At Kurotsuchi's words, Shin Uchiha casually rapped her on the head. As she cried out in surprise, he said irritably:
"How can you call that stealing? I was just borrowing it to read. Besides, in the power struggles between the major ninja villages, this is hardly worth mentioning."
At that, Shin Uchiha gazed toward Iwagakure, which had already descended into chaos. Specks of fire reflected deep in his eyes as he continued:
"The major ninja villages are enemies to begin with, and Iwagakure hasn't exactly played an honorable role in any of this. Besides, I never intended to cause such a commotion. If Ōnoki hadn't laid a trap for me, Iwagakure wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses."
A gleam flickered in Kurotsuchi's eyes as she listened, and she asked with a hint of curiosity:
"Then you must be from another ninja village. With your skills, you certainly can't be a nobody. May I ask where you serve?"
Hearing her rather childish attempt to fish for information, Shin Uchiha shook his head with an amused chuckle before continuing:
"You don't need to know who I am. Before long, the entire shinobi world will know my name anyway."
With amusement in his eyes, Shin Uchiha lightly tapped Kurotsuchi's forehead before continuing:
"Since fate brought us together, I'll give you a little welcoming gift. After all, the future of the shinobi world will need youngsters like you."
After speaking, Shin Uchiha looked at the dazed Kurotsuchi and thought for a moment. Then he took Iwagakure's Scroll of Seals, which he had long since deciphered and copied many times, out of his storage space. He gently set it beside her and vanished.
A good while later, Kurotsuchi shuddered and finally came to her senses. Just as she was about to say something, she realized