Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

"I'm truly amazed by your growth. You've already forced me to take this seriously!"

Uchiha Fugaku spoke earnestly.

As he spoke, a hint of happiness showed in his eyes.

But hearing those words left Uchiha Hui feeling as though something were stuck in his throat.

I'm not well educated, so don't try to fool me!

Are you sure you took this seriously?!

How about putting a shirt on first? It's cold in these woods. Don't catch a cold!

The fight had ended.

Uchiha Hui noticed that this "older brother" of his hadn't even broken a sweat. So all that talk of "taking this seriously" really was just talk. He had activated his Sharingan, but he might as well not have.

Still.

Uchiha Hui wasn't discouraged by a single fight.

He had a very clear understanding of his current strength.

Before integrating Shikotsumyaku, he had truly been nothing more than an ordinary Chunin—one of the weakest Chunin in Konoha, even. But after integrating Shikotsumyaku that afternoon, both his physique and his combat instincts seemed to have improved tremendously.

That was why he had been able to hold his own against a Uchiha Fugaku who wasn't taking the fight seriously.

Had this fight happened a few hours earlier.

Uchiha Fugaku would have learned how an "Uchiha failure" came to be!

"Tch! I still lost, didn't I?!"

Uchiha Hui couldn't help grumbling.

He wasn't a child who needed constant encouragement from Uchiha Fugaku to build his confidence. He was an adult, and naturally saw things differently. Even if he lost, he didn't think it was a big deal. There was no need to comfort him.

Uchiha Fugaku rubbed his nose, clearly realizing that his younger brother wasn't impressed. Looking at him, he gently shook his head, still smiling. "I hope you can keep up this momentum. You're still young, and I don't think this is the limit of your strength!"

"Of course... Huh?!"

After their spar, much of the sense of disconnect Uchiha Hui felt toward his memories had faded, and he was gradually growing accustomed to his new identity. He was about to boast a little, but before he could finish, his eyes suddenly widened as he looked toward Uchiha Fugaku, who stood nearby.

[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Experience Card x1)]

A red orb of light hovered beside Uchiha Fugaku, and that line of text appeared before Uchiha Hui's eyes.

"What's wrong?!"

Uchiha Fugaku noticed Uchiha Hui's gaze and assumed he was looking at him. He glanced down at himself, found nothing unusual, and asked.

"Nothing. I'm just feeling a little tired."

Uchiha Hui realized that only he could see the orb. Regaining his composure, he stopped staring at it and casually stepped forward, sweeping his hand out to scoop it into his palm. The orb turned into a streak of light and merged into his body.

All of this.

Was completely invisible to Uchiha Fugaku.

All he saw was his younger brother waving a hand as he spoke. It looked a little strange, but nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Hui! If you want to train more seriously in Taijutsu, I can introduce you to a few skilled Taijutsu ninja. They're all Jonin from the village and more than capable of teaching you. They could save you from taking plenty of wrong turns!"

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Hui and spoke earnestly.

"Maybe later. I don't need that kind of help right now. Besides, do you really think the village's ninja have the time or inclination to mentor anyone after what just happened?"

Uchiha Hui politely declined.

It wasn't that it would be useless.

Judging by the "experience card" that had appeared after their fight, he seemed able to obtain loot through combat. But as he had said, this wasn't the time. For one thing, he didn't want to draw too much attention. For another, if he remembered correctly, the Shinobi World hadn't exactly been peaceful after the Night of the Nine-Tails. Konoha in particular, its strength drastically diminished, was weathering a storm!

"All right!"

Uchiha Fugaku instinctively frowned.

He understood the deeper meaning behind Uchiha Hui's words, but felt that he was worrying needlessly, or perhaps overthinking things. It might not be that complicated. The Uchiha were part of Konoha too. Asking someone to teach him for a while wasn't exactly a troublesome request.

Still, he respected Uchiha Hui's decision.

In any case.

Uchiha Hui had earned his approval just now. Besides, he was already an adult with his own thoughts and ideas, not the young Uchiha Itachi, whose life Fugaku could direct as he pleased.

"I'm heading back. I just ate, then had a fight. All I want to do now is lie down."

Uchiha Hui waved and turned to leave.

Uchiha Fugaku had intended to say something else, but all he saw was his retreating back. He didn't call him back, merely shaking his head as he watched him leave. Then he surveyed the surroundings, tidied up a little, and headed home.

"Father!"

Uchiha Itachi saw Uchiha Fugaku return. He thought he had faintly heard some commotion earlier, but seeing his father come back unharmed, he couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief.

Still, his gaze kept flicking behind Uchiha Fugaku, as though searching for something.

"Your uncle has already gone home. We were just having a little spar."

Seeing Uchiha Itachi's expression, Uchiha Fugaku felt the urge to smile, but held it back. He gently rested a hand on Itachi's head and walked into the courtyard. After two steps, however, he looked back. "Itachi, you'll be able to attend the Ninja Academy next year. Don't slack off over the coming weeks!"

In the end, Uchiha Itachi never caught another glimpse of Uchiha Hui. But at Uchiha Fugaku's words, he instinctively nodded. "I understand, Father!"

The young Uchiha, burdened with great expectations, seemed to feel a weight pressing down on him.

It was a pressure he couldn't quite understand.

But he clearly didn't want to disappoint his father, so he wouldn't let any sign of timidity show.

Uchiha Hui returned home and briefly checked the dust he had left at the entrance. Nothing had changed.

As a member of the Uchiha.

He felt as though he had become a little paranoid.

It hadn't even been a day since he had accepted his new identity, yet he seemed to be settling into the role quite smoothly.

But who could he blame for that?

Perhaps he could only blame a certain strange old man with half his body wrapped up like a rice dumpling.

Why else would he need to be so cautious?

That fight seems to have given me a clearer understanding of combat...

As Uchiha Hui washed himself, he began reviewing his fight with Uchiha Fugaku. The Uchiha were a "combat clan" to begin with, hardly lacking in natural fighting talent. With Shikotsumyaku integrated into his body as well, his aptitude for combat had become even more formidable.

"So what exactly is an experience card?!"

Uchiha Hui recalled the orb of light that had just "dropped."

His gaze shifted.

He saw the [Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Experience Card x1)] stored in the temporary space.

Looks like I already know how to use it...

He cheerfully hummed a tune, quickly lathered himself up, then sank into the bathtub full of hot water, his gaze returning to the card.

It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since he had acquired his cheat.

So.

He clearly hadn't fully figured out all its capabilities yet.

Such as this business of "loot drops."