He was fast, but not as precise as Itachi. So this guy isn't built for long-range combat.
Though it was merely a friendly spar, Uchiha Shisui, still fresh off the battlefield, instinctively reacted with full focus.
Wait… an explosive tag!?
At the tail end of one kunai, he suddenly noticed a slip of paper inscribed with complex seals. His instinct to dodge froze—not because of the danger to himself, but because Itachi was still nearby.
This kid!
In Shisui's Sharingan, the three tomoe spun rapidly, and the trajectory of the kunai slowed to a crawl.
No—it's fake!
Just as he realized the seal on the kunai was a decoy, Hyuga Yuzuru appeared, having used the distraction to close the distance.
"Nice strategy!" Shisui thought, inwardly impressed. It was a psychological tactic—he wasn't trying to injure, only to throw off Shisui's Body Flicker reflex.
A smart kid indeed.
But still not enough.
Without even drawing the sword on his back, Shisui casually flicked a kunai. It deflected the incoming one with a sharp ping, then ricocheted again to knock down two more—before curving ominously toward Hyuga Yuzuru himself.
Yuzuru didn't dodge. Just as the kunai's tip nearly grazed his Byakugan, a puff of smoke exploded in front of him.
Substitution Jutsu—already maxed out in his system.
That's… fast!
Before Shisui could admire the substitution's speed, Yuzuru had already stepped inside his guard.
Eight Trigrams Palm?
No. He's just using his Byakugan to read the movement of my chakra, then intercepting my movement path with footwork.
"Haah!"
With a low shout, Yuzuru's fists shimmered with chakra.
"Strong, too!" Shisui praised, and from the sidelines, Itachi took a deep breath—not of jealousy, but focus.
Observation was more important than envy.
He had never observed Yuzuru's combat style this closely before.
Shisui easily deflected Yuzuru's strikes with palm blocks and minor pivots. "But that alone isn't enough to break my defense," he said with a smile.
The three-tomoe Sharingan rotated slowly, and every attack Yuzuru made seemed increasingly transparent and easy to read.
But Yuzuru, too, was analyzing—mentally dissecting his own performance and considering his next evolutionary path.
Suddenly, Shisui blinked away, evading a sneakily thrown kunai meant to catch him off guard.
Lack of mobility options, Yuzuru thought.
Shisui sidestepped another heavy punch with ease.
Lack of truly threatening offensive tools. Gentle Fist isn't maxed yet. Even if it were, how strong could it really be?
The tomoe in Shisui's eyes spun faster.
Lack of… genjutsu resistance.
Yuzuru stumbled, falling to one knee.
"Alright, the match is over," Shisui announced.
[Battle Complete. Gained Free EXP: 271]
That's four or five times more than beating up Itachi!
The dizziness faded quickly. Yuzuru was silent for a moment, and just as Shisui worried he may have broken the boy's spirit—
"Wow, that was amazing!" Yuzuru looked up with an admiring smile.
"Ah… I-It wasn't that amazing," Shisui rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.
Yuzuru's sincerity was disarming. Being stared at by such a bright-eyed kid made even Shisui, a battlefield-hardened prodigy, feel awkward.
"Shisui-senpai, could you teach me the Body Flicker Technique?"
"It's just a D-rank movement jutsu. Teaching you should be no problem."
"What about how to break out of genjutsu? Just now, it felt like I passed out from an illusion in an instant… it's terrifying."
"Alright, we can start from the basics. Though, I heard the Hyuga clan isn't too fond of learning ninjutsu."
"I like it."
"…What?"
"Fire Release, Water Release, Wind Release… can you teach me any of those too?"
"Isn't that… a bit much? Can you really handle all that?"
"You just teach. I'll figure out the rest."
"…Alright then. Let's start with Body Flicker first?"
"Sounds great! Thank you, Shisui-senpai!"
Itachi and Izumi exchanged glances.
Did they just… get completely forgotten?
"I want to learn too!" Izumi suddenly scooted over.
Itachi hesitated for a moment, until Shisui ruffled his hair. "You too. It's about time you learned something new."
"…Okay!"
So under the guidance of the only eight-year-old genius Shisui, three kids began their own training journey.
…
That night, at the Hyuga household—
Lying on his stomach, Hyuga Yuzuru hummed a little tune as his mother applied ointment to the bruises on his back.
