Chapter 30 - Orochimaru's Sneak Attack
After the match ended, Yusuke exited the arena.
Waiting for him outside were Izumi and Kabuto. As soon as she spotted Yusuke, Izumi lit up and leapt into his arms with joy.
"Big brother, you were amazing! I knew you'd win!"
Holding the petite Izumi with one arm and gently patting her head with the other, Yusuke chuckled.
"Of course."
Izumi blinked her big black eyes and pouted sweetly.
"Your fiery sword technique was so cool! Can you teach me how to do it too?"
Yusuke smiled helplessly.
"I'm afraid that's my unique ability—it can't be used by anyone else. But don't worry, big brother will teach you other powerful jutsu in the future."
Izumi puffed out her cheeks in disappointment, but her mood quickly bounced back as she asked,
"Is Shisui okay? He looked pretty bad when they carried him out. I know he suddenly challenged you out of nowhere, but you didn't hurt him too badly, right?"
Itachi, standing nearby, also looked concerned and turned to Yusuke.
Yusuke patted Itachi's shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry. He's not seriously hurt—he just needs some rest, and he'll be fine."
Just as Yusuke was about to take the three kids back to the Uchiha compound, a cheerful voice called from behind.
"Yusuke! You beat a strong opponent today—let's celebrate with some grilled meat!"
They turned to see Guy, who had just left the arena as well. Beside him were Kakashi, Asuma, and a few others.
Seeing the excited expressions on Izumi and Kabuto's faces, Yusuke accepted the invitation and agreed to bring the kids along for a good meal.
"Sensei, I'm sorry, but I'd like to check on Shisui first… I'm worried about his injuries," said Itachi apologetically.
Yusuke nodded in understanding. Izumi, however, looked a little deflated hearing that Itachi wouldn't be joining them.
---
Hokage Tower – Third Hokage's Office
"You saw the match today, Hiruzen. We have to find a way to limit the power of the Uchiha clan," Danzo said grimly.
Only the Third Hokage and Danzo were present in the room. Even the ANBU normally guarding Hiruzen had been dismissed—clearly, this was a highly sensitive conversation.
Hiruzen furrowed his brows deeply but remained silent, lost in thought.
Danzo pressed on.
"That Uchiha Yusuke… I doubt even you could beat him. And Shisui isn't far behind in strength. If we can't control Shisui, the Uchiha clan will have two Kage-level fighters."
"Not to mention Uchiha Fugaku. He's definitely hiding something. I don't think the village has enough strength left to suppress the Uchiha."
Danzo laid out his case, trying to push Hiruzen into action.
"Enough. Let me think about it," Hiruzen finally said, waving Danzo off.
Danzo scoffed in frustration.
"Keep hesitating like this, and you'll regret it."
With a dramatic swish of his sleeve, Danzo turned and left.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, visibly exhausted.
"Uchiha Yusuke… what am I supposed to do with you?"
He had hoped to make Shisui the Uchiha clan's representative and liaison, but today's events had backfired. Instead, Yusuke's popularity and influence had skyrocketed—within both the clan and the entire village.
Even worse, Hiruzen couldn't see through Yusuke's power at all.
"Should I use Shisui's eye to control him?" The thought crossed Hiruzen's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
The ability of Shisui's eye was too valuable, and the cooldown time between uses was far too long. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn't risk using it on Yusuke.
---
A Barbecue Restaurant in Konoha
Yusuke was now seated with Izumi and Kabuto, enjoying a rare moment of camaraderie with his fellow shinobi.
In addition to Guy, others like Kakashi, Genma Shiranui, Asuma, and Kurenai were also present.
They sat around a grill, each with a large cup of juice—no alcohol, as none of them had reached the legal drinking age yet. The restaurant owner had firmly refused Asuma's attempts to order sake.
Izumi and Kabuto were happily stuffing their faces, while Yusuke casually chatted with the others.
"Yusuke, how did you come up with that Blazing sword technique? It was seriously impressive," Asuma asked, clearly intrigued.
Everyone turned their attention to Yusuke. The blazing blade had left a deep impression on all of them.
"As a shinobi, knowing a few flashy fire techniques isn't too unreasonable, right?" Yusuke said with a sly grin.
He was in a great mood after the successful debut of his Ryūjin Jakka-style technique and couldn't resist cracking a joke no one else understood.
"I heard the Uchiha clan head's son, Itachi, is your student. Are you going to teach him that move too?" Genma asked.
Yusuke shook his head.
"Unfortunately, that's something only I can do. It's more like an innate ability."
