After their discussion, Naruto and the others resumed training. This time, they didn't avoid Kakashi—after all, Kakashi was considered half an ally now.
Still, everyone kept a portion of their true strength hidden.
In Konoha, caution was a way of life.
Naruto would never underestimate anyone, especially within the village. His power might already be overwhelming, but what if someone suddenly revealed a forbidden jutsu and aimed for mutual destruction?
If someone cast the Reaper Death Seal on him, he'd truly have no way out.
Back in the original events, the Third Hokage had resorted to that very jutsu against Orochimaru.
With the barrier trapping him, death was inevitable. In that desperate moment, his aura as the "Professor" and Hero of the Shinobi truly shone through—if he had to die, it would be for Konoha.
Perhaps that was what Orochimaru had anticipated, but the outcome wasn't in his favor. Instead of dying, Orochimaru lost the use of both arms.
Now, each of the three trained in their own way. Kakashi was working on developing Chidori Current, a Lightning Release variation of his original technique.
Sasuke, however, was buried in books. His crimson Sharingan spun, memorizing every page like a camera shutter. But memory wasn't comprehension—what he needed was to internalize the knowledge.
Kakashi's interest in Chidori Current had actually been sparked by Naruto's subtle nudges. Originally, Naruto had wanted Sasuke to experiment with his own techniques earlier, saving time and giving him individuality. But Kakashi became intrigued as well, and began working on it alongside Sasuke.
That was until Sasuke saw Naruto casually demonstrate the Railgun technique. One glance was enough—its sheer cool factor immediately hooked him. Sasuke claimed he wanted stronger ninjutsu, but Naruto suspected his true motivation was simply showing off.
Because of this detour, Sasuke fell behind Kakashi in developing Chidori Current, but he didn't care. To him, the Railgun would far outclass Chidori anyway.
For now, Sasuke could only use coins as projectiles, unleashing bursts of power roughly at a D-rank level. Technically, any metal would do, but after watching Naruto's demonstration, Sasuke carried a pocketful of coins everywhere he went.
Meanwhile, Naruto had turned his focus toward sealing arts. The deeper one studied fūinjutsu, the harder it became. He still hadn't fulfilled his promise to Neji to undo the Caged Bird seal.
His Heaven Rewards Diligence ability gave him an edge, but it wasn't an instant solution. In the end, progress still depended on his own effort.
Even so, Naruto felt he was close to cracking the Caged Bird curse mark. The seal represented generations of the Hyūga main family's accumulated knowledge—even touching upon the mysteries of the soul.
In unraveling it, Naruto himself had begun to grasp faint insights into the soul.
Immersed in the sea of sealing knowledge, he ignored the familiar system-like voice echoing in his mind:
[Caged Bird comprehension +5, Fūinjutsu mastery +3, Soul cognition +0.5…]
Naruto tuned it out and sank deeper into focus.
While Naruto trained with unwavering dedication, far away, the Umbrella Organization had gathered in a desolate plain devoid of life.
There, Uchiha Shisui, clad in a fitted combat suit, stood with sword in hand. Opposite him was Uchiha Izumi.
Shisui's three-tomoe Sharingan gleamed, radiating pressure. Izumi's eyes spun with the same crimson tomoe, a white short blade poised in her grip.
Shisui moved first. In a blur, he split into dozens of afterimages, blades descending on Izumi from all angles.
Izumi didn't flinch. Her Sharingan tracked every illusion, her blade cutting down several figures. But the ones she struck suddenly solidified—their attacks real.
Her scalp prickled. She instinctively raised her blade to guard her chest—just as a chilling edge pressed against the back of her neck.
Shisui had already shifted behind her.
"You've lost again, Izumi," Shisui said calmly, his sword grazing her pale skin.
Izumi only smiled wryly, unfazed by the outcome. "Your Body Flicker Technique keeps improving, Shisui."
He sheathed his sword, nodding. "And your strength has grown too. What you lack now is experience."
Though inexperienced, Izumi's Mangekyō Sharingan granted her abilities that could compensate, giving her a fighting chance even against powerful foes.
As for Shisui, his own Mangekyō eyes were long gone—one stolen by Danzō, the other entrusted to Itachi. The pair he wielded now was an ordinary set of three-tomoe Sharingan, recovered by Naruto during their raid on Danzō's base.
But borrowed eyes could never evolve into Mangekyō.
Over the years, Shisui had tried to push this set further, but the result never changed: without one's own eyes, there was no evolution.
Because fragments of his Mangekyō's ocular power still lingered, Shisui's three-tomoe Sharingan was far stronger than an ordinary one.
"Not at all. My strength is still far from yours, Shisui."
Izumi shook her head. She wasn't being modest—she truly believed it. Even if she activated her Mangekyō Sharingan, she wasn't confident she could defeat Shisui.
Though he now only possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan, Shisui's growth over the past two years had been remarkable.
With the ninjutsu Naruto had shared with him, and the funds earned from the merchant guild supporting his training, Shisui never wasted an opportunity. Even on the busiest days, he'd send out shadow clones to continue training.
As one of Naruto's most loyal supporters, Shisui was also among the first to adopt the martial arts cultivation method Naruto had devised.
Progress had slowed as he reached higher levels, a bottleneck that even the Five Kage would find familiar. Without an advanced method to break through, one's strength could only go so far.
Currently, Shisui's cultivation had nearly reached the bone refinement stage. Once he completed it, his stamina and resilience would increase drastically—and his Body Flicker Technique, already feared across the shinobi world, would become even deadlier.
If he managed to complete the martial arts path and fuse it seamlessly with the chakra system, Shisui would be walking both roads—martial arts and ninjutsu. At that point, his power would rival that of a newly ascended Super Kage.
"Don't be so modest. I know your strength," Shisui said with a small smile before changing the subject. "By the way, how are Zechuan and Qinying doing these days?"
He was referring to two of the remaining Uchiha youths. Years had passed, and the surviving clan children—barely a dozen in number—had grown into teenagers. The youngest was around ten, the oldest about sixteen.
Shisui always kept a close eye on them, aware that they carried the future of the Uchiha name. When assigning missions, he avoided placing them in situations with high risk, but he still ensured they gained experience through trials of blood and fire.
As the head of all Umbrella's affairs, Shisui had entrusted the daily care of the younger Uchiha to Yu and Izumi. Of the two, Izumi spent more time with them—Yu, being Shisui's right hand, was often consumed by other duties.
Still, Shisui made it a point to delegate whenever possible. Naruto had told him more than once that a true leader must know how to share responsibility.
Each time, Shisui would shoot him a resentful glare, while Naruto could only give an awkward smile. After all, most of the actual burden had been placed on Shisui's shoulders.
...
TN:
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