Upon returning home, Luke went straight to the bathroom. He stood before the cracked mirror and stuck out his tongue.
As expected, a pitch-black, intricate ink design crawled across the muscle—the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. It was the standard "leash" for every member of Root.
If Luke's memory served him correctly, the seal's effect was simple but absolute: if he attempted to speak about specific sensitive topics related to Danzo or Root's internal secrets, his entire body would be paralyzed, leaving him a helpless statue.
It was Danzo's ultimate insurance policy. Even if a member were captured or attempted to defect, they couldn't leak a word.
"If it's just a gag order, I can live with it," Luke muttered, his eyes narrowing in the mirror. "But if Danzo can trigger this paralysis remotely... then he doesn't just own my silence. He owns my life."
He wracked his brain, searching for a way to break the seal based on his knowledge of the original world's timeline.
"Aside from Danzo dying, there aren't many options."
In the original history, no one truly 'cracked' this seal. Those who left Root to join the Anbu under the Third Hokage might have had it removed by Hiruzen's specialists, but otherwise, it only faded when the caster's heart stopped beating.
But Danzo wasn't some glass-cannon mage in a video game who would just die if you ignored him. He was a paranoid old shadow who spent most of his time hunkered down in the Root Base, likely carrying a dozen 'extra lives' in the form of forbidden techniques.
Luke assessed his current strength and quickly shelved the idea of assassinating Danzo. For now.
"My only leads are Orochimaru or my own research," Luke realized.
Technically, it was only one lead. He had no way to contact the Snake Sannin without alerting the village—or Danzo.
Luke checked the clock. It was time. He activated his Sensory Ninjutsu, feeling the distinct, bright flicker of Shisui's chakra approaching.
He stepped out into the courtyard. Danzo seemed to trust the original host's loyalty; Luke had scanned the perimeter multiple times and found no hidden Root observers.
Timing it perfectly for Shisui's arrival, Luke began a rapid sequence of hand signs. He flooded his lungs with chakra, his chest expanding as he unleashed his full elemental mastery.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive sphere of roaring orange flame, nearly eight meters high, erupted from his mouth. The heat was instantaneous and oppressive. The wooden training dummy at the center of the yard didn't just catch fire—it vanished into ash in a heartbeat, leaving the ground beneath it a scorched, blackened crater.
Shisui, just stepping through the gate, froze. The sheer scale of the fireball reflected in his wide eyes.
The Great Fireball was a C-Rank technique, but rank only determined the difficulty of learning. In the hands of an expert, it was a weapon of mass destruction. Shisui was certain that even the Jonin of his own clan couldn't produce a flame this intense. They simply couldn't convert chakra to fire with that kind of efficiency or speed.
"Teacher Luke... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt your training," Shisui blurted out, bowing quickly once the heat dissipated.
"It's no trouble. I was just finishing up," Luke said, exhaling a thin trail of smoke. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and gestured toward the house. "Come in."
Inside, Luke poured two glasses of water. He handed one to Shisui and leaned back, his expression turning serious.
"The reason the Uchiha are viewed the way they are today... it started long ago, with your former clan leader, Madara Uchiha."
Shisui nodded slowly. "Our records say the Leader simply left the village."
"If he had just walked away, the world would be a different place," Luke said softly. "But he returned with the intention of burning Konoha to the ground. If the First Hokage hadn't been there to stop him, none of us would be standing here today."
Shisui fell into a heavy silence.
"But it didn't end there," Luke continued. "The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was a pragmatist. Madara's betrayal made him wary of the Uchiha's power. He created policies to keep the clan busy—like the Police Force—which effectively isolated the Uchiha from the rest of the village's administration."
He explained how the Uchiha 'hawks' reacted with anger, which led to Anbu surveillance, which led to more resentment—a vicious cycle that buried the clan's heroic founding under a mountain of mutual distrust.
"I didn't realize... it was so complicated," Shisui whispered.
"There were those who tried to bridge the gap," Luke said, steering the conversation. "Uchiha Kagami was the most successful among them."
"Teacher Luke," Shisui asked tentatively, "what kind of man was he to you?"