He glanced at Kakashi as he continued,
"But when it comes to kenjutsu, White Fang was the best. I truly admire his swordsmanship."
Kakashi still carried the chakra blade passed down by his father, White Fang, and hadn't yet fully transitioned away from the Hatake clan's style.
Yusuke, however, knew that it wouldn't be long before Kakashi focused entirely on developing his Sharingan and shifting into a ninjutsu-focused style—eventually becoming known as the Copy Ninja. But to Yusuke, that was a mistake.
Kakashi said nothing, but Yusuke's words lingered in his mind, stirring doubt about his future path.
After more chatter about jutsu, the evening wore on and it was time to wrap up.
Just as Guy was about to split the bill, he suddenly noticed something odd—Kakashi had turned into a lazy mutt, while Yusuke, Izumi, and Kabuto were now a big bear plush and two little bear cubs. (Note: Best use of Substitution Justu yet.)
Asuma and Kurenai faded away like illusions—clearly having used genjutsu to skip out on paying.
Guy sat there frozen, finger poking the still-present Genma repeatedly to check if he was real.
"Hey, stop poking me. I'm a real person. But don't even think about making me pay! You invited us, remember?"
"Then why didn't you just disappear too? Why are you still here?"
"I wanted to see how a guy in a skintight jumpsuit manages to pull out a wallet." (Note: We all wanna see that.)
---
On the dusky village street, three figures—one tall and two small—strolled home at a leisurely pace.
Yusuke held Izumi's hand with his left, while Kabuto followed on his right. The three of them strolled slowly toward the new Uchiha compound.
"Big brother," Izumi asked, tilting her head, "why did you use the Body Replacement Technique to escape after you already paid the bill?"
"No particular reason," Yusuke replied with a grin. "I just thought it might be fun."
Kabuto's lips twitched slightly at this, but he said nothing, only pushing up his glasses in silence, deep in thought.
As they chatted, they soon arrived at the front door of their home. In the darkness, a small white snake silently observed them from the shadows.
Yusuke let Izumi and Kabuto go inside first and gently closed the door behind them. He then turned, looking directly at the spot where the snake was lurking.
"Orochimaru-sama, please come out."
With a soft poof, the white snake vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing a tall, slender figure—Orochimaru himself.
"Yusuke-kun," Orochimaru said, his voice calm, "this isn't the place to talk. Come with me."
Yusuke followed him, and soon they arrived at a secluded grove on the village's outskirts.
Once they stopped, Orochimaru turned to him and said, "Yusuke-kun, I must say, your performance in today's match was truly surprising."
"It was nothing," Yusuke replied evenly. "I doubt that level of skill would impress someone like you, Orochimaru-sama."
"You're far too modest. To be honest, I'm not so sure I could defeat you now."
Yusuke didn't respond to that, instead asking, "You didn't bring me out here just to compliment me, did you?"
Orochimaru looked into Yusuke's eyes and said slowly, "The Sharingan… such an enviable gift."
"That boy, Uchiha Shisui—just with his Sharingan alone—he's reached a level most ninja wouldn't even dare dream of."
Though his voice remained calm, Yusuke could see it clearly—Orochimaru's snake-like pupils shimmered with hunger, with desire.
It hadn't occurred to Yusuke that his match with Shisui might have sparked Orochimaru's interest in the Sharingan.
For ordinary people, transplanting a Sharingan could come at a steep cost.
Take Kakashi, for example. The Sharingan placed an immense burden on him. Unable to deactivate it, he constantly expended chakra, wearing himself out. He had to keep it covered with a bandage just to reduce fatigue and consumption.
But with the Reincarnation Technique, Orochimaru wouldn't have that problem. As long as he could take over the body of an Uchiha, he would gain their bloodline and could use the Sharingan to its fullest.
Understanding Orochimaru's thoughts, Yusuke said nothing.
If Orochimaru truly intended to steal an Uchiha body, as a member of the clan himself, Yusuke couldn't just sit by and watch.
Their eyes locked, each reading the other's intentions in an instant.
After a few moments of silence, Orochimaru spoke first. "Yusuke-kun, though you didn't use it during today's match… you've awakened the Sharingan, haven't you?"
Yusuke's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to deny it, Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth—and a long sword shot out, aiming straight for Yusuke's chest.
They were standing barely an arm's length apart. The surprise attack, launched directly from Orochimaru's mouth, caught even Yusuke off guard.
He sprang back, instantly using the Body Flicker Technique to create distance. Though he avoided injury, a slash tore through the front of his shirt.
"Orochimaru-sama," Yusuke said coldly, "what is the meaning of this?"
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