There was silence on the training ground, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All the Uchiha members looked horrified, not even daring to breathe.
Afraid that taking even one breath might...
Uchiha Setsuna would chop Uchiha Shi to pieces on the spot!
As for Uchiha Setsuna, who was the center of everyone's attention, his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
After being slapped back by Uchiha Ci in such a desperate and humiliating manner, no matter how good his temper was, he couldn't take it anymore!
Uchiha Setsuna's eyes suddenly glowed with a scarlet cold light. Three tomoe slowly rotated within his Sharingan eyes as he stared directly at Uchiha Shi.
An intensely suppressed murderous aura gradually spread throughout the hall.
It seemed like the next moment, the Great Elder would draw the long sword from his back and dice Uchiha Shi into pieces like cutting fruit!
But at this moment, Uchiha Ci, who was the target of this glare, had no time to pay attention to this oppressive atmosphere.
He was staring dumbfounded at the subtitles that had appeared before his eyes.
[Ding!]
[You bravely attacked Uchiha Setsuna and obtained a random skill from the target: Uchiha Style - Wire Shuriken Technique (Master Level).]
[Your Heart Steel (Resolve/Willpower) layers have increased.]
At this moment,
Uchiha Ci was momentarily dazed as a massive stream of knowledge poured into his mind.
From the various shuriken styles to the material of the wires to the techniques, skills, hidden strength application, clever tricks, etc., of throwing ninja tools, knowledge flashed through his consciousness.
Instantly, he could comprehend, analyze, master, and become proficient, bypassing level after level that would normally require time to hone.
He even skipped over the need for muscle memory instincts forged in life-and-death battles.
until—
Master Level!
Uchiha Shi had mastered the Uchiha-style Wire Shuriken Technique at a Master Level!
"Huh?!"
"What? What's going on?" Uchiha Ci was stunned.
No joke, with this level of shurikenjutsu, the Windmill Shuriken young Sasuke used in the original story wasn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.
There are no shortcuts in shuriken practice; it can only be accumulated over time.
At this level, Sasuke would need to be at least as skilled as he was when fighting Momoshiki Otsutsuki to compete with him.
But he just faced the Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna and actually acquired this!
However, thinking about Uchiha Setsuna's horrific experience of assassinating the Second Hokage and still surviving to tell the tale, Uchiha Shi felt relieved.
Is this the confidence of the older generation of Uchiha masters?
This, this... to be honest, it's indeed strong and has a kind of numerical beauty!
Cool!
But why hasn't the Great Elder beheaded me yet?
On the field,
After three minutes of silence, the Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna speechlessly turned his head away.
He finally confirmed that this Uchiha Shi was just a fool who didn't even know what fear was.
Under his terrifying murderous intent, this kid didn't seem affected at all, just staring back at him with wide eyes.
If he kept staring, the situation would just become awkward.
Uchiha Setsuna snorted coldly:
"Since you are so eager to die for Konoha, I can't stop you."
"You, get out of the queue!"
Uchiha Shi was suddenly startled. He came back to his senses and looked up at the Great Elder. Instead of showing joy at getting the mission, his face was filled with astonishment.
Wait, this script is wrong!
Uchiha Shi had just said those things to Uchiha Setsuna with the mentality of ready to die on the spot.
Just to get a few weird laughs from the system...
But, Great Elder, why are you trying to get me killed by sending me on a suicide mission?
Just kill me with your knife right here!
You're a hawk leader; can't you show some decisiveness?
"What a pity." Uchiha Shisui couldn't help but sigh softly.
Looking at Uchiha Ci's expression, it was clear that this young man understood very well how dangerous the war was.
See, Ci-kun's face turned pale with fright.
But even so, he had stood up bravely.
Since that was the case...
Uchiha Shisui's Sharingan flashed. He walked out of the crowd and said solemnly to Uchiha Setsuna:
"Great Elder, the mission still lacks one Genin. Please allow me to participate in the battle."
Uchiha Setsuna looked at Uchiha Shisui, who had stepped forward, and frowned slightly, his gaze falling on the other's pair of scarlet Sharingan eyes: "You are Kagami's grandson? Shisui?"
