Chapter 9 – He Is Amamiya Rei, and He Is About to Begin Lying
A low, rasping laugh — more beast than human — scraped past Amamiya Rei's throat as he dragged Uchiha Shisui's limp body into the room by the ankles. The sound of flesh sliding against wood echoed in the silence, raw and unsettling, like a corpse being hauled to its grave.
He did not rush to heal Shisui's wounds. Instead, Rei swallowed hard, he hunger gnawing at him overwhelming his restraint. His lips trembled, eyes dark with a hunger that was both physical and something far more primal. Slowly, almost reverently, Rei lowered his head and bit into Shisui's torn flesh.
He was careful.
Not too much. Not in one place.
Rei feared that if Shisui woke, he would sense something amiss — so instead of tearing off a large chunk in one bite, Rei deliberately bit from different wounds, each no larger than the size of a quail's egg. The scattered marks would not arouse suspicion the way a single, gaping wound would.
[Ding!]
[Scanning...]
[Scan complete.]
[Congratulations, Host has obtained "Uchiha Shisui Flesh Chunk" ×4.]
[Analyzing...]
[Analysis complete.]
[Contained abilities: Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu, Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu, Phantom Body Flicker Technique, Sharingan...]
[Converting...]
[Conversion complete.]
[Uchiha Shisui Flesh Chunk x4 = Phantom Body Flicker Technique, Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu, Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu, Shadow Clone Technique + 1,200 minutes Sunlight Value + 12,000 Chakra.]
[High-quality meat detected — bonus awakened ability: Breath of Thunder, Seventh Form (Zenitsu Agatsuma's Technique).]
[Host, please strive to obtain more high‑quality flesh chunks!]
Jackpot. Absolute jackpot.
A shiver of triumph rippled through him. Power. Real, unfiltered power. Even in Muzan's grotesque body, wielding Thunder Breathing promised carnage.
And yet — irritation curdled the edge of his satisfaction.
Why... Shadow Clone Technique again?
He had already acquired it once. Drawing it a second time felt like a cruel joke. Could it be... the size of the meat fragment determined the quality of abilities extracted? Larger cuts yielding greater power, smaller ones weaker? Rei resolved to test that theory — on Shisui himself.
[Shadow Clone Technique ×2 detected — combine and upgrade?]
So it could be forged further!
Naturally, Rei confirmed without hesitation.
[Merging...]
[Merge complete.]
[Upgrading Shadow Clone Technique...]
[Upgrade complete.]
[Congratulations, Host — acquired Shadow Clone Technique I.]
[Shadow Clone Technique I: Enhanced version of the original. Clones possess greater durability and resilience. Collect five total to ascend to Version II.]
So the system was a forge — not only could he accumulate techniques, he could refine them.
If he collected multiple Sharingan fragments... could those be upgraded as well?
The thought alone filled him with anticipation.
He still had not drawn a Sharingan.
Should he... take another bite from Shisui?
Rei searched Shisui's body, eyes scanning for a suitable wound to strike again. After circling him several times, he sighed in frustration and withdrew. The risk was too great. The reward might be high, but the danger even higher.
At what age did Shisui awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan?He can barely remember. Rei needed him alive — and useful — for a long time to come. Killing him now, or being caught in the act, would ruin everything.
Resigning himself, Rei focused on treating Shisui's wounds. He poured nearly all his effort into healing — burning through an enormous portion of his chakra reserves in the process.
He currently held 27,000 total chakra. By the time he had completely healed Shisui's injuries, nearly 18,000 of it was gone.
The calculation sparked curiosity: how much chakra did Shisui himself possess?
"System, can you display Shisui's chakra level?"
[Uchiha Shisui Chakra: 20,000,000]
[Chakra continuously increasing...]
"...."
Rei's face went blank.
Enough said. Never asking again.
He slumped to the floor, hollow-eyed, and simply waited for Shisui to regain consciousness.
