21-25

Chapter 21: Insect Evolution [Please Follow and Read!]

"Chirp chirp!"

Seeming to sense Shikane's presence, a large, meter-long, green insect pupa wriggled towards him.

"Looks like you've been well taken care of while I was away," Shikane crouched down and stroked the insect's body.

Though it looked soft, the insect's skin was actually quite hard to the touch, similar to sandpaper. Shikane had once experimented and found that even ordinary kunai would encounter considerable resistance when trying to pierce it.

Moreover, the insect's body could enlarge and become a massive shield.

The insect just kept bumping its head against Shikane's palm.

"Here, try this," Shikane teased the insect for a while, then took out a scroll from his backpack. After unsealing it, he revealed what was stored inside.

Two pieces of fresh-looking flesh tissue.

Shikane placed one piece of flesh under the insect's mouthparts, feeding it as usual.

Under Shikane's command, the insect opened its somewhat ferocious mouthparts, revealing the octopus-like mouth hidden beneath its wrinkled skin, and slowly swallowed the piece of meat Shikane handed it.

After it finished the first piece, Shikane didn't rush to feed it the second one. Instead, he used medical ninjutsu to carefully examine the insect's body.

The meat was part of Jugo's body tissue after his transformation, and it also contained rich natural chakra. Shikane had obtained these two pieces after applying to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru was also curious whether the insect Shikane was raising could digest natural chakra.

It didn't take long for Shikane to sense a familiar change in the insect's body. He had seen this change many times in the past few months.

The mutation caused by natural chakra.

Shadow Bind Technique.

Shikane's shadow instantly enveloped the nearby insect. He condensed a sharp chakra scalpel in one hand, forcefully cutting a small wound in the insect's tough skin. Then, with his other hand, he injected a needle from his backpack into the small wound.

The purpose of this injection was to help the body better accept and adapt to natural energy, reducing rejection.

Soon, the violent natural energy within the insect calmed down under the effect of the injection, but Shikane knew this was only temporary!

According to the data left by the experimental subjects, the current medicine could only keep the natural energy stable for a period of time, but it couldn't truly tame it.

Whoosh!

Shikane instantly leaped back a distance.

The insect was now undergoing mutation. Black thorns erupted from its rings of wrinkles, making it look like a hedgehog covered in spikes.

"Have you lost your will?"

Shikane's call didn't get a response from the insect; instead, it attracted its attention. With its body firmly controlled by the Shadow Bind Technique, the thorns on its body exploded like a torrential rain.

Water Release: Water Wall!

A water wall suddenly rose in front of Shikane, deflecting the black needles that were shooting towards him.

However, to Shikane's surprise, there was another wave of needles after the first. The insect's body continuously produced black needles, which then shot out.

This cycle repeated.

Even the reinforced laboratory walls were covered in black needles.

A black, coffin-like cuboid rose from the shadow beneath the insect, enveloping it. Then, weapons condensed from shadows pierced into the coffin from the outside.

Shadow Coffin.

Lu Ji maintained the Shadow Coffin technique and came to Shikane's side.

"What's going on?"

Startled by the insect's chakra outburst, Lu Ji looked at the black Shadow Coffin and asked Shikane.

"A little experimental accident," Shikane said, seeing Lu Ji's face darken. He added, "The risk is controllable."

Lu Ji ignored Shikane's words. His attention was now fully focused on where the Shadow Coffin had dissipated.

The blood-soaked, severely injured insect reappeared in their sight as the Shadow Coffin faded, its skin and flesh turned inside out, oozing blood.

Chirp chirp!

The insect's voice was filled with pain. In the next moment, under the surprised and shocked gazes of Shikane and Lu Ji, the wounded insect's body began to heal rapidly.

"What is this!" Lu Ji's eyes widened at the sight.

"The self-healing ability brought by powerful life," Shikane mused. The insect's panel did mention it having vigorous vitality.

Was this healing ability a representation of that vigorous vitality?

This reminded Shikane of the S-rank forbidden technique Tsunade had once demonstrated to him - Creation Rebirth!

