Chapter 21
Tian Yu stepped forward without hesitation.
To Uchiha Shisui, this was unusual.
He narrowed his eyes in mild surprise as the boy approached him in the quiet grove behind the Hokage Rock.
But Tian Yu only smiled calmly.
"It's natural to hold prejudice against what you don't understand," he said gently. "But I know you, Uchiha Shisui—known as the 'Shunshin no Shisui'—you're someone who values peace."
His voice was even and unwavering.
"So why would something like clan ties affect how I see you?"
Shisui blinked.
Those words… weren't what he expected.
He studied the boy again—this seven-year-old who stood before him with the composure of a seasoned shinobi.
He nodded slowly, his gaze thoughtful.
There was… reason in what the boy had said.
For the first time, Shisui found himself feeling an odd sense of approval toward this child.
"I'll help you with your request," he said. "No payment needed. But I do want to ask you one question."
"Of course, Senior," Tian Yu replied politely. "Please go ahead."
Shisui paused, his voice softening as a flicker of conflict crossed his face.
"When the village and the clan are at odds… does it mean someone has to be sacrificed?"
As the words left his mouth, a trace of regret tugged at his chest.
Why ask a child this kind of question? he thought bitterly.
But Tian Yu had spoken with such maturity earlier… maybe that had made Shisui lower his guard.
In truth, he already knew the answer—didn't he?
He had seen comrades die… friends lost in the shadows of decisions made by both the clan and the village.
And yet… he had asked.
Tian Yu tilted his head slightly, then shook it slowly.
"No," he said.
Shisui blinked again. "No?"
That answer struck him—opposite of what he had long believed.
He asked urgently, "Why?"
Tian Yu looked up, eyes steady, his expression gentle but resolute.
"Because sacrifice… is meaningless."
Shisui stiffened.
Meaningless?
Did this child not understand the Will of Fire? The very philosophy Hiruzen Sarutobi had taught?
But before he could respond, Tian Yu continued.
"Dying—whether willingly or by force—doesn't change anything. The dead can't move, can't act, can't fix things."
He took a deep breath.
"I believe… as long as someone is alive, there's always a chance to change something. No matter how hard it is, no matter how long it takes… if I keep living, I'll eventually find a way."
Tian Yu's thoughts were blunt—but real.
Maybe that's what people mean by: 'Live long enough, and you'll see it all.'
In Tian Yu's heart, nothing outweighed life itself.
Shisui stood frozen, his thoughts turning.
This idea—this refusal to accept sacrifice—was unlike anything he'd heard before.
And perhaps…
Perhaps this was the key to the deadlock he'd been trapped in.
A way he had never dared to consider.
Wordlessly, he walked to the side and pointed to a large sack beside a tree stump.
"These are some bird feathers I've been collecting," he said, his tone distracted. "If you need more, take what you want. I'm… heading out."
He turned, walking away without another word—his expression unreadable.
"Thank you, Senior Shisui."
Tian Yu called out politely, then opened the sack.
Inside, he found feathers of many kinds—white, black, crimson, emerald—neatly sorted.
Thousands of them, clearly gathered over time.
Tian Yu couldn't help but feel impressed by the sheer quantity and variety.
To give them away so freely… Shisui was truly generous.
With a flash of silver light, Tian Yu summoned his collection ring and stored the feathers within it.
Then, quietly, he departed.
---
Chapter 22: Forging Results
[Ding! Forging success! Forged Item: Skyfeather Cloak!]
[Ding! Forging failed! Result: Scrap Material.]
[Ding! Forging failed! Result: Scrap Material.]
…
In the backyard of the Tian family's ninja shop, flames roared in the forge room.
Tian Yu stood at the bellows, pulling with firm, practiced strokes. Orange-red flames surged beneath the forge table, heating the metal to a glowing red.
He grabbed a block of refined Qinggang Stone and placed it onto the blazing surface.
Then he raised his hammer and brought it down hard.
Clang! Clang!
After several precise strikes, the once-solid stone softened, pliable like clay under his skilled hands.
Next came Taiyin Essence Iron—a rare mineral known for its chakra conductivity.
He laid it alongside the Qinggang Stone, carefully merging them through controlled hammering.
The bellows flared. The forge roared louder.
As the turquoise sheen of the Qinggang fused with the deep black of Taiyin Iron, a strange blue gleam emerged—an alloy that shimmered like twilight.
Sweat beaded on Tian Yu's forehead, but he remained laser-focused.
One wrong strike and it all collapses.
He worked meticulously.
Then came the final phase—integrating the feathers.
White, black, and deep crimson feathers were laid across the semi-molten alloy, one by one, infused into the forming shape.
Bit by bit, the material transformed—becoming soft fabric, yet resilient. A cloak, shaped like layered wings, began to take form.
Time passed—half an hour of absolute focus.
And finally—
"Yes!" Tian Yu's eyes lit up. "A complete success!"
[Ding! Forging complete! Item: Skyfeather Cloak!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully forged the Skyfeather Cloak. Comprehension of Wind and Water attributes +1!]
Satisfied, Tian Yu smiled. He still had ample material, so he forged several more cloaks, storing each within his collection ring.
With that complete, he turned to his next plans—lightweight boots and the Sun Blade.
The sound of hammering rang again.
[Ding! Forging failed! Result: Scrap Material.]
[Ding! Forging failed! Result: Scrap Material.]
[Ding! Forging success! Forged Item: Lightweight Boots!]
…
Thus, Tian Yu's routine fell into a steady rhythm.
By day, he and Tian Tian attended the Ninja Academy, where they trained alongside students like Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga.
After school, they completed training at the village's public training grounds.
Then at night, Tian Yu returned home to his private forge—where steel met flame, and ideas became weapons.
Time passed quietly.
A full month went by.
To Tian Yu, life was calm but fulfilling.
But across Konoha, a storm was building.
The Uchiha Clan's behavior within the Konoha Police Force grew increasingly aggressive, sowing distrust among the civilian population.
Several Root members vanished without a trace—many began pointing fingers at the Uchiha.
Uchiha Itachi joined the ANBU.
And then—one event shook the village to its core.
Uchiha Shisui—the prodigy known as "Shisui of the Body Flicker"—was found dead.
The entire village buzzed with rumors and speculation.
Among the Uchiha, the shock was immense. Even outside the clan, the news spread like wildfire.
Tensions between the Uchiha and the Konoha Council reached a critical boiling point.
Tian Yu noticed the shift immediately.
His family's ninja shop suddenly saw a surge in demand—especially for unique tools and custom gear.
Apparently, many young ninja were preparing… for something big.
Tian Yu quietly sighed.
Did Shisui really die like in the original story? he wondered.
He wasn't strong enough yet to confirm it himself. But he felt a deep regret.
Because he genuinely liked Shisui.
Unlike many other Uchiha, or even the cold and calculating Itachi—or the emotionally unstable Sasuke—Shisui had felt normal.
Kind. Thoughtful. Open-hearted.
His only flaw?
Perhaps… he was too honest.
Too trusting.
And in this world, sometimes that was fatal.