Itsuki POV
Puff. A shadow clone formed instantly. I exchanged a brief nod with it before launching myself toward the battle. If things went wrong, the clone would serve as a final safeguard, protecting my teammates while I focused on saving the captain.
At a glance, it might have looked like compassion. It wasn't.
If this same situation had occurred before I obtained the system, I wouldn't have interfered. Stepping into a jōnin-level battle back then would have been suicidal. One mistake, mine or theirs and not only would the squad leader have died, I would've been killed in seconds.
I knew my limits. I had always known them.
But now, things were different.
As the days passed, my Assimilation progressed, and my strength increased at a rate I'd never experienced before. Not gradually, but exponentially.
And now I am confident in one thing. I had already surpassed the level of a special jōnin and was standing right at the threshold of a true jōnin.
And that was exactly why I dared to act.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Captain Shinku was locked in close combat, his kunai repeatedly clashing against his opponent's. The enemy wore a mask, and more importantly, there was no signature sword in his hands.
Good.
Even so, the opponent held the advantage. Water clones were being deployed one after another, used relentlessly to stall the captain. He must have known Shinku was a genjutsu specialist, which was exactly why he refused to give him even a moment's opening.
They had already sensed my presence.
There was no point wasting time anymore.
I activated the Body Flicker Technique, covering the distance in an instant. The moment my feet touched the ground, I moved without hesitation, immediately weaving the hand seals for my attack.
Fire burst from my mouth, condensing into a blazing sphere.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
A basic jutsu. Mandatory for every Uchiha to master.
Within the clan, it wasn't just a technique, it was a measure. Talent was judged by how quickly one learned it, how efficiently chakra was moulded, and how powerful the resulting fire became. Every clan had its own standard. This was ours.
Just as I expected, it was easily avoided.
That was fine.
It was never meant to hit.
Now came the second layer of manipulation.
As the fireball forced him to reposition, I opened my Sharingan.
I deliberately made my presence obvious, hurling a kunai straight at him. The moment his attention shifted to me—
Captain Shinku moved.
Wind Release roared to life as his primary affinity was unleashed, the compressed air slicing forward to capitalise on the opening I'd created.
But the opponent was an experienced jōnin. He dodged cleanly and countered in the same motion, expelling a massive torrent of water that surged toward us with crushing force.
Shinku and I split instantly, moving in opposite directions. A basic tactics to force the enemy to choose a target, then strike while their focus is divided. And yet, something felt wrong. A jōnin wouldn't commit to something this straightforward without a reason.
Desperation? …No. Deception.
Danger.
The chill hit before conscious thought caught up. I twisted around, kunai raised just in time.
Clack.
Metal rang sharply as I intercepted the strike, the impact didn't numb my arm as it used to before. A shadow emerged from the mist, far closer than it should've been.
"Oh? You're a really talented shinobi, little brat," the masked jōnin said, voice low and mocking. "But your luck ends here."
So he finally spoke. That meant he was irritated, hehe losing his composure.
Good.
I raised my voice deliberately, making sure it carried through the mist. "As a proud Uchiha, I'll defeat you with my Sharingan and Fire Release! I even know Earth Style, your Kirigakure Water Style won't work on me!"
He jumped immediately with no hesitation. Exactly what I wanted.
The moment he moved, I knew I didn't want to waste time playing games with clones. My hand reached over my shoulder, drawing the katana from my back in a smooth motion. Through the Sharingan, his kunai's trajectory was painfully clear. I ducked beneath it, stepped inside his guard, and slashed forward.
The blade cut cleanly through his body.
Water exploded outward as the clone split in half.
A water clone which is barely a tenth of the original's strength.
Far weaker than the current me.
I turned instantly and saw the captain still fighting the Kirigakure shinobi on the water.
Perfect setup.
Now then… it was time to end this farce.
I sprinted forward and leapt onto the surface, chakra flaring under my feet as I ran across the water. The moment I entered range, my hands moved on their own, weaving through familiar seals.
The enemy froze for a split second.
Oh..he recognised it.
But it was already too late.
In the next instant, sharp spikes erupted from the water around him, blooming upward like violent roses as they pierced straight through his body.
Water Release: Water Spikes.
"Argggggh!"
But it wasn't over yet.
That opening was all the captain needed. His eyes flashed, and genjutsu took hold immediately, the shinobi's movements turning sluggish as his consciousness slipped.
As the enemy collapsed, the captain created a shadow clone, using it to restrain him and keep him from sinking beneath the surface while maintaining enough distance to guard against any last-second deception.
"When did you learn Water Style?" he finally asked, turning his gaze toward me.
I replied seriously, "When I realised my Earth Style wasn't progressing at the pace I needed to hold my ground against Kirigakure shinobi, I split my training time."
I didn't specify when exactly, but that was enough. It would make him assume I had been training for a long time.
"When you kept shouting about your abilities and background," he said, his eyes briefly shifting to the clone as his hands formed a seal, probably to suppress the enemy's chakra "for a second, I thought I'd accidentally cast my genjutsu on you."
"Well," I said calmly, "I wanted him to see me as some arrogant brat who treats the battlefield like a playground. If his guard dropped, even for a moment, that was enough." Being a true shinobi is all about deception after all.
"Hm." He nodded slowly. "A clever trick. After all, who would expect an Uchiha to have Water Style? And someone so young mastering three elements… that's rare."
"Isn't it?" I said with a sheepish smile, deliberately showing how much I liked the praise. "I gave it some thought and decided to focus on Water Style. After all, not many would use it against Kirigakure shinobi. They're so confident in their own element that they never expect someone to turn their tactics against them. Their guard is up against everything except Water. It was a gamble whether I could learn it in time, or become skilled enough for it to matter."
"And you won," he said, nodding to himself as if confirming a conclusion he had already reached. After a moment, he continued, "You've already touched the boundary of jōnin as a ninjutsu specialist, atleast two nature transformations with solid proficiency, plus good battlefield tactics. After the mission, I'll make sure to push for your promotion when I submit the report."
I didn't get overjoyed by it. In the end, the decision rested with the higher-ups, people who had inherited their teachers' distrust, even outright prejudice, against the Uchiha.
There were plenty of shinobi who met the requirements to be jōnin.
But official recognition was far rarer.
Promoting someone wasn't just about strength or skill. It shifted the political balance of the village. Jōnin had the right to vote on major village matters, and every new one altered the equilibrium the elders had carefully constructed.
"Don't worry about it," the captain said, seeing through my thoughts. "Let's head back."
It was good to know that at least not everyone carried that mindset.
Even if it wasn't outright acceptance of every Uchiha, it was still better than blind prejudice.
Better than nothing.
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Suggestions for Otherworld for traveling