"Do you need me to fully activate the Shadow Coffin?" Lu Ji looked at Shikane and asked tentatively. He had controlled the Shadow Coffin's intensity earlier, but now, he intended to completely eliminate this trouble.

However, he knew the effort Shikane had put into this insect, so he had to ask his thoughts.

"Just help me control it," Shikane said as he began to form hand seals, simultaneously dispelling his Shadow Bind Technique.

Lu Ji immediately took over control of the insect's body with his own Shadow Bind Technique.

Seeing the dense, fan-shaped tadpole runes that appeared in front of Shikane's hands, covering and spreading over the insect's entire body before disappearing beneath its skin, Lu Ji was also slightly surprised.

Sealing technique!

Moreover, it was a profound sealing technique with a style completely different from the Nara clan's. Looking at the mutated insect, Lu Ji, who usually didn't like to restrict Shikane, couldn't help but become curious about his time outside the village.

The insect, now covered in sealing technique runes, finally calmed down and fell into a deep sleep, lying motionless on the ground. However, the black needles on its body hadn't disappeared, and its skin had turned pitch black, looking as hard as steel.

This made the insect look somewhat ferocious and ugly.

"Is it done?" Lu Ji felt the struggle from the Shadow Bind Technique weaken rapidly and immediately realized that Shikane had successfully controlled the insect. To be sure, he still asked.

"Yes," Shikane nodded and stood up from the ground, relieved. The cursed seal technique taught by Orochimaru could at least last for a long time, enough for the insect to digest that piece of flesh.

"What a hassle," Lu Ji withdrew his Shadow Bind Technique, yawned, and lazily scratched his head. "How am I going to explain this to your mother?"

Shikane ignored his cheapskate father, Lu Ji, who was starting to ramble. He looked at his laboratory; the continuous burst of black needles had destroyed quite a few things.

In the past, he might have felt sorry for his wallet, but when he returned to the village, he had already received Orochimaru's recognition and permission to use his laboratory together.

Compared to his own simple, hand-made laboratory, Orochimaru's laboratory equipment was luxurious.

With a better one available, he naturally didn't care about the current one.

One night passed.

When Shikane woke up and went to where the insect was, he saw that it had returned to normal. Although its skin color was still a bit dark, it was no longer the shiny black. The black needles on its body had also retracted, and it had returned to its "white and plump," harmless appearance.

As Shikane approached, he once again sensed the insect's joy and affection. Its chakra had calmed down and was no longer violent or out of control.

Without rushing to dispel the cursed seal technique, Shikane first carefully examined the insect's body with medical ninjutsu.

Everything was normal.

Placing his hand on the insect's body, Shikane called up the panel that was bound to it, wanting to see if there were any new changes.

[Name: Unknown Larva

Quality: Blue (You have chosen an evolutionary path for it. After perfect cultivation and reaching the next stage, it will cocoon and evolve+)

Traits: Ordinary, its only trait is its strong vitality, adaptability, and excellent modifiability.

Skills: Wriggle (Crawling), Eat, Spin Silk, Enlarge (Hidden), Needle Storm!

Evolutionary Path ①: Natural Power (Can absorb and digest the surrounding natural energy, leading to evolution and advancement).

Effect: Currently invisible.

Split Body: A natural appetite, can digest all swallowed items. If unable to digest or too full, it will split into individuals to share the burden.

Evaluation: Its growth potential depends on the cultivator's skills and feeding.

Conclusion: It's now just an insect with slightly improved combat power, still not worth too much expectation.]

Looking at the text on the panel, Shikane immediately noticed the differences. Compared to the previous panel, this one had two new terms: Evolutionary Path and Split Body, in addition to some modifications to the original data.

The former proved that the insect was on the path of natural power evolution, and could evolve and advance by absorbing and accumulating natural energy.

This sounded a bit like the path taken by the higher-level summons in the three great summoning beast sanctuaries.

The latter, Split Body, completely solved the possibility of the insect overeating or getting an upset stomach. The appearance of this term allowed Shikane to be more daring in feeding the insect in the future.

At least he didn't need to worry about feeding it something it couldn't handle and causing it to collapse.

