As Qiu Shan Uchiha continued training, more and more electricity coursed over his body, making him tremble ever more violently. From a distance, the dazzling current looked like a suit of bright blue armor wrapped around him.
Only after training for two full hours did Qiu Shan Uchiha stop. It was not that he wanted to stop, but continuing would damage his body and do more harm than good. His own rudimentary Medical Ninjutsu could not repair the cellular damage caused by this kind of training.
If Qiu Shan Uchiha had a sage's body like Hashirama Senju, or the constitution of the Uzumaki Clan like Naruto Uzumaki, he would not have had this problem. The Uchiha Clan's bloodline, after all, offered no boost to physical recovery.
Alternatively, having a highly skilled medical ninja nearby, such as Tsunade or Yakushi Glasses Girl, could have helped Qiu Shan Uchiha recover faster. Then he could have trained with Lightning Release Armor as much as he pleased and strengthened his body.
When Qiu Shan Uchiha felt a stabbing pain that seemed to come from deep inside his body, he knew he was nearing his limit. He sighed quietly and gradually brought his training to a halt.
Qiu Shan Uchiha opened his eyes. With his training over, he quietly gazed at the pleasant scenery before him, his expression calm. Only after his body stopped trembling and he was certain his combat strength had not diminished did he put on his clothes and teleport straight out of the space.
With training finished, it was time to eat. Ever since Qiu Shan Uchiha had begun conditioning his body with Lightning Release Armor, his appetite had skyrocketed. He alone could eat enough for four or five burly men. Fortunately, Konoha's restaurant owners had seen plenty and were accustomed to bottomless-pit ninja like the Akimichi Clan. Otherwise, he would have drawn a crowd long ago.
He could not keep freeloading at the Clan Leader's or the Elder's place, either. If Qiu Shan Uchiha ate his fill at someone else's home, that would not have been dropping by for a free meal-it would have been eating them out of house and home.
Qiu Shan Uchiha once again visited Ichiraku Ramen, one of Konoha's famous attractions, and ordered several extra-large bowls of ramen. There was no helping it. Konoha did not have much good food to offer. Grilled meat was delicious, but he could not afford to eat it for every meal.
Watching Qiu Shan Uchiha polish off every extra-large bowl he had ordered without batting an eye, even young Ayame, who had seen plenty herself, was a little dumbfounded by how much her favorite older boy could eat. Still, she worried that he might not be full, so while Teuchi was not looking, she secretly slipped plenty of fried eggs and sausages into the bottom of Qiu Shan Uchiha's bowl.
As his appetite increased, however, his physique also underwent some noticeable changes. Although Qiu Shan Uchiha had not acquired Lightning Release Armor or trained with it for very long, he already looked noticeably more muscular than before.
If his previous build had resembled the adult Uchiha Itachi's-that of a typical agile ninja specializing in ninjutsu and genjutsu-then he was now developing a physique more like Might Guy's. Of course, his Taijutsu was still nowhere near Might Guy's level.
Moreover, Qiu Shan Uchiha could feel that his body might have caught the tail end of its growing years. Under the stimulation of Lightning Release Armor, it felt as though he was going through a second growth spurt. He vaguely sensed that he had grown a little taller.
Qiu Shan Uchiha wanted no part in the clan's affairs, whether that meant drawing up the first contingent's roster, assigning people to prepare supplies, or handing over the police force's posts and duties. Whenever he truly could not get out of something, he sent a Shadow Clone to help and listen in instead. As a result, his schedule suddenly opened up.
He did not need to handle the clan's affairs himself; he could leave them to the Elder and Uchiha Fugaku. Once they had assembled everyone, all he had to do was send them to Whirlpool Island. As for the Third Hokage, it was not yet time for him to report for duty.
Besides, even after he reported, he would most likely be little more than a figurehead. His role then would be to serve as the link between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan.
While the Uchiha Clan remained in Konoha, the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō had to guard against them, afraid they might rebel one day. And make no mistake: as the greatest clan in the Shinobi World, the Uchiha Clan had the strength to do it. Thanks to their kekkei genkai, the Sharingan, an Uchiha Jōnin with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan would easily outclass an ordinary Jōnin, even if they could not necessarily kill one in an instant.
But now that the Uchiha Clan had parted ways with Konoha, they were no longer a threat to guard against, but a powerful noble clan to court. This was also why Qiu Shan Uchiha wanted the Uchiha to leave Konoha.
Although leaving Konoha, the foremost ninja village in the Shinobi World, might put the Uchiha in the same predicament the Uzumaki Clan had once faced, Qiu Shan Uchiha had greater faith in his own strength. If anyone wants trouble, I'll activate Susanoo and block the entrance to their village. If they won't come out, sorry-I'll just go in and find them.
What? You've gathered over ten thousand ninja to surround me, hoping to wear me down and kill me like the Third Raikage? Fine, I'll use Takamagahara Space to leave the battlefield, then activate Susanoo and have some fun in your village.
Do you really think I, Qiu Shan Uchiha, agreed to join the Anbu because I was afraid of the Third Hokage? I'm just coveting Konoha's kekkei genkai and secret techniques. I haven't even had a chat with Yamato, who can use Wood Release, or found a chance to knock Kakashi out and take a look at his Kamui Sharingan.
I'm also waiting for Orochimaru to kill the Third Hokage so I can discuss life and aspirations with the Fifth Hokage who succeeds him.
Thus, with Qiu Shan Uchiha's current combat strength, unless someone revived Madara Uchiha or Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, there was little anyone could do to him. Of course, he could not reveal all his trump cards. Powerful though his abilities were, a trump card was only a trump card while it remained hidden.
Just look at the Akatsuki's immortal duo. Their abilities were absurdly powerful, and they were extremely difficult to kill, yet once their trump cards were exposed, people still found ways to finish them off.
So a trump card that stayed hidden was a good trump card, and a dead enemy was a good enemy.
Ever since awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, Qiu Shan Uchiha had been keeping his trump cards and dōjutsu concealed, sometimes deliberately and sometimes instinctively. Those who now believed they understood him actually knew only a limited part of what he could do.
If everyone knew that his dōjutsu could copy and learn other people's kekkei genkai and secret techniques, his chances of succeeding would drop to an absurdly low level. He would also draw the hostility of kekkei genkai clans and ninja who specialized in secret techniques.
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