The Still Water Instantaneous Body Technique

The system notification sounded.

Uchiha Gray's first reaction was, naturally, one of delight. The system usually only issued missions once every few months, and they were always random, relying entirely on his own "detection."

Only after he arrived at different locations and the system discovered so-called "Luck Points" would it issue a mission.

Of course, he could check in again at places he had already visited, but the rewards obtained were negligible, practically not worth mentioning.

Gray: (ˉ▽￣~) Tch~~

"Tch, System, what are you spouting about 'Luck Points'? Are you kidding me?" Uchiha Gray waved his hand, his face full of disdain. "You used to only issue a mission every few months, but this time you're giving me three check-in missions in a single day?"

"If I'd known you were such a spineless system, I should have threatened you the moment I came out. I should have made you run to the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War. Who knows, you might have granted me a 'Word of Power' check-in on the spot!"

The system stuttered for a moment, as if offended by the word "spineless."

[Please complete the mission as soon as possible, Host!]

Oh, my.

It actually sounds angry.

A faint smile curled at the corners of Gray's mouth. Unbothered, he leaped lightly, landing on a high treetop, his gaze inadvertently falling upon the Hyuga Clan in the center of the Leaf.

In the Leaf, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan once held sway, leaving the Hyuga Clan struggling to breathe. But now, the Senju Clan had been broken up and integrated into the Leaf.

The conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the Leaf had become increasingly intense, and they had long been excluded from politics.

Even their clan grounds were on the edge of the village.

Therefore, among the three great Kekkei Genkai families, only the originally weakest Hyuga Clan stood alone as a unique force.

Wandering aimlessly, Gray stopped at the Hyuga Clan grounds.

The moonlight had faded, and the stars were sparse. The Hyuga guards on duty froze.

"It's someone from the Uchiha Clan. He has the Uchiha crest on his back. Why is it just a child? Why isn't he asleep this late?"

"Did he get lost by accident?"

The two members of the Hyuga branch family gradually lowered their guard.

After all, a child from the Uchiha Clan couldn't possibly cause any damage to the Hyuga Clan.

However, the notification for a successful check-in that Gray expected did not sound.

Suddenly, Gray caught a glimpse of something.

"Whoosh!"

A sound of air being torn apart rang out—the sound of ninjas moving at high speed.

In the night, two ninjas in black fled from within the Hyuga compound. Through Uchiha Gray's two-tomoe Sharingan, their faces were impossible to hide!

In their arms, they carried a small girl who had already lost consciousness.

It was Hinata Hyuga!

Gray instantly remembered that after the Third Shinobi World War ended, the relationship between the Leaf and the Cloud Hidden gradually eased, and the two villages agreed to sign an alliance treaty to stop fighting.

The day of the signing was today.

And for this alliance, the Cloud Hidden appeared full of sincerity.

But in reality, the main purpose of the Cloud Hidden ninjas coming to sign the treaty was to kidnap Hinata Hyuga, a member of the Hyuga main family, to study the secrets of the Byakugan!

Gray frowned. To him, these two ninjas were a bit tricky, but not impossible to deal with.

However, when facing people from the Cloud Hidden, killing them was a dilemma.

If he didn't kill them, he couldn't swallow his pride—were people from his own village just going to be snatched away like that? But if he did kill them, the Cloud Hidden would accuse the Leaf of violating the alliance treaty, using it as a threat to start a war, which would eventually lead to the death of Hizashi Hyuga!

Gray felt a headache coming on. How did he end up in this mess?

"Damn brat, don't block the way!"

The two guards at the gate hadn't provided the slightest obstruction. It was clear these two had come prepared. Seeing Uchiha Gray standing right in their escape path, they were stunned for a moment, and then their eyes lit up.

"Aka, it's a brat from the Uchiha Clan, and he's even awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan! If we can take him back to the Cloud Hidden Village, his value for research is even greater than the Hyuga Clan's!"

"But if we do that, won't it be too obvious? Most importantly, compared to the Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha Clan's reaction to the leakage of their Kekkei Genkai is terrifying..."

The ninja named Aka clearly remembered some unpleasant memories.

He remembered very clearly that someone had once coveted the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

But after a member of the Uchiha Clan was kidnapped during the war, the Uchiha went mad, launching a frantic counterattack. Even after the war ended, a three-tomoe powerhouse from the Uchiha Clan had left the village.

He went to take revenge!

Until he had wiped out all the enemies!

"Yamafu, the Uchiha Clan... they are all lunatics. If we kidnap one of their people, we have to be prepared for the consequences of the Uchiha Clan going to war with our Cloud Hidden regardless of the cost."

"If we kidnap someone from the Hyuga Clan, they will threaten us with war, but the Uchiha Clan won't waste their breath on us—they will go straight to war!"

Uchiha Gray had excellent hearing. Hearing the words of the Cloud Hidden, he couldn't help but be stunned.

???

Well, that's just fucking hypocritical, isn't it?

Gray chuckled. No wonder they bullied the Hyuga Clan; it turned out they had been planning this for a long time, knowing that even if the Hyuga had their clansmen abducted, they would only resort to official channels and wouldn't dare to burn bridges.

Yet, when it came to the Uchiha Clan, they turned cowardly.

These were, after all, a bunch of lunatics who would actually fight you to the death.

Pah, he'd just insulted himself too!

The ninja known as Yamafu sneered, "If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who would know it was us from Cloud Hidden? Once we raise the next generation of Uchiha, why would we be afraid of the Leaf?"

"This is what they call: the bolder the person, the greater the harvest!"

Uchiha Gray sighed helplessly. How did he end up in this mess? "Brother, leave a path for others to walk so we can meet again in the future. How about we just pretend we never saw each other today?"

"Stupid brat, is this the level of awareness all Uchiha have?" Yamafu sneered. "Kid, if it weren't for the fact that you're an Uchiha and still have some use, you would already be a ghost under my blade."

Clearly.

The other party had no intention of letting him go, so Uchiha Gray chose to strike without hesitation.

Ding, check-in successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Uchiha Shisui's Body Flicker Technique, Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit template (7%)!

Uchiha Shisui's Body Flicker Technique: Can instantly create multiple physical shadow clones; each one appears as an afterimage, but each can instantly solidify!

Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit template (7%): Can elementalize 7% of the body, allowing for near-light-speed movement!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Uchiha Gray let out a light laugh, and in an instant, over a dozen identical Uchiha Grays appeared before the Cloud Hidden ninja.

They wore indifferent expressions and sighed, "I already told you, don't be too arrogant. Since you refuse to take the easy way out, then stay here forever."

"A mere brat, just creating a few more clones—stop playing these tricks!" Yamanaka Fu scoffed, his katana slashing fiercely toward one of Uchiha Gray's clones.

"Kids these days are just arrogant, having never seen the true scale of the ninja world."

But the next moment, he froze.

After his katana slashed through the Uchiha Gray clone, there was no sensation of hitting a shadow clone at all. Moreover, the clone remained; his blade had passed through it as if it were nothing but air.

Even as dull as he was, he realized something was wrong.

"Who the hell are you!"

Gray couldn't be bothered to answer him. With a flash of his figure and a cold glint of steel, a head went flying into the air, still wearing a look of shock and disbelief.

How could a mere brat kill him, a Chunin?

The other ninja, Aka, stared with terror in his eyes.

Are all the brats of the Uchiha Clan this terrifying?

Before he could utter a single word, the two-tomoe Sharingan spun, and he seemed to be struck by a binding jutsu, his eyes wide with fear and his expression blank.

Gray walked slowly in front of him and swung his blade downward.

"Sigh, I already told you guys, why couldn't you just listen?"