"Yes. And please allow me to be presumptuous for a moment; I wish to choose the mission to the Land of Rain."
When Uchiha Setsuna heard this, he didn't say much. He just glanced at him briefly, then ignored Shisui and continued assigning tasks to the other ninjas.
This was tacit consent.
Uchiha Setsuna, as the leader of the hawk faction within the Uchiha clan,
Naturally had a non-confrontational relationship with the dove faction. He didn't need to worry about nurturing Shisui.
The dove faction would naturally train him meticulously like a nanny since he graduated early from the ninja academy, awakened the Sharingan, was a genius, and was the close relative—the grandson of the former clan leader.
Compared to Shisui, Uchiha Setsuna was now more troubled by the problem of Uchiha Shi.
Although the hawk faction's own philosophy for nurturing talent was to throw children off a cliff.
Those who could fly would naturally become soaring eagles with free will.
Those who couldn't fly and fell to the bottom to become a pile of shit... might be considered fortunate in this increasingly chaotic era.
But Uchiha Shi...
He didn't even have all his feathers yet and was already thinking about flying. The degree of his hard-headedness was simply breathtaking.
Even he, an extremely radical hawk leader, felt this kid was a bit too extreme...
Soon, all personnel were assigned. Uchiha Setsuna glanced at the crowd with cold eyes and announced indifferently:
"For the battlefield of the Land of Rain: The team composed of Jōnin Shinichi as captain, Special Jōnin [Assistant Jōnin] Sukea, and Genin Shisui will proceed to the border camp first to await arrangements. A Flying Eagle Message has been sent; there will be Uchiha members to assist upon your arrival."
"For you lot heading to the Land of Hot Water, I will serve as captain. The team will consist of myself, Chūnin Seiichiro, and Genin Shi. Mission: Assist the garrison at Hell Valley."
"All team members will gather at the village entrance at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
"That is all. Dismissed!"
Uchiha Setsuna had always had a resolute style. After announcing the missions, he immediately disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
The ninjas present looked at each other for a moment but did not linger. The Security Force left no one idle.
Soon, only Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Shi, who was deep in thought, remained in the lobby.
Uchiha Shi frowned slightly.
Because of Shisui's interruption, he had finally gotten assigned to go to Hell Valley.
In comparison, he would rather go to the meat grinder battlefield in the Land of Rain.
The battlefield in the Land of Rain lasted from the eve of the Third Great Ninja War until its end, a full five years. During this period, the forces of Iwa, Suna, and Kumo worked together (though they were not always allied) to push the front line from the Land of Rain all the way into the Land of Fire.
Ultimately, it led to...
The battle with the heaviest casualties for Konoha in the Third Great Ninja War—
The Battle of Kikyō Pass (Platycodon Mountain).
Therefore, Uchiha Ci actually wanted to go to this place even more, precisely because it was a true meat grinder battlefield.
But the mission assignments were final. It was already great luck to get a mission at all.
He could only accept the results of the task assignment and had no other choice.
He was pondering another question.
In the original course of events, without his participation, Uchiha Shisui would have had no choice and would have gone to the Land of Yu, subsequently joining the battle against Kirigakure.
Without Uchiha Shi proactively seizing a spot, the doves would not have allowed Shisui to choose arbitrarily. Even if Shisui had volunteered, he would definitely have been assigned to the relatively safer Kirigakure front.
There, he eventually earned the title "Shunshin no Shisui" (Shisui of the Body Flicker).
Now,
Because of his appearance, the plot had quietly begun to change, flapping its wings like a butterfly.
Would Uchiha Shisui die in the Land of Rain because of this?
Without Shisui in the future, would Uchiha Itachi awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan and become the psychopath who slaughtered the entire clan?
Uchiha Shi suddenly realized:
The mere fact of his appearance, his will to "cheat the system" (or seek gains), and the choices he made had quietly changed many things.
Ahead, a fog seemed to have descended, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
This made him shudder violently.