"A Sharingan?! This kid is actually…"
Under Qianyu's grief-stricken gaze, the water blade, for some reason, stopped right at the center of his forehead.
The black-haired man stared deeply at him. Then, his entire body instantly dissolved into a puddle of water, splashing across the ground.
"Hah… hah…"
As if he had never been there, the street was empty save for Qianyu, hands on his knees, gulping air, riding the adrenaline high of a near-death experience.
"Fucking hell," Qianyu cursed under his breath.
Every damn time he started feeling good about his progress, some even more monstrous bastard would pop up and slap him back to reality. It was the worst.
As for who that guy was…
The Third Mizukage?
No. Qianyu had a strong feeling the "presence" he'd just faced… was Madara Uchiha.
"If it was really him, then there shouldn't have been any other observers. No need to worry about the Sharingan being exposed."
Qianyu forced down the anxious knot in his chest, making himself think calmly.
"So… why did he spare me?"
He knew he was probably safe for now. But being noticed by something lurking in the shadows meant future trouble. Big, terrifying trouble.
…
The next day, Qianyu was at home, gritting his teeth through his Living Puppet Blood Refinement training. Every so often, he'd activate his Sharingan and admire it in the mirror. Still looked cool.
The Chunin Exams were over, but the official promotion list and new assignments would take a few days. With all the village bigwigs and foreign elites gathered, it was prime time for backroom deals, alliances, and political maneuvering. Konoha's higher-ups were no exception—everything else could wait.
"Brother Qianyu, you home? I brought the idiot who offended you yesterday to apologize."
Just as Qianyu was deep in his training, Fugaku Uchiha's voice came from outside.
Qianyu hopped off the bed and opened the door. Sure enough, it was Fugaku and a very reluctant-looking Nami Uchiha.
"Well? Apologize!"
Nami was rooted to the spot, neck stiff and silent. Fugaku gave him an irritated shove.
"No need, Brother Fugaku."
Qianyu smiled, waving it off. "My spar with Brother Nami yesterday taught me a lot. Any hard feelings are long gone."
"If anyone needs an apology, it should be to Mikoto. Not me."
He'd gotten his gropes in, his system rewards, and nearly skewered the guy. His temper was settled. No point making an enemy over pride. Handle it right, and he might even gain a useful connection.
"Brother Qianyu, you're truly magnanimous."
At those words, Nami's expression softened noticeably. So did Fugaku's. He'd come to make amends, but if Qianyu had been pushy or arrogant, it would have left a sour taste.
"Tch. You're alright, kid. I, Nami Uchiha, acknowledge you. But that doesn't mean I'm handing Mikoto over!"
Qianyu chuckled inwardly at Nami's bizarre version of a peace offering. Perfect.
For a prickly guy like him, you had to beat him first, then give him face. Easy recognition.
"I noticed during our fight yesterday. You use a long sword, but you don't have a proper one, right?"
As he spoke, Nami reached back, drew the katana from his own back, and tossed it to Qianyu with a casual flourish.
"Mistakes deserve punishment. Here. This one's decent. Consider it my apology."
Shing.
Qianyu caught the sword and drew the blade. A cold gleam cut through the dim room.
In a ninja village, money alone couldn't buy a good blade. Master smiths worked exclusively for the big clans, and Qianyu wasn't about to ask favors from Nawaki or others for something like this…
"It really is a fine blade. Looks familiar, though."
Qianyu admired the expertly crafted weapon before sheathing it, pleased.
Beside him, Fugaku's face had gone dark. "Nami! You can't just give away a Konoha Military Police Force Captain's issued sword!"
"Eh, minor details." Nami waved a hand dismissively. "Just have the clan commission me another one later, Clan Head."
"Get out of here. You're just using clan resources to make your own gesture!" Fugaku swatted him on the back of the head, laughing despite himself. The sword was valuable, but if it smoothed things over with Qianyu completely, it was worth it.
"Hey, Qianyu. If you ever get into trouble, just drop my name. I've got plenty of pull in the Police Force."
Before leaving, Nami clapped Qianyu on the shoulder, puffing out his chest with pride.
"Well… wouldn't Brother Fugaku's name work even better?"
Nami stumbled, almost face-planting, then hurried away faster.
Qianyu hid a smirk. Couldn't let guys like him get too comfortable. Had to keep him on his toes.
…
Qianyu saw Fugaku and Nami off. He was about to resume his training when another knock came at the door.
"Senior Might Duy? What brings you here?"
The moment Qianyu opened the door, Might Duy grabbed his hand, face full of urgency. "Young man! I need your help!"
After the Chunin Exams, Konoha's next big event was the preliminary assessments for the Ninja Academy's new enrollment. To help his son combat pre-test nerves, Duy had taken Might Guy to train near the Academy earlier that day.
"Youth must not be betrayed! Let our burning youth continue to blaze, Guy!"
"Yosh!"
Led by Duy, two figures in green spandex moved down the street outside the Academy gates… on their hands. One handprint after another, sweat dripping. In the sunset, their shadows stretched long. A perfect picture of effort.
Then, at the street corner, Duy ran into two former teammates—the ones he'd "screwed over" on missions before.
The moment they saw him, nasty grins split their faces.
"Well, look who it is. The Eternal Genin. Not busy chasing cats or walking dogs? Playing ninja with his kid again, huh? Haha!"
"What's the point of all that muscle? Should train his brain instead. Might actually make Chunin one day."
"What a headache. If he even has a brain! Hahahaha!"
They burst into laughter together, their contempt thick in the air.
"What are you saying?! Don't you dare insult my father!!"
Guy's face flushed red with anger. He flipped onto his feet, ready to charge, but Duy's hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Yosh! Thank you for your advice!"
Duy held Guy back with one hand and gave the two ninja a brilliant thumbs-up with the other, his tone utterly sincere.
"What a coward. Even his kid has more spine."
"Boring. Let's go, mission's waiting…"
Having failed to get a rise, the two ninja muttered in annoyance and left.
"Father… you're a coward! No wonder you'll always be a Genin!"
Humiliated and furious, Guy shook off Duy's hand and stormed away, ignoring all his calls.
"…Guy's ashamed. And because of his useless father, he's losing confidence in becoming a ninja." Duy sighed.
"Senior Duy, what do you want me to do?"
After hearing the story, Qianyu was confused. "A matter between father and son… I'm not sure how I can help."
"You can! I took Guy to watch your match yesterday. He's been talking non-stop about you, using you as his role model!"
Duy pleaded urgently. "If a superb ninja like you could encourage him, he'd reignite the fires of his youth in no time!"
"Ah… well… alright then."
Seeing the raw hope in Duy's eyes, Qianyu couldn't refuse. Besides, he'd been thinking about how to acquire the later gates of the Eight Gates. If he really ran into Madara Uchiha, he needed more than a fancy eye to fight back.
If he helped Duy with this, then asking to continue learning the Eight Gates later… the man probably wouldn't refuse, right?
Alright. Side Quest: Eight Gates – Accepted.
Madara Uchiha, you better not come looking for trouble. Or one of these days, when I'm pissed off enough, I'll kick your ass back to the Stone Age! Qianyu thought darkly.
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