realized something was wrong.

It was all happening too fast.

He did want to increase his influence within the Uchiha clan.

But not right now.

And certainly not by being pushed to the forefront by the Radical Faction.

He was only nine years old.

His strength was at the Two-Tomoe level.

He didn't even have the Three-Tomoe.

If he were truly pushed to the front and became the banner of the Radical Faction, it wouldn't be a thrill; it would be a death sentence.

Fugaku would be wary of him.

Itachi would be vigilant against him.

The Third Hokage would be on guard against him.

Danzo would go to any lengths to eliminate him.

Shin-getsu narrowed his eyes.

"Where did these rumors start?"

Tekka shook his head.

"We're still investigating."

"But they are spreading very quickly."

Shin-getsu sneered.

"Someone is trying to kill me with praise."

Tekka's expression shifted.

"Kill you with praise?"

Shin-getsu looked at him, his tone calm yet icy.

"They are pushing me to become the representative of the Uchiha hardliners."

"They want me to stand in front of the Clan Head."

"They want me to attract all the hostility from the Hokage Building and Root."

"They even want the Radical Faction within the clan to use my name to pressure the Clan Head."

"If I accept, I'll be set up to fail."

"If I refuse, I'll disappoint the Radical Faction."

"This tactic isn't clever."

"But it is disgusting."

The more Tekka heard, the worse his expression became.

"Danzo?"

Shin-getsu did not answer.

But the answer was already obvious.

Such a sinister method was very much like Root.

Tekka gritted his teeth.

"I'll go catch the people spreading these rumors!"

Shin-getsu immediately said:

"No."

Tekka was stunned.

Shin-getsu said slowly:

"Don't be in a rush to catch them."

"Let them keep spreading it for now."

Tekka frowned.

"Why?"

Shin-getsu's eyes were deep and inscrutable.

"They want to kill me with praise."

"Then I will follow their lead and lure out the person pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"Besides..."

He paused for a moment.

"Some things really should be said at the clan meeting."

Tekka's expression shifted slightly.

"Are you really going to step forward?"

Shin-getsu replied indifferently:

"Stepping forward doesn't mean becoming a banner."

"I won't charge into battle for the Radical Faction."

"Nor will I whitewash the peace for the clan head."

"What I intend to do is tell every Uchiha."

"Who the person they should truly hate is."

Tekka looked at Shin-getsu, suddenly feeling a chill run down his spine.

This kid was setting a trap again.

Shin-getsu glanced down at the compensation scroll sent by the Hokage, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

Danzo wanted to roast him over an open fire.

Fine.

But fire can burn people.

As for who ends up getting burned, that remains to be seen.

At the same time, the system notification chimed.

[Host has seen through the Root's strategy of killing with praise.]

[Hidden side quest triggered: Clan Public Opinion War.]

[Mission Objective: Stabilize your own stance at the next Uchiha clan meeting and reverse-track the source of the rumors.]

[Mission Reward: Distributed based on completion rate.]

Shin-getsu's eyes lit up.

A hidden side quest.

Very good.

He looked up at Tekka.

"Senior Tekka."

"Do me a favor."

Tekka said in a deep voice:

"Speak."

Shin-getsu spoke slowly:

"Write down every word of praise directed at me."

"Who said it, where it was said, and who it originated from."

"Especially those who are desperately urging me to step forward, or even inciting me to surpass the clan head."

"Don't miss a single one."

A cold glint flashed in Tekka's eyes.

"Understood."

Shin-getsu added:

"Also, notify Senior Washiyama and Senior Inabi."

"Tell them not to stop the rumors."

"But they must guide the rumors to continue spreading outward."

Tekka was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood.

"You want the fish to take the bait itself."

Shin-getsu nodded.

"Since the Root has reached its hand into the Uchiha, then that hand must be left behind."

Tekka grinned, his smile filled with chilling malice.

"Good."

"I like this job."

With that, he turned and left.

The courtyard fell silent once again.

Shin-getsu opened the compensation scroll sent by the Third Hokage, glancing briefly at the Hokage's seal stamped upon it.

One slot to learn a C-rank ninjutsu.

One permit to enter the archives.

The goodwill of the Hokage.

The calculated praise of Root.

The expectations from within the Uchiha.

Everything was piling up on him.

Had he been an ordinary nine-year-old, he would have been gasping for air long ago.

But Shin-getsu merely smiled.

Pressure?

Pressure was the very fuel for shifting causality.

What he wanted was to draw everyone's gaze toward him.

And then, just when they thought they had seen through everything, he would flip the chessboard over.

"A clan meeting, is it..."

Shin-getsu whispered to himself.

"Perfect."

"It's time for some seeds to be buried even deeper."