Chapter 22 The Third Person

"You want to learn how to make ninja tools?"

In the clearing within the small forest, Orochimaru looked at Shikane with a puzzled gaze. He didn't quite understand why Shikane would be interested in something like ninja tools.

In his opinion, Shikane's talent should be focused on learning ninjutsu and accumulating knowledge.

"Just want to know a little." Shikane faced Orochimaru's puzzled gaze and affirmed. He didn't plan to learn too deeply, but he needed to understand some of the ninja tool crafting in this world.

"Ninja tools are a very broad category." Orochimaru paused for a moment, then answered Shikane: "Ninja's shuriken, kunai, swords, explosive tags, any kind of tools, including Sand Hidden Village's puppets, Mist Hidden Village's seven ninja swords with different functions, can all be considered a type of ninja tool.

In addition, there are some legendary items with powerful powers.

The most comprehensive and knowledgeable about how to make ninja tools is the Takumi Ninja Village. Other ninja villages mostly focus on a certain category.

I can only find you some introductory knowledge on ninja tool manufacturing."

"That's enough, I just want to understand a little." Shikane nodded.

Seeing that Shikane's expression didn't seem to be fake, and he really seemed to be just asking out of curiosity, Orochimaru didn't care anymore.

As a teacher, he was absolutely unwilling to see Shikane waste his talent and time on things that were destined to have a low ceiling.

What's more, his expertise as a teacher is in chakra and ninjutsu, or biological transformation, etc. He doesn't currently know much about ninja tools.

"Teacher, you're giving Shikane extra lessons again!"

Suddenly, a resentful voice accompanied by a figure descending from the sky. Anko landed lightly on the ground and stopped, then stood up and pointed her finger at the two, shouting in dissatisfaction.

"No, I just arrived." Shikane waved his hands hastily. If he admitted it, he would face Anko's harassment and attacks in various ways for the next period of time.

In this meaningless matter, Shikane still had the Nara clan's style of fearing trouble.

"Humph!" Anko glared at Shikane with a grunt, then said to Orochimaru: "What training are we doing today, teacher?"

"I accepted a mission for you." Orochimaru was calm about the exchange between the two disciples, and only spoke after Anko finished complaining.

"Mission? Are we leaving the village again?" Anko was happy at first, then a little reluctant. She had just returned home a few days ago.

"C-rank mission, to deal with a giant beast that escaped from the Forest of Death." Orochimaru raised a finger and explained the mission details and objectives to Shikane and Anko one by one.

"Although it's a C-rank mission, in terms of danger, it's no less than some B-rank missions. If you're careless, you'll get hurt."

"A giant monster that looks like a wild boar, kill it or drive it back to the Forest of Death, don't let it disturb or destroy the buildings and crops in the village, is that right?" Anko was relieved to hear that she didn't have to leave the village, and at the same time, she became energetic.

Compared to Shikane, who wished he could stay in the laboratory with Orochimaru forever, she still liked passionate battles.

At least in this regard, she could feel that she was not a burden or a waste in the team.

"Wait a minute, there's one more person joining us." Orochimaru stopped Anko who wanted to leave.

"One more person?"

Shikane and Anko both stared at Orochimaru at the same time.

"Is another newcomer joining us?" Anko couldn't tell what she was thinking for a moment.

"A three-person team is traditional, and this one was recommended by the Hokage himself." As he spoke, Orochimaru's gaze turned towards a certain direction in the forest.

"Sorry, Lord Orochimaru! I'm late!" A young figure walked out from behind a tree in the direction Orochimaru was looking at, his face full of apology.

"An Uchiha!" Seeing the conspicuous fan symbol on the newcomer's sleeve, Anko subconsciously shouted.

The Uchiha's reputation in the village, like the Senju's in the past, was well-known. What the villagers knew most about this clan was their powerful strength, Sharingan, and their closed-off and arrogant nature, forming their own faction.

It was rare for an Uchiha to join a team not led by their own Jonin.

"Introduce yourself." Orochimaru didn't show any extra emotions.

