Fighting Shisui

The next day.

Deep within the Uchiha compound lay a clearing surrounded by a dense forest.

Hayato and Seiichi walked slowly toward this location.

"Seiichi, stop making that face."

Hayato glanced at Seiichi beside him and spoke; although the kid was willing to listen to him, he wore a bitter, resentful expression all day long.

"Do you know why the clan head ordered us to come here?"

Seiichi lifted his eyelids and asked softly.

"Not sure, probably something they need to explain," Hayato replied dismissively.

The two of them were still on leave, but today the clan elders had summoned them, saying that the clan head and the elders had matters to entrust to them.

Upon hearing this, Seiichi returned to his usual silent and taciturn demeanor.

Seeing this, Hayato said no more; that was just how this guy was.

However, when would Shisui be recruited into the Anbu?

There were no reference points for many things; Uchiha Itachi was only six years old now and would likely soon achieve the feat of graduating from the Ninja Academy at seven.

"We're here."

Just as Hayato's thoughts were drifting, Seiichi's voice reached him.

Coming back to his senses, Hayato saw over a dozen Uchiha clansmen in the clearing, all of whom had awakened their Sharingan within the past year without exception.

They were all around their teenage years.

"Hayato, Seiichi."

A voice called out, and Hayato and Seiichi's gazes shifted instantly.

The person approaching was Shisui, carrying a small katana on his back. The moment he saw him, Seiichi was stunned for a second, and then the expression on his face turned even colder.

Seeing this, Hayato nodded helplessly toward Shisui. "Hello, Shisui."

"Hayato, I just returned and heard about this mission..." Shisui said, looking at Hayato and Seiichi before him with a pained expression. He had heard that both of them had awakened their Sharingan.

That day, they must have been in so much pain.

"I am deeply saddened by Rin's death. I understand your pain, please accept my condolences."

Shisui's voice trembled.

"That won't be necessary," Seiichi said, his face looking unpleasant.

He had always been dissatisfied with Shisui, especially regarding the things he said.

"Seiichi..." Shisui began, wanting to say more.

Seiichi cut him off directly. "Enough!"

"The one who died was my teammate! What right do you have to stand there and say you understand my pain?!"

Slap!

Hayato reached out and pressed his hand onto Seiichi's shoulder. "Seiichi, calm down."

He then looked at Shisui. "I'm sorry, Seiichi is in a very bad mood. Please, don't provoke him any further."

Hayato felt helpless as well; Seiichi was a true, pure-blooded Uchiha, and he had been like a powder keg for the past few days. Although Shisui was genuinely concerned, some things were simply not appropriate to say right now.

Shisui's eyes were filled with sorrow. He knew that his clansmen were extreme, which was why he had intended to come and offer comfort.

"It's fine."

Having said that, Shisui turned and walked to the side.

The surrounding clansmen watched everything that had just happened calmly, none of them saying a word.

"Clan Head!"

"Elder!"

Those with sharp eyes noticed that Fugaku and the elders had already arrived, and they all called out in succession.

"Is everyone here?"

Fugaku's voice rang out, and everyone bowed to them in unison.

Fugaku nodded, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, lingering a little longer on two of them.

One was Shisui, and the other was Hayato.

"Today, I have summoned you here to inform you that from now on, you will come here once a week for intensive training," Fugaku began. "The things you will learn include, but are not limited to, the development of the Sharingan, the application of genjutsu, and advanced Fire Style techniques."

"Yes, Clan Head!"

Everyone responded with expressions of excitement.

Hayato's gaze held a hint of confusion, but he did not ask any questions; now was not the time.

With a nod from Fugaku, Uchiha Yashiro stepped forward and said, "Regarding the arrangements for this training, I need to understand each of your strengths. Shisui."

Yashiro looked toward Shisui and said, "You shall be the one to test the clan members' capabilities."

Shisui nodded at these words and stepped forward to face everyone.

It was not that Fugaku and the clan elders were incapable of conducting the tests themselves, but their strength was so immense that they feared it might leave a psychological shadow on the clansmen; thus, leaving the testing to Shisui, who had awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan, was the most appropriate choice.

Furthermore, this would allow them to observe and evaluate from the sidelines.

"Who will go first?"

Shisui looked at the clansmen before him and asked.

The crowd exchanged glances; after all, Shisui's reputation as a genius was well-known within the clan.

Hayato glanced at Fugaku and the elders, lifted his foot, and stepped forward. "I will."

Since he had already made his decision, he needed to demonstrate his strength so that Fugaku and the elders would focus more of their attention on him.

Now was the perfect opportunity.

Shisui nodded. He also wanted to see exactly how strong Hayato was. If he could reach that level of intensity even before awakening his eyes, then Hayato, now that he had awakened them, likely wouldn't be half bad.

Seeing this, Fugaku and the others raised no objections and all stepped back to clear a space for the two.

Shisui came to a stop directly opposite Hayato and said, "Come."

Seeing Shisui's posture, which invited him to attack without reservation, Hayato couldn't help but say, "Shisui, I suggest you prepare yourself."

Hm?

Shisui was taken aback, not quite understanding Hayato's meaning.

The next moment, everyone in the arena was struck with shock.

"Three-tomoe!"

Hayato had already drawn his ninja blade, and his eyes had shifted from pitch black to a scarlet hue, with three tomoe spinning rapidly in each.

Only now did Shisui truly understand what Hayato had meant by his earlier words.

So that's it. Is it because you are already standing on the same starting line as me?

After this silent realization, Shisui did not slack off; he drew the short blade from his back and gripped it tightly.

Fugaku raised a hand to silence the murmurs of the others, his gaze lingering on Hayato for a moment. "Then, begin!"

As soon as the words left his lips, Shisui threw two kunai, launching an attack toward Hayato.

Hayato raised his hand and used his ninja blade to deflect the kunai.

Clang!

Seeing this, Shisui did not hesitate, and his entire figure vanished from the spot.

Hayato felt a chill behind him; he raised his blade, turned, and slashed fiercely.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The sound of steel clashing rang out as the ninja blade and Shisui's short blade crossed paths several times in an instant.

As their gazes met, both were surprised by the other's speed.

"Hayato, you really have become very strong."

After a few brief exchanges, Shisui realized just how troublesome Hayato was.

Although he had not yet earned the title of "Shisui of the Body Flicker," his speed was certainly not weak.

He had sufficient confidence in both his swordsmanship and his Body Flicker technique, yet Hayato had managed to block every move.

Moreover, it appeared that Hayato was not struggling in the slightest.

In that case—

Shisui's Sharingan began to spin frantically.