"I just performed it normally. Was it supposed to be hard?"
Seeing Uchiha Aozora's genuinely puzzled expression left Shisui a little disoriented and more than a little bitter.
If he remembered correctly, he had said that exact same thing more than once before. When he first learned the Great Fireball Technique. When he mastered the Body Flicker Technique...
Fate had come full circle. He never expected to hear someone else say those words to him one day.
Despite the swirl of emotions, Shisui quickly collected himself.
His eyes turned crimson. Three tomoe formed within his irises.
He locked eyes with Aozora, his tone solemn. "Aozora, can you cast the Great Fireball Technique again?"
Being stared at with a fully awakened Sharingan sent a chill through Aozora. For a brief moment, he sensed a wave of bloodshed and misfortune.
The feeling vanished quickly, but Aozora knew it wasn't an illusion.
The Sharingan was born from deep emotional trauma, loss of love, or the sting of betrayal. Every pair told a sorrowful tale. It was an eye that reflected the soul, but also one that invited disaster. This was why, as an Uchiha, he had never sought its awakening.
Aozora had many thoughts in his heart, but his expression gave away nothing.
He simply pointed at his throat. "My throat's a bit burned. I need to rest first."
After drinking a few gulps of cold water and resting for several minutes, he stood again and formed seals.
Snake – Goat – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger.
"Fire Style – Great Fireball Technique!"
This second attempt was noticeably faster.
But from Shisui's experience, Aozora's current hand seal speed should still have been insufficient. He expected Aozora's chakra flow to fall out of sync, making the jutsu fail.
Through his Sharingan, Shisui observed each movement in slow clarity.
To him, Aozora's sealing looked awkward—almost like watching a child fumbling in slow motion. But what shocked him was what came after.
Inside Aozora's body, chakra resembled a pool of pale blue water. As he formed each seal, a portion of chakra separated and flowed along the proper route for the Great Fireball Technique.
What truly surprised Shisui was that even when the transition between two seals caused a brief pause, the chakra didn't scatter or lose form. It simply waited—still and obedient—until the next command was issued.
He was still processing this when Aozora opened his mouth and released another fireball.
Compared to the first, this one was slightly smaller, but Shisui wasn't disappointed.
It wasn't a failure. On the contrary, Aozora had successfully restrained the technique, adjusting its power to match what his body could safely handle.
After about five seconds, as the fire-type chakra in his throat neared depletion, Aozora consciously released the seal.
Fwoosh.
He exhaled deeply, then inhaled slowly. With a controlled breath, he redirected the lingering heat in his throat back into his body.
After circulating the energy through two full cycles of breath and flow, the fire-aligned chakra returned to its base form and settled back into his core.
Shisui was stunned by the level of control he had just witnessed.
He had activated the Sharingan to investigate how Aozora had learned the Great Fireball Technique so suddenly.
But he found no clear answer.
The Sharingan could track chakra, but it wasn't the Byakugan. It couldn't see through flesh. At best, it could show him the general flow and density of chakra, not the minute shifts happening within.
Even the Byakugan couldn't perfectly decipher the subtle transitions of chakra control within the body. It was limited to tracking flow patterns and intensity.
Still, Shisui had learned something important.
His little brother had managed to stabilize his chakra even during the brief pause between seals.
Was this a result of extremely refined chakra control? Or something else? He wasn't sure.
"Is something wrong?"
Seeing his brother's expression, Aozora asked casually.
"Hm?" Shisui blinked, then recovered. "No, no problem at all. Your Great Fireball Technique looks solid."
Aozora smiled. "I thought so too."
Shisui's words were modest—"not bad"—but Aozora understood what they meant.
Shisui wasn't just anyone. He was publicly recognized as the strongest member of the Uchiha clan. Even including those working in the shadows, he would rank among the top three.
If Shisui said it was "not bad," that meant in other people's eyes, it was more than excellent.
Honestly, Aozora had expected the Great Fireball Technique to be more difficult.
He remembered in the original story, Uchiha Sasuke had practiced it for a long time before succeeding. And even then, all he managed was a weak flicker of flame—nowhere near Aozora's output.
But then again… Sasuke was only six or seven back then, wasn't he?
The proud smile faded from Aozora's face.
Shisui had been enjoying the look of smug pride on his brother's face, but was puzzled to see it vanish.
He didn't ask what Aozora was thinking. Instead, he offered his own insights on the Great Fireball Technique, explaining every detail he had learned over the years.
As the sun climbed higher, Shisui gently clapped Aozora on the shoulder.
"Aozora, it makes me proud to see how far you've come. You're finally starting to become someone who can protect himself."
"I'm heading out on a mission again. Sorry I won't be around for a few more days."
"This time, I'll be supporting the border near the Land of Lightning. Might be a month, maybe six. But I will come back."
"When I return, I hope you've become a shinobi capable of standing on his own."
With that, he leapt onto the roof and disappeared across the treetops in a few swift steps.
Aozora stared at the place where his brother had vanished, silently watching for a long time before lowering his gaze.
"My foolish brother…"
"You offer yourself to this village, but do you ever consider the blade pointed at your back? Konoha is already rotten to its roots. It's not worth your sacrifice."
He truly believed his brother deserved better.
Uchiha Shisui had devoted his life to this village. Kind to all, loyal without compromise, willing to betray his own clan to preserve peace.
And in the end, he was never trusted. He was ambushed by his own superior. No one defended him. No one took responsibility for his death.
"In this life, I won't let you repeat that fate."
Fueled by that thought, Aozora returned to his training.
First, he began adjusting the volume of chakra, as well as the pace of his hand seals. Through this, he practiced controlling the Great Fireball Technique's power and size.
Then, he tried simplifying the seals. Eventually, he even attempted performing the jutsu without seals at all—relying solely on chakra control.
After just two attempts, he succeeded.
He only smiled briefly before resuming practice. He knew this wasn't about talent.
Everything he had achieved was thanks to the Dao yin (Guiding Breath) method.
From the age of five to twelve, for seven years, he had run chakra through his body in silent cycles. When it came to internal control, there were few in the shinobi world who could match him.
He didn't dare say "no one" because… well, the Ōtsutsuki clan existed, after all. Those seal-less monsters were in a class of their own.
Aozora continued practicing.
And practicing.
Until, suddenly, he realized something was changing.
His chakra was growing hotter. Much hotter.
Before he could react, the page in his mind, the Heavenly Scripture lit up.
Then came the familiar pull.
That searing chakra was drawn away in an instant.
Aozora didn't panic. On the contrary, he was thrilled. He hurried back into the house and sat down cross-legged to wait.
Within minutes, the intense heat began to flow back into his body.
At the same time, four new golden characters appeared across the surface of the Heavenly Scripture:
Samadhi True Fire.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!