"My name is Uchiha Shisui, a member of the Uchiha clan. I just graduated from the Konoha Ninja Academy not long ago. I'm good at Fire Release, the Three Body Techniques, Body Flicker Technique, and swordsmanship. I hope to get along well with you!" The newcomer introduced himself somewhat shyly.

"What! He's not as arrogant as the legendary Uchiha!" Anko developed a lot of goodwill towards Uchiha Shisui, who seemed to be a shy and handsome young man.

"I'm sorry."

Hearing Anko's words, Shisui smiled awkwardly. He also knew that his clan didn't have a good reputation in the village. If it were other more extreme Uchiha, they might get angry on the spot after hearing Anko's words.

"Shikane! Nara Shikane! Good at medical ninjutsu and shadow secret techniques."

"Anko, Mitarashi Anko! Good at Fire Release and Orochimaru-style ninjutsu. As the one who joined later, you can call me big sister!" Anko leaned closer to Shisui, took over Shikane's words, and introduced herself while trying to win over a little brother.

Clap clap!

"Finish the mission first." Orochimaru clapped his hands, attracting the attention of the three.

He looked at Shisui: "The old man has a high opinion of you. In the next mission, you will be the main attacker. This mission will be completed by the three of you cooperating. After completing the mission, go and collect the reward yourselves."

"What about you, Orochimaru-sensei?" Anko subconsciously asked.

"I'm busy with other things." After Orochimaru finished speaking, his figure turned into a puff of smoke with a bang and disappeared.

"Damn it!" Seeing that it was just a shadow clone, Anko muttered angrily. Looking at Shikane and the obedient Shisui, she said, "Since Orochimaru-sensei didn't say who to listen to, I'll be the captain of this mission. You have no objections, right?"

Shisui's eyes tentatively looked in Shikane's direction. Before coming, he had learned some information about Shikane and Anko from his clan.

After all, one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, personally came to recruit disciples, and he had also learned medical ninjutsu from Tsunade. Nara Shikane had some fame among the Jonin, although they all thought he was just lucky.

"I have no problem." Shikane wished that Anko would charge ahead and take on all the troublesome matters. Anyway, when necessary, Anko would also remember him, the idle and lazy external brain.

"I have no problem either!" After Shikane's attitude was clear, Shisui immediately followed suit.

Anko immediately smiled and put her hands on her hips.

"Then the first step is to track the target. Do you know tracking techniques?" Anko's gaze swept towards Shisui.

"No problem." Shisui nodded. In the Ninja Academy, there were courses on how to track targets. The reason Genin did these missions was to digest and truly master the knowledge they learned in school.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 23: Cooperation

"It seems to be a really big one!"

Looking at the mess of fallen trees and scattered branches ahead, the three of them, Shikane, whispered to each other.

"This level of destruction could only be caused by at least a large-sized summoning beast." Uchiha Shisui also became very vigilant. Wild beasts of this size would make even some Chunin retreat.

The three exchanged the information they had observed, treating this mission as an opportunity to get to know each other and cooperate, while also applying and digesting the knowledge taught at the ninja school.

"Did you hear that?" Suddenly, Anko lifted her palm from the ground and looked in one direction.

Huff, huff!

A thunderous muffled sound approached from afar, accompanied by the shaking of the ground, instantly making the three of them tense up.

"Scatter!" Uchiha Shisui subconsciously shouted.

Just as the three of them used the Body Flicker Technique to jump up, a giant beast over ten meters tall, rampaging all the way, uprooted the trees along the way, exposing itself to their sight.

It was a giant beast that looked like an enlarged wild boar, with exposed fangs and four legs like four round pillars, stomping on the ground with a thudding sound.

Seeming to regard this area as its playground, the wild boar shook its head, stared at another intact forest, breathed heavily, and adjusted its steps, preparing to charge.

"I'll go first!" Considering herself the leader, Anko stabilized herself on a tree and immediately started making hand seals.

Her signature Dragon Fire Technique was initiated.

The same technique, but the power Anko released now was far greater than when she participated in the bell test.

The blazing fire transformed into a pillar of flames, directly hitting the boar's massive body. The flames spread instantly, covering more than half of the wild boar's body.

