Seeing that both Uchiha Haruki and Uchiha Shisui had no objections, Uchiha Yatsushiro finally let out a small sigh of relief.
To be honest, he had been genuinely worried that these two, in their youth and passion, would insist on charging straight into the front lines.
Especially Haruki—after learning what he had done two nights ago, Yatsushiro had been deeply concerned about his recklessness.
Now that Haruki hadn't voiced any opposition, he was finally able to relax.
Of course, if Haruki could read minds, he would have laughed out loud at the concern.
Charging into the front lines?
What a joke!
This time, he had come here with the clear intention of coasting through the mission. Under no circumstances was he going to throw himself onto the front lines.
No doubt, the Mist Village already knew about his flying jutsu.
There was no way he could repeat the same kind of feat as the other night, single-handedly fighting off thousands. That would be nothing more than a delusion now.
So, low profile was definitely the way to go.
As Haruki's thoughts drifted, Yatsushiro finished listing a few additional points to note, and then let Shisui leave.
Haruki, however, was asked to stay behind.
Before Haruki could even ask why, Yatsushiro pulled out a book and three scrolls from a drawer.
"This is…"
Seeing the items in his hands, Haruki's heart skipped a beat as he asked hesitantly, "The things I requested?"
"Exactly," Yatsushiro nodded affirmatively and handed over all four items. "These are what you asked the clan to help you find. Elder Kazehiko asked me to bring them to you."
Upon hearing this, Haruki quickly received the book and scrolls.
He first opened the book and skimmed through it. Inside, it recorded various processes and insights gathered by Uchiha shinobi regarding the development of Earth Release chakra.
No doubt, this would save him an enormous amount of time.
Next, he unrolled the three scrolls.
Each one detailed a different jutsu:
Earth Release: Hardening Technique
Earth Release: Earth Spike Spear
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall
The latter two were well-known techniques.
Earth Spike Spear was a signature jutsu of the Hidden Stone Village—widely circulated and classified as a C-rank offensive jutsu.
Earth-Style Wall, on the other hand, was a highly practical B-rank defensive jutsu.
Both were perfectly aligned with Haruki's current needs.
As for the Hardening Technique...
Despite its simple name, it was anything but ordinary. This too was a B-rank jutsu.
Its function was similar to Kakuzu's Earth Spear—a technique that significantly enhanced the user's defense.
The main difference was: while Earth Spear also boosted offensive power, Hardening Technique focused solely on defense. And ideally, one should remain still during its use to achieve maximum effectiveness.
Under equal conditions, the defensive strength of the Hardening Technique was on par with Earth Spear—possibly even slightly stronger.
Without question, this jutsu filled a major gap in Haruki's toolkit, and it was a rare gem.
"Sigh, it really pays to have strong roots and a powerful clan behind you."
Haruki couldn't help but feel impressed as he looked at the scrolls and book in his hands.
To find materials so well-suited to his needs in such a short time—only a long-standing, resource-rich clan like the Uchiha could have pulled it off.
If he had tried to gather them on his own, who knows how much time and effort he would have wasted?
Shaking his head, he pushed aside his wandering thoughts, put away the scrolls and book, and respectfully bowed toward Yatsushiro.
"Thank you, Clan Uncle—and please thank Elder Kazehiko for me."
"Mm." Yatsushiro nodded, gave a few final reminders, and then let him go.
As Haruki stepped out of the room, he was just about to head off when he noticed Shisui standing not far away, leaning against the wall.
Clearly, he had been waiting for him.
Haruki immediately had a good idea what this was about.
It was probably related to the orders Yatsushiro had just given—orders that didn't quite sit right with Shisui. He likely wanted to discuss it.
Over the past three months, Shisui had often approached him to talk about topics like the clan, the village, the war, and the future.
While Haruki himself wasn't particularly interested in such things, thanks to the explosion of information in his past life and his deep understanding of the ninja world, a few words from him were often enough to give Shisui something to seriously ponder.
So in Shisui's eyes, Haruki was a thoughtful Uchiha shinobi with independent ideas.
That's why this encounter wasn't surprising.
But right now, Haruki had no interest in those kinds of discussions.
He finally had the materials he needed and was eager to dive into training. He didn't want to get distracted by anything else.
Besides, Yatsushiro's arrangements aligned perfectly with what he wanted. He didn't want to mess that up.
Still, proper respect had to be shown.
After all, Shisui was bound to become a major figure in the ninja world in the future. He could very well be someone Haruki might need down the line. It wouldn't do to brush him off coldly.
With that in mind, Haruki paused for a moment, then walked toward him.
"Shisui, what's up? Looking for me?"
Before even getting close, he spoke up.
"Yeah," Shisui nodded, straightening up. "There are a few things I wanted to talk about."
"Alright then," Haruki replied casually. "Let's talk while we walk."
"Sure."
Shisui followed him as they walked toward the residential quarters assigned to them at the base.
On the way, Shisui began expressing his views.
As expected, he wasn't entirely happy with Yatsushiro's orders.
Well… "not happy" might be a strong term. It was more that he felt that in times like these, personal or clan interests shouldn't take precedence—the village's wellbeing should come first, and so on.
Haruki didn't argue or agree. He just nodded along perfunctorily.
Once they reached the vicinity of their assigned housing, Haruki found an excuse to part ways.
Standing in place, Shisui watched Haruki's back as he walked away, his brows slightly furrowed.
He had a nagging feeling that Haruki didn't really agree with his ideals.
In fact, it seemed like Haruki was quite content with Yatsushiro's arrangements.
"Am I just imagining things?" Shisui wondered silently.
But soon, he shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Deep down, he didn't believe Haruki was that kind of person.
If nothing else, the battle two nights ago had shown just how much Haruki cared for the village.
"Yeah, I must be overthinking it," Shisui told himself.
With that, he lingered for a bit longer before finally leaving.
Meanwhile, Haruki felt the weight of Shisui's gaze disappear, and he quietly let out a breath of relief.
To be honest, even Haruki felt a little pressure when talking to someone as thoughtful and mature as Shisui.
Fortunately, that was over.
Now, it was finally time to train.
Compared to strategizing and power plays, he much preferred pure cultivation.
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