Half-Moon Slash

The next day.

Ye Yuexin slept until someone knocked on the door.

He opened it, exhausted, only to find an Anbu ninja standing there.

The sight of the Anbu instantly chased away his sleepiness.

He had never expected the Anbu to come looking for him. After all, in Ye Yuexin's mind, the Anbu were like the Jinyiwei from the history of his previous life.

They were incredibly mysterious. But now it seemed Konoha's Anbu were decent. They hadn't shown up in someone's house without a sound, the way novels described.

Honestly, no one would feel anything but resentment toward the Anbu if they acted like that. Before Ye Yuexin could ask anything, the Anbu spoke first.

"Genin Ye Yuexin, your mission has been upgraded to an A-rank mission. This is the additional payment." As he spoke, he pulled out something like an envelope. Judging by its shape, it seemed to contain money.

"By order of the Third Hokage, you may also choose an A-rank ninjutsu as an additional reward. Here's the list. Pick one."

He handed Ye Yuexin another scroll. The Third Hokage was clearly trying to win him over.

Ninjas rarely had money troubles. Unless they were gambling addicts like the Konoha princess Tsunade, mission rewards were more than enough to provide a comfortable life.

Considering Ye Yuexin's circumstances, it was easy to see what he lacked.

With no clan to rely on and no inherited techniques, ninjutsu was naturally what Ye Yuexin needed most. That was why the Third Hokage had made this offer.

Honestly, Ye Yuexin was genuinely thrilled when he heard about the ninjutsu reward.

He could actually choose a ninjutsu—and an A-rank one at that.

It was exactly what he needed most right now. He took the scroll and eagerly began reading.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet, Fire Release: Great Fire Blaze, Water Release: Water Severing Wave..."

They were all different kinds of elemental techniques, dozens of them packed onto the list. The scroll also included notes on each technique's characteristics.

It was clearly the work of the Third Hokage. The title "Professor of Ninjutsu" wasn't for show.

The Anbu ninja had a good disposition. While Ye Yuexin took his time choosing, he stood patiently across from him without showing the slightest impatience. It seemed the Anbu were divided into different types, too.

Just as Ye Yuexin was beginning to feel cross-eyed from reading, he spotted a technique that caught his interest.

Wind Release: Half-Moon Slash.

It was a seal-less technique. A seal-less technique with A-rank power was almost as rare as an S-rank one.

The most famous example in the original story was the Rasengan, which was also an A-rank technique.

What interested Ye Yuexin most wasn't that it required no hand seals. The technique let its user channel wind chakra through a short sword or Kunai to create a concentrated, crescent-shaped blade of wind and slash with it.

The moment he saw the technique, Ye Yuexin's imagination began to run wild.

He immediately thought of Tempest Kick, one of the Six Powers from One Piece. It seemed highly feasible to develop the technique in that direction.

This was the one.

"Sir, I'd like to choose Wind Style: Half-Moon Slash," Ye Yuexin said to the Anbu.

The Anbu didn't reply. He simply took a scroll from inside his vest and handed it to Ye Yuexin, then disappeared in an instant with the Body Flicker Technique.

After the Anbu left, Ye Yuexin no longer felt like going back to sleep. He focused on the scroll.

He spent the entire morning studying it. It wasn't until noon that he finally looked up.

He had never studied such an advanced ninjutsu before. The detailed explanations in this A-rank scroll gave him an entirely new understanding.

After reading it, many things about Wind Release that he hadn't understood before suddenly clicked into place.

Once he'd fully mastered the technique, Ye Yuexin felt he would make significant progress.

He glanced at the bright sunshine.

Ye Yuexin decided to go out and grab something to eat. He still hadn't recovered from his exhaustion, so he couldn't be bothered to cook.

After giving it a moment's thought, he decided to eat at Ichiraku Ramen.

It was his favorite food after barbecue and dumplings. He had something else to take care of after lunch.

"Knock, knock, knock!" The door opened, and the person who answered froze. "Young Master Itachi? Is something the matter?"

Shisui Uchiha had only just returned home from a mission the night before.

When he heard the knock early in the morning, the scene that had just unfolded was what he'd found at his door.

He never would have guessed that the son of the current Uchiha Clan Head would come looking for him, a Chunin.

He and Itachi Uchiha hadn't really spent any time together yet. He knew Itachi because he'd seen him a few times when visiting the Clan Head's home.

Itachi Uchiha's talent was famous throughout the Uchiha Clan, just as Shisui's had once been. Shisui was now on the verge of becoming a Jonin.

"I'm sorry to impose. My father said that your Body Flicker Technique is the best and most distinctive in the Uchiha Clan. Could you teach me?" Itachi Uchiha asked politely, then bowed ninety degrees.

Hearing his reason, Shisui Uchiha asked in surprise, "Why do you want to learn the Body Flicker Technique? If you want to get stronger, the clan has plenty of powerful Fire Release techniques."

Then he added, "You're the Clan Head's son, so you're allowed to look at them."

At his reply, Itachi Uchiha immediately said, "Shisui, I have a powerful opponent, and he's even more talented than I am. One of his greatest strengths is his speed. I don't want to fall too far behind him, so please teach me." Then he bowed deeply once more.

Honestly, Shisui Uchiha already had a good impression of Itachi Uchiha.

Now, seeing how polite Itachi Uchiha was, Shisui Uchiha was even more moved.

In the Uchiha Clan, arrogance seemed to be part of their very nature. Even among their own people, it was rare to meet someone so courteous.

Shisui Uchiha had a similar way of treating others to Itachi Uchiha.

After thinking it over, Shisui Uchiha agreed. It was quite common for members of the same clan to share ninjutsu.

He smiled and said, "You don't have to be so formal. I'm only two years ahead of you. Just call me Shisui. You're a genius of the Uchiha Clan. Let's help each other improve." His humble words showed that Shisui Uchiha had accepted Itachi Uchiha.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Shisui," Itachi Uchiha replied at once.

Hearing Itachi Uchiha call him that, Shisui Uchiha was taken aback.

Then he smiled even more warmly. "Let's help each other improve, Itachi."

"Hey, have you heard? Konoha seems to have another genius, just like Lord Minato. They say he never misses with a throwing knife."

At Ichiraku Ramen, Ye Yuexin was still eating when he nearly choked on his noodles.

A throwing knife? This couldn't be about him, could it? But then another voice spoke up.

"So you've heard about it too. This genius is incredible. I heard he'd only just graduated from the Ninja Academy when he took down an experienced Jonin on a mission."

"Yeah, yeah. The Third Shinobi World War has been going on for so long, and we still don't know when it'll end. But I believe we'll win. Konoha's geniuses keep appearing one after another. The enemy villages can't possibly withstand all the outstanding people in Konoha."

"That's right. Konoha will definitely win."

He silently put down his bowl. It seemed it really wasn't a coincidence. They were talking about him.

But...

Ye Yuexin couldn't understand how the thing he'd tried so hard to keep secret had somehow become known even to ordinary villagers.

Then it suddenly dawned on him.

Why did Konoha know? He'd underestimated a village's ability to gather information.

And why did the entire village—even ordinary people—know? The answer was probably that someone among the higher-ups was deliberately spreading the story.

Honestly, building up geniuses and heroes like this was a very effective way to reassure ordinary villagers.

He didn't want to hear any more.

With rumors like these, he'd probably be known as a Jonin in no time.

He had other things to do.

So Ye Yuexin quietly set down his chopsticks and slipped out.