The wild boar let out a shrill scream, and its massive body rolled on the ground. The surrounding ground trembled at that moment.

At the same time, it also made the giant wild boar pay attention to the three of them, who seemed like insects in its eyes.

"Damn it! Is its defense this strong?"

Seeing that the giant beast was still alive and kicking after taking a full Dragon Fire Technique, only the part hit by the flames was charred, revealing the flesh under the fur, emitting a meaty aroma, Anko cursed in surprise.

However, Shikane and Shisui didn't have the time to reply, because at this moment, the enraged giant wild boar was already charging towards them with a rumble.

Shisui, while still in mid-air, took out four kunai with explosive tags attached from his pouch and threw them towards the giant wild boar. The four kunai collided in mid-air, then changed their angles and pierced into the area injured by the Dragon Fire Technique.

Just this move alone showed Shisui's excellent dynamic observation, kunai manipulation, and timing skills.

The four kunai with explosive tags pierced into the cooked wound, then exploded with a flash of fire.

The giant beast, heavily injured again, stumbled from the explosive force and let out an even more furious and shrill cry.

Good opportunity!

Dodging the boar's charge, Anko immediately found herself facing the injured side of the beast. Almost subconsciously, she threw two kunai with explosive tags attached, one from each hand, trying to replicate Shisui's attack.

But the wild boar, in pain, rolled and rubbed on the ground to extinguish the flames on its body. Anko's kunai landed on it, were knocked away by its armor-like hard shell, and exploded in mid-air.

"Be careful, it's going crazy!" Shisui shouted a reminder. An injured beast, especially a wild boar, would almost fight to the death.

"Damn it, its body is too big, and its defense is too high. The ninjutsu I know doesn't have much effect on it!" Anko yelled while dodging the boar's pursuit.

Summoning Technique!

Shikane, who hadn't made a move from the beginning, bit his finger and formed the Summoning Technique seal with his blood-stained palm.

A giant yellow snake suddenly appeared on the field with a large cloud of smoke, winding its way quickly towards the wild boar. The two giant beasts collided violently under the control of the three.

The giant snake coiled around the wild boar's body, while the wild boar bit the snake's neck tightly.

Just as the giant snake was about to turn into smoke and disappear, a pair of blood-red eyes suddenly appeared in the wild boar's eyes.

The wild boar's pupils, filled with bloodshot and anger, instantly dilated, and its strength rapidly disappeared, becoming quiet as if falling asleep.

With the sudden disappearance of the giant snake, the wild boar's massive body collapsed on the ground, losing consciousness.

"Huff, huff."

Standing on the wild boar's huge body, Anko, who had been chased in a panic earlier, took two deep breaths and looked at Shikane with a strange expression.

"How could you summon such a big snake? I remember the Nara clan isn't known for their chakra." Anko looked at Shikane suspiciously.

The Summoning Technique was a technique where chakra consumption dynamically changed based on the size and power of the summoned creature. Shikane being able to summon such a large snake meant that, at least in terms of chakra amount, he surpassed her current level.

"Pleasant cooperation." Shikane ignored Anko, who was lost in her thoughts and rambling again, and extended his hand to Shisui, who had landed beside him.

"Pleasant cooperation." Shisui, still maintaining his Sharingan, looked at Shikane's outstretched hand, slightly stunned, but quickly grasped it.

"You two!"

"Senior sister was also amazing, holding off that beast for so long, buying us time and opportunity."

Just as Anko was about to explode, Shisui turned his head and said sincerely. Soothed by Shisui's sudden words, Anko immediately beamed with joy.

"Well done."

A hoarse voice suddenly came from below.

The three of them quickly jumped down from the giant beast and saw Orochimaru slowly emerging from the ground.

"Orochimaru-sensei! Look, we subdued this big guy together!" The impatient Anko immediately rushed over, pointed at the giant beast lying on the ground, and said excitedly.

"I saw it all." Orochimaru patted Anko's head, ignoring her infatuated expression, and glanced at Shikane and Shisui, pausing briefly when he saw Shisui's blood-red eyes.

"Were you observing from the shadows all along, Orochimaru-sama?" Shisui raised his hand and asked.

