Chapter 97: Someone’s Helping You Spread the Word—What’s There to Fear?

Even Shisui himself hadn't expected it—thanks to that bastard Inabi's meddling, he had somehow awakened his One tomoe Sharingan. He didn't even remember how he made it back to camp.

All he knew was…

By the time he came to his senses, he was already standing in front of Kyoichi's tent.

Inside, Kyoichi was resting.

That surprise attack had drained quite a bit of his chakra. He needed to recover as soon as possible since they had to go out again tomorrow—who knew if there'd be another opportunity to reap some benefits?

However…

Before long, he sensed Shisui's presence.

"Sensei, may I come in?"

"Come in…"

Kyoichi rubbed his temples.

His energy hadn't fully recovered yet—it should've been enough, but replenishing his Yin Seal had cost him some extra chakra, leaving him short.

This just proved…

He really needed to find a way to keep that Yin Seal topped up.

As he pondered this, he looked up just as Shisui entered the tent. What he saw made him pause—Shisui's expression was unusually serious. The boy sat down, then pointed to his own eyes.

A moment later, a blood-red glow emerged.

A One tomoe!

He'd awakened the Sharingan?

Kyoichi was taken aback, then took a deep breath.

He knew…

Something must've happened.

"Well, I did promise to teach you a jutsu. Come on then, let's head outside—I don't want to disturb the others while they rest."

Kyoichi stood up casually and led Shisui out of the camp, finding a quiet spot in the mountains.

Shisui wasted no time explaining everything that had happened.

Kyoichi frowned.

Uchiha Yashiro?

He vaguely remembered that guy. Like Inabi and Tekka, he was one of those who had caused trouble for Itachi after Shisui's death—a die-hard militant within the Uchiha clan.

Would someone like that really buy into Shisui's rhetoric?

Not a chance.

Kyoichi's expression darkened. He looked at Shisui and asked, "Do you really think that guy will help you?"

"Sensei, I… I don't know. But at the time, I was really worried. I regretted leaving the village so soon. I felt like if I'd stayed a few more days, maybe Inabi and Tekka wouldn't have acted so recklessly."

Shisui looked troubled, as if blaming himself for making a mistake.

His Sharingan had awakened in that moment of intense emotion—fear, regret, anxiety.

Although…

Kyoichi suspected that the reason he only had a single tomoe was simply because he was too young.

Five years old!

Even if he had triggered the Uchiha's special power, he wouldn't be able to unleash its full potential. In fact, Kyoichi wondered if he could even control it properly at this stage.

Still…

It was already better than Sasuke.

Sasuke had witnessed the massacre of his entire clan at the age of eight and still only awakened a single tomoe—and he didn't even learn how to use it until much later.

Kyoichi mentally sighed, then refocused on Yashiro.

He pondered for a long time.

Shisui, growing uneasy, felt like something was off.

"Sensei, should I…"

"No need to worry. If Inaho convinced Yashiro, then so be it. Even if only two or three people truly agree with you, that's still two or three more supporters, right?"

Kyoichi had figured it out.

Did it even matter if Yashiro was really on their side?

Not really.

As long as Inabi kept spreading the word and most people found Shisui's 'Uchiha version' of the Will of Fire reasonable, then a new ideological faction would naturally emerge within the clan.

At the very least, it wouldn't just be Shisui and Itachi fighting alone. With Kyoichi around, their ideals wouldn't become so distorted or extreme that they lost their way.

Thinking this through, Kyoichi actually felt like this was a good thing.

For all he knew…

Yashiro might start promoting these ideas to the older generation, and maybe—just maybe—some of them would actually agree.

You never knew.

After all, the Uchiha craved power and recognition—they weren't all suicidal maniacs.

He shared these thoughts with Shisui.

Shisui was dumbfounded.

Could it really work like that?

It actually… made sense!

He couldn't fully grasp it yet, but something about Kyoichi's reasoning felt right.

After a long silence, Shisui hesitantly asked, "Sensei, what should I do next?"

"Nothing special—just focus on improving yourself. Every now and then, chat with Inabi. You could even teach him some of the sword techniques I taught you."

"That's—how could I?!"

Shisui was utterly shocked.

Those techniques belonged to Kyoichi—how could he just hand them out?

Kyoichi shook his head. "It's nothing too important. You need them to believe you're truly dedicated to the Uchiha."

"…I see."

Shisui thought for a moment, then understood.

If he was 'stealing' even his teacher's techniques, it would only make the clan more convinced that he was devoted to the Uchiha cause. Even if some suspected his true intentions, they wouldn't act against him. Instead, they would protect him.

And those who already agreed with him would be even more convinced.

He was in awe—and envious.

His teacher had simply talked for a bit and had already laid everything bare.

"You don't need to admire me. This is just minor stuff—compared to people who specialize in manipulation, I'm nothing."

Kyoichi ruffled his hair.

Shisui nodded, then hesitated before asking, "You mean… Danzo?"

"Him? I guess he counts. But out of the three old fossils I can't stand, he's at least somewhat competent. The other two? Pfft."

Kyoichi smirked.

With Tsunade's personality, once she took power, she'd definitely find a reason to strip those two of their authority.

And as for power…

Didn't she have him?

"Sensei, that puts my mind at ease."

"Don't relax just yet. Before you head back, I'll teach you an motion-based genjutsu. It should work well with the Sharingan. You'll have to figure out how to integrate it yourself."

