Lucien gave a brief nod, showing little interest in the woman standing before him. Still, out of courtesy, he introduced himself with stiff politeness.
"Uchiha Shigure, Xiaoxing's brother, Genin of Konoha."
"So conservative..." Amemiya Narcissus smiled lightly. "Don't worry, I'll return the favor. Why don't we go out for dinner together?" she invited warmly.
Her words jolted Lucien's memory—there was a team competition scheduled later.
"No. I have something important to do," he rejected flatly.
Narcissus turned to Xiaoxing with a softer smile. "If you ever need anything, reach out anytime. I won't bother you while you're busy, but you know how to find me."
"Okay!" Xiaoxing nodded sensibly.
Lucien, however, grew restless.
"I don't know if I can make it in time... I'll have to use continuous teleportation!"
With that, he vanished—activating his D-rank Body Flicker repeatedly, racing toward Konoha's Fourth Training Ground at maximum speed. Only Xiaoxing and Narcissus remained in the shop.
"Your brother is impressive... Has he always been so direct and domineering?" Narcissus asked softly.
"Hehe, not before. He always cared for me, but ever since those Uchiha bullies... he's changed. He's more decisive now, and he protects me even more." Xiaoxing's tone carried a strange admiration. "I wonder if it's just coincidence... he happened to finish his mission today, and luckily, he's able to make it!" she whispered mysteriously.
"Make it? To what?" Narcissus asked curiously.
"Hehe... secret. You'll know tonight!" Xiaoxing pressed a finger to her lips and leaned in to whisper.
Meanwhile, Lucien had no idea what they were plotting. He focused everything he had, burning chakra without hesitation as he chained Body Flickers toward the training ground. His half-month mission had sharpened his skills; everything came more smoothly now after relentless practice.
His Otsutsuki bloodline had grown purer—his skin paler, faint horns starting to form, and chakra surging to new levels. He could feel himself edging closer to a whole new realm of power. Soon, his chakra would breach the Kage threshold and reach the realm of Super Kage.
More importantly, his control had become refined. Lucien knew which copied jutsu to use at exactly the right moment. It wasn't about learning countless techniques, but about using the right one at the critical time.
His Byakuran had also evolved—the range of vision expanding by a third. He could now see chakra pathways more vividly than ever. His pupil power was clearly strengthened.
With this boost, his Body Flicker grew terrifyingly fast. Witnesses across Konoha couldn't help but notice the blur of his form darting through the village.
Somewhere in Konoha, a silver-haired boy gasped.
"That speed! Was that the Body Flicker?! It's almost like your Flying Thunder God, Minato-sensei!" Kakashi shouted in surprise.
Beside him, a black-haired boy with goggles yawned lazily. "Obito, what are you going on about? I didn't see a thing."
"That's because you were eating and dozing, Obito. He was already gone before you blinked," their teammate—a brown-haired kunoichi with purple markings on her cheeks—chimed in.
"Ah! Rin, I saw it too! I just—just wanted to test you both!" Obito stammered, embarrassed.
"Obito, honestly..." Rin sighed, while another voice cut in. Calm. Gentle.
"Alright, that's enough."
The man speaking wore a green flak jacket and blue underclothes. Blond hair glinted in the sunlight, and his sapphire-blue eyes carried warmth. He was their jonin leader—Minato Namikaze, not yet the Fourth Hokage, but soon destined to be.
This was his team: Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, Hatake Kakashi—and Minato himself.
"Obito," Minato murmured, "I think I caught a glimpse of the Uchiha crest myself."
"Our clan?!" Obito looked startled.
"But... there was no spatial fluctuation. That wasn't Flying Thunder God—only a Body Flicker. Yet no Jonin I know can move like that."
Minato looked curious. "Who could it be? Obito, do you recognize him? Maybe a genius from Anbu?"
Shaking his hands wildly, Obito protested, "Eh?! Minato-sensei, no way! You can't possibly mean my brother, right?! Shisui's way too young. He's barely six or seven, even if he is already in Anbu!"
"Anbu? Uchiha Shisui?" Kakashi's eyes widened, exchanging knowing looks with Rin.
"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Obito's cheeks went red. "I'm still way stronger than Shisui!"
Kakashi smirked. "I don't believe that."
Before things escalated, Minato intervened again. "Alright. Since we have no mission today, why don't we find out more about this mysterious ninja? It seems interesting."
"Yeah! I'm in!" Obito exclaimed eagerly.
"Agreed. A strong opponent would make things fun," Kakashi added.
Rin simply nodded with a smile.
Together, Team Minato began trailing after Lucien.
Lucien, sharp as ever, already sensed pursuit. He knew he had killed Uchiha within the village—being cautious was second nature now.
P.S. In this chapter, we highlighted Lucien's rapid growth, his evolving bloodline, and his rising chakra levels, while introducing Minato's whole team. This sets up a crucial encounter and builds tension between Lucien's secret power and the watchful eyes of Konoha's rising stars.
--
If you want to read 50 additional chapters early, visit my Patreon — the link is in the novel's description.