"It was a dangerous mission after all, and my main body was busy, so I could only use a shadow clone to handle it." Orochimaru replied somewhat coldly. One incident like Nawaki's was enough.

"Let's go, I'll take you to a celebratory meal." After Orochimaru killed the wild boar still trapped in the illusion, he sealed it into a scroll and said to the three beside him.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 24: Q&A

"What do you think of the new addition to the team, Uchiha Shisui?"

After the dinner, Orochimaru's shadow clone and Shikane walked side by side on the way back to the Nara clan's land. Suddenly, Orochimaru asked.

"He is very strong, and his talent is obvious. He is the kind of person that Orochimaru-sensei likes the most," Shikane replied.

"Anything more in-depth?" Orochimaru seemed a little dissatisfied with Shikane's answer.

"What do you mean, Orochimaru-sensei?" Shikane stopped and looked up at Orochimaru, who was looking down at him, and asked back.

"He held back today," Orochimaru suddenly changed the subject.

"Maybe he deliberately suppressed himself in order to integrate into our team?" Shikane did not discuss Shisui's strength with Orochimaru. As a powerful bystander, Orochimaru's eyesight and judgment were much more accurate than his, and he could see more details and things.

"The world of ninjas is very cruel, Shikane. Even if they are from the same village, you should be vigilant. I have heard of Shisui's name. He is an Anbu talent that the old man values very much, and he is an Anbu member directly under the old man."

After Orochimaru finished speaking, he stopped talking and silently sent Shikane back to the Nara clan's land.

In the following days, Orochimaru seemed to have forgotten what he had said to Shikane that night. Uchiha Shisui's integration went very smoothly.

A powerful, humble, and polite Uchiha, without the inexplicable arrogance of the Uchiha clan, was still able to gain people's trust and friendship after getting along.

At least Anko didn't hate Shisui, and she quickly regarded Shisui as a true member of the team.

Of course, it was hard to say whether it was because only Shisui in the team would tirelessly accompany her in combat training, and every time he could explain some loopholes to her and correct them, which made her very satisfied.

"Aren't you going to train with Shikane?"

Shisui, who had just stopped a teaching game, looked at Shikane lying on a branch in the distance and asked Anko curiously. After a few days of contact, Shisui found that Shikane rarely engaged in such combat training.

"The Nara clan is all like this, right? It is said that Shikane is still quite diligent. But if you hadn't joined, I wouldn't even have a training opponent," Anko complained a little.

"Shikane is the support and medical ninja in the team, so it's normal for him not to be good at fighting. But his support and medical ninjutsu, as well as the Nara clan's brain, are still very important when performing missions," Shisui smiled.

"Shikane has combat power, he just hates fighting without a purpose," Anko corrected Shisui's impression of Shikane.

If Shikane didn't have combat power, she would have become the big sister long ago.

Shisui nodded thoughtfully. Although he hadn't seen Shikane display much combat power these days, the giant snake that Shikane summoned with the Summoning Technique during the first team mission at least proved his chakra reserves.

"Let's take a break," Shisui raised his hand and made a suggestion.

"Then I'll go catch some game for lunch," Anko rubbed her belly carelessly and rushed into the surrounding woods. These days, they mostly solved their lunch by themselves, in the name of cultivating their wilderness survival skills.

"Shikane-kun."

A somewhat timid call woke up Shikane, who was drowsy due to being dragged by Orochimaru for research in the middle of the night, resulting in lack of sleep.

Opening his eyes, Shikane saw Shisui looking up from below the tree, his eyes filled with a bit of anticipation and hesitation.

"Where's Anko?" Shikane jumped down from the tree, landed steadily on the open space in front of Shisui, glanced around, and didn't find Anko's always strong presence, so he asked subconsciously.

"She said she was going to catch some game for lunch," Shisui answered honestly.

"Do you have something you want to talk to me about?"

Seeing Shisui's hesitant look, Shikane took the initiative to ask. No matter what Shisui's purpose was for joining the team, at least in the original work, he was a pretty good person. Coupled with his bloodline limit, Shikane was still willing to maintain some friendship.

