Find a chance to provoke him-we must force him to awaken his Sharingan!

"Vision Resonance!"

He gave a low shout, the scarlet in his eyes shifting. The next moment, the scene before him flickered, and his vision linked to Naruto's.

As expected of the golden boy. Naruto had just strolled into somewhere that important?

Uchiha Yi curled his lip in disdain. That old Third was surely watching through his crystal ball. This was all a setup.

Before long, Naruto hurried out with a large scroll on his back, then ducked into a patch of woods and found a secluded corner to open the Scroll of Seals.

Vision Resonance only let him see, not hear, but Uchiha Yi could easily imagine the foolish kid laughing himself silly.

Soon, he had memorized the contents of the Scroll of Seals. First came the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, followed by Impure World Reincarnation, the Eight Gates...

"Huh? This book has Izanagi and Izanami too?"

Those two forbidden techniques surprised him a little, but he memorized them as well. Summoning: Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, the Reaper Death Seal, the Flying Thunder God Technique... he committed the whole pile of forbidden techniques to memory.

Naruto only glanced over the later forbidden techniques, his attention fixed entirely on the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. At that point, Uchiha Yi gave a low shout: "Release!"

Vision Resonance instantly disconnected. Just as he withdrew from Naruto's vision, he caught one last scene-Mizuki had arrived. But he couldn't care less. Naruto would definitely be fine, and Mizuki couldn't cause any real trouble.

"System, slot in the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the skill: Super Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!

Sure enough, just like his previous skills, the moment he slotted in the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, the Limit Sharingan enhanced it into the beyond-S-rank Super Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

At level 0, the skill could create ten shadow clones at once, each with half the original's strength, without any side effects. What had once been an A-rank forbidden technique had become a real prize.

Uchiha Yi was thrilled. He immediately created ten shadow clones and sent them off to work out and train.

With his current chakra and the boost from keeping the Eight Gates permanently open, maintaining ten shadow clones was ridiculously easy. After all, the level 4 Gate of Pain multiplied his chakra fortyfold, surpassing even an average Kage-level ninja.

Naturally, he was delighted with the results.

All ten shadow clones kept their Three-Tomoe Sharingan active, each earning him one skill experience point per hour.

Originally, keeping his own Three-Tomoe Sharingan active around the clock had only earned him twenty-four points a day. Now, with ten clones added, that shot straight up to two hundred and sixty-four.

Those experience points would only be tallied when he dismissed the shadow clones. Although his body struggled with the fatigue from ten clones at once, leaving him feeling heavy and sluggish, that fatigue counted as extra training and even earned him a little proficiency in the Eight Gates.

The gain wasn't large, but Uchiha Yi was still delighted. He was killing two birds with one stone.

Super Multiple Shadow Clone Technique proficiency is full. Would you like to level up?

Well, looks like I really do need clones to grind experience for this skill. Secretly delighted, he selected the upgrade immediately.

Level-up successful. Current Super Multiple Shadow Clone Technique level: 1.

This beyond-S-rank ninjutsu had originally been an A-rank forbidden technique, but the Limit Sharingan's enhancement had eliminated its side effects.

At level 1, it could create thirty shadow clones, each still possessing half the original's strength. The number had tripled outright.

"Thirty clones grinding for twenty-four hours a day would earn seven hundred and twenty experience points. That's twenty-one thousand six hundred in a month?"

"Does that mean I can upgrade the Limit Sharingan to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in less than two months?"

Uchiha Yi's eyes lit up. He knew the Naruto world was full of hidden dangers. Even a Mangekyō Sharingan would only make him somewhat stronger, and it carried the risk of blindness.

The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was different. Not only was it stronger, but there was no risk of going blind. Once he had it, he could finally cut loose.

That day shouldn't be far off.

He arrived at school early the next morning and spotted Naruto bounding toward him from a distance, the Konoha forehead protector on his forehead bobbing enough to make him dizzy.

Naruto pointed at his forehead protector, his voice loud enough to carry through the entire hallway. "Yi! Yi! Look, look! I earned this forehead protector by passing the Genin exam myself! I'm a Genin now!"

The team assignments followed the original story. The twelve main rookies remained unchanged, and Uchiha Yi was assigned to Team 4.

He wasn't familiar with Team 4's original members, but he had a nagging feeling Danzo had set his sights on him.

His two teammates gave off a faintly cold, sinister air. He had seen them through Vision Resonance before-they were both members of Root assigned to watch him.

It seemed that scheming bastard Danzo really was after him. He had performed unremarkably all these years, so how had he drawn that old man's attention?

He glanced at the two without saying much, then found an empty seat and sat down.

Before long, the classroom door opened, and a man in his twenties walked in with a senbon between his lips.

Recognition flashed through Uchiha Yi's mind. It was Genma Shiranui.

Genma Shiranui spat out the senbon and leaned against the lectern. "Hello, everyone. I'm Genma Shiranui, a Special Jōnin of Konoha. Starting today, I'll be the instructor leading the three of you."

He wasted no time, introducing himself and announcing that the three were officially Genin. They would carry out their first mission tomorrow morning. Then he sauntered out, looking utterly casual.

But Uchiha Yi didn't actually think he was careless. Genma Shiranui had served as a guard to the Fourth Hokage, and he could perform the Flying Thunder Formation together with Namiashi Raidō and Tatami Iwashi.

He figured the Third had probably assigned Genma Shiranui to them. Whether the Third and Genma knew his two teammates belonged to Root, he wasn't sure.

Still, he thought the Third probably didn't know. He was merely an incidental survivor, and with Might Guy in the picture, the Third would surely keep an eye on him rather than let Danzo do as he pleased.

After all, he had spent plenty of time with Guy over the years, often joining him for physical training. Guy had only started visiting less after meeting Rock Lee last year, but the two were close, and practically everyone in the village knew it.

Without that connection to Might Guy, Danzo might have already shoved him into Root.

Two Root teammates and one Special Jōnin assigned by the Third-Team 4 really was interesting.

Kawaguchi Ichiro approached Uchiha Yi with a smile so fake it was practically dripping honey, then patted Kobayashi Shino on the shoulder beside him. "Hey, Uchiha Yi. I'm Kawaguchi Ichiro, and this is Kobayashi Shino. We're teammates on Team 4 now. Looking forward to working with you!"

Kobayashi Shino nodded along, speaking in a conspicuously rehearsed tone. "Looking forward to working with you!"

Genma Shiranui had barely sauntered out of the classroom with a senbon in his mouth before the two Root members approached to strike up a conversation. Uchiha Yi raised his eyes, expressionless. "I'm Uchiha Yi."

He turned to leave as soon as he finished speaking, tossing back, "Sorry, I've got something to do. I'll be going."

Their smiles froze for two seconds. Kawaguchi waved, his voice painfully insincere. "Sure, take care, Yi!"

Kobayashi Shino also forced the corners of his mouth upward. "See you, Yi!"

But the instant Uchiha Yi disappeared around the corner of the hallway, their smiles vanished completely. Their eyes turned ice-cold, nothing like their earlier friendly demeanor.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Genma Shiranui spat the senbon from his mouth into an ashtray and reported to the Third.

"Lord Third, I've met Uchiha Yi."

The Third was rolling his pipe between his fingers and blowing smoke rings. He looked up at him. "Mm. What's the boy like?"

"At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him. He doesn't seem like one of those Uchiha remnants with a head full of hatred. At most, he's a little withdrawn. Much better than that Sasuke." Genma's tone was flat.

The Third nodded, pausing with his pipe. "Mm. It seems spending time with Guy really has done him some good."

He paused, then added, "All right, you can go. Keep a closer eye on that boy from now on. He's one of the last of the Uchiha bloodline."

Genma acknowledged the order, though doubts nagged at him. He wanted to ask about the other two students, feeling that something was off about them, but he swallowed the question and turned to leave the office.

Elsewhere, in Root's underground base beneath Konoha, Danzo remained concealed behind a black curtain as he listened to Kawaguchi Ichiro and Kobayashi Shino's report.

Kawaguchi Ichiro knelt on one knee, his tone certain. "...Based on the attribute tests and Shino's sensing, Uchiha Yi has not awakened his Sharingan yet!"

Kobayashi Shino also kept his head lowered, his voice devoid of inflection. "That's right. His chakra fluctuations are very stable. There's none of the agitation unique to the Uchiha Clan."

Danzo's voice drifted out from behind the black curtain, cold and sinister. "He still hasn't awakened it?"

He paused, then said, "Find a chance to provoke him. We must force him to awaken his Sharingan!"

The two answered together, their voices crisp. "Yes! As you command!"

Half a month later, Uchiha Yi officially received his first mission outside the village as a Genin.

He had expected not to be assigned miscellaneous chores within the village, but he hadn't expected an outside mission this soon, either. Sure enough, the other teams in his graduating class had already received theirs, while his Team 4 had dragged its feet until now.

That day, Genma Shiranui sauntered into the classroom and slapped the mission sheet onto the desk, his tone lazy. "Brats, we've finally got work. The mission is to wipe out the bandits near a civilian village. Remember, you'll have to spill blood!"

Uchiha Yi frowned slightly and asked, "We have to kill people?"

He was already more than strong enough, but he had never killed anyone with his own hands.

Genma scratched his head as though it were obvious. "What else? You chose to become a ninja. Killing people is only a matter of time."

Uchiha Yi said nothing more, but he glanced at Kawaguchi and Kobayashi out of the corner of his eye. Although their faces showed a little apprehension, their eyes made it clear they thought nothing of it. As expected of Root members, they were already used to this sort of thing.

It was a C-rank mission to wipe out bandits, nothing particularly difficult. They made a few simple preparations and set off.

Ninjas traveled quickly, and they reached the village in less than half a day. After asking the village chief where the bandits were hiding, they headed into the mountains.

They soon found the bandits' camp. Only then did Uchiha Yi realize that Kobayashi Shino was actually a sensory ninja, and a fairly capable one at that.

Still, he wasn't worried. His Limit Sharingan could conceal his chakra perfectly. He had lived in Konoha for so many years without being exposed; someone like Kobayashi Shino couldn't possibly detect it.

Genma Shiranui crouched on a tree branch, folded the mission sheet in his hand into a little stick, and waved them forward. "All right, they're just ordinary people without chakra. You three go. Don't waste my time."