Since the day he accidentally absorbed Naruto's blood, Uchiha Kaede had tasted the immense benefits brought by his cheat.
Sure enough, only cheating was the fastest way to improve. In the later stages of this world, it was all about cheating, too. It just depended on who had the biggest cheat.
Early this morning, the sunlight shone on the streets and alleys of Konoha Village, and the villagers and Ninja had all started their busy new day.
Uchiha Kaede left home as usual, but his destination today was not the Clan Training Ground, but the Konoha Village Hospital.
He arrived at the hospital entrance, tidied his clothes slightly, and walked in naturally.
The hospital was bustling with people; injured Ninja were receiving treatment, and medical staff hurried between the various wards.
Kaede quickly ducked into the hospital's changing room, found a white coat, and put it on. "Transformation Jutsu!" A relatively tall doctor then walked out.
After emerging, Uchiha Kaede walked straight toward a busy doctor, showing a gentle smile, and said, "Hello, Doctor, I'm here to help."
The doctor looked at him, feeling a bit strange, as he had no impression of the doctor in front of him. But he didn't think much of it; after all, there were many doctors in the hospital, and he couldn't possibly know them all.
So he nodded and said, "Oh, perfect. The wards are a bit overwhelmed right now, and the Ninja with minor injuries haven't been looked after yet."
"In that case, I'll go check on them." Uchiha Kaede replied and headed toward the ward area.
As he walked, he paid attention to his surroundings. Passing a ward, he peeked through the crack in the door and saw a Konoha Genin lying inside. It looked like he had suffered some scrapes and bruises while on a mission. He was resting in bed, his face slightly pale.
Uchiha Kaede's heart stirred. He gently pushed the door open, walked in, and said with a look of concern, "Hello, how are you feeling today?"
The Genin opened his eyes slightly, saw a doctor, and smiled weakly, saying, "Thank you. They're just minor injuries; I'll be fine after some rest."
Uchiha Kaede nodded, sat down by the bed, and chatted casually with the Genin.
During the conversation, he quietly took out a pre-prepared, extremely sharp, and small needle. While the Genin wasn't paying attention, he pretended to accidentally brush against his arm, instantly creating a tiny cut.
Before the Genin could react, a drop of fresh blood had already seeped out.
Uchiha Kaede immediately activated his cheat. An invisible force surged from him, instantly enveloping the drop of blood.
Immediately afterward, he felt an unfamiliar power surge into his body along with that drop of blood, and the Chakra within him began to slowly rise.
The Genin only felt a slight numbness on his arm and looked confusedly at the small cut, thinking he had accidentally scratched himself on something.
Uchiha Kaede continued chatting with him without changing his expression, but internally, he was sensing the continuously flowing power.
After absorbing this drop of blood, he clearly felt that his control over Chakra was more proficient, as if a new vitality had entered his body.
After chatting with the Genin a bit longer, Uchiha Kaede got up and left the ward, continuing his search for the next target in the hospital.
He moved between the various wards, using the excuse of helping care for patients to seize every opportunity to obtain the blood of other Ninja.
Some Ninja were severely wounded in battle and physically weak; Uchiha Kaede only needed to create a slight accident to easily obtain their blood.
While other Ninja had lighter injuries, under his deliberate guidance, they would also accidentally suffer a scratch, causing blood to flow for him to absorb.
"Just as I thought," he muttered internally. He now understood that the more blood he absorbed, the more energy he gained from this absorption ability.
This even included physical strength and some experience and memories.
For example, sometimes it was just a little Chakra, but other times, a Ninjutsu would suddenly appear in his mind during absorption.
Whether he could absorb other things was still unclear to him.
As he continuously absorbed the blood of other Ninja, Uchiha Kaede's internal Chakra became increasingly potent and powerful, and his control over various C-rank Ninjutsu reached a new level.
While he could originally only perform the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique with ordinary power, now, when he used it again, the massive fireball was not only larger in size but also higher in temperature. Wherever it passed, the ground was scorched, seemingly capable of incinerating everything.
In terms of Taijutsu, his speed and strength also saw significant improvements. Previously, dodging attacks was slightly strenuous, but now, his movements flicker like a phantom, allowing him to easily evade enemy attacks and launch fierce counterattacks instantly.
Just like that, Uchiha Kaede spent most of the day busy in the hospital, constantly absorbing the blood of different Ninja, and his strength greatly increased.
As he absorbed more and more blood, he gradually felt that the gains he received were diminishing.
It wasn't that the energy absorbed from the blood decreased, but that his own energy grew greater and greater. The small amount of Chakra he gained was no longer enough to raise his "blue bar" even slightly.
Furthermore, there were usually no Jonin lying in the hospital, and even if there were, he wouldn't dare to absorb their blood, afraid of being exposed as a fake.
When evening arrived, Uchiha Kaede finished his "help" at the hospital and prepared to go home. However, just as he reached the Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Did you hear? Uchiha Itachi joined the Anbu."
"Huh? Uchiha Itachi? He's a genius of the Uchiha Clan, why would he join the Anbu?"
"Who knows? But this matter is a bit suspicious. And think about it, Uchiha Shisui was always in contact with the Anbu before, too. Now Itachi has entered the Anbu, and I wonder how Shisui is doing now..."
Uchiha Kaede's heart sank upon hearing these words. He knew that in the original work plot, Uchiha Shisui met with misfortune shortly after Uchiha Itachi joined the Anbu.
Now that Itachi had entered the Anbu, did that mean Shisui was also nearing the end of his life?
Thinking of this, a complex emotion surged in Uchiha Kaede's heart. Shisui was an extremely important figure in the Uchiha Clan. Not only was he powerful, but he had also constantly tried to reconcile the relationship between the clan members and the Konoha higher-ups.
He had always felt that Shisui was somewhat foolish for daring to openly display a major weapon like Kotoamatsukami. However, he did this to ensure the best outcome for both the clan and the Village. If the Third Hokage asked Shisui to massacre the clan, he would have been unwilling, unlike a certain "Great Filial Son" who immediately chose one over the other.
However, Uchiha Kaede's thoughts quickly pulled away from his emotions. A bold idea suddenly sprouted in his mind—plotting to acquire Shisui's corpse.
After a day of frantic absorption, his current strength had soared. Unfortunately, he lacked effective offensive means; his entire body of Chakra couldn't be fully utilized.
He also knew that Shisui possessed unique Sharingan abilities. If he could use his cheat to absorb Shisui's power after his death, his own strength would certainly achieve another qualitative leap.
He quickened his pace toward home, thinking the entire way about how he could successfully obtain Shisui's corpse, and how to use his cheat to absorb the power without being discovered.
This was undoubtedly an extremely risky plan, but for Uchiha Kaede right now, it was the only way he could think of to potentially ensure he had enough power to protect himself when the Night of the Clan Massacre arrived.
Returning home, Uchiha Kaede walked straight into his room, closed the door, and sat down at the table.
His expression was serious, and his mind continuously pondered various details and possible scenarios.