Autumn, Konoha Year 54.
A constant breeze. Gentle sunlight.
In the back courtyard of the Uchiha clan district, the maple leaves were so red they looked like they were on fire, rustling as they swayed in the wind.
At this moment, three-and-a-half-year-old Sasuke was copying his big brother's movements, hurling a shuriken with all his strength.
Whoosh!
Tap.
It hit the bullseye.
But it didn't sink in—just bounced and fell.
His aim was there, but the power…
Not enough.
Drip.
Drip.
Sweat slid down both sides of his face to his chin, then dropped onto the collar embroidered with the Uchiha fan crest.
"Whew… I'm tired."
He paused, then turned to go wash his face.
But when he saw that lazy figure sprawled atop the courtyard wall, his brows knitted uncontrollably.
"Hey!" Sasuke shook out his sore wrist and snapped in disgust. "The sun's almost down—how long are you planning to lie there?"
"Until the sun sets—or until One-Strike-Seven brings back three-color dango."
At that, Uchiha Ren rolled over, poking half his face out from under the blanket.
Sunlight filtered through the maple leaves beyond the wall, scattering mottled flecks of light across his face.
Four years had passed. The tiny child from back then had taken on the shape of a boy now.
His brows and eyes had grown sharper, his features more defined.
The only thing that hadn't changed was that—
That lazy, languid aura.
"Don't call him One-Strike-Seven! Call him Big Brother!"
Hearing "One-Strike-Seven," Sasuke's mood visibly worsened. Two veins even popped on his forehead.
"Do you know this? Big Brother graduated today as top of the entire academy!"
If his eldest brother, Uchiha Itachi, was his idol—
Then the second brother lying on that wall was nothing but a parasite in his eyes.
Lazy. Loud-mouthed.
That was Sasuke's only impression of Uchiha Ren.
For four years straight, every time he saw this brother, Ren was either sunbathing on the wall… or wandering around the village chatting idly with people!!
In every test, he always barely drifted past the passing line!
Dead last!
A total dead last!
Yet no matter how angry Sasuke got, Ren didn't argue back.
Instead, he actually—
Smiled?!
Seeing that smile on Ren's face, Sasuke finally snapped.
He grabbed a training shuriken, barking like a puppy that couldn't get milk.
"Uchiha Ren! You're disgracing the Uchiha name! I challenge you to a duel—"
"Shh. Don't talk. Listen." Ren suddenly raised a finger and waved it lightly. "The sky cleared. The rain stopped."
He looked so serious that Sasuke thought something had actually happened.
He subconsciously held his breath. All he could hear was the rustle of wind through maple leaves.
Nothing.
There wasn't any rain!
Damn it—Ren tricked me again!
Furious, Sasuke's anger spiked.
He had no idea that Ren was genuinely smiling.
Because prompts were flashing nonstop in front of his eyes.
[Conversation target: Uchiha Sasuke.]
[Copyable traits: Brother Complex (Black), Gets Stronger After Getting Beaten (Black), Child of Destiny (Color), Lightning Release Mastery (Purple), Tsundere (White), Shuriken Familiarity (White), Loud Voice (White).]
[Copy successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained Common Trait: Shuriken Familiarity (White).]
Ren hadn't only seen that trait once.
But every time he saw it, he couldn't help sighing—brother complexes really were complementary and mutually reinforcing.
And this tsundere trait… the kid hadn't even properly formed memories yet, and it was already showing up.
As for Gets Stronger After Getting Beaten?
Ren felt that probably had something to do with Sasuke's personality.
There was a saying for a reason: the sky clears, the rain stops, and Second Pillar thinks he's back on top.
Every time Sasuke got stronger, he was either getting beaten up—or on the way to find someone to beat him up.
And the worst part…
He always insisted on challenging people where he wasn't good, using their strongest points.
Wasn't that just a sickness?
Of course, after all these years, Ren had long since gotten used to it.
But the reason he was smiling wasn't because of that—
It was because of the system's new prompt.
[Ding. Congratulations, host. Sunbathing for 108 minutes: Chakra +108.]
[Ding. Current chakra: 1,000,000!]
[Congratulations, host. Chakra reserves have broken the one-million mark. Conversation-copy success rate: 5% → 10%.]
[Defeat-copy success rate: 50% → 75%.]
[Corpse-plunder trait count: 1 → 1–2.]
This was why Ren was smiling.
The system had changed.
More accurately—evolved.
Especially the conversation-copy rate. Going from a single digit to double digits wasn't "just" a five percent increase.
The impact was far greater.
And the defeat-copy rate…
Seventy-five percent was practically guaranteed.
Thinking that, Ren couldn't help glancing at Second Pillar.
Didn't he have a ready-made test subject right here?
Sasuke, of course, had no idea. He gripped a kunai, stared at Ren with a cold face, and declared,
"Hmph! Stupid Uchiha Ren—I, Uchiha Sasuke, challenge you to a duel!"
Ren waved a hand and chuckled.
"Sasuke… have you ever lost?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Sasuke froze, frowning in confusion.
Swish!
But right then, Ren casually tossed out a single shuriken.
Sasuke's forehead vein jumped again.
"You're looking down on me that much?! I'll make you regret it!"
He was just about to charge—
When his vision suddenly blurred.
That one shuriken…
Became twelve in an instant!
They screamed toward him from bizarre angles!
Swish swish swish!
Sasuke's pupils shrank violently.
The trajectories of those shuriken were changing mid-flight!
In the end, they pinned him precisely in place!
The corners of his clothes, the tips of his hair, even the seams under his arms—metallic cold light pierced through all of it, yet didn't scratch his skin even a little!
Drip.
A drop fell from his cheek—he couldn't even tell if it was cold sweat or hot sweat anymore.
Sasuke stood there blankly, frozen.
A ridiculous thought suddenly surfaced in his mind—
Could sunbathe… really make you stronger?
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