Plop.
Plop.
Sunlight scattered across the stream, refracting into faint rainbows.
Step!
Uchiha Shisui stepped across the damp pebbles beneath the creek, flicking his wrist as twelve shuriken skimmed low over the water toward his opponent.
In his pupils, the Mangekyō turned slowly, faint emerald ripples glimmering beneath the daylight.
Splash—!
The water trails that should have flown straight suddenly twisted into serpentine curves—
Intercepted.
Clang! Clatter!
Kunai snapped the twelve shuriken aside with flawless precision.
Shisui smiled slightly.
That was the reaction an awakened Uchiha should have.
But the very next instant—
The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up.
The Kai who had been thirty paces away was now rising from the reflection in the water, half his body emerging soundlessly.
Crackle—!
Lightning-wreathed fingers were already within arm's reach—
Barely three inches from Shisui's ankle.
"Lightning Release? When did you get here?!"
Shisui tapped the water with his toes, his body splitting into four afterimages as he scattered.
Rip—!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three of the afterimages lagged by half a beat—
And were shredded instantly by writhing arcs of lightning.
"…That move just now—"
Shisui landed on a rocky outcrop along the cliff, steadying himself.
A sharp sting lingered on his cheek.
He wiped away a thin line of blood left by shattered stone, eyes sweeping over the creek below.
There—transparent symbols faintly glowing beneath the surface.
His confusion deepened.
"Those markings… even the stones in the stream are engraved. What kind of technique is this?"
Who in their right mind carved jutsu formulas onto river rocks?
…Well.
Kai did.
Ever since the clan relocated to the banks of the Naka River, Kai had spent his days sunbathing and idly tossing pebbles around.
Those pebbles?
Every single one was etched with Flying Thunder God formulas—
and then casually tossed back into the river.
Carried downstream, spreading through all of Konoha.
On Kai's mental map of Flying Thunder God markers—
The entire village glowed green.
There was nowhere he couldn't go.
Kai glanced at Shisui and suddenly grinned.
"Haha, Shisui-ge—don't underestimate the bonds between us, yeah?"
Shisui: "..."
The words didn't line up with the situation at all.
But knowing Kai's bizarre personality, Shisui didn't press further.
Instead, he began forming hand seals in silence.
His figure blurred.
Pop, pop, pop.
In the next instant—
Thirty-six identical figures appeared simultaneously.
Each held a shuriken with an explosive tag tied to its tail.
Whoosh!
One shuriken flew.
Then a second. A third.
In a blink, over a hundred shuriken and explosive tags blanketed a hundred-meter radius.
"No matter how fast you are—"
Shisui's lips curved upward as he unconsciously mimicked Kai's odd tone,
"—what will you do when the entire area is covered, hm?"
Boom!
Boom boom boom!
Explosions stacked on explosions.
Above, below, left, right—
Every angle detonated at once.
The person at the center had nowhere to escape.
"Haha, little Kai, guess you can only dunk your head underwater now, yeah?"
Shisui called out cheerfully.
Below was the only gap he'd deliberately left open.
If Kai dove in, he'd be safe.
"Surrender?"
Kai merely shrugged.
He stared at the shuriken and explosive tags closing in—
And didn't move.
As if he'd completely given up.
"Kai—!"
All thirty-six Shisuis froze, panic flashing across their faces.
He only wanted to show the difference in strength—
he never meant to hurt Kai!
Hesitating for just an instant, Shisui hastily formed seals, preparing to recall the weapons.
But—
At the edge of his vision, a flash of gold appeared.
"…Hm?"
All thirty-six pairs of eyes snapped toward the boy in the river.
Under the sunlight, Kai seemed to glow with something indescribable.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More than a hundred shuriken and explosive tags passed straight through him—
Not a single wound inflicted.
"…What kind of jutsu is that?" Shisui was stunned.
He couldn't comprehend it.
A technique that rendered someone completely intangible?
He paused for only three seconds—
Then the heat in his blood surged back up.
"Hahaha! Not bad, not bad! I admit it—I underestimated you, Kai!"
"Now then—let me show you my real strength!"
Whoosh!
Thirty-six figures charged at once!
Blades flashed like the scythes of death, slicing through the air.
"The secret of Body Flicker—"
Shisui's voice rang out,
"—is deceiving the flow of time!"
In a blink—
His blade rested against Kai's throat.
Thud.
But in the next instant, Kai turned into a chunk of wood and splashed into the water.
"Substitution?! Even fooled the Sharingan?"
"Hahaha! Good! Again—let me show you just how fast I am!"
Excitement blazed in Shisui's eyes as he gripped his blade tighter, pushing his speed even further.
Shisui of the Body Flicker—
Not just body, but instant.
Speed was his domain.
BOOM—!
As they crossed paths, the Naka River erupted with crater after crater.
Crystal-clear water burst into the air, shimmering brilliantly.
"You know, Shisui-ge—"
Kai's voice suddenly rose from within the spray,
"Water conducts electricity."
Crackle—!
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
Bzzzz—!
Violent lightning crashed down!
Across the river's surface, countless azure bolts writhed like serpents, surging outward in all directions.
Shisui's heart skipped.
He hastily commanded his clones to retreat.
But the lightning seemed to have eyes—
Chasing them down with ease.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
One Body Flicker Shisui after another dissolved into bubbles.
Until only one remained.
The real one.
Standing atop the rocky ledge.
Splash.
The river fell back into its channel.
On the cliff, Shisui's arms throbbed with pain.
That level of lightning damage was lethal to him.
Even now, his bright eyes were narrowing—
Not from injury, but shaken confidence.
Thirty-six simultaneous Body Flickers—
and Kai had dismantled them effortlessly.
He couldn't believe it.
"Kai… how did you see through my clones?"
"Don't tell me your Sharingan already awakened a special ability?"
"No… that can't be right. Then what does my Mangekyō even count for?"
Once again, the sunny, open-hearted boy fell into confusion.
Kai replied casually,
"Ever heard of Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V?"
Inside, though, he was thrilled.
Flying Thunder God—
Ridiculously good.
Highly recommended for every transmigrator.
As long as your chakra pool was deep enough, triple flashes in a second weren't a problem.
Morning—drinking in the Land of Fire's red-light district.
Evening—gold panning in the Land of Wind.
No delays. Zero inconvenience.
"Alright, alright, I lose."
Shisui shook his head, surrendering outright.
After all, he wasn't about to use Kotoamatsukami on his own little brother.
He slung an arm around Kai—now nearly shoulder-height—and leaned in conspiratorially.
"But hey, give me a couple days."
"I'll show you and Itachi something big."
Yes—thanks to Kai, Shisui had also started calling himself Shisui-ge, and calling Itachi One-Tap-Seven.
No idea why.
It just… felt right.
A big treasure?
Something Shisui would call that—
Could it be…
Susanoo?
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