In a training ground within Konoha Forest, Kitahara lay leisurely on the grass with his eyes narrowed, basking in the sunlight filtering through the leaves.
Uchiha Itachi came running over with an armful of wild fruit, tossed it before the crow, then turned and sat beside Shisui. "Shisui, aren't you going to the clan gathering this afternoon?"
"Well, how should I put it? I probably don't need to go." Uchiha Shisui sat cross-legged on the ground, drew out a shuriken, and casually flung it at a wooden target.
"Shisui is already a Chunin!" The little boy liked ninja headbands very much. Almost no children in Konoha disliked them.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The four shuriken had clearly been thrown at the same time, yet they struck the wooden target one after another, producing four distinct sounds. Only then did Shisui turn around in satisfaction and look at the boy beside him.
"No. I just don't want to go."
"...Oh."
When no further question came, Shisui curiously ruffled Itachi's hair. "Ha, I thought you'd ask me why!"
"Caw!"
Accompanied by the crow's hoarse cry, a wild fruit was tossed into the air. It traced an elegant arc before smacking the teenage Chunin on the head...
Shisui did not get angry at all. He rubbed his head and picked up the fruit. "Hey, don't throw over fruit you've already eaten!"
"..."
The crow could not be bothered to respond.
"If Shisui doesn't want to answer, then the answer must make you unhappy." Uchiha Itachi explained with a serious little face. "An answer that can make Shisui unhappy... as your friend, if I knew it, I definitely wouldn't be happy either."
"Haha, Itachi, you're getting cuter and cuter!"
Uchiha Shisui rarely looked troubled. Though he was a genius ninja, he had the temperament of a sunny young man... Whether facing enemies or friends, he was exceptionally tolerant. Something that could make him unhappy... definitely was not a good thing...
That suicidal crow had provoked Shisui time and again, yet it was still alive... Wasn't it because Shisui had such a good temper... and because there was nothing he could do about it...
"Phew..." Uchiha Shisui rose to his feet and stretched his body. "Itachi, do you want to try some combat training today?"
The little boy's face was filled with both surprise and delight. "Huh? Can I?"
"Caw?"
Even Kitahara looked over curiously. Were they finally going to begin... pecking at each other like noobs? After all, they had watched a truly high-level battle a few days ago...
Unless the two Uchiha possessed Mangekyo, but if the two of them fought with their Mangekyo eye techniques, it would probably be unbearable to watch...
"I just developed a new way to use the Body Flicker Technique and wanted to try it..."
"Then let's begin quickly! It's my first time fighting Shisui!"
Uchiha Shisui instructed him solemnly, "If it's a spar between ninja, you must first form the Seal of Confrontation... After all, Itachi will be going to the Ninja Academy soon!"
"..." The little boy puffed out his cheeks, not looking particularly pleased.
Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!
Knowing he was no match for Shisui, the little boy launched the first attack!
The enormous fireball sent out a wave of scorching heat. After Uchiha Shisui was hit by it, he turned into a puff of smoke and vanished from where he stood, while a log fell to the ground...
"It's the Substitution Technique!"
Itachi did not dare remain where he was. He leaped lightly onto a tree, grabbed two shuriken, and scanned back and forth for Uchiha Shisui's whereabouts.
"Whether it's his hand seal speed or Chakra reserves... he's completely unlike a five-year-old!" Uchiha Shisui marveled from behind a large tree.
Clang!
A crisp clash of metal rang out!
A shuriken bizarrely curved around the trunk and appeared before Shisui!
"Ha, sharp senses!"
The teenage Chunin swung his kunai and knocked away the shuriken, then casually threw one of his own. As Uchiha Itachi's shuriken instructor, he could easily locate Itachi's position from the trajectory of his throw!
Boom!
The explosion shook the ground. Kitahara, who was watching from the side, could not help spitting. Tch! That was dirty! He actually attached fire to the shuriken!
What kind of shuriken technique was that? It was clearly his signature ninjutsu—Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Claw Crimson!
By attaching Fire-nature Chakra at the moment he threw the shuriken, he could trigger an explosion upon contact with the target!
The little brat he raised was too green. He foolishly swung a shuriken to block it and got blown up head-on!
Itachi's body was scorched black, and his arm had been injured as well... Fortunately, Shisui's shuriken had exploded in midair. Otherwise, this fight could have been declared over on the spot...
"Well, I can probably test the new technique now... Body Flicker Technique!"
Uchiha Shisui openly stepped out, formed a one-handed seal, and charged at the little boy. As his speed increased, two afterimages appeared on the grass...
It was completely different from the Body Flicker Technique he had used before!
The Body Flicker Technique of the past used the Clone Technique to create multiple false clones. Relying on Uchiha Shisui's unique Chakra marks, any of the clones could become corporeal at any time.
However, the Body Flicker Technique Shisui had newly developed today showed no trace of clones at all. It was more like afterimage clones created through high-speed movement. They should likewise be able to become corporeal at any time, but this relied more on pure speed.
"I can't see the real body at all..." Uchiha Itachi's eyes instantly turned scarlet, two tomoe faintly emerging within them!
Sharingan: Activate!
His kunai sliced through an afterimage...
"Only a two-tomoe at five years old..." Shisui and his sole remaining afterimage clone activated their Sharingan simultaneously. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan shone brilliantly.
Kitahara rubbed his beak together. He suspected that Uchiha Shisui simply wanted the thrill of bullying a noob, and he already had evidence... He had even activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. How could he possibly deny it now?
In the battle that followed, the little boy was practically toyed with by Shisui's switches between his real body and clone. He had no room to fight back at all... It was a little miserable...
After the two formed the Seal of Reconciliation, Shisui began applying medicine to Itachi's wounds... His bullying of the little genius was over.
"...Caw!"
The crow fluttered down lightly and landed before them. The question it raised left Uchiha Itachi dumbfounded. "Kitahara, you want to fight Shisui? But..."
"Oh? Sure!" Perhaps because he had enjoyed beating up a novice, Uchiha Shisui actually reached out and tapped the crow on the head with one finger. "I've never fought a crow before!"
"Caw..."
Kitahara shot him a sidelong look. Some people really got carried away...
"Well, if you lose, you'll be an obedient crow from now on..." Uchiha Shisui stated his condition.
Kitahara glared. He really had gotten carried away...
"Don't throw things around, don't make loud noises..." Uchiha Shisui used his detailed rules for raising crows as the standards for their wager.
Kitahara ignored him. Perhaps some people thought their lives were too long. After all, he had already lived eight years. His life truly was very long...
"...Come whenever called." Uchiha Shisui finally finished stating his demands... Since they could not form the Seal of Confrontation, the crow symbolically extended a wing and high-fived him to show that the agreement had been made.
"Caw..."
Uchiha Shisui smiled and stroked Kitahara's wing. As a crow keeper, if he put aside this crow's terrible personality, he was quite envious of Itachi. "You're really smart..."
A tiny crow curse mark silently settled onto Uchiha Shisui's wrist guard...
Finally, Kitahara opened his beak toward Uchiha Itachi. "Caw..."
Stand farther away. Don't let the blood splash all over you...
Mm, if you have any suggestions about ninja battles, you can tell me... Suggestions about writing style and the like... I forgot to mention that there should be another update this afternoon or tonight.
Before you continue