When Shisui finished speaking, he swiftly formed hand seals.
To make sure Ao could see clearly, he deliberately slowed down, performing each motion with perfect clarity.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
As Shisui's low voice fell, a muffled "poof" sounded, and a figure identical to him in appearance and expression appeared at his side.
"Well? Did you see how I did it?" Uchiha Shisui asked, lowering his hands.
Uchiha Ao nodded, then quickly formed the hand seals just as Shisui had. Chakra surged through his body.
Under Uchiha Shisui's astonished gaze, a figure identical to Ao appeared beside him.
"Ao, your talent..." Uchiha Shisui didn't know what to say.
The Shadow Clone Technique wasn't the most difficult of ninjutsu, but learning it after watching just once could only mean one of two things: either he had the Sharingan's copying ability, or he was exceptionally gifted.
But Shisui knew that Ao had yet to awaken his Sharingan. That left only one explanation: Ao possessed a terrifying level of talent beyond ordinary imagination.
"This is incredible, Ao." Shisui's eyes were full of wonder. "It took me quite a while to learn the Shadow Clone Technique. I had to practice it over and over before I succeeded, but you mastered it after watching just once."
Uchiha Ao scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "Maybe it's because I've practiced controlling chakra a lot, and you explained everything so clearly. That made it easier to learn."
He knew his own abilities best. His talent had never been this impressive before.
And the one thing responsible for this earth-shattering change was the Otsutsuki Bloodline he had acquired.
The Otsutsuki Bloodline was like a miraculous key, raising his affinity for and control over chakra to unprecedented heights.
Actually, when Shisui formed the hand seals just now, Ao hadn't been able to see every rapidly changing hand sign. But thanks to the Otsutsuki Bloodline, he could keenly sense the minute changes in the chakra as the technique took shape.
In other words, he didn't even need hand seals to perform the Shadow Clone Technique. He could simply use it, just like Hashirama Senju: bring his hands together, and whatever he wanted would appear.
All he had to do was think of it, and it would appear.
At the thought, a thrill beyond words welled up inside Ao, but he quickly suppressed it.
The Otsutsuki Bloodline was powerful, but it still needed time to develop.
"Hmm... Now that you've learned it, I'll be on my way." Uchiha Shisui turned to leave, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back, concern written on his face. "Ao, remember not to push yourself too hard. Don't overuse the Shadow Clone Technique."
Uchiha Ao nodded to show he understood.
After Shisui left, Ao couldn't help sighing again.
Of the two, Shisui and Itachi, Shisui was undoubtedly the one who loved the clan more.
As for Itachi, Ao knew that he cared about the clan too. But deep down, his so-called "greater good" had driven him to slaughter his own relatives with his own hands to preserve the village's superficial peace, sparing only his younger brother, Sasuke.
Judging by their strength on the night of the massacre, Itachi was no match for Shisui.
In fact, if Fugaku hadn't lost all hope and simply given up resisting, the Uchiha Clan might still exist today.
After all, Fugaku was a powerful Mangekyō Sharingan user, and he had awakened his Mangekyō many years before Itachi. Though his physical condition was no longer at its peak by then, he would still have had no trouble handling Itachi.
"Itachi, I hope you don't make the wrong choice this time," Uchiha Ao murmured.
"I'll use a Shadow Clone to teach Hinata from now on. Otherwise, Sister Izumi will start following me again." Remembering how Sister Izumi had followed him before gave Ao a headache, and he hurriedly began working out a new plan in his mind.
"Come to think of it, was there something I meant to ask Shisui?" Ao scratched his head, puzzled. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what he'd forgotten.
Meanwhile, somewhere else...
Uchiha Shisui hadn't gone far when someone stepped in front of him.
"Why were you looking for him?" The speaker sounded angry.
"I know now how naive my thinking was before. This time, I only wanted to ask what he thought about our current situation." Uchiha Shisui raised his eyes. When he recognized the person, he furrowed his brow slightly, looking rather helpless.
"Hmph. I don't care why you were looking for him. If you dare hurt him, I'll never forgive you." The newcomer folded their arms, their voice cold, their eyes full of suspicion and warning.
Shisui sighed softly, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Ao and I are both members of the Uchiha Clan. Why would I hurt him?"
The newcomer's guard didn't ease. They stared fixedly at Shisui. "You know how tense things are in the clan right now. The hardliners and moderates are at each other's throats. Who knows which side you're on?"
"And you're dragging Ao into this. Are you trying to get him hurt?"
Shisui lifted his head slightly and gazed toward Konoha, his expression complicated. "I'm on neither the hardliners' side nor the moderates'. I only hope the Uchiha can have a bright future and truly live in peace with Konoha."
"As for whether involving Ao would put him in danger..." Shisui paused, his gaze turning resolute. "Don't worry. Even if I die, I'll never let him suffer the slightest harm."
The newcomer fell silent for a moment, then finally lowered their arms. "All right. I'll trust you for now. But if you dare lie to me, I won't let it go."
With that, they turned and strode away, leaving Shisui standing where he was, watching them go with a thoughtful expression.
Elsewhere, Uchiha Ao finally remembered what he had forgotten to ask.
How had he completed his main quest, anyway?
"Forget it. It doesn't matter. I'll ask next time we meet."
Uchiha Ao shook his head, temporarily casting his questions about the main quest aside.
The most important thing now was to complete his current main quest and train hard!
"System," Uchiha Ao called silently in his mind.
[Name: Uchiha Ao] [Age: Nine] [Total Chakra: 10 cards] [Chakra Nature: All Natures] [Skills: Shadow Clone Technique...]
Even without doing anything, his total chakra had reached ten cards.
Uchiha Ao looked at the panel, filled with emotion.
That was how important bloodlines were.
He had worked hard for so many years, yet he'd made less progress than he had from two days of passive growth.
"Right now, I know too few ninjutsu," Uchiha Ao mused, furrowing his brow slightly.
He wasn't worried about learning ninjutsu.
With Shisui as a walking ninjutsu encyclopedia, all he had to do was ask for a few more techniques the next time they met.
"Hinata has gained a little confidence already. Next, I need to help her build it up gradually." Uchiha Ao rubbed his chin, quickly coming up with a new training plan.
He didn't want to spend too much time on Hinata's quest. He had to reach Kage Level within four years.
"Once we've dealt with her confidence, I'll also need to help Hinata overcome her fear of her father."
Uchiha Ao knew that the imposing figure of Hyuga Hiashi loomed over Hinata like a mountain, severely holding back her growth.
Only by helping Hinata break through that mental barrier could she unleash her full potential without hesitation.
"Hmm... Looks like I'll have to bring on Hinata's rebellious phase early."
Before you continue