Fusing Nawaki's Physique

Uchiha Yi rarely showed off his Body Flicker Technique. In fact, he almost never used it in front of outsiders.

Compared with Fire Release, Lightning Release, and the rest of the Uchiha techniques, Yi had devoted far more effort to studying the Body Flicker Technique.

He had a real talent for it. After all, his son Shisui Uchiha would earn the nickname Body Flicker Shisui.

Kagami Uchiha's Body Flicker Technique was famous too. Under the guidance of Tobirama Senju, the fastest man in the Shinobi World, Kagami had adapted it to suit himself.

Yi had learned the technique a year ago and worked it into his everyday fighting style.

He hardly ever used it in public, but he had no such reservations in the Battle Space. The explosive speed of the Body Flicker Technique, paired with Uchiha Swordsmanship, let him strike without warning.

Under Nawaki's startled gaze, Yi drove his Longsword through Nawaki's abdomen.

Then Yi was stunned. Before he could pull the Longsword free, Nawaki lunged forward, forcing it deeper into his own abdomen. He wrapped both arms tightly around Yi. In one hand, he clutched several Explosive Tags that were already burning.

Was he really going that far?

Yi was shocked. An ordinary Ninja would have lost the ability to fight after a wound like that. But Nawaki relied on the fearsome vitality he had inherited from both the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan to hold Yi in place, determined to take him down too.

Fortunately, Yi had grown a great deal over the past month. He immediately let go of his Longsword and rapidly formed Hand Seals.

"Even if I'll never see my sister again or become Hokage, I'm taking you to the Pure Land with me," Nawaki murmured close to Yi's ear.

Yi wanted to curse Nawaki for fighting dirty. What kind of grudge is this?

I only wanted to kill you once and get a reward. Do you really have to go this far?

Boom! The Explosive Tags engulfed Yi and Nawaki in the blast.

At the same moment, Yi's figure dissolved into mud. His real body appeared a short distance away, gasping for breath.

Earth Release: Earth Substitute. It was one of the few Earth Release Ninjutsu Yi could use well.

And in a situation like this, it came in handy.

Then Yi's consciousness returned to his body.

Ding! Congratulations, Uchiha Yi, on defeating Nawaki. You have obtained Nawaki's mixed Senju Clan and Uzumaki Clan physique. Fuse with it?

Fuse!

At Yi's command, he felt as though his body were being torn apart. A terrifying energy was reshaping it.

Damn your sister! Yi was delighted to gain Nawaki's physique. Even without Asura Chakra, it would give him a tremendous boost.

But the pain of his cells being torn apart was almost unbearable. Just as he was about to pass out, warmth flowed from his eyes and quickly eased the pain.

His Sharingan had activated without him noticing. The single Tomoe in each eye spun rapidly, then split in two.

Under the influence of Nawaki's physique, Yi's Sharingan had evolved again into the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

Just as Yi thought it might advance all the way to Three-Tomoe, the tearing sensation subsided. The two Tomoe in each eye stopped spinning.

"Hah... hah..." The fusion had felt both brief and endless. Yi was soaked as though he had just climbed out of a bath.

But it had significantly strengthened him. His Chakra had doubled, his physique had improved considerably, and he now had the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. If he faced Kotetsu Hagane again, Yi was confident he could win.

As he had suspected, combining the Uchiha bloodline with the blood of the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Clan amounted to far more than the sum of its parts.

"The gains were impressive. The process was brutal." Yi covered his eyes. He did not challenge anyone else yet.

With his current strength, defeating the young Asuma probably would not be difficult. But first, he needed to review his last fight.

He had been stronger than Nawaki even before their battle and had ultimately killed him.

But Yi still lacked Battle Experience. Nawaki fought like a veteran who had spent time on the battlefield and had nearly caught him off guard and killed him.

If Nawaki had not been so important, Yi would not have minded taking him down at the cost of his own life. He wanted to know whether that would still earn him a reward.

If it did, he could use extreme methods against future opponents—strapping Explosive Tags to himself and charging them, for example.

He would have to look into that. Until he could use Susanoo, he was still vulnerable. When caution was called for, he needed to be cautious.

Potential was only potential. Sometimes, a single Explosive Tag was enough to kill.

In a battle between Ninja, it was hardly unusual for the weaker fighter to win.

Yi spent over an hour reviewing the fight, then challenged Asuma Sarutobi. This younger Asuma appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen, with strength comparable to Nawaki's. After his upgrade, Yi dispatched him with ease.

When the battle ended, Yi gained Asuma's Wind Release proficiency from that stage of his life.

Yi had barely studied Wind Release before. He had focused on Fire Release and Lightning Release, the affinities he was born with.

But after gaining Asuma's proficiency, Yi's command of Wind Release shot up until it was every bit as good as his Fire Release and Lightning Release.

He really did need the Battle Space to get ahead. Unfortunately, he could not beat Granny Chiyo. If he could gain her poison-making skills and Battle Experience, Yi was sure he would be unstoppable.

Over the next few days, Yi focused on getting used to his newly increased strength.

"Yi, did you hear? Something big happened at school today." Yi had just sat down when Kushina Uzumaki spoke to him in a conspiratorial whisper.

Not long ago, Kushina had found a way to move her seat beside Yi's. He had been helpless to stop her, though he was secretly pleased.

Looks like I'm still irresistible to young girls.

"What happened?" Yi asked. Minato Namikaze and the others sitting in front of them turned to look at Kushina too.