During the break the next morning, Uchiha Lan approached Xue Ge on her own.
"Here, this is for you." She awkwardly handed him the letter, then fled back to her seat, where she watched him with a curious, puzzled look.
Xue Ge looked at the letter in confusion. Seeing that Uchiha Lan had no intention of explaining, he turned to Muzi beside him. Muzi shook her head too.
"Why not ask Obito?" Muzi pointed at Obito, who was asleep at his desk.
...I forgot there was another Uchiha in our class.
Xue Ge knew about Konoha's two great clans, but in his mind, children from prestigious clans were supposed to be top students. He remembered Obito, but he kept forgetting to count him among the Uchiha.
He walked over to Obito and shook him.
"Stop shaking me, Rin..." Obito groggily brushed Xue Ge's hand away.
Xue Ge glanced up at Rin Nohara. Rin gave an embarrassed smile, leaned down beside Obito's ear, and whispered, "Mr. Ryosuke just called your name."
"Here!" Obito sprang to his feet, slamming his head into Xue Ge's chin.
Xue Ge stumbled back a few steps, rubbing his chin, while Obito clutched his forehead in pain.
So...even Ninja Academy students were this scared of their teachers?
Watching Rin rub Obito's head with a look caught between laughter and exasperation, Xue Ge had a peculiar thought: Was this kid faking it?
"This is an invitation. Who gave it to you?" Obito looked at the letter in surprise.
"An invitation?"
Obito explained, "The Uchiha Clan Compound is on the edge of the village. It's pretty closed off, and they don't welcome outsiders. Ordinary villagers generally aren't allowed inside...not that any villagers would go out of their way to make themselves uncomfortable there."
"With this invitation, you can show it to the guards and get into the compound."
"Does writing one of these cost much?" Xue Ge began calculating how much of a favor he owed.
"Huh? No." Obito paused, then shook his head. "You just write one and put your name on it. They'll check with you afterward, but hardly anyone writes them."
"Why?"
"Think about it. If you want to meet a friend, you can just pick somewhere in the village. Writing an invitation means having to explain things to the people at the compound afterward. It's a hassle."
"..."
Sound reasoning. Convincing, too.
Just then, Obito leaned closer to Xue Ge and waved the invitation. "Oh, right, who wrote this invitation?"
"...Probably Shisui Uchiha." He didn't know for certain who had sent it, but Shisui Uchiha was the only Uchiha he was acquainted with.
"Shisui Uchiha?...Oh, him." Obito scratched his hair in frustration. "He's a famous genius among the younger Uchiha...Ugh, why do you geniuses always end up together? First Kakashi, now you."
"Aren't you one too?" Xue Ge said, glancing at Kakashi, who was staring listlessly at the novel in his hands some distance away.
"Huh?" Obito froze, fell silent for a moment, then smiled and clapped Xue Ge on the shoulder. "You're right! Haha, you've got a good eye, Xue Ge! Once I awaken my Sharingan, you'll all see I'm a genius too!"
"Yeah." Xue Ge nodded.
Obito kept Xue Ge chatting a little longer until the bell rang. He hurriedly wrote a line on the back of Xue Ge's hand.
[257 Izuna Road].
"That's my address. Since someone invited you to the compound, come visit me too when you have time!" Obito gave Xue Ge another solemn pat on the back, then darted back to his seat.
Xue Ge returned to his seat without a word. When Ryosuke launched into his lecture on the history of the shinobi world, he opened the invitation in the back row.
"To Waterbird River Xue Ge:
"As fellow members of Konoha's future, I cordially invite you to the clan compound to exchange our experiences. Rest assured that I will extend you a warm welcome.
"Address: 154 Tajima Road.
"This invitation remains valid indefinitely.
"Respectfully, Shisui Uchiha."
This wasn't an invitation. It was a pass.
When he returned home after school, Xue Ge went straight to his room.
He planned to wait until the weekend to have a proper talk with Shisui. After all, exchanging knowledge about various ninjutsu-and possibly sparring-would take a fair amount of time. One evening clearly wouldn't be enough, and Xue Ge liked to finish things in one go whenever possible.
Besides, Shisui might not be home in the evening...
Sitting at his desk, Xue Ge pulled several books and scrolls from his drawers and shelves and spread them out. Tonight, he would begin a long-term project.
Taking the Three Body Technique, the Rasengan, and the Body Flicker Technique he had learned from Shisui the night before, along with the Wind Release and Lightning Release scrolls Danzo had given him, Xue Ge would select the ninjutsu that suited him, modify them, and develop a fighting style of his own.
Along the way, he might also use his own understanding to create new ninjutsu based on existing ones. Of course, he might not be able to use those techniques at all-he was only someone skilled at breaking down the principles and methods behind ninjutsu, after all.
But that was fine. Compared with full-fledged ninja, Xue Ge, who was still a student, had time to spare. He intended to use the extra hours he had each day compared with ordinary people to try to catch up with the geniuses.
To make everything he developed easy to consult and practice later, he planned to record it all in a single scroll and carry it with him.
That way, he would only need to carry three scrolls: one storing his prosthetic limbs, one storing miscellaneous items, and the last holding his ninjutsu scroll. The standard Konoha ninja vest had at least six scroll pouches, leaving three free for whatever a mission might require.
And so, Xue Ge named this long-term project-Xue Ge's Ninja Scroll.
Starting with the E-rank Three Body Technique, Xue Ge wrote down the methods and experience for the techniques he had already learned. Perhaps he would find ways to optimize them later.
He had learned the Rasengan and could perform it, but he wasn't proficient. He handled it the same way as the Three Body Technique. If he ever met Minato, he would definitely have a good talk with him about the Rasengan.
He knew how the Body Flicker Technique worked, but he couldn't use it at all. The reason was simple: Xue Ge couldn't perform any ninjutsu he hadn't modified. Still, this was one technique he had decided he absolutely had to practice. It was highly useful in combat, so he would learn it next.
All that remained was to select techniques from the two ninjutsu scrolls that looked useful in combat, which he would modify and learn in the next phase.
Under Lightning Release
were Earth Flow, Falling Thunder, Lightning Bind, Lightning Gate...
Under Wind Release were Great Breakthrough, Shuriken Production, Gale Palm, Net...
After writing for an unknown length of time, Xue Ge suddenly heard the front door open.
Danzo was back.
At that realization, Xue Ge jolted and immediately got up and went out. He had nearly forgotten that he still needed to ask Danzo to teach him the Storage Technique.
When he reached the entrance, Xue Ge noticed several ANBU following behind Danzo. They looked as though they had just returned from some task.
Seeing Xue Ge, Danzo dismissed the ANBU and asked, "What is it?"
"..." Xue Ge had no intention of asking where Danzo had been. "I'd like you to teach me the Storage Technique."
"All right." Danzo agreed without hesitation.