"What do you think of the Uchiha clan?" Shisui hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke under Shikane's gaze.

Shikane's heart skipped a beat. Looking at Shisui's obviously still young face, he saw a kind of struggle and confusion in his eyes.

"Which aspect are you referring to?" Shikane sat down on the ground under the shade of the tree and looked at Shisui, who was also sitting cross-legged opposite him.

"The village's reputation and the high-level's views." Seeing that Shikane didn't refuse to communicate, Shisui breathed a sigh of relief and looked at him gratefully, letting go of his inner entanglement.

"As for why I'm asking you, I just feel that you are more mature than me and should be able to give me an answer. After all, the Nara clan members are very smart, and many of them play the role of think tanks in the village.

In addition, as one of Orochimaru-sama's most valued disciples, you should know something about the high-level's current views on the Uchiha. You know, the Uchiha clan doesn't have a good reputation in the village, and some adults in the clan are quite extreme when facing certain things."

"You are very sensitive! You can think of so much at your age," Shikane said after hearing Shisui's words.

"It's just that the clan leader talked to me and mentioned some things, letting me understand the situation," Shisui replied honestly, shaking his head.

"This is a complex issue that can't be explained in a few words. Since your clan leader let you understand some problems, what's his intention?" Shikane asked further.

"The clan leader's intention is to hope that I will be valued by Orochimaru-sama," Shisui thought seriously about what the clan leader had said to him that day, summarized it, and replied.

"Just do as he says," Shikane gave a brief suggestion.

"Huh? Just do as he says?" Shisui looked at Shikane in surprise.

"Your clan leader is hoping for a Hokage who will be kind to the Uchiha in the future. However, he doesn't have any better candidates right now, so you have become a bet to win the Uchiha's future. There may be more than one bet in the future, but you just need to do what you should do," Shikane didn't give Shisui any grand principles, but just gave him the answer directly.

"The Fourth Hokage?" Shisui was lost in thought for a moment.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 25: Conversation and Attack

"Clan Leader."

In the Uchiha Clan compound, Uchiha Shisui, who had finished training and returned to the clan, went to see the clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku.

"It's Shisui." Uchiha Fugaku, who was teaching a child, saw Shisui's arrival and immediately stopped teaching. He handed the child over to his wife beside him and motioned for Shisui to follow.

Shisui waved to the child, then turned and followed Uchiha Fugaku into the house.

"Itachi likes you very much." Uchiha Fugaku motioned for Shisui to sit down and smiled at him.

"I like Itachi too, he's very cute." Shisui thought of the child in the courtyard, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.

He was a very smart child, although still young, but already more mature than his peers. He was also very talented. Shisui believed that his future would definitely be that of a powerful ninja.

"You came today?" After opening the topic with Itachi, Uchiha Fugaku looked at Shisui and asked tentatively. He already had a vague guess in his mind.

Sure enough, Shisui hesitated for a moment, then quickly said, "I asked about what the clan leader once told me..."

"Orochimaru?" Uchiha Fugaku took over Shisui's words.

"No, it's Nara Shikane!" Shisui shook his head and said a name that surprised Uchiha Fugaku.

"Nara Shikane? I remember he's Nara Shikamaru's child." Uchiha Fugaku nodded.

"Lord Orochimaru is very busy, and it's only his shadow clone that teaches us. Among the three of us, only Shikane is valued the most by Lord Orochimaru and can see him at any time.

After these few days of contact, he gives me the feeling of being calm and having his own views on many things." Shisui lowered his head, seemingly a little apologetic.

"So you wanted to get an answer from him?" Uchiha Fugaku looked at Shisui expressionlessly.

"I'm sorry. I really thought Shikane could give me an answer." Shisui bowed apologetically.

"Did he?" Uchiha Fugaku was not as angry as Shisui had imagined, but his tone remained calm as he asked further.

"He did." Shisui sat up again at Uchiha Fugaku's gesture and recounted his conversation with Shikane word for word.

"Did he really say that?" Uchiha Fugaku was initially a little disappointed and didn't expect to hear anything useful from Shisui, but there was no doubt that Shikane's answer still moved him.

