Chapter 5

Unlike the Eight Gates, which had to be trained up slowly, the Fire Release he had embedded didn't have such a thing as proficiency, nor did it need to be upgraded. As long as he had enough chakra, he could mold whatever Fire Release he wanted, and its power was a full notch above ordinary Fire Release.

Unfortunately—it was useless.

With a swish, Itachi raised his blade and brought it down, cleanly cutting apart every fireball. Then his figure blurred, and he was already right in front of Uchiha Yi.

The next second, Itachi's eyes snapped open.

Uchiha Yi found himself facing a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan.

Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.

Clearly, Itachi had sensed that this black-clad man was no ordinary opponent and immediately threw a genjutsu at him without another word.

But what happened next made Itachi's heart sink slightly.

His genjutsu struck the other man like a stone sinking into the sea—not even a ripple appeared.

The genjutsu didn't work?

Itachi frowned, sensing it clearly—it wasn't that the other man had instantly ** his technique. The man simply wasn't affected by it at all. "Who exactly are you?" Itachi's voice was as cold as a blade. "There aren't many people who can make my genjutsu fail."

Uchiha Yi did not answer immediately.

Because a thought had suddenly surfaced in his mind—perhaps this path could work too.

After two seconds of silence, he raised a hand and removed his mask, revealing a pair of crimson Sharingan beneath it.

Sharingan?

Itachi's pupils contracted.

The other man was actually an Uchiha. But as far as he remembered, there seemed to be no clansman capable of being immune to his genjutsu... "Who I am isn't important." Uchiha Yi curled his lips. "I only want to tell you one thing—compared to that so-called Madara and Konoha's higher-ups, I bear no ill will toward you or the entire Uchiha Clan."

He knew Madara?

Itachi's pupils shrank sharply.

Uchiha Yi immediately relaxed—Obito really had approached Itachi already.

That made things much easier.

He smiled faintly, his tone casual. "Uchiha Itachi, I want to make a deal with you. The premise of that deal is—Sasuke..."

Before he could finish, a flash of white light erupted.

What a complete little-brother fanatic. The instant "Sasuke" left Uchiha Yi's mouth, Itachi attacked.

His long blade swept out, and his Mangekyo Sharingan opened in an instant.

But Uchiha Yi merely chuckled, left behind a sentence, and vanished like a bubble. "Think it over. Seven days from now, same time, same place."

As his voice faded, Itachi's Amaterasu had already ignited.

Yet the next second, Itachi realized it—the man had truly disappeared.

It was neither a Substitution Technique nor a Body Flicker Technique. He had vanished completely, cleanly.

Could this be...

A name suddenly surfaced in his mind, and a trace of surprise flashed through Itachi's eyes.

The Flying Thunder God Technique?

"I barely made it out alive..."

Uchiha Yi sprawled across the floor, his back drenched in cold sweat as he panted like a dying dog. "That Itachi really is a damn cheat."

He knew perfectly well that if his eyes had not been able to withstand genjutsu attacks during that exchange, he would have been done for already.

His Sharingan was only ** now, and its power could not be called particularly terrifying. Against genjutsu on Tsukuyomi's level, he would basically be helpless. But Itachi had not tried to kill him at all. He had merely used the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, which happened to be completely countered by these eyes.

Of course, he also had to thank Itachi for not being serious.

If Itachi had opened with the ultimate combination of Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, Uchiha Yi would have had no choice but to reveal his trump card.

Speaking of trump cards—when the ** Extreme Sharingan awakened, the system had given him an additional skill slot. And during that draw, his luck had been absurdly good.

The Flying Thunder God Technique.

A literal space-time ninjutsu, the pinnacle among Body Flicker Techniques. It had also been enhanced by the Extreme Sharingan, rising directly from S-rank to Super S-rank.

Flying Thunder God Technique (Level 0): Proficiency 3/10. Effect: Can place technique markers on designated items, allowing instantaneous movement. This is a Super S-rank space-time ninjutsu with room for further upgrades in the future.

Even at only Level 0, he could still use it as long as he had laid down a technique marker beforehand.

To work with this technique, Uchiha Yi had spent quite a bit of money having several specially made kunai commissioned. One of them had been engraved with a technique marker long ago and hidden somewhere in his home, waiting for the day it might come in handy.

The main reason he had not rushed to upgrade the Flying Thunder God Technique was that he did not have enough chakra. Even activating it once at Level 0 would drain all the chakra in his body on the spot and could even damage his physical foundation. "But now... I can barely endure one use."

After learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, Uchiha Yi had spent plenty of money having a batch of specialized kunai made, each one engraved with a technique marker.

He had hidden one in the least noticeable corner of his home as a precaution—if something ever truly happened, he would at least have a fallback.

The reason he had not hurried to raise the Flying Thunder God Technique's level was still the same old problem: his chakra could not sustain it.

He had tried it once before. Not only had it drained his chakra completely, his body had nearly collapsed as well. At the time, he figured that his chakra reserves were simply too shallow to bear the consumption of an S-rank technique.

He could use it normally now, but he still did not intend to reveal it casually.

The Flying Thunder God Technique's reputation was simply too great. If word reached the wrong people, the situation would no longer be under his control.