As he spoke, Kyoichi moved his fingers.

Under the moonlight, Shisui saw the movements clearly—then suddenly…

Countless sword strikes surrounded him from all directions.

Genjutsu: Bubble.

In the anime, Uchiha Itachi's illusions often manifested as flocks of crows. Kyoichi had replaced them with swords—but the principle was the same.

Even though Shisui had primarily trained under Kyoichi in swordsmanship, his talent in genjutsu was remarkable as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have awakened Kotoamatsukami in the original timeline.

So…

After hearing the principle and method—

He grasped it almost instantly!

"Go back and get used to it. For now, you won't be deployed on the battlefield, but this war is likely to last quite a while."

"Yes!"

Shisui didn't know the full situation in the north or west.

But…

He did know that Konoha wasn't completely safe right now. Otherwise, Minato wouldn't have stayed behind instead of coming to the eastern front.

Kyoichi wasn't sending the younger ninja into battle yet—not because Kiri's elite were too strong, but because Mist Jutsu combined with Silent Killing was too effective against weaker opponents.

Sending them in would be pointless.

When Shisui returned, he didn't mention his newly awakened eyes. Instead, he relayed Kyoichi's advice to Asuma and Kurenai, urging them to focus on training.

As for Kyoichi—

He hadn't expected to gain anything in return, but he ended up learning Tree Binding Death, a fairly practical B-rank genjutsu.

Not bad…

At least it improved his illusion skills and chakra control a bit.

As for the technique itself?

Meh.

Unless he could perform one-handed seals, it wasn't all that useful.

He remained focused on the Chakra Absorption Technique.

With deeper research, he found significant potential for improvement.

By integrating it with the Yin Seal, the absorbed chakra could be directly stored within the seal.

Kyoichi wrote down the details of this secret technique and had Katsuyu deliver it to Tsunade, along with a report on the battle situation.

---

Tsunade was overwhelmed with work.

Lately, she had been buried in medical texts and her grandfather's notes, hoping to develop a hand-seal-free healing technique that both she and Kyoichi could use.

But so far—nothing.

It was simply too difficult!

Even with Kyoichi's guidance helping her master the Strength of a Hundred Technique, this alone had already taken significant effort. Without his input, she might have been stuck on this step for who knows how long.

She sighed, frustration evident.

At that moment, Katsuyu appeared, spitting out a scroll.

"Hmm?"

She immediately snapped to attention.

A message from Kyoichi!

Was there trouble at the front lines?

She grabbed it right away and quickly scanned its contents. Only then did she let out a breath of relief.

"An offensive strike, wiping out four squads, and discovering a new enemy outpost…"

What reckless behavior.

But…

After going over the details again, she realized Kyoichi's strategy was well thought out. The risks weren't as great as they seemed. Now that the first batch of security forces had arrived, the pressure on them would ease significantly.

She continued reading.

Then, she reached the section on the Chakra Absorption Technique—its principles, applications, and methods.

At first, she was stunned.

Then, excitement surged within her.

She understood the immense potential of this technique.

If the absorption efficiency and conversion rate could be improved, and combined with Katsuyu's abilities and the support of other ninja, the healing capabilities of the technique could be drastically extended.

On the battlefield, this would be nothing short of a game-changer.

Right now, the technique was still somewhat impractical. But its potential? Enormous.

An incredible secret art!

Then, she thought about her own progress…

Damn it.

Kyoichi was tossing out advanced secret techniques like they were nothing, while she was still stuck with no real breakthrough on her hand-seal-free healing.

She sighed, rolling the scroll in her hands. Just as she was about to start practicing—

She sensed a presence approaching.

Why was he here?

Tsunade frowned.

She glanced toward her bedroom. Shizune was already fast asleep. Then, she stepped into the courtyard and spoke in a low voice.

"Come out. What do you want?"

A hoarse voice replied, "To clear up a misunderstanding. And to offer you some help."

A moment later, Orochimaru appeared with a flicker of movement.

"Oh? Do we have a misunderstanding?"

"The exam Kyoichi took was arranged by Danzo. But after my attempt failed, I gave up on obtaining his blood that way."

A faint smirk played at Orochimaru's lips.

"Besides, if I truly wanted it, would I resort to such a foolish method?"

Tsunade remained silent, narrowing her eyes at him.

"This information might be useful to you."

Orochimaru took out a scroll.

Tsunade accepted it, unrolling it for a glance—

Her expression instantly hardened, a mix of shock and anger flashing in her eyes.

Senju Hashirama's cell research!

"Life is fragile… If I had access to this back then…"

His voice was low as he trailed off, turning to leave.

"Orochimaru—"

At the mention of Nawaki, Tsunade's emotions grew complicated.

Nawaki had been someone Orochimaru acknowledged. She knew him well enough to be certain—he wasn't bringing this up to seek forgiveness.

Orochimaru wasn't that kind of person.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Don't go down a dark path. And whatever you do, don't pursue that technique—it has severe flaws."

"Relax. He's in no position to command me. Heh… Hokage is their dream. It's not a bad thing that you returned. With you here, that boy might be able to change a few things."

Orochimaru turned his head slightly, casting a glance behind her.

After a brief pause, he added, "I regret what happened to Nawaki. But people can't live in the past forever."

The next moment, he vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Tsunade stood in place, gripping the scroll tightly.

Tears silently traced down her cheeks.

"Nawaki…"

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