The morning sun slowly climbed up, breaking the silent atmosphere.
Shinji, having tidied up, left for the small Training Ground at the edge of the Forest of Death. This was where Shinji had always trained his physique. Though not large, its quietness was its advantage.
The morning breeze gently swept by, rustling Shinji's clothes.
As a ninja from a civilian background, Shinji needed to complete mission objectives to exchange for Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. The only remaining ways to strengthen himself were to build a strong physique and skillfully use ninja tools.
Having completed his warm-up, Shinji closed his eyes and carefully sensed his surroundings. Then, with a flick of his hands, two shuriken appeared in his palms.
He looked at the two wooden stakes standing in the center of the Training Ground and the next second, one shuriken was thrown. Immediately after, another shuriken, at a ghostly angle, flew towards the first shuriken.
"This angle, I wonder if it will work…"
Shinji carefully observed the trajectories of the two shuriken.
The shuriken that was thrown later struck the first one, and after a spark, it changed its original trajectory.
Bang—
A sound of impact against the wooden stake rang out, signaling Shinji's yet another failure.
As expected, without the enhancement of the Sharingan, achieving this technique is exceptionally difficult.
Shinji took a deep breath, not disheartened. After all, throughout the entire story, the only person who could truly master shurikenjutsu was Itachi.
"Continue…"
The next second, Shinji resumed his shurikenjutsu practice, which in the eyes of outsiders, was less accurate than even a Genin from the Academy.
"Almost…"
"Still not working…"
With each practice, time slowly passed, and the sun gradually rose higher.
Shinji's state at this moment gradually made him forget everything around him. His eyes were only on the spinning shuriken and the two wooden stakes.
He was now getting a bit competitive, not out of anger or frustration. Rather, he suddenly realized that he seemed to be making some progress. After all, this time, both shuriken had embedded themselves in the wooden stakes. It was just that the target was still far from the angle he had anticipated.
"Hoo—"
Exhaling deeply, Shinji finally stopped his training.
He glanced at the sky, it was almost time to go to work at the Academy.
Untying the ninja tool pouch from his waist, Shinji began to slowly collect the shuriken scattered around.
These ninja tools were not cheap. To be precise, they were roughly equivalent to two months of Shinji's salary.
"Your practice is flawed…"
A strange voice rang out from not far away.
Shinji turned his head to look at the top of a tree next to the Training Ground. A shuriken sped towards the speaker with his gaze.
Then, he jumped, retreating away from his previous position.
Clang—
The sound of shuriken colliding rang out, and after a spark splashed, the shuriken Shinji threw and the shuriken the newcomer used to block were precisely embedded in the wooden stake. And that position was exactly the angle Shinji had been practicing.
"While this jutsu emphasizes angles, one cannot blindly adhere solely to this principle."
As his voice fell, a figure jumped down from the concealing tree. He raised his hands high, indicating to Shinji that he had no ill will.
A spiky haircut, and distinctive dark blue clothing.
Shinji recognized at a glance that this person was from the Uchiha clan.
Shinji straightened his body, his gaze fixed on the two shuriken in the wooden stake. This technique of using a shuriken to block an enemy's shuriken, thereby achieving the desired angle to strike the enemy. It all indicated that this Uchiha in front of him was not simple.
"Who are you?"
Shinji looked at the Uchiha, who was still holding his hands up, and couldn't help but ask.
"Shisui."
Shisui paused, then generously stated his name.
Damn!
Upon hearing that name, Shinji was first stunned, then his inner defenses immediately broke down.
What were the chances of encountering such a renowned genius from the Uchiha clan during training?
Shisui, though not a genius of the Uchiha clan who rose during the Third Great Ninja War, had achieved his reputation through countless missions.
"So, why are you here?"
Knowing the identity of the person in front of him, Shinji calmed down.
Hearing this, Shisui suddenly showed a hint of embarrassment. After all, observing a ninja's training, unless one is a Jonin Instructor, is a major taboo, regardless of the place or reason.
"Actually, I just happened to be passing by and saw you practicing. It reminded me a bit of a younger brother of mine from before, so I stopped to watch for a while."
"I am truly sorry."
After speaking, Shisui hastily bowed in apology.
"…"
Shinji, choked by Shisui's apology, was a bit speechless.
What could he do? The person had already apologized.
Moreover, the person in front of him was the strongest individual he had encountered since coming to this world, apart from Hiruzen.
Shinji waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, it was my own oversight."
Indeed, it was an issue with his own vigilance. At the same time, he secretly warned himself internally not to get so engrossed again. A slight carelessness could mean his life ending right here.
Shisui said, "Uh, as an apology, how about I tell you some techniques and precautions for practicing this jutsu?"
Shisui stood up, looked at Shinji, and pointed to the two shuriken on the wooden stake nearby.
"???"
Shinji was rather puzzled by this, as the Uchiha clan's current predicament in Konoha was mainly due to their own personalities. Hiruzen and Danzo's machinations played a role but they weren't the main factor.
While it wasn't to say that all of them were arrogant, an indifferent attitude like Itachi's was more common.
How was it that Shisui didn't display such a personality, but instead seemed a bit like…
Thinking this, Shinji couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious, as Shisui had only appeared once or twice in the entire story.
If it was because of this personality, it could indirectly explain why he became Itachi's mentor. Of course, he was referring to ideology.
Only such a straightforward person would be most likely to reach someone who has closed off their heart.
"Thank you, but perhaps another time. I need to go to the Academy for class now."
After saying this, Shinji felt his face flush slightly.
After all, compared to Shisui in front of him, with his strength, teaching students felt somewhat like misleading them.
"So you're a teacher? I'm truly sorry. I'll come again when I have a day off."
After speaking, Shisui apologized once more.
Shinji said nothing more. He waved his hand, and left. If he stayed any longer, he felt he would abandon the disparity in strength and spar with this Shisui.
What do you mean, "you're a teacher"? Can you even hold a conversation?