No matter how well he hid it, exposing it even once would become a massive problem if the news got out.

Using it once in front of Itachi had been a risk in itself. If Itachi went and reported it to Konoha's higher-ups, he would be in serious trouble.

But Uchiha Yi knew that after he had mentioned Sasuke, Itachi could not possibly inform on him.

That was the trump card he had wagered.

And his instincts were accurate. Itachi would definitely come within seven days.

As for whether their cooperation would succeed, that depended on whether the other man accepted his offer. If he was not strong enough, Itachi would not take him seriously at all. "Fine, then. I'm going to have to train like hell for the next few days."

He glanced at the Eight Gates on his status panel, gritted his teeth, and made up his mind. At the moment, this was the only method left that could drastically raise his combat strength in a short time.

He did not rest. He threw himself straight into training and practiced through the entire night.

At dawn, Uchiha Yi dragged his exhausted body to school—then went to sleep.

For the next few days, this was his routine: catching up on sleep at school, training himself to death at home, constantly moving as though he had been wound up.

He was saving up every bit of effort just to push the Eight Gates to a higher level.

On the fifth day, the system notification rang out, and he laughed aloud. "Proficiency +1. Current Eight Gates proficiency: one thousand points, maximum. Upgrade?"

"Yes!"

"Congratulations, Host. The Eight Gates have leveled up. Current **. The Gate of Opening has been permanently opened. Chakra increased twentyfold."

The Eight Gates' panel had now become: ** (0/10000), Extreme Sharingan-enhanced version. The Eight Gates could be opened permanently without harming the body.

At its current ** level, the Gate of Injury was permanently opened, increasing chakra twentyfold.

With a muffled boom, something exploded within his body. Uchiha Yi felt chakra surge through his entire body like a flood.

There was something else that thrilled him—whenever the Eight Gates leveled up, not only was his chakra fully restored, but every wound on his body healed instantly, and the amplification took effect at once. "My chakra reserves now are probably greater than those of quite a few jonin."

He clenched his fist, feeling reassured.

He tested the Flying Thunder God Technique again. Before, using it once had left him half-dead. Now, he could use it ten times in a row without even panting.

The Flying Thunder God Technique had also risen by one level.

Flying Thunder God Technique: Level 1 (0/100), S-rank space-time ninjutsu and a type of Body Flicker Technique. After being enhanced by the Extreme Sharingan, it has become Super S-rank space-time ninjutsu.

Current Level: 1. Can place ten technique markers on specialized items.

"Before, Level 0 could only mark one item. At Level 1, it can mark ten. That really is the Super S-rank Flying Thunder God Technique."

Uchiha Yi nodded in satisfaction. All that remained was to wait two more days and see Itachi's attitude.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

After making his preparations, Uchiha Yi used a Transformation Technique to sneak over, carefully avoiding every watchful eye along the way.

The moment he arrived, he sensed that familiar presence.

Itachi had come, just as expected.

With a clang, a shuriken struck the wall, sending sparks flying.

Itachi's figure flashed, and he appeared directly in front of Uchiha Yi.

Neither of them rushed to speak. They simply stood face-to-face, while the air seemed to freeze.

After a long while, Itachi finally broke the silence. "The clan has already made its choice, and Konoha has finalized its plan as well."

Uchiha Yi's heart skipped a beat.

He understood what that meant—the night of the clan's destruction was approaching.

He narrowed his eyes and let a faint smile rise on his lips. "So, you're willing to join forces with me?"

Itachi did not answer.

He did have plans of his own, but they were far from foolproof. The greatest uncertainty was that old fox Danzo. Before this, he had had no choice but to follow the script laid out for him.

But things were different now.

A clansman had suddenly appeared, and one who knew the Flying Thunder God Technique at that. This unexpected variable made Itachi feel as though another path had opened before him. "Join forces? Fine," Itachi said, raising his hand. "But first, I need to see how much you're worth."

The moment his words fell, he moved. "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson."

Several flaming shuriken came whistling toward him, filling the air with scorching heat.

Uchiha Yi raised his hand and threw out a kunai.

Whoosh—

His figure flickered, and he had already appeared behind Itachi.

Itachi dodged to the side and asked in a low voice, "Flying Thunder God?"

"Mm-hm."

Itachi said nothing more, but his eyes had already changed.

Mangekyo.

Though Uchiha Yi envied him, every nerve in his body tensed. His pupils shifted, and his three-tomoe Sharingan lit up instantly.

The next second, the world before him changed.

A sea of blood-red. "Tsukuyomi?" Uchiha Yi smiled as the six tomoe in his eyes began to spin wildly.

Crack—

It sounded as though something had shattered.

The blood-colored space began to collapse, while the chakra in his body drained at a rapid pace.

Sure enough, with the Sharingan in its Extreme state, even a mere three-tomoe Sharingan could break Itachi's Tsukuyomi.

Itachi remained standing where he was.

His thoughts churned violently—this man could break genjutsu, even escaping Tsukuyomi so easily. Though he had not used his full power, that alone was enough to be astonishing.

The Flying Thunder God Technique, a Sharingan capable of breaking Sharingan genjutsu, and strength that was not lacking either.

Putting all those factors together, Itachi felt that entrusting Sasuke to him should be a reliable choice.