Floating before him were the glowing blue words of the system interface:
[Body Flicker (D): Level 1 (20/200)]
[Konoha-Style Taijutsu: Shadow Leaf Dance (C): Level 1 (17/400)]
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (C): Level 1 (27/400)]
[Genjutsu: Binding Illusion (D): Level 1 (12/200)]
[Genjutsu: Release (D): Level 1 (34/200)]
[Kunai Throwing Technique (E): Level 2 (139/200)]
In just one afternoon, Yuzuru had managed to wring five jutsu out of Uchiha Shisui. The throwing technique was something he'd already trained before, but now it was formalized and leveled up after entering the system's domain.
Shisui hadn't wanted him to overextend, but Yuzuru's gentle smile and polite demeanor were deceptively persuasive. With the excuse of "I'll just test it and drop what I can't handle," he'd even managed to snag the Great Fireball Technique.
Uchiha really were a clan of kind people!
"What kind of training are you doing to end up covered in bruises like this?" his mother scolded gently.
"Method acting."
"…Huh?"
"Today was a big win."
"…What?"
"In short, it was a beautiful day."
"Tch, always talking like your father—never giving a straight answer."
She playfully slapped his back, already red from the ointment. Yuzuru simply grinned and didn't flinch.
He slowly slipped into his white robe.
"Mom, I'm hungry."
"I know! Tonight's your favorite—steak!"
"Thank you!"
"Keep an eye on your little brother. If he cries, call Riko. She's on night duty. Don't count on your dad—he only knows how to rock the cradle."
As his mother left to prepare dinner, Yuzuru glanced at his father who was sulking quietly in the corner, and smiled warmly.
"I trained with Shisui-senpai today."
Hyuga Hiashi exhaled slowly and rubbed his temples.
"No surprise… the Uchiha have many techniques and jutsu. Not like our branch family instructors—either too old or too restricted."
Hiashi closed his eyes. Stay calm, stay calm…
"Too bad we branch members can't get too close to them. Otherwise, I'd crash their place for dinner and maybe learn a few more jutsu."
"You know you're not supposed to get too close. Why did you train with him!?" Hiashi snapped.
Yuzuru hummed, stretching lazily across the bed like he was about to melt into it.
"No one else teaches me."
He hugged his mother's pillow and lay there with a satisfied smile.
"Hmph."
Hiashi turned up his chin like a peacock about to start a fight.
"Wonder who else in the Hyuga clan could possibly teach me. If Shisui gets busy, maybe I should ask Lord Hiashi for some scrolls. Even if he's stingy, a few B-rank jutsu wouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
"…Hmph!"
Hiashi sipped his tea slowly, ignoring him.
"Maybe I'll show him my Rotation technique, see how it compares to the Main Family's version."
Pfft!
Tea sprayed across the table.
Hiashi stared at Yuzuru like he was a monster. "What did you just say!?"
"I said I taught myself Rotation."
Yuzuru strolled to the hallway, stepped into the garden, and-
Blue light flashed. A massive spiral of chakra burst briefly into the night air.
"You! Don't let anyone see that! Get back inside!"
"I've already shown it to Shisui-senpai. He said it's almost indistinguishable from the Main Family's version!"
"You showed an Uchiha!?"
"Of course. Otherwise, how else will everyone in the branch family know I can use Rotation?"
Father and son stared at each other in stunned silence.
Hiashi stood in the lit room. Yuzuru in the moonlit courtyard, his face faintly illuminated.
"Tomorrow morning, you're coming with me to see Lord Hiashi," Hiashi said grimly.
"Yes, Father! Oh, do you think Lord Hiashi would demonstrate Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms for me? I think if I see it a few more times…"
Something felt off.
Hiashi turned and grabbed Yuzuru, pressing him over his knee. "You little brat! Have I never hit you before? Forgotten who your father is!?"
Yuzuru flinched slightly, then turned and smiled. "Oh?"
"Try hitting me then."
"You dare-"
Just then, his wife entered with a tray. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
Hiashi froze. Slowly, he lowered his hand to Yuzuru's rear and gave it a very gentle pat. "Hmph."
Yuzuru caught his mother rolling her eyes—gracefully, subtly. A Hyuga version of sass.
"Dinner!"
"Gahaha!" From the cradle, baby Neji pointed at his dad and cackled with high-pitched glee.
Hiashi's face twisted, then relaxed into a cold smile.
The future is long.
************************
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!