Chapter 32 (Patreon)

Winter had arrived in Konoha, and the cold had become biting.

Behind the village, atop the snow-covered training grounds, a young boy dressed in a black martial arts uniform trained without pause.

“Lightning Style: Chidori!”

Blue lightning burst violently from Yujiro’s palm.

With a sharp step forward, his figure shot across the training ground in an instant.

The piercing sound of crackling chakra echoed through the forest—

And the Chidori slammed straight into a massive tree.

BOOM!

Wood chips exploded everywhere.

Yujiro landed lightly, barely stopping before charging forward again.

Another Chidori.

Then another.

Again.

Again.

The sound of tearing lightning continued to ring throughout the mountain forest.

Only after exhausting the chakra in his body did Yujiro finally stop.

He walked toward the grass nearby and sat down quietly, slowly recovering his chakra while snow drifted gently through the cold air.

Chakra itself was a kind of energy.

Energy born from the body’s cells.

In some ways, it was actually similar to the concept of a Limiter.

If the two could truly be combined together…

Then the increase in power would naturally become explosive.

“You really are terrifying, Yujiro.”

Kakashi walked over while holding a bottle of water, his visible eye filled with disbelief.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone learn this fast before.”

Yujiro accepted the water casually.

“There’s no such thing as a natural genius,” he said calmly.

“In the end, talent only means someone can work harder than everyone else.”

Kakashi nodded instinctively after hearing that.

But honestly—

That was definitely not the reason someone could master Chidori in half a day.

Today, Kakashi finally understood what it meant when people said there was always someone stronger.

The Lightning Style he was most proud of…

Yujiro had learned it in less than half a day.

And from the looks of it, he would completely master it within another day or two.

The craziest part was—

There were no side effects at all.

Chidori was originally a high-speed assassination technique.

Even Kakashi himself required the Sharingan to fully control it in combat.

Otherwise, the tunnel vision caused by extreme speed would leave openings.

Although Chidori had not yet evolved into the S-rank Raikiri, its power was still monstrous.

Yet Yujiro could wield it perfectly without a Sharingan.

Kakashi simply could not understand it.

What Kakashi did not know was that after Yujiro’s Limiter reached the second stage, his senses had undergone a massive transformation.

When focused seriously, his perception was already comparable to a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

And if he entered a true combat state—

His senses would sharpen even further.

At that point, surpassing the insight of a Three-Tomoe Sharingan was not impossible.

The enhancement of his senses also gave Yujiro an abnormal resistance to ordinary genjutsu.

As for Mangekyō-level illusions…

That remained unknown.

Time passed quietly.

Throughout the entire day, the sound of collapsing trees echoed repeatedly from the mountains behind Konoha.

At first, Kakashi was shocked.

Then he became numb to it.

Eventually, he accepted it completely.

Yujiro was basically a monster when it came to training.

This level of intensity somehow felt normal for him.

After finishing another round of practice, Yujiro could feel energy surging through every part of his body.

The results today were not bad.

His Limiter progress had increased by another 0.6%.

Compared to before, the speed was already much faster.

Still…

The second stage of the Limiter could not be broken through with ordinary training alone.

It required genuine pressure.

Real combat.

Real extremes.

Only then could the next door open.

At that moment, the familiar mechanical voice sounded in his mind again.

“Ding! Congratulations to Host for surpassing physical limits. Progress increased by 0.2%.”

“Current Limiter: Second Stage (0.2%).”

Yujiro slowly exhaled a breath of white mist into the winter air.

“Let’s go,” he said while standing up. “Itachi invited us to the Uchiha compound today.”

“Yeah.”

Kakashi nodded lightly.

Truthfully, he never disliked the Uchiha clan.

If anything, his feelings toward them were complicated.

After all…

The Sharingan in his left eye had been entrusted to him by his closest friend.

Soon, Yuhi Kurenai, Uzuki Yugao, Kakashi, and Yujiro headed toward the Uchiha compound together.

By the time they arrived, Itachi was already waiting outside.

The moment he spotted Yujiro, his expression brightened immediately.

“Yujiro-san, you made it.”

“Yeah.”

Yujiro smiled faintly and reached out, poking Itachi lightly on the forehead.

Itachi instinctively covered his forehead.

Then he suddenly realized something.

Yujiro was the same age as him…

So why was he already nearly a head taller?

Anyone who saw them together would probably think Yujiro was the older one.

After entering the Uchiha compound, Yujiro glanced around quietly.

The last time he came here, it had still been autumn.

Now winter had almost completely settled over the clan grounds.

Snow covered the rooftops and wooden walkways.

The quiet white scenery gave the Uchiha compound a completely different atmosphere.

It was calm.

Cold.

Elegant.

Yujiro walked through the compound with Kurenai and the others while Itachi guided them around.

There was still some time before dinner began.

And with Itachi leading the way, the scenery honestly was not bad.

Yujiro looked at Itachi walking ahead of him and smiled slightly.

The current Itachi no longer carried that heavy, suffocating look from before.

It seemed Yujiro really had changed part of Itachi’s future without realizing it.

Back then, Yujiro had told him something simple—

Instead of constantly searching for the meaning of life…

It was better to cherish the people beside you first.

Ever since then, Itachi had slowly started changing.

He still thought deeply about life and the world around him.

That part of him would never disappear.

But now, his focus had shifted.

From endless thinking…

To protecting what mattered to him.

And at the same time, Itachi had become even more determined to grow stronger.

Because he understood something now.

Only strength could truly change anything.

By the time dinner began, the entire atmosphere had become lively.

Members of the Uchiha clan gathered together around the long tables, talking amongst themselves.

Even Uchiha Izumi had come over.

Ever since meeting Yujiro last time, she had become extremely curious about him.

And after hearing that Fugaku himself had invited Yujiro to the clan banquet…

Her curiosity only deepened.

Yujiro naturally noticed her staring at him from time to time.

She did not even bother hiding it.

Uchiha Izumi really was a cute girl.

It was just unfortunate…

Her future ending was far too tragic.

As Yujiro thought about that, he suddenly picked up a chicken drumstick, covered it generously in chili sauce, and dropped it straight into Itachi’s bowl.

“Itachi,” Yujiro said with a completely straight face, “this is your favorite, right?”

Itachi froze.

Looking at Yujiro’s faint smile, the words at the tip of his tongue slowly disappeared.

Then—

Under Yujiro’s extremely “kind” gaze—

Itachi silently took a bite.

Mikoto, sitting nearby, immediately noticed.

“Oh?” she said with surprise. “So you like spicy food, Itachi?”

Before Itachi could answer, Mikoto happily placed another drumstick overflowing with chili sauce into his bowl.

Itachi: “…”

For the first time in his life—

Uchiha Itachi felt genuine despair.