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Uchiha Shisui looked at Wuchen, overwhelmed by the unexpected attention. As a confidant of the Third Hokage, he knew that the Third's trust in Wuchen was probably second only to the Sannin and a few others.
However, upon hearing Wuchen call him an Uchiha clan genius, his face immediately filled with shame.
"Lord Wuchen jests, I am unworthy of the title of genius."
Uchiha Shisui immediately shook his head. He was six years old this year and had successfully joined the ANBU, becoming one of the Third Hokage's trusted subordinates. Even without fully demonstrating his strength, the mere fact that he could join the ANBU, a place filled with powerhouses, spoke volumes.
"How so?"
Seeing Shisui resolutely shake his head, Wuchen stared at him blankly. Logically, Uchiha Shisui was just a six-year-old child, in an age of innocence and wonder. And Wuchen himself was currently acting as a parental figure. Children were naturally innocent; according to Wuchen's expectation, Shisui should be looking at him with starry, worshipful eyes!
However, the current situation clearly ran counter to Wuchen's expectations. Uchiha Shisui's face was calm, his eyes filled with the light of wisdom, shining like brilliant pearls, and an aura of rationality enveloped his entire being.
"Lord Wuchen is truly the undisputed foremost figure of the Uchiha. At the age of ten, you awakened the ultimate eye—the Mangekyo Sharingan. In the battle of Sand Village, you exerted immense power, annihilating the entire Sand Village single-handedly. You are truly the most monstrous existence in Uchiha history, surpassing even our ancestor, Uchiha Madara, were he to be reborn."
Uchiha Shisui recounted, his expression inevitably dimming. In this world, any genius could only barely survive under Wuchen's feet, and he didn't believe Uchiha Madara had awakened the Mangekyo at ten, nor could he have destroyed thousands of shinobi in a single strike.
"This…"
Hearing this, Wuchen looked at Uchiha Shisui, who was full of emotion and seemed to see through everything, his expression extremely unnatural and rather awkward, his mouth twitching. He felt a mix of laughter and tears.
"I am indeed the most genius one… and the one who cheats the most!"
Wuchen secretly covered his mouth and chuckled, amused. He hadn't awakened the Sharingan at all, because that was a three-tomoe from a lottery prize, and the Mangekyo Sharingan was a product caused by Uchiha Fugaku's ruthlessness.
Shaking his head, Wuchen smiled at Uchiha Shisui, and whispered, "Your and my experiences within the Uchiha clan are strikingly similar; we are both adrift in the world. From now on, I will personally instruct you in ninjutsu."
Although Uchiha Shisui came from the Uchiha clan, his mindset went beyond the narrow-mindedness of prioritizing his own clan, caring wholeheartedly for Konoha. As one of the Third Hokage's confidants, it was obvious that his standing within the Uchiha clan was probably not great.
"Can I truly, Lord Wuchen?!"
Uchiha Shisui's eyes immediately gleamed upon hearing this. Although he wondered why Wuchen suddenly had the idea to kindly instruct him in ninjutsu, he had no reason to refuse. Moreover, Shisui didn't believe he possessed anything that Wuchen would find valuable.
At least, that's what Uchiha Shisui believed for now.
"I never joke. Perhaps now you think you're nothing special, but in the near future…"
Wuchen looked at Shisui deeply, saying meaningfully, "Shisui of the Body Flicker" would become famous during this period.
"Although I feel a little bad for you, your future is inherently a tragedy, Shisui."
Looking at the excited Uchiha Shisui, Wuchen lowered his head in silent contemplation. This world was like this: the strong preyed on the weak, and the fate of the weak was inherently dictated by the strong.
It was truly regrettable that Uchiha Shisui never managed to activate his ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, before his death. This terrifying and dangerous ninjutsu seemed to have no defense, one could be tricked and permanently have their will altered without even realizing it.
"Speaking of which, what did the Third Hokage want from me?"
Remembering Shisui's sudden visit, Wuchen asked directly. Although the old man, the Third Hokage, was a bit stubborn and old-fashioned, his character was still passable. Looking at the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations, those so-called Kage were far more cold-hearted and disloyal than the Third.
Therefore, as long as the old Third Hokage didn't scheme against Wuchen, he was still willing to work with him. At the very least, this old man's heart wasn't too malicious, and he didn't harbor thoughts of taking Wuchen's Mangekyo.
"I'm not too sure either."
Shisui, having snapped out of his excitement, shook his head. If a mere six-year-old could fathom the Third Hokage's intentions, Konoha would probably have been flattened a million times over by now.
"Let's go together."
Wuchen nodded, then he and Shisui simultaneously vanished.
…
Inside the Hokage's Office.
The large office contained only a handful of people, certainly no more than ten, but without exception, all were high-ranking and influential individuals of Konoha.
Danzo Shimura, the leader of Root, as well as the Konoha Elders, the Sannin, and Minato Namikaze, and even a masked white-haired child.
"Orochimaru, what is wrong with you? How could that old man from Sand Village break through your defenses time and again?"
A scolding voice suddenly erupted. What was originally a very serious matter twisted into deliberate retaliation due to the sarcastic tone.
The speaker, of course, was Jiraiya, whose relationship with Orochimaru was a peculiar mix of camaraderie and fierce competition.
Orochimaru looked up at Jiraiya, who was swaggering with a smug, triumphant look, and was instantly speechless. Stone Village was no amateur outfit like Sand Village; they had two jinchuriki, that old man Onoki, and even rumors of the Akatsuki, an organization of S-rank rogue ninja.
"'I'm not like you,' he retorted, 'I don't have a formidable general like Wuchen who can fight a thousand on his own.'"
Looking at the Third Hokage, Orochimaru didn't refute Jiraiya, because the defensive line he was stationed at had indeed been breached by Sand Village—an undeniable fact.
At the same time, he inevitably felt hostility towards Onoki. That old man had personally shown up repeatedly in the past two days. Orochimaru had engaged him in battle several times, with victories and losses on both sides, but against the jinchuriki, Konoha's shinobi suffered.
"'This is not your fault, Orochimaru,' the old man, the Third Hokage, said. His aged eyes held no trace of blame. He gestured to Orochimaru not to mind, reminding him that victory and defeat are common in warfare. At the same time, his gaze towards Jiraiya showed a considerable contrast."
"'What the—?!'"
Seeing the Third Hokage looking at him with a dark, displeased expression, Jiraiya's face was utterly miserable, his body twitching uncontrollably as he cursed furiously in his heart. This favoritism is just too obvious! If it's not Orochimaru's fault, then it must be mine?!
And indeed, the old Third Hokage's gaze truly implied that all of this was Jiraiya's fault…