Shisui had never met his grandfather. He had heard the clan elders speak of his strength and his genius, but it always felt like they were talking about a weapon, not a man.
"He was an Uchiha who truly carried the Will of Fire," Luke said after a thoughtful pause. "He turned himself into a bridge, connecting the clan to the village, trying to heal the wounds that Madara and Tobirama left behind."
It wasn't a list of accolades, but to Shisui, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.
"I... I want to be an Uchiha like my grandfather!" Shisui declared, his eyes burning with resolve. In his excitement, the word slipped out. "I want to follow in Grandfather's footsteps."
"Grandfather?" Luke tilted his head, acting surprised.
Shisui realized his mistake. He wasn't trying to hide it out of shame, just a desire not to use his family name for favors. He came clean immediately.
"Teacher Luke, please don't worry about the 'debt' you mentioned. If you could just visit his grave sometime, I think he would be happy enough," Shisui said.
"A debt to the man who saved my family cannot be ignored so easily," Luke countered. "How about this, Shisui? Would you be willing to become my formal disciple?"
Shisui hesitated. He felt like Luke was giving too much. But he also saw the genuine warmth in his teacher's eyes—a rare sight for an Uchiha in Konoha. He didn't want to insult such a kind man.
"Teacher Luke," Shisui said, bowing deeply.
[Establishing Mentor-Disciple Bond with Shisui Uchiha...] [Connection Successful. Current Trust Level: 2] [Unlocked: Zenith Synchronization & Legacy Rebate]
Luke's heart hammered in his chest as he read the descriptions. Zenith Synchronization meant that as Shisui grew stronger, Luke would receive a feedback loop of power. At Trust Level 2, the feedback was doubled. If Shisui gained 1 point of Chakra, Luke gained 2!
Legacy Rebate allowed him to gift items to his disciple once a day in exchange for a random, high-tier reward from the system.
Luke reached into his desk and pulled out a small, hand-written booklet. It was the Fire Release manual he had prepared earlier that afternoon.
"This is a manual on Fire Nature Transformation I put together," Luke said, his voice turning stern. "Take it and study. I will be checking your progress regularly. As your teacher, I will be strict. I won't go easy on you just because of your grandfather."
If Shisui gets stronger, I get twice as strong, Luke thought. I'm going to be the strictest teacher in history.
"Thank you, Teacher Luke! I won't let you down!" Shisui gripped the booklet as if it were made of gold. The strictness didn't bother him; it proved Luke was taking him seriously as an individual.
[You have gifted your disciple a Nature Transformation Manual.] [Critical Success! Disciple's gratitude is immense.] [Reward: Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique (Proficiency: Skilled)]
An explosion of muscle memory filled Luke's mind. He felt as though he had performed the Great Dragon Fire ten thousand times.
Unlike the Great Fireball, the Great Dragon Fire was a B-Rank jutsu that prioritized precision and flexibility over raw size. He could now compress the hand signs into a single seal and launch three massive fire dragons simultaneously.
Luke looked at Shisui. This wasn't a boy; this was a walking, talking gold mine.
"It's getting late," Luke said, noticing the sunset. "I should walk you home. I don't want your family worrying."
"It's okay, Teacher. I can walk back. I'm... actually living alone right now," Shisui said with a small, polite wave.
Luke paused. He remembered now—Shisui's parents were never mentioned in the records, likely dying shortly after his birth. Between the two of them, they couldn't even scrounge up a single living parent.
"My uncle checks on me often, though," Shisui added, seeing Luke's expression.
Luke nodded and let him go. He didn't want to push too hard on the first day. There would be plenty of time to build rapport.
As Shisui walked home, flipping through the manual and thinking about the massive fireball he'd seen earlier, his curiosity about Luke Mugetsu grew.
As a prodigy, Shisui had met many Uchiha elites. He knew what power looked like. He couldn't understand why a man as strong and knowledgeable as Luke was "just" a Chunin teaching at the Academy. The Academy usually only taught the basics; they didn't need a master of fire.
Back at the house, Luke stared out at the darkening village, his heart racing with anticipation for tomorrow.
He had classes all day. He would finally meet Might Guy and Obito Uchiha. What kind of potential would the system see in them? And more importantly—what rewards would they bring?