The blood-red setting sun bathed the training field in amber, the air thick with the scent of scorched earth, as if even the wind carried a searing heat.
Shisui Uchiha panted heavily, his gaze locked firmly on Ruri Uchiha across from him. His mind raced, quickly calculating his next move, plotting how to secure victory.
"Shisui, your Fire Style （Katon）far outclasses mine."
Ruri's voice held a hint of teasing, but his eyes were sharp and focused, his expression serious.
Shisui snapped out of his thoughts. He inhaled deeply, and resolve returned to his eyes.
"Ruri-nii, you're even stronger than I imagined."
"You're no dead last from the Academy—you're one of the Uchiha clan's undeniable elites."
Ruri shrugged, feeling slightly flattered by the unexpected praise.
"Don't look at me like I'm some kind of monster. It's just a little parlor trick..."
"But," Shisui said, suddenly shifting his tone. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "You still haven't awakened the Sharingan, Ruri-nii."
Before the words even finished echoing, Shisui's eyes lit up with a crimson gleam— a single tomoe spinning wildly in each pupil.
Without warning, he triggered his strongest genjutsu, aiming to crush Ruri's will in an instant.
No matter how powerful Ruri's ninjutsu was, without ocular prowess to match, there would be no resisting this.
Just when Shisui Uchiha thought victory was within his grasp, Ruri Uchiha once again surprised him.
He closed his eyes—then slowly opened them again.
The same red glow. The same single Tomoe.
For a moment, Shisui thought his eyes were deceiving him. Ruri-nii… had awakened the Sharingan too?!
"Impossible..."
Shisui's voice trembled. The tomoe in his eyes spun even faster, desperately trying to pierce through the illusion before him.
But in that split second, he felt it—an invisible cage had closed in around him, binding him completely.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.
"Cough!" Shisui suddenly dropped to one knee, his fingertips digging deep into the scorched earth.
The overuse of his ocular power left him trembling uncontrollably, until he finally collapsed onto the ground.
Ruri let out a slow breath. "Ran out of chakra, huh?"
As expected, against a true cheat-level opponent, even a genius like Shisui didn't stand a chance.
Now, where's the reward? It should be popping up right about now.
He waited. And waited. But the familiar digital chime never came.
Don't tell me… Shisui's threshold had risen again, and the system raised the bar for rewards?
Ruri frowned, clearly annoyed.
"Tch… This system's getting way too demanding."
He walked over, slung the weakened Shisui over his shoulder, and started heading in the direction of the boy's home. On the way, he picked up a few skewers of dango.
At Shisui's house, the lighting was soft, and the faint scent of tea lingered in the air.
Ruri and Shisui sat facing each other across the table, quietly eating dango, occasionally sipping from their teacups.
In the quiet room, the only sound was the barely audible chewing of the two Uchiha.
"Ruri-nii." Shisui suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
Ruri Uchiha looked up at him. "Hm?"
Shisui's eyes were filled with curiosity and doubt. "Did you really inherit the First Hokage's jutsu?"
Ruri gave a helpless smile. "Dear Shisui, I told you already—I've only picked up a tiny bit."
As he spoke, he started counting on his fingers. "Not even a handful are useful in a real fight…"
"I've got a long road ahead."
Shisui rested his chin on his palm, a faint trace of concern appearing on his face.
"Ruri-nii, what happened today… the whole village will know soon."
"A Uchiha who's inherited the First Hokage's techniques—it sounds unbelievable. The higher-ups in Konoha will definitely take notice."
"Some in the clan already resent you. Now the village leadership might start having strange thoughts about you too…"
Ruri cut him off. "Correction—not some. It's the vast, vast majority."
A dark line crept down Shisui's face. Seriously? Is now the time to joke?
Can't he just focus on the important part for once?
Looking at Shisui's constipated expression, Ruri couldn't help but laugh.
"So what?"
Shisui: "...?"
Sometimes, Shisui really wanted to crack open this older guy's skull just to see what kind of bizarre thoughts were inside.
Ruri finished his last bite of dango with a satisfied sigh.
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze growing distant.
"Relax. So what if the clan rejects me? It's not like they can toss me out of the Leaf. As for the higher-ups…"
He paused. "I'll deal with that when the time comes."
Shisui sighed and shook his head.
"Fine… You're impossible, you know that?"
Ruri stood up, patted Shisui on the shoulder, and turned to leave the room.
"Get some rest. I'm heading out."
Once he stepped outside Shisui's home, Ruri's smile disappeared.
Staring at the distant Hokage Rock, he muttered to himself,"What exactly was the Will of Fire again? Guess I'd better give it some serious thought…"
At night, the bored Ruri Uchiha once again entered his inner space.
He saw Senju Hashirama, equally bored, lying on the ground and picking at his nails.
"Lord Hashirama, don't you get tired if you don't sleep?"
Hashirama was confused. "Spirits... don't need to eat or sleep, right?"
"That makes sense." Ruri nodded and sat down next to Hashirama.
After chatting aimlessly for a while, Hashirama started talking about Ruri's performance that day.
"When you used Wood Style, I saw my shadow in you."
There was a hint of nostalgia and relief in Hashirama's tone.
"What I didn't expect, though, was that you secretly awakened the Sharingan."
"In that instant, I even thought Madara had been revived."
Ruri didn't respond.
He knew that Hashirama's feelings toward Madara were complicated, filled with deep friendship but also unresolvable hatred.
Hashirama, who wasn't exactly the sharpest, felt like his brain was working even less than usual.
But from Ruri's performance so far, he seemed more like Hashirama.
He would stop at the right moment during battle, never going for the killing blow.
Even after awakening the Sharingan, he was able to keep his composure.
In this regard, he was far superior to many of the Uchiha.
What Konoha needs now isn't a madman, but a ninja with compassion, someone willing to protect the villagers.
As for Ruri's character, there wasn't much to criticize.
He also recalled the first time he met Ruri, when he had been ready to use Mokuton to crush him...
Realizing this, he shook his head in regret, almost having wronged a truly good person.
[From Hashirama Senju, you have received a mysterious large scroll.]
[From Hashirama Senju, you have mastered the art of sealing.]
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and there's much more to come! Stay tuned for the next part as Ruri's journey continues to unfold. If you like what you're reading, please show your support and stay connected for upcoming chapters. Your feedback and attention mean the world to me—don't miss out!