To avoid stepping into sunlight the next day, Rei made a quick trip down the mountain to purchase food supplies. It was not for himself — but if Shisui woke starving, it would draw suspicion. And after discovering Shisui's terrifying chakra reserves, Rei found his own appetite inexplicably gone.
Shisui stirred as dawn's first ashen light crept across the horizon.
The first flicker of awareness brought a flash of caution; unfamiliar surroundings sharpened his instincts. His hand darted instinctively toward the short sword at his side — but before he could react further, the door slid open.
Rei entered, carrying a wooden bowl of porridge that had sat overnight, likely already cold.
The wariness in Shisui's gaze eased instantly.
"Your wounds just healed," Rei murmured softly. "Drink some porridge. It will help you recover."
Nutrition. Strength. Do not starve yourself thin, he thought privately — though what he truly feared was losing valuable meat.
Rei knelt before Shisui, worry written openly across his face. It was not feigned. Shisui thinning out would indeed be a loss — to him.
Only then did Shisui fully recall the battle, the injuries, the girl who had saved him. A flicker of guilt surfaced — had he frightened her?
But then his eyes caught something else — his arm.
The wounds... had healed. Almost completely.
Only medical ninjutsu could do this.
Shisui's expression shifted in an instant.
The room spun for Rei — he barely registered movement before he was slammed to the floor. The porridge spilled across the boards as Shisui's hand closed around his throat, pinning him in place.
Shisui's hand locked around Rei's throat, pinning him with unyielding strength.
"Shisui?" Rei gasped, eyes wide with shock and confusion.
"You're a shinobi?"
There was no tremor in Shisui's grip. If Rei was a ninja, then everything — the meeting, the kindness, the vulnerability — had been calculated deception.
His chest burned with betrayal.
Red light flared in Shisui's pupils — the Sharingan fully active.
"Which village are you from?" he demanded, voice low and cold.
His hand tightened on Rei's neck, fury rising with each heartbeat.
Rei shook his head wildly, tears welling at the corners of his eyes. The fear in them was raw, unfeigned.
"I'm not... I'm not a shinobi... I don't know what you're talking about... Shisui—"
"Then how do you know medical ninjutsu?!" Shisui snapped, voice like a blade.
"It was my mother! She taught me!" Rei's words broke with sobs, his tears spilling freely.
Shisui froze, stunned by the sheer fragility of her crying face. His focus wavered — just for an instant.
That was all Rei needed.
From beneath the floorboards came a crack — wood splitting apart.
Vines burst upward, coiling around Shisui's limbs.
Rei tore free from his grip, collapsing to the side in a fit of coughing.
But Shisui moved faster still. The short blade flashed from its sheath; in a heartbeat, the vines were severed, scattering in green fragments across the floor.
Without pause, he lunged and restrained Rei, binding him tightly.
"How do you possess Wood Release?" Shisui demanded, voice trembling with disbelief as his hands gripped Rei's shoulders.
Wood Release — the unique kekkei genkai of the Senju clan. Since the death of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, no one had awakened such power.
"I... I don't know what Wood Release is!" Rei cried, trembling violently. "This is something I've been able to do since I was little! Shisui, I'm not a ninja! I don't know anything! Why are you acting like this?!"
Her words silenced him.
His gaze dropped, unbidden, to the bruised ring forming faintly around Rei's neck. It was already fading — healing unnaturally fast — but its presence was a knife to his chest.
Slowly, his grip loosened. His fists clenched at his sides, veins rising along the backs of his hands.
"From now on, I'll ask questions," he said, forcing steadiness into his voice. "You answer them. That's all."
Realizing how harsh his voice sounded — like an interrogator to a captive — he softened, after a pause:
"Alright?"
Rei's forehead dropped to Shisui's shoulder, tears soaking through the fabric. His voice trembled, fragile as a wounded bird:
"If I answer your questions... will you go back to being the Shisui from before?"
The words struck Shisui's heart like a blade. He inhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm, and nodded. "Yes."
Rei sniffled, wiped his tears, and lifted his gaze.
"Ask, then."
I am Amamiya Rei, he thought.
And now... I begin to lie.
***