Shisui felt utterly helpless.
Looking at the lazy-faced Uchiha Kai, he truly didn't know what to say.
In his opinion, someone with Kai's personality was better off living as an ordinary civilian.
But—there was no helping it.
As long as Kai could mold chakra, he could never be a civilian.
And after thinking it over carefully, Shisui realized… Kai's reasoning wasn't wrong either.
He wasn't a genius. Even if Shisui gave him personal guidance and crammed in extra training now, the results wouldn't be significant.
In that case, it is better to save his strength.
"…Alright, fine."
"Take a good rest today. Once you're on the battlefield, just stay cautious."
"Oh, and—let me teach you a jutsu."
After some hesitation, Shisui decided to give up on forcing extra training.
But he still couldn't rest easily.
So he taught Kai the Summoning Technique, and right there summoned a crow before speaking with a smile.
"This is one of the ninja crows I've raised."
"Form a contract with it. Its abilities are no weaker than the famed Ninja Cats."
"Once this war is over, I'll do my best to convince Clan Head Fugaku to let you sign a contract with the Nekomata clan."
"If you ever find yourself in a true life-or-death crisis, don't hesitate—send the crow to summon me."
"I'll come to save you."
Uchiha Kai's mouth twitched.
Facing Shisui's earnest expression, he really didn't know what to say.
It was obvious—Shisui had no ulterior motives, he was simply looking out for Kai.
And that only made Kai feel worse.
Because—he didn't need it!
Kai was confident: as long as he didn't run into a Kage-level opponent or a Jinchuriki, he could absolutely guarantee his own safety.
Still—he also knew that if he refused outright, Shisui would never let it go.
So, forget it.
With a helpless sigh, he learned the Summoning Technique and signed the contract with the crow.
Seeing this, Shisui finally let out a faint smile.
After chatting for a while longer, Shisui got up to leave.
He didn't have the luxury of idling around. Unlike Kai, he was a genius—every day, there were endless matters demanding his time.
Even now, during what was supposed to be his vacation, Fugaku needed him to handle clan politics, Hiruzen Sarutobi occasionally summoned him, and sometimes he even had to take young Itachi out to play.
Sigh.
The more he thought about it, the more exhausted he felt.
In truth, it was Kai who had it good—living carefree, eating his fill, with no family burdens.
As for all those messy, troublesome affairs, he had no interest in wasting his energy.
Yet bonds… bonds could be such a headache.
When he had been alone, it hadn't mattered—whether he chose to betray the village or keep his head down, either way was fine.
But later, there was Teuchi and her daughter.
And now, Shisui.
…Sigh.
He couldn't help but wonder: if this went on, wouldn't he just accumulate more and more ties that bound him down?
At that thought, he suddenly understood Orochimaru.
No wonder—when the village discovered his human experiments, he hadn't bothered to explain, not even trying to shift the blame onto Danzo.
Part of it was bitterness—Hiruzen hadn't chosen him as the Fourth Hokage.
But more than that…
He had come to fully understand the meaning of life, and in his pursuit of immortality, he sought to sever Konoha's bonds altogether.
At the front steps of his home, Kai watched Shisui's retreating figure, then glanced at the crow by his side. His head throbbed with a dull ache.
"…Well, it's fine."
"It's only Shisui. If I need to save him someday, it won't be too difficult."
"It's just the Third Great War. The Nine-Tails incident is still far off, and the Clan Massacre even farther."
"No rush. I'll take my time."
Rubbing at his temples, Kai kept trying to reassure himself.
Yes.
He wasn't heartless. On the contrary, with five thousand years of civilization instilled in his memories, he knew the meaning of repaying kindness a hundredfold.
He owed that to Teuchi and her daughter.
He owed it to Shisui as well.
He could ignore the deaths of strangers. If people don't mess with me, I won't mess with them.
The fates of others had nothing to do with him.
Sweep the snow before your own door, don't worry about frost on your neighbor's roof.
If Hiruzen wanted to exterminate the Uchiha, Kai couldn't care less.
But Shisui?
That was different.
With that thought, his eyes glinted coldly.
The next morning, at Hidden Leaf Village's Ninja Academy, fifth-year classroom.
The room was lively and noisy.
Most students were buzzing with excitement, eager to rush off to the battlefield.
Only those from the great clans seemed listless, half-asleep, their faces devoid of enthusiasm.
"…."
Watching the scene, Uchiha Kai couldn't help yawning.
Slouched lazily in his seat, he leaned back against his chair and stared out the window in a daze.
The noise in the classroom—he had no desire to join in.
In this class, he had no friends.
He was a loner—quiet, handsome, self-contained.
And because he was an Uchiha, no one tried to befriend him.
After all, the Uchiha's reputation had long since rotted on the streets of Konoha.
Of course, no one dared provoke him either.
The logic was simple.
The true elites of the clans, along with the civilian prodigies, were all in Class A. His Class B was filled with average students.
Those from clans treated him with cautious distance.
The civilians might resent the Uchiha, but none were foolish enough to challenge him.
The Uchiha name might stink—but it was still Konoha's undisputed number one clan.
With no talent, no backers, and no grudge to settle, only an idiot would pick a fight with him.
And that was why Kai had been able to spend five years at the Academy in peace.
On another note—since he was Uchiha, he was naturally handsome.
Plenty of girls had tried to pursue him.
But unfortunately for them, Kai was cautious, not foolish.
No matter how pretty they were, he didn't give them the time of day.
The reason was simple.
They were already ninjas. The moment they'd entered the Academy, they were no longer civilians.
After today, they would be sent to the battlefield.
And for ordinary Genin, the chance of surviving the war was less than one percent.
Why bother dating a girl who might be dead in just a few days?
So he dismissed them all.
Besides, he was still young.
Give it a few years—once he'd endured long enough to become truly powerful, would he really have to worry about finding a girlfriend?
Time trickled by.
About half an hour later, Sarutobi Asuma strode into the classroom.
He knew full well: the ones sitting here were destined to be cannon fodder on the battlefield.
So he didn't waste words, didn't try to bond with them.
Without preamble, he spoke.
"Alright, everyone back to your seats."
"I'll announce the squad assignments now. Listen carefully."
"I'll only say this once."
"First Squad: Furusawa Mai, Ishizuka Yuta, Miyata Shiho."
"Second Squad: Abe Kairei, Sugawara Mana, Kawahara Sara."
"Third Squad: …"
"…"
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