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Uchiha Fugaku wore the same expression Shisui had.
Wait, you learned it already?
"Ahem. Very good. You've got some of my talent." Uchiha Fugaku cleared his throat twice, concealing the surprise in his eyes.
He'd thought that no matter how talented the child before him was, he would still need some time to grasp the Great Fireball Technique. He hadn't expected him to learn it so quickly.
"Since you've got that down, I'll teach you the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. It gathers chakra into flames and shoots them out like bullets. You can fire several at once, making it a versatile technique." As he explained, Fugaku formed the Hand Seals and demonstrated again.
Flames leapt from his fingertips, streaking through the air like meteors and leaving blazing trails behind them.
The Shadow Clone watched without blinking, swiftly piecing together the flow of Fire Release chakra in his mind.
As for the Hand Seals Fugaku demonstrated, he barely bothered to memorize them.
After all, he had the Otsutsuki Bloodline. He could afford to be this reckless.
The Shadow Clone focused, using the Otsutsuki Bloodline's remarkable affinity for and control over chakra to guide and transform it directly within his body.
In the blink of an eye, clusters of fine flames rose from his palm, brilliant as fireworks.
At a thought, the flames shot out like arrows loosed from a bow, striking a nearby tree trunk with pinpoint accuracy and leaving several charred marks.
"That fast!" Uchiha Fugaku's eyes widened in disbelief.
He'd seen plenty of gifted young shinobi in the Uchiha Clan, but aside from his eldest son, Itachi, he'd never met anyone who could learn a technique just by watching it once.
A complicated look flashed in Fugaku's eyes. He marveled at the Shadow Clone's talent, and felt a touch of pride as clan head at seeing so many prodigies emerge from the clan.
"Well, well. It seems I underestimated you." Fugaku smiled and shook his head. "In that case, I'll teach you a few more techniques."
After the clone showed what he could do, Uchiha Fugaku didn't hold back.
He taught him several Fire Release techniques in succession, from fine chakra control to advanced variations of the jutsu, leaving nothing out.
However, when the Shadow Clone curiously asked whether the Uchiha Clan had any forbidden techniques, Fugaku's smile vanished.
His expression turned stern and wary, and a hint of caution entered his eyes. "Those aren't something you should be learning about yet."
"Tch." The Shadow Clone sighed inwardly.
The Uchiha Clan had two supreme forbidden techniques.
They were Izanagi and Izanami.
Of the two, Izanagi seemed almost absurdly powerful to him.
Izanagi could turn anything that happened to the user over a certain period of time into something that had never happened, making only what benefited the user into reality.
In other words, no matter what harm the user suffered—even death—their body could physically return to its recorded state.
It did come with a price: the eye used for Izanagi would be permanently blinded.
But in the face of such an absolute life-saving ability, that drawback seemed insignificant.
Seeing the Shadow Clone looking thoughtful, Fugaku softened his tone, though his resolve remained firm. "Forbidden techniques are sealed away because their costs and risks are far beyond what most people can bear. You may be exceptionally gifted, but you're still too young and inexperienced. If you rush into them, you'll only go astray."
As he spoke, he gazed toward the distant Uchiha settlement, where the buildings cast long shadows in the sunset. "Right now, you should focus on building a solid foundation and mastering the techniques I've taught you."
The Shadow Clone nodded.
"You're right, Clan Head. I understand." He responded respectfully, putting his desire to learn the forbidden techniques aside for now.
Fugaku nodded with satisfaction and reached out to ruffle the Shadow Clone's hair. For a moment, the gesture reminded him of Itachi as a little boy.
The setting sun stretched their shadows across the ground, where they mingled in a dappled pattern. "Go back. If you're free tomorrow, come here again. I'll teach you some practical Fire Release techniques."
The Shadow Clone gave a short reply and turned toward the clan compound.
That night, the Uchiha settlement glittered with lights like stars fallen to earth, but he sensed an unusual air of oppression.
Clan members patrolled the streets in small groups, murmuring among themselves.
"Are you going to the clan meeting this year?" one patrol member quietly asked his companion.
"I don't have a choice," his companion replied with a sigh.
"If you ask me, they might as well cancel the meeting. Every year, we go over the same things again and again: Konoha suppresses us, and should the clan fight back? But in the end, we can only swallow our anger." His voice was full of resentment as he slapped the Uchiha crest on the wall. "At this rate, the Uchiha Clan will be pushed to the margins sooner or later."
"You can't put it that way." The first man glanced around warily and lowered his voice. "Haven't you noticed that Shisui's been acting strangely lately? He's been meeting with promising young shinobi in private and drawing in quite a few clan members who are unhappy with the way things are."
"Really?" His companion instantly grew wary. "What's he trying to do? Is he... trying to form his own faction?"
"Shh—" The first man hurriedly covered his mouth and looked around. Only after confirming no one was nearby did he speak, still shaken. "Watch what you say! I happened to see him meeting with a few hardliners..."
They walked farther away, until the Shadow Clone could no longer hear them.
Still, the Shadow Clone had picked up one piece of information.
The clan would soon be holding a meeting.
"Apparently, the clan members don't know that Shisui lost an arm. Maybe Itachi didn't tell Fugaku, or maybe Fugaku deliberately kept it quiet." The Shadow Clone analyzed the situation in silence.
He hadn't cared about the previous clan meetings.
After all, back then, he'd been too young and too weak to influence them.
"But this time, I can get involved." He had no intention of sending the main body in person. It wasn't as though he lacked someone ready to go.
Shisui, you know what I mean.
The Shadow Clone gave a meaningful smile, then dispelled himself.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ao's main body was being fed by Sister Izumi.
"Sister Izumi, I can't eat another bite..." Uchiha Ao looked at the red bean paste dumpling she held out to him, his expression helpless.
"Little brother~" Uchiha Izumi called sweetly, gently wiggling the red bean paste dumpling between her fingertips. "Just one more. I saved this one for last."
"No." Uchiha Ao shook his head repeatedly and leaned away.
Seeing this, Uchiha Izumi gave him a sly wink.
Her little brother like this...
She really wanted to tease him...
"If you won't listen, big sister will just have to use force."
Just as Uchiha Ao wondered how Sister Izumi planned to force him, she popped the red bean paste dumpling into her mouth and leaned toward him.
Ao's eyes widened, and the tips of his ears instantly turned crimson. Before he could react, Sister Izumi gently cradled the back of his head. Her warm breath, sweet with the scent of the dumpling, brushed over him. "Open wide~"
Before you continue