Chapter 350: The Kind of Talent That Inspires Envy, Jealousy, and Hate
Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki was using the Art of the Space-Time Mirror to spy, keeping complete track of every move Uchiha Dali and his younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki, made.
Just as Uchiha Dali had guessed, he was indeed playing a psychological game.
False appearances, real concealment—never revealing himself.
He would only strike when the two of them either lost patience or let down their guard.
And since he could observe their every move at any time, the initiative was completely in his hands.
Yet, what left Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki astonished—and even shocked—at this very moment was that the little nobody actually knew how to use his divine technique.
"So this brat really can't be allowed to live!"
"He's already begun to comprehend divine arts…"
Although Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki was baffled, it remained a fact: Uchiha Dali was just a lowly lifeform who had evolved from the lower realm.
In terms of evolutionary time and history of existence, he was nowhere near comparable to them.
He wasn't even a true, complete member of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
He merely carried a faint trace of Ōtsutsuki bloodline, descendants of the sons that woman Kaguya had borne on that planet long ago when Àoshiki himself had sent her there.
And yet Uchiha Dali had still grasped a technique he had no business mastering.
That alone was more than enough reason to sentence him to death.
With this thought, Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki waved a hand, shattering the illusory screen before him, and stepped into the space-time channel.
Since the brat had already mastered that technique, his plan of striking unexpectedly could no longer work.
Because now, his location was completely exposed to that brat's senses.
"It's time… we met face to face."
...
After locking onto Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki's location with the Art of the Space-Time Mirror, Uchiha Dali quickly dispelled the jutsu.
The shimmering screen vanished, and he murmured with a playful tone, "That guy will be showing up any moment now to bring us trouble."
Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he asked, "Why do you know that technique?"
"Didn't I already tell you before?"
"You told me?"
"I've got heaven-defying comprehension. You already know that."
Uchiha Dali chuckled slyly.
That much was true. Kyōshiki nodded.
He could read Uchiha Dali's inner thoughts earlier, so naturally he knew this secret.
And he also knew that Dali had deliberately let him know it.
At the time, however, he wasn't too sure what exactly this so-called "heaven-defying comprehension" meant.
But now he understood.
"So you're saying that as long as you've seen a technique or ability, you can comprehend it with ease just by relying on that comprehension?"
"You're not about to tell me that's the case, are you?"
Kyōshiki's eyes fixed tightly on Uchiha Dali's, a trace of hesitation in his voice as he pressed further.
If that was true, then this kid was far too terrifying.
More terrifying than he had ever imagined!
"First off—wrong!"
Uchiha Dali raised a finger. "It's heaven-defying comprehension!"
"Second, you guessed right. As long as it's something I'm truly interested in, I don't need any training methods, I don't need anyone to guide me—I can study and comprehend it on my own. Scared yet? Starting to feel threatened by me?"
He gave Kyōshiki a half-smile, eyes glinting with mischief.
This time, it was his turn to ask the questions.
Truth be told, Kyōshiki really did feel threatened at that moment.
Because the first thought this ability sparked in his mind was that it would become nearly impossible to hold power over Uchiha Dali in the future.
If Dali continued to grow like this, he would eventually leave Kyōshiki with no advantage at all.
The threat he posed might even surpass that of Àoshiki.
So, Kyōshiki stayed silent, locking eyes with him instead.
Dali chuckled again. "You said it yourself—you don't need chakra fruits anymore to strengthen yourself and evolve."
"But I still do."
"My energy level is still far beneath yours. To me, chakra is more important than anything else. So, for now, we won't be rivals."
"By the time I evