I'm skilled at Yin-Yang Release

The instant he finished speaking, his gaze swept toward Kakashi, and he silently called up the system.

Lie-Into-Reality, target: Kakashi Hatake.

Kakashi's dead-fish eyes shifted almost imperceptibly.

He had long heard that Uchiha Makoto was a genius, and the Hokage personally assigning him to Orochimaru's squad only confirmed it.

Kakashi did not believe a seven-year-old who dared claim he was skilled at Yin-Yang Release, but considering the boy's Uchiha identity and his extraordinarily precocious nature, Kakashi felt... it might not be entirely false.

He glanced at Orochimaru, who showed no reaction whatsoever, and remained doubtful.

[Ding! Target 'Kakashi Hatake'-trust assessment for the lie 'I'm skilled at Yin-Yang Release': 50%]

[Manifesting the lie "skilled at Yin-Yang Release"... manifestation rate: 90%]

[Manifestation beginning... degree of manifestation affected by both character weight and trust...]

[Manifestation complete. Host has obtained 'a trace of insight into the essence of Yin-Yang Release' (faint understanding of its governing principles; unable to perform specific techniques)]

[Notice: today's usage limit for 'Lie-Into-Reality' has been reached (1/1)]

A cool, mysterious sensation quietly emerged from the depths of Uchiha Makoto's soul, as though a fragment of some supreme law had fallen into his sea of consciousness.

It was not a specific technique, but an exceedingly faint yet undeniably real trace of insight into the essence of Yin-Yang Release.

An elementary understanding of creation and destruction, spirit and matter.

It was far too weak to perform any Yin-Yang Release technique, yet it was like a seed buried in the deepest layer of his chakra.

It worked!

The experimental lie he had just told-"I'm skilled at Yin-Yang Release"-had actually succeeded on Kakashi.

What delighted him most was that the system's manifestation rate had reached a staggering 90%!

As expected of a member of the main cast! Uchiha Makoto thought, quickly sorting through the Naruto world's system of "character weight."

In his view, the ceiling for Lie-Into-Reality's potential in this world undoubtedly lay with the two children of destiny, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Their destinies ran through the main storyline, naturally giving them the highest weight.

Immediately behind them were the core teammates who shared their deepest bonds and likewise remained central throughout the story: Sakura Haruno and Kakashi Hatake.

It makes perfect sense for Kakashi's manifestation rate to reach 90%, Uchiha Makoto realized. He's Team 7's mentor, a crucial link to the future, and a major combatant throughout the Fourth Shinobi World War. His 'character weight' ranks among the highest in the entire Shinobi World.

He recalled how constrained he had felt around Orochimaru before, wary of the early-story boss's sharp instincts and suspicious nature, and unwilling to try any overly outrageous lies on him.

Now that he had a new target for his lies, Uchiha Makoto felt considerably more at ease.

Although Kakashi currently seemed cold and unapproachable, he was still the same age as Makoto, and his heart had not yet been completely frozen by the tragedies to come.

More importantly, his position as a member of the "main cast" meant he possessed immense "trust-conversion potential."

A fresh, premium cash cow with limitless potential had appeared right before him!

The corners of Uchiha Makoto's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

With a high-weight target like Kakashi, he no longer had any worries about how often he could use the Lie-Into-Reality system or how far it could take him.

Naruto and Sasuke haven't been born yet, so I can't reach them for now. But having Kakashi should be enough. His eyes flickered as he began planning how to interact more "naturally" with his genius teammate, earning trust more efficiently and manifesting more, stronger abilities.

Meanwhile, Kazuya looked at Makoto with an expression he had never shown before.

Orochimaru had remained expressionless, observing Makoto all along, when a strange sensation suddenly arose from Uchiha Makoto.

Orochimaru's golden slit pupils snapped onto Uchiha Makoto, his gaze instantly sharpening like needles, as though he intended to pierce his flesh and look directly at the tiny anomaly that had just emerged.

The ambiguous curve of his lips deepened.

"Oh? Yin-Yang Release?"

Uchiha Makoto hurriedly waved his hands. "Haha, I was joking! The atmosphere seemed a little tense, so I thought I'd crack a joke!"

"Let me introduce myself again. Uchiha Makoto, seven years old. I'm skilled at taijutsu and Fire Release."

After listening to all three introductions, Orochimaru's golden slit pupils lingered on Uchiha Makoto a moment longer. He seemed to be contemplating the claim about being "skilled at Yin-Yang Release," but did not question him on the spot.

After hearing the explanation, Kazuya returned to his usual corpse-like expression.

Kakashi showed an almost imperceptible hint of irritation at having been deceived by Uchiha Makoto.

Walking at the rear of the group, Uchiha Makoto secretly sighed in relief.

He had blurted out "I'm skilled at Yin-Yang Release" purely to test the system on Kakashi. Fortunately, his teacher Orochimaru had not pressed the matter.

Yin-Yang Release... that's already in the realm of Six Paths Power, he thought, still shaken. If they actually confirmed I could use it now, I probably wouldn't be heading out on a mission next. Auntie Snake would be inviting me into his laboratory for an "in-depth discussion."

It seemed he would have to be more cautious when using the system from now on, especially with "lies" involving such high-level concepts.

Still, advanced abilities such as Six Paths Power and Yin-Yang Release were relatively concrete, so Makoto did not regret his earlier recklessness.

After hearing Makoto's so-called joke, Orochimaru merely nodded and spoke without any unnecessary preamble.

"Today's mission is D-rank: clearing a river channel."

"However!" Orochimaru changed tack. "I requested a mission change from Teacher Sarutobi. Instead of clearing the river channel, we'll be conducting reconnaissance at the border."

He looked at the three of them, his golden slit pupils gleaming.

"Traces of unidentified ninja activity have recently been found along the Eastern Border of the Land of Fire. Our mission is to investigate and determine whether hostile forces have infiltrated."

"The mission is provisionally classified as C-rank. But if we encounter enemies, it may be upgraded to B-rank."

"Any questions?"

Uchiha Makoto's heart sank.

Just as I thought.

With Orochimaru, they were never going to get off easy with some D-rank mission.

"No," Kakashi said.

"No," Kazuya said.

"No," Uchiha Makoto said as well.

"Good. You have one hour to prepare. We leave in exactly one hour."

After saying this, Orochimaru gave Kazuya a deliberate glance, then turned and left the meeting point.

Seeing that Orochimaru had left, Kazuya and Kakashi also departed without saying goodbye.

Uchiha Makoto walked behind them, watching the backs of the three ahead.

Orochimaru: a future rogue ninja, his current teacher.

Kakashi: a genius transferred from the Anbu, the Third's eyes and ears.

Kazuya: Root's watcher, Danzo's dog.

And then there was Makoto himself, from the Uchiha Clan.

This squad...

What a masterpiece.

Uchiha Makoto grumbled inwardly.

Four double-crossers. What kind of squad lineup is this?