Sarutobi Shisui

He twisted in midair and landed some distance away, dropping to one knee. One hand clamped over the spot that throbbed with pain, while the other gripped a Kunai across his body.

His Sharingan stayed fixed on Yongye, his eyes full of shock and disbelief.

Uchiha Yongye had broken his best Sharingan Genjutsu!

He had even had the presence of mind to pretend he was caught, luring Itachi into lowering his guard.

I underestimated him!

That nearly cost me everything!

Uchiha Yongye is no longer the mediocre nobody he used to be!

Regret gnawed at Uchiha Itachi as he rapidly assessed the situation and prepared to respond...

Yongye stood where he was and did not pursue him.

He glanced at Sasuke behind Itachi. The child stared blankly at his brother, shock and confusion filling his eyes.

Best quit while I'm ahead. I'm not strong enough yet to do whatever I please.

If I push this brother-obsessed lunatic any further, Sasuke's cries might drive him to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan—and turn the tables on me.

"So much for a genius."

Yongye delivered the line coldly, then turned and walked away.

His steps were unhurried and composed. He seemed entirely unconcerned that Uchiha Itachi might attack him from behind.

Still kneeling and clutching the aching spot, Itachi watched that retreating figure and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then the pain got even worse! It was agony beyond words!

His whole body trembled from it.

After years of fighting, he had never suffered like this before!

Sasuke saw his brother in that sorry state. His small body shuddered, his face filled with fury and disbelief!

His brother...

The brother who could do anything, who was always composed, who always stood in front of him...

Had been kicked to the ground.

Curled up like a dog, trembling without end!

The sight seared itself into young Sasuke Uchiha's heart like a red-hot brand.

[Ding—target Sasuke Uchiha detected: emotional defenses severely shattered!]

[Heartbreak points far above threshold! Congratulations, host. You have received an advanced reward: Indestructible Golden Body!]

Yongye's steps faltered as he walked away.

The next instant—

A force so immense it bordered on violent exploded inside him like a raging sea!

It was a peerless defensive art from a world called Storm Riders, wielded by Jue Wushen.

Indestructible Golden Body!

When activated, the art cloaked the body in a layer of golden energy visible to the naked eye.

That energy was nearly impossible to break. Blades would curl against it, fire and water could not penetrate it, and even a mountain-shattering blow could be endured head-on and reflected back, breaking the attacker's bones and tearing their tendons.

In the world of Storm Riders, Jue Wushen had used this art to dominate all challengers. Even the finest fighters were helpless against his shell-like defense.

The art had only one weak point: beneath the armpits.

But—

The system continued:

[Clear Sword Heart detected. Clear Sword Heart can perceive flaws in all things.]

[Indestructible Golden Body's sole weak point—beneath the armpits—has been corrected with the aid of Clear Sword Heart.]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained the complete Indestructible Golden Body. It has no flaws!]

Yongye slowly lowered his gaze to his hands.

A dark golden glow shimmered beneath his skin, then quietly vanished.

Impervious to blades.

Untouched by fire or water.

No weak point.

No flaws.

He kept walking, the smile at his lips deepening.

Behind him, Uchiha Itachi finally struggled to his feet and pulled the dazed Sasuke close, shielding him.

His Sharingan remained fixed on the direction Yongye had gone. The killing intent in his eyes was almost tangible.

Uchiha Yongye.

I'll kill that Uchiha madman! Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't save him!

Yongye wandered around the clan grounds a little longer.

The two rewards he had just received had put him in an excellent mood.

His physical abilities had doubled, his Chakra had doubled, and now he had the complete Indestructible Golden Body. In less than half a day, his strength had multiplied beyond reckoning.

As he passed a general store, a sharp whistle suddenly cut through the air.

Yongye stopped.

A figure in blue-green landed lightly at the intersection ahead, like a breeze slipping through the trees, and blocked his path.

The newcomer had gentle features and an easy, composed air. His slightly wavy black hair stirred in the wind.

There was not a trace of killing intent about him. If anything, he had a warmth that made people instinctively want to draw near.

The brightest genius of the Uchiha Clan.

Body Flicker Shisui.

Shisui Uchiha stood at the intersection, the wind gently stirring his blue-green clan uniform.

He looked at the person before him with undisguised concern.

Uchiha Yongye. His presence is nothing like I remember.

The Yongye of the past had been an unremarkable young man of average talent, quiet and easy to overlook. If not for the tragedy that had struck his family, Shisui Uchiha would never have noticed him.

But the man standing before him now gave off a cold, razor-sharp air, like a poisoned blade freshly drawn from an icy pool.

Another tragic shinobi consumed by hatred!

"Yongye."

Shisui Uchiha sighed inwardly, though his voice remained gentle. "How are your injuries? Weren't you bedridden and recovering?"

He took a small step forward, genuine worry in his tone.

"Why didn't you rest a few more days? You're up and about so soon."

Uchiha Yongye raised his eyes. They were piercingly cold, like two pieces of frozen obsidian.

He looked at Shisui Uchiha without expression or warmth and spoke in a voice colder still:

"What the hell is it to you, Sarutobi Shisui?"

Shisui Uchiha stiffened slightly.

Sarutobi Shisui.

Those words struck precisely where he least wanted to be touched.

He had been treading carefully, struggling to preserve the thread between Konoha and the Uchiha before it snapped, negotiating at every turn and yielding at every step.

But because of that, his clansmen no longer looked at him as "the Uchiha genius." Their gazes held distance, suspicion, and a faint trace of contempt.

In their eyes, he had become the Third Hokage's man.

The name was an undisguised insult.

The gentleness on Shisui's face slowly faded, replaced by a faint sadness. He did not get angry. He merely drew a deep breath and lowered his voice.

"Yongye, I know you're full of hatred."

"You hate Danzo to the bone."

"But Danzo leads Root. He's a Hokage Advisor with immense power. Without ironclad evidence, you have no chance of accusing him."

"If you act this rashly—"

He paused, helplessness entering his voice.

"You'll only throw your life away."

"And you'll deepen the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha. One wrong move could spark a civil war in Konoha!"

Uchiha Yongye's expression did not change.

He did not even raise an eyelid.

"What the hell is it to you, Sarutobi Shisui?"

The same words, the same tone, the same flat delivery.

Yet that calmness was steeped in disdain and distance.

Shisui Uchiha's brow finally furrowed.

"I'm not defending Danzo."

His voice grew firmer, as though he meant to etch every word into Yongye's mind.

"I'm thinking of the entire Uchiha Clan, and of all Konoha."

"You know how tense things have become between the clan and Konoha. Both sides are on edge. The smallest spark could start a fire."

He stepped forward, urgency filling his eyes.

"We Uchiha must not provoke another conflict."

"Otherwise—"

His voice dropped suddenly, as if speaking the words aloud might itself be a curse.

"We'll face utter ruin!"

Uchiha Yongye slowly raised his eyes. At last, something shifted in their icy depths.

He was not moved.

He was irritated.

Utterly irritated.

"Can't you understand plain speech? I said, what the hell is it to you, Sarutobi Shisui?"