[Ding!]
[You stood your ground and refuted Uchiha Seijuro with reason.]
[You have acquired a new skill: Fire Release – Phoenix Fire Jutsu (C-Rank) – Proficient.]
[Your "Heart of Steel" stack has increased.]
[You can now view your Heart of Steel stacks and open your skill panel.]
Hero paused for a moment, blinking at the glowing text hovering in front of him. Then his expression slowly turned into one of muted disbelief.
"…Seriously?"
All he'd done was argue a little—for the sake of dying honorably, mind you—not even trying to trigger his cheat. Yet somehow, this counted as a righteous act?
"You can't be serious… even this counts as a just cause?!"
With a sigh, Hero mentally opened the new panel hovering in front of his vision.
[Name: Uchiha Hero]
[Title: Heaven-Sent Child]
[Talents: Heart of Steel (SSS) Sharingan (Unawakened – B) Combat Instinct (Locked – S)
[Skills:
- Uchiha Style – Manipulated Shuriken Technique (Master – S)
- Fire Release – Great Fireball Jutsu (Beginner – C)
- Fire Release – Phoenix Fire Jutsu (Proficient – C) Taijutsu (Novice) ]
[Heart of Steel Progression: ++ Stack]
[Insurance Status: Paid]
Nothing particularly shocking... except that unexpected addition under talents: Combat Instinct.
Hero narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That one wasn't there before. Was it silently added?"
Still, aside from that mystery, everything else checked out. One more fire jutsu. One more panel. Not a big deal.
Especially when that jutsu—Phoenix Fire—was one of the softest, most showy Fire Release techniques. More smoke and sound than real damage. Known across the shinobi world for its "flashy but friendly" reputation.
Which meant it wasn't much of a weapon… but it was perfect as a tool for misdirection.
Now, if only he could talk his teammates into following his death plan, everything might still go as hoped.
Sadly… reality never played out so smoothly.
Just as Hero's voice finished echoing in the clearing, Uchiha Seijuro's face darkened.
Seijuro was one of the more realistic ninjas in the Uchiha clan. He'd taken this mission not out of glory—but survival. And having already known the shady reasons behind it, he was walking into it with resentment bottled up.
Now, getting lectured by a Genin? That was fuel to the fire.
His Sharingan spun open without a sound, glowing ominously in the dim light.
"Hero-kun... are you seriously trying to lecture me?"
His voice was low. Cold. Razor-sharp.
"You, a Genin who hasn't even awakened his Sharingan—think you can talk down to me?"
"You need to learn your place!"
His tone was seething, eyes narrowed with deadly intent.
And he wasn't just bluffing.
The moment Hero noticed the eyes activate, he instinctively shifted his gaze downward—never look a Sharingan-user in the eyes.
Which is how he saw it coming.
In the next heartbeat, Seijuro lunged forward.
One hand grabbed Hero's hair.
The other clamped onto his shoulder.
A knee strike shot upward like a sledgehammer—straight toward Hero's skull.
Hero's pupils shrank.
What the hell?!
He's seriously attacking? In front of Setsuna-sama?!
He had no time to think.
Hero's body moved before his mind caught up.
He inhaled sharply, letting Seijuro's force twist his posture as he spun into a fluid backflip. Legs pivoted. Core engaged. A full-body motion that carried him just barely out of reach—his cheek brushing past the oncoming knee.
While still airborne, his fingers moved to his belt.
Three shuriken flew like lightning, slicing through the air in a deadly arc.
Their targets: Seijuro's throat, wrist, and temple.
Seijuro's eyes snapped wide.
He saw every shuriken clearly thanks to the Sharingan. Their spin. Their angles.
With a grunt, he let go of Hero's hair, leaning back and twisting to narrowly avoid all three.
His breath caught.
His heart burned.
This little punk had just retaliated—against a Chunin.
He clenched his teeth.
"You dare resist me?!"
"I'll show you what happens to insubordinates!"
His tomoe spun—two crimson commas circling dangerously in his eyes. He raised his hands to weave signs.
But Hero was already ahead of him.
Still in midair, his fingers were already forming hand seals.
Rat → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Hare → Tiger
"Fire Release – Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Before Seijuro could finish his final seal, he saw them—
Six flaming fireballs lighting up the night, roaring toward him like streaking meteors.
And behind them? The unmistakable shriek of steel slicing air.
Shuriken. Kunai. Hidden in the flames.
"Shit—!"
Fifteen projectiles flew in at once.
Even with the Sharingan, he couldn't dodge them all by skill alone.
He had only one move left: Body Flicker.
But Hero wasn't done. On the ground now, he drew four more shuriken between his fingers—ready for another volley.
And then, without hesitation, reached into his scroll pouch.
A large scroll snapped open—its center marked with a massive symbol.
Judging by its size, it held no less than a hundred sealed ninja tools.
"Tsk…What the actual hell?!"
"This kid's a walking armory!"
"Enough."
The voice came low and calm.
But it cut through the chaos like thunder.
Setsuna moved.
A single step brought him between the two combatants.
The ninjato on his back glinted under the moonlight.
With a single smooth motion, he unsheathed it and swung.
The blade sliced cleanly through the night, drawing a silver arc in the dark like a crescent moon.
CLANG!
The fireballs burst.
The kunai and shuriken scattered in all directions.
All of it—deflected in one elegant stroke.
"Uchiha Seijuro," the elder said coldly, voice devoid of warmth.
"Go finish your task."
Seijuro flinched under the pressure of Setsuna's gaze. He clenched his jaw, then turned without a word, walking toward the vicinity to set up traps.
But the fire in his chest had only grown.
He'd been caught off guard, yes.
But next time, this little Genin wouldn't be so lucky.
Hero, meanwhile, knelt and began collecting his damaged gear.
Two of his best kunai? Bent beyond use.
Three shuriken? Snapped clean in half.
"All of this... wasted… Fuck!"
Tools meant for enemy ninja—wasted on a stupid scuffle with his own teammate.
"That's money down the drain…"
Elder Setsuna's gaze lingered on something else.
The first three shuriken Hero had thrown…
Each had nearly invisible wire coiled around it.
If Seijuro had Body Flickered into position—and Hero had pulled the wire…
"He would've been decapitated on the spot." Setsuna narrowed his eyes at Hero.
A strange feeling gnawed at the back of his mind.
"For a moment… it was like I was watching myself?"
"This kid's throwing technique…It's real."
"…You're Uchiha Hero, right?" Setsuna asked at last.
Hero blinked. "Yes, sir."
Setsuna nodded faintly, then sat beside the fire.
With a slow, deliberate motion, he gestured with his hand.
"Come sit."
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed my first 10 chapters! I am so excited about this book. And will be glad to see your honest reviews ;)