"Yes." Shisui nodded affirmatively.

The two fell into their own silence for a while.

A moment later, Fugaku, who had woken up from his thoughts, saw the young face of Shisui opposite him, filled with anxiety and confusion, as well as hesitation and fear of disturbing him. He subconsciously smiled, "What do you want to ask?"

"Does what Shikane said make sense?" Shisui finally asked the question that had been swirling in his mind.

"For a child, to be able to see through some situations and give such advice is already extremely rare. He is indeed worthy of being from the Nara clan, known for their strategists."

Fugaku first affirmed Shisui's words, but then shook his head again before Shisui's joy could fully show, "But obviously, he doesn't know enough about the situation between us and the higher-ups."

"The situation in the clan is not bad enough to use you as a sacrificial pawn. In fact, even I was surprised that you were able to join Orochimaru's team.

You have already become an Anbu of the village, so the one who can really make the final decision is the Third Hokage.

What I said to you before was just to let you get to know Orochimaru as much as possible. After all, since White Fang's death, the most popular and hopeful candidate for the Fourth Hokage is only the Sannin left.

Based on my understanding of the Sannin, Lady Tsunade has left the village and probably has no intention of competing for the Fourth Hokage. Between Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Orochimaru has the best chance.

If Orochimaru becomes the Fourth Hokage, you are likely to become his direct bodyguard. Just like the Third Hokage was to the Second."

Fearing that Shisui wouldn't understand, Fugaku patiently and подробно explained to him.

"So, the relationship between the higher-ups and the clan is not as bad as I thought?" Shisui was somewhat pleasantly surprised.

"Of course not! This village was founded by the ancestors of the Senju and the Uchiha together! The Uchiha are an indispensable top clan in this village!

The conflict between the higher-ups and us lies in the Second Hokage's wariness and suppression of us, as well as our desire for the Hokage position.

After all, the Senju clan has already produced two Hokage, and the third and fourth may also belong to the Senju's master-disciple lineage.

Originally, your grandfather, Kagami, had a chance. But he suddenly died."

Fugaku smiled and continued, "This is just a game between us and the higher-ups, it's not that irreconcilable. I think it's precisely because he heard the Uchiha's voice that the Third Hokage transferred you to the Hokage's direct Anbu and then assigned you to Orochimaru.

Thinking about it this way, the possibility of Orochimaru inheriting the Fourth Hokage position is even greater than Jiraiya's.

It's good that Shikane didn't analyze and explain these things to you, but his advice is correct. You can listen to it!

If possible, you should also deepen your relationship with him. Maybe he will become the Fourth Hokage's strategist in the future."

"I understand." Shisui felt much more relieved. As long as there was no possibility of the village and the clan falling out, he was happy.

"Go see Itachi, take him out to have some fun and relax." Fugaku now showed the face of a loving father.

Although he had high expectations for Itachi and often trained him with a stern face, he always firmly believed that Itachi's future would surpass his own as a father, and his talent was far superior to anyone else in the clan!

If possible, he would also be happy to let Itachi follow the same path as Shisui, that is, to integrate into the village and enter places like the Anbu for training.

"I will." Shisui stood up, bowed respectfully to Fugaku in farewell, then opened the door and walked out.

...

"Are you Nara Shikane? Someone wants to see you."

In a dark alley, an Anbu figure wearing a mask suddenly landed in front of Shikane, who was on his way home.

"Who wants to see me?" Shikane, sensing a certain coldness and malice from the other person, immediately became vigilant. He lowered his arm hidden behind his sleeve, and a small snake quickly darted out, taking advantage of the night to escape.

"Just follow me, don't put up any meaningless resistance." The newcomer's voice was cold and emotionless, like a machine executing a task.

"I should at least be able to let my teacher, Lord Orochimaru, or my parents know who I'm going to see, right?" Shikane said, already prepared to resist.

The malice from the other person was becoming too obvious. Shikane had no idea who he had offended in the village to be targeted like this.

"It seems I can only take you down first." The newcomer drew the short knife from his back, the tip pointing at Shikane.

(End of this chapter)