"Brother Shisui… you can pilot a Gundam now?"
Ren's pupils brightened even further.
Susanoo had three forms—and each one was taller than the last!
And if he could get Susanoo on top of fox tails…
Wouldn't that be an instant takeoff?
A fox-Susanoo strutting around the battlefield—just try not to be scared!
And later, if he picked up Wood Release too…
Susanoo-fox wrapped around a Great Buddha.
Even Madara would have to stand there and dance.
Across from him, the mysterious smile on Shisui's face stiffened.
He didn't know what a "Gundam" was, but—his new ocular power was indeed huge and towering…
This little brat…
Shisui suddenly turned his head and stared at Ren.
His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
To think that at such a young age, Ren already knew about Susanoo—something so secretive, so profound!
Shisui himself had only understood that power after awakening the Mangekyō!
"Don't tell me you also…"
All at once, as if something clicked, Shisui's entire body jolted.
A storm surged in his heart.
Mangekyō.
Could it be that Ren had awakened the Mangekyō too?!
Otherwise, how could he know such a secret?
It was an absurd thought—but the moment it appeared, it completely seized Shisui's mind.
Of course, Ren didn't have the attention to spare.
The moment he saw the system prompt, he entered a kind of post-nut clarity—so calm it was frightening.
Until—
The trait information appeared.
[Defeated Uchiha Shisui. Attempting to copy trait.]
[Copy successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained Epic Trait — Phantom Body Flicker (Purple): Uses the Sharingan to split multiple phantoms that attack together with the original body. They do not vanish from ordinary attacks.]
Phantom Body Flicker!
Ren stared at the "drop" before his eyes and finally let out a deep breath.
Two years of grinding a boss… and it finally dropped gold.
More accurately—two and a half years.
Ren had waited half a year before Shisui even obtained this trait.
From that moment on, he'd tried talking and bonding every single day.
But the traits he occasionally got were either white or basic green.
In the end, every last one of them got fed to Flying Thunder God.
Not a single one of the traits he actually wanted.
Even later, after Brother Shisui awakened the Mangekyō, Ren still hadn't been able to copy anything.
He didn't envy Brother Shisui's Mangekyō.
Kotoamatsukami was powerful, sure—but the cooldown was so long it might as well have been useless.
What difference was there between that and "use it once and go blind"?
But Phantom Body Flicker—
With this technique, he wouldn't have to keep hiding Flying Thunder God anymore.
He could just say, "What, my Body Flicker has a longer range. Problem?"
Naruto took one Rasengan and turned it into four or five different variations.
So why couldn't Ren have a Body Flicker that went farther than normal?
Little by little, he couldn't hold it in anymore.
He covered his face and burst into laughter.
It was loud enough to startle a whole flock of crows into flight.
"Ren? Ren? What are you grinning like an idiot for?"
At that moment, Brother Shisui's concerned voice came from across the water.
He even thoughtfully pressed a hand to Ren's forehead. "No fever… why are you suddenly laughing like that?"
"I'm fine. It's just, Brother Shisui…"
"Hm?"
"If one day Itachi and I end up standing against the village… what will you do?"
Hearing that, Shisui's raised arm froze in midair.
He looked at the boy in front of him—still nearly a head shorter.
A flood of thoughts surged up.
The Uchiha and the village… a situation that couldn't be repaired…
"I won't let anything happen to you or Itachi!"
After a moment's silence, his gaze gradually hardened with resolve.
Then, as if remembering something, he added at the last second, "Of course—Sasuke too."
"You really are a good big brother."
Ren shook his head, then spoke again—quietly, seriously.
"Then, Brother Shisui… protect yourself."
"Me? Relax. For the next little while, I'm only staying in the village."
Shisui waved it off, clearly not believing anything could threaten him in Konoha.
But the village was exactly where he was in the most danger.
On the battlefield, Shisui's mind was sharp as a blade.
In politics, he was more naïve than Sasuke.
Thinking that, Ren could only sigh. "I mean… be careful of Danzō."
"That guy might gouge out your—"
"Alright, alright, don't worry."
Seeing the solemn look on Ren's small face, Shisui laughed and started walking.
"Come on. It's Sasuke's first day of school today—we'll go see the kid off."
"Hopefully he won't be like you and One-Strike-Seven, sending a clone to fool everyone."
As he spoke, he hooked an arm around Ren's shoulder and led him back toward the village.
Clone.
Ren smiled faintly.
He'd learned that trick from One-Strike-Seven.
A year ago, after Fugaku's private stash had once again "mysteriously" shrunk, he finally snapped and sent Ren to the Ninja Academy.
He called it "the right age."
And then…
Ren copied One-Strike-Seven's style and sent a shadow clone to school every day.
Not to learn anything.
Just to coast.
As for his real body…
It was either lying down sunbathing, or… lying face-down sunbathing.
Hearing Sasuke was starting school, another thought surfaced in Ren's mind.
"This time, the Konoha Twelve should finally be assembled, right…?"
If everyone was gathered, then I guess I'm—
Time to start copying.
…
Before long.
On the street in front of the Ninja Academy.
A small group walked side by side.
From left to right: Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Ren, and Sasuke.
Their heights lined up neatly from tallest to shortest.
Their moods did too.
Shisui was laughing. Itachi wore a smiling squint. Ren wasn't smiling at all.
And Sasuke…
Sasuke had a sour face.
The Uchiha F4—just beginning to take shape.
"Sasuke! You're here too!"
Just as Sasuke was basking in his own importance, a delighted voice called out from the entrance.
Then, a little orange fox darted in.
He forced his way right into their formation.
Left hand grabbing Ren, right arm hooking Sasuke—who clearly wanted no part of this.
"Let go of me!"
Sasuke yanked once.
Didn't break free.
His face went dark instantly.
Especially with so many eyes on them—his ears even started to heat up.
Humiliating.
This was beyond humiliating.
Being dragged around hand-in-hand in broad daylight—
And by a boy!
But after struggling twice without success, the grip only got tighter.
"…Is this kid being triggered by something?"
Ren turned slightly and glanced at Naruto.
In Naruto's bright, cheerful smile, there was a thin trace of loneliness hiding underneath.
Was he being stung by the lively scene?
Loneliness wasn't always scary.
But when loneliness walked into a crowd full of happiness, it became painfully out of place.
Still, it was lucky that two and a half years ago—
With Ren's deliberate influence, Naruto and Sasuke had already gotten acquainted early.
With that thought, Ren instinctively reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair, encouraging him.
"Be good at school, Naruto. Listen to the teachers. And if Sasuke does something stupid, make sure you keep an eye on him."
"Don't worry, Boss!" Naruto puffed out his chest and patted it hard.
"Who needs him watching me?!" Sasuke's face darkened even more. "I can manage myself just fine!"
Unfortunately, no one cared about his protest.
On the left, Shisui and Itachi smiled as they watched the kids bicker.
In the middle, Ren was busy farming traits off Naruto…
And Sasuke got even more irritated.
Three minutes later, Ren's vision shifted.
He could finally make out more of Naruto's traits.
[Conversation target: Uzumaki Naruto.]
[Analyzing traits. Current copyable traits: Talk-no-Jutsu (Black), Child of Destiny (Color), Nine-Tails Power (Gold), Chakrathon (Gold), Rasengan Affinity (Green), Self-Healing (Blue), Nimble Body (White).]
It didn't seem much different from last time.
Then ten minutes passed.
Ren looked at what he'd copied—
And suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
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