Chapter 14 – Izaya's Request
It could be said that as long as Izaya obtained the Blaze Fruit rewarded by the system, his strength would undergo a qualitative transformation!
"Deal!"
After understanding the immense benefits of the Blaze Fruit, Izaya immediately chose the second option!
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the selection. Reward obtained: Blaze Fruit!"
Within the system space, a mysterious fruit, about the size of a coconut, materialized instantly…
At the same time, Uchiha Itachi looked at him with a curious expression.
"Izaya, are you alright?" Seeing Izaya remain silent and spaced out for so long, a trace of doubt appeared on Uchiha Itachi's face. Little Sasuke also came over and stared at Izaya with wide, curious eyes.
"It's nothing!" Seeing the look on Uchiha Itachi's face, Izaya quickly composed himself and said, "Don't worry. If Sasuke ever needs my help, I will definitely step in."
"In truth, you don't necessarily need to take action. My main thought is actually…" As Izaya agreed to his request, Uchiha Itachi gave a slight nod and continued, "Although your current strength isn't remarkable, I have a feeling that in the future, you will definitely become one of the strongest… Your talent is definitely not as unbearable as others claim…"
"You think that highly of me?" Faced with Uchiha Itachi's evaluation, Izaya was genuinely surprised. After all, the identity assigned to him by the system was that of Konoha's ultimate failure… Thinking this, Izaya replied in a somewhat embarrassed tone, "My talent…"
"The student held back the longest at the Konoha Academy?" This time, Uchiha Itachi smiled an inexplicable smile. He plucked a wildflower nearby and said cryptically, "Although the flower before us is beautiful, it cannot withstand any storm. But this inconspicuous grass underground is different."
After discarding the flower he had just picked, Uchiha Itachi pointed to a blade of green grass on the ground and said to Izaya, "The fiercer the wind and rain, the more tenaciously this grass grows… Besides, I've never heard of any so-called 'failure' being able to perform the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique on their first attempt…" As he finished speaking, a faint smile finally appeared on Uchiha Itachi's typically cold face.
"Is that a compliment?" After listening to Uchiha Itachi's words, Izaya's face showed surprise. He hadn't expected Uchiha Itachi to rate him so highly! It was a stark contrast to Danzō's attitude earlier.
"Haha." Feeling encouraged by Uchiha Itachi's words, Izaya also laughed, then said in a meaningful tone, "This is the first time I've been praised by someone…"
"This isn't praise." Suddenly, Uchiha Itachi placed a hand on Izaya's shoulder. Just as Izaya was taken aback, Uchiha Itachi added, "At most, it's encouragement…"
"Hahaha, then I can't let down your expectations!" Instantly, Izaya felt a surge of excitement in his heart. If it weren't for the fact that now wasn't the time to show off, he'd really want to blurt out to Uchiha Itachi: "Stop pretending, I have a system!"
But this was just a fantasy. For Izaya right now, the most important thing was figuring out how to use the remaining half month to make himself stronger! He didn't need the power to defeat the likes of Uchiha Obito or Danzō just yet, but he at least needed the strength to protect himself…
"The Blaze Fruit…" Looking at the fruit within the system, Izaya felt a sense of anticipation. And Uchiha Itachi… was also an opportunity for Izaya to become stronger. Although the current Uchiha Itachi was far from the one at the start of the original story, within Konoha, he was definitely a powerhouse! Even with his base abilities, he could hold his own against some Kage-level opponents! If… he could get Uchiha Itachi to teach him some ninjutsu, it would undoubtedly shorten the time Izaya needed to learn. This was far more efficient than passively waiting for system rewards to strengthen him!
Although the system had given him the Blaze Fruit this time, which was quite awesome… the rewards before that, aside from the Sharingan, couldn't directly boost his strength. Izaya wasn't someone who could only rely on the system! While hard work might not rapidly increase his strength, it was definitely the safest path!
Thinking this, Izaya went straight up to Uchiha Itachi and said, "Itachi, I have a request…"
"Hm?" Uchiha Itachi, who had been about to take Sasuke back to Konoha Village, stopped upon hearing Izaya's call. "What is it, Izaya?"
"I want you to teach me ninjutsu!" Izaya didn't beat around the bush and directly voiced the thought in his heart.
"Didn't I already give you some Fire Release training methods?" Hearing Izaya's request, Uchiha Itachi was a little surprised.
Izaya directly pulled out the Fire Release ninjutsu scroll Uchiha Itachi had given him earlier and said, "Yes, but… these are just some C-rank ninjutsu. Even if I don't say it, you should know their killing power in actual combat isn't great. So I was thinking…" He took a breath. "I want to learn higher-level Fire Release ninjutsu!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a trace of nervousness flashed across Izaya's face. Although he could sense Uchiha Itachi's goodwill from their previous conversation, he didn't actually know how deep that goodwill ran. He wasn't sure if Uchiha Itachi would agree to such a forward request…
"That's true." Hearing Izaya's reasoning, Uchiha Itachi nodded in agreement. But just as a flicker of joy appeared on Izaya's face, Uchiha Itachi spoke again… "However, judging by the Chakra you currently possess, these ninjutsu are indeed the most suitable for you…"
A hint of helplessness showed on Uchiha Itachi's face. It wasn't that he wanted to refuse Izaya's request. The main issue was that Izaya's current Chakra reserves were only around genin level. Using C-rank ninjutsu was already a stretch. Even if Uchiha Itachi taught him higher-level Fire Release techniques, Izaya would be unable to execute them due to insufficient Chakra… rendering them even less effective than the C-rank ninjutsu.
"Don't worry about my Chakra reserves! Give me one week. I can definitely reach chūnin level!" Seeing Uchiha Itachi mention his Chakra, Izaya guaranteed it outright! After all, with his tenfold Chakra cultivation speed buff, doubling his Chakra reserves in a week shouldn't be difficult at all!