"Tsk… learning the Spirit Transformation Technique won't actually be that hard for me. At worst it just costs some time… It's trying to fuse it with Summons of the Damned that's going to be a real headache."
Uchiha Feiyu was still young, but thanks to the many souls he controlled, his proficiency with the basic five nature transformations was already impressive. Even in more difficult fields like sealing jutsu and medical ninjutsu, he had at least stepped through the door.
The problem was that all of this was learned through possession—borrowing skills via souls. He was, essentially, a textbook case of "knows how to use it, doesn't know how it's built."
Trying to modify one of the most profound soul-based techniques in existence on that foundation… that really was like a tiger trying to eat the sky—no idea where to even bite.
"Looks like I really should pick Orochimaru's brain a bit. Since I already call him 'sensei', I'd be an idiot not to use that."
He paused.
"The only question is whether he'll actually teach me anything about the soul. If he does have his eye on me as a future vessel for Living Corpse Reincarnation, he's not going to want me too educated in soul techniques."
sigh…
"I don't even know when Orochimaru will attempt his first body swap. It'd be great if I could volunteer as a test subject and just yoink his soul away on the spot with Summons of the Damned. That'd be 100% safe, double insurance…"
After fantasizing for a moment about betraying his own teacher, Feiyu eventually sighed and shelved the idea. Right now he wasn't even sure Orochimaru would choose him as a vessel.
Yes, Feiyu was strong—but his talent specifically with the Sharingan was clearly only average. Even by now he'd only reached the two-tomoe stage, and that was with Summons of the Damned cheating for him.
Orochimaru was a proud genius in his own right. He never believed anyone's talent eclipsed his own. The only reason he coveted bloodlines like the Sharingan was because they depended on inheritance, not on personal effort. That made them perfect "loot" in his eyes.
Feiyu set aside the question of altering the Spirit Transformation Technique, but he did not stop training it.
After all, it was still an S-rank jutsu that greatly enriched his toolkit. Even if he never combined it with Summons of the Damned, just practicing it would sharpen his mental power and deepen his understanding of Yin Release.
And in any case—if you haven't even trained the base version properly, how can you talk about modifying it?
Besides Spirit Transformation, Feiyu didn't neglect the other jutsu he'd chosen from the Scroll of Seals. He had picked out several very practical A- and B-rank techniques: the genjutsu Bringer-of-Darkness Technique (Blackout Illusion), Lightning Body Flicker, and a handful of others.
At the same time, Feiyu began focusing hard on his chakra nature and shape transformation. With the help of possessing various ninja souls, his progress there was anything but slow.
His daily schedule became packed to the point of insanity:
Morning: practice Spirit Transformation Technique
Late morning: work on jutsu from the Scroll of Seals
Midday: nap, then refine White Fang's sword style
Evening: possession training, grinding nature and shape transformation
Under this kind of schedule, Feiyu had basically cut off all outside contact, slipping into something like a self-imposed, slightly masochistic closed-door training regime.
Naturally, he had no idea that his name was echoing all over Konoha.
Orochimaru's personal disciple.
The "Konoha Ghost" who'd slaughtered hundreds of Sand and Stone ninja.
The man who had personally killed Elder Chiyo of the Sand…
The one who infiltrated the enemy camp and claimed the souls of both Chiyo and the Fourth Kazekage, forcing Sunagakure to surrender.
One feat after another had made Uchiha Feiyu the rising star of Konoha's new generation. If he weren't such a low-key type, always slipping out early to train and coming back late, he'd probably be tripping over admirers by now.
Uchiha Compound – Naka Shrine.
The newly minted clan head Uchiha Fugaku, not even two years into his tenure, was in the shrine with several elders. Their topic of discussion was, unsurprisingly, Uchiha Feiyu.
"That brat from outside the clan has really been hogging the spotlight lately."
One elder, whose expression was perpetually cold and severe, spoke in a hard voice:
"He's overshadowing our true-born Uchiha. And his Sharingan is only at two tomoe."
The one-eyed elder beside him rolled his remaining eye and snorted.
"Two tomoe? Heh. I don't recall Hatake Sakumo even having a Sharingan. Why don't you go call him 'just a White Fang' too?"
"Strong is strong. Yes, the Uchiha Sharingan is a top-tier bloodline in the ninja world—but it's not some 'I win automatically' button. In the end, the strong one is always the person, not the bloodline."
"Forget everything else. Just look at the First Hokage's Wood Release. Even a Mangekyō Sharingan can't compare. Wood Release is just another dual-element kekkei genkai like Ice Release or Magnet Release—so why is it peerless? Because the one using it was the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama."
"Now we've got this kid making a name for himself and turning heads, and what are you doing, Uchiha Fenghuo? Instead of figuring out how to mend fences and bring him into the clan, you're here whining like some sour old crone!"
At that, Uchiha Fenghuo's face turned completely black. He lowered his head, then muttered under his breath:
"Uncle Yedotu… I was just talking. But seriously—if that brat is so strong, how come his eyes are only at two tomoe?"
The Uchiha might be prideful and rebellious as a rule, but this was Fenghuo's own blood uncle, so there wasn't much room for attitude.
"We Uchiha tend to get stronger as our Sharingan develops—but no one ever said you're automatically weak if your eyes don't evolve."
"Forget the Sharingan. Haven't there always been Uchiha who never awakened it at all, yet still became Jōnin?"
"And another thing: a fifteen-year-old Uchiha with a two-tomoe Sharingan? That's not bad talent at all."
"It only looks a little 'behind' because his overall strength is too monstrous. Compared to that, his Sharingan progression just looks less impressive."
When he finished, Uchiha Yedotu turned his gaze to the young clan head Fugaku.
"A genius like that? We absolutely should bring him back under the Uchiha umbrella."
"Whatever his origins, he is an Uchiha. He carries the same Sharingan we do."
"Even if, at first, he doesn't feel much attachment to the clan, we can't let him develop any resentment toward us either. You don't want the rest of the village's clans laughing at us, do you?"
"And don't forget—this brat is now Orochimaru's disciple. Orochimaru has a very real shot at becoming the Fourth Hokage. That makes this a rare chance for our clan to step into Konoha's upper echelons."
"For years we've been penned up in the Uchiha Police Force. On paper we're one of Konoha's 'two great clans', but in practice we've always been kept at arm's length."
"If we can use this opportunity to get a foot into the leadership circle, we might finally become truly integrated into the village."
"So don't treat this as some minor matter, Clan Head. No matter what, you must make sure Uchiha Feiyu feels the warmth of the clan."
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