Chapter 23 (Patreon)

Under Kurenai’s pressure, Yujiro ultimately gave in.

In the end, he had no choice but to escort Yūgao safely back to her house.

Along the way, the purple-haired girl acted a little strange for some reason, but Yujiro did not pay much attention to it.

Time passed quickly.

Before anyone realized it, two months had gone by.

Winter had arrived, and the weather in Konoha had gradually turned cold.

After waking up and washing up, Yujiro walked into the living room.

There, Yūgao was already waiting with a faint smile on her face.

She held two prepared lunch boxes in her hands while quietly looking toward him.

Yujiro scratched his head slightly.

Two months ago, Yūgao had officially moved into the Yūhi household.

According to her, it was so she could train together with him and improve her strength more easily.

Still…

Yujiro always felt like that was not the real reason.

“Let’s go.”

Yujiro casually rested the black blade on his shoulder and walked out first.

Yūgao obediently picked up the lunch boxes and followed behind him.

“Display personal attributes.”

A transparent panel instantly appeared before Yujiro’s eyes.

【Host: Yujiro】

【Attributes: Lightning, Wind】

【Chakra: 1500 — Elite Chūnin Level】

【Limiter: First Stage (Normal)】

【Second Stage Progress: 99.2%】

【Current Goal: Constantly push beyond physical and attribute limits】

A trace of heat flashed through Yujiro’s eyes.

If he pushed himself even harder today…

He might finally break through into the Second Stage.

Still, Yujiro had already been stuck at the peak of the First Stage for nearly a week.

To break through the Second Stage of the Limiter, one needed to approach death itself.

And yesterday, after hearing Itachi mention someone during training, Yujiro immediately realized—

His opportunity had arrived.

By the time they reached the training ground in Konoha’s back mountain, three people were already waiting there.

Kakashi.

Itachi.

And another famous genius of the Uchiha Clan—

Uchiha Shisui.

A prodigy who had inherited the so-called Will of Fire.

Even during the Third Shinobi World War, Shisui’s talent had already shined brightly.

Many enemy shinobi chose retreat the moment they encountered him on the battlefield.

And during the war, he had earned a famous title—

“Shisui of the Body Flicker.”

The corner of Yujiro’s mouth lifted slightly.

He wondered…

After entering the Second Stage and strengthening every aspect of his body and senses, would he be able to surpass Shisui’s speed?

Just thinking about it made him look forward to the fight.

“Yujiro-san.”

Itachi quickly walked over.

“Let me introduce him properly. This is my Senpai, Uchiha Shisui.”

“I’ve heard Fugaku-san mention you before.”

Shisui extended his hand with a relaxed smile.

“You’re apparently a true genius.”

Yujiro shook his hand and smiled lightly.

“I heard from Itachi that you’re strong.”

His tone was straightforward.

“So let’s fight.”

Direct.

Simple.

No unnecessary words.

Shisui blinked slightly, curiosity appearing in his eyes.

The Yujiro he heard about from Fugaku was no ordinary child.

In fact, Fugaku had personally warned him—

“If you underestimate that boy, you’ll lose.”

Because of that, Shisui had become genuinely interested.

Today, he specifically came to join Yujiro and the others’ training.

Under the large tree nearby, Itachi, Kakashi, and Yūgao quietly watched the two.

“Who do you think will win?” Kakashi asked lazily.

“Shisui-san is extremely strong,” Itachi answered seriously.

“He’s experienced real battlefield combat.”

Then he looked toward Yujiro.

“But Yujiro-san is also ridiculously strong…”

Itachi paused for a moment.

“So I think it’ll probably be a draw.”

Kakashi immediately rolled his eyes.

That answer basically said nothing.

And besides—

He had also fought on the battlefield before.

“Hmph.”

Yūgao crossed her arms.

“There’s no need to guess. Yujiro will definitely win.”

“It’ll be a draw,” Itachi replied quietly.

“Yujiro wins.”

“Draw.”

“Yujiro wins.”

“Draw.”

Kakashi covered his forehead helplessly.

For some reason, these two had not been getting along very well lately.

Ever since Yūgao moved into the Yūhi household, the atmosphere between them had become strangely competitive.

Thinking about it, Kakashi glanced at Itachi, then at Yūgao.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Far away, on the open training field—

“I won’t hold back.”

Shisui smiled as he looked at Yujiro.

“That’s exactly what I want.”

Yujiro grinned.

Slowly, he drew the black blade from its sheath.

The moment his gaze locked onto Shisui—

Shisui suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.

It felt as though a predator had fixed its eyes on him.

A sensation like death itself brushing against his neck.

For the first time, the smile on Shisui’s face slowly disappeared.

He thought silently to himself—

Fugaku-san was right.

This kid absolutely could not be underestimated.

Shisui moved first.

“Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!”

His hands formed seals at astonishing speed.

The signature opening jutsu of the Uchiha Clan erupted instantly.

But the Great Fireball Technique unleashed by Shisui was on a completely different level from Itachi’s.

A massive fireball over twenty meters wide roared toward Yujiro.

Yujiro narrowed his eyes slightly.

Then he calmly raised the black blade horizontally before him.

“One Sword Style…”

“Horizontal Slash.”

There were no fancy movements.

Just a single ordinary slash.

A dark blade light flashed across the battlefield.

The enormous Great Fireball split cleanly in half.

Then slowly dispersed into the air.

In the distance, Shisui stared blankly at the scene.

He…

Actually cut through the Great Fireball Technique?

This was the first time Shisui had ever seen something like that.

But before he could think further—

A cold presence suddenly appeared behind him.

Yujiro had already closed the distance.

Without hesitation, Shisui instantly used the Body Flicker Technique.

In the next second—

The two figures collided violently.

“So fast—!”

Kakashi’s expression changed dramatically while watching from afar.

Even Itachi’s eyes narrowed.

The speed of the two was unbelievable.

Without activating the Sharingan, Itachi could no longer clearly follow their movements.

Even Kakashi had no choice but to lift his forehead protector and reveal his Sharingan.

Only with the Sharingan’s visual tracking ability could he barely keep up with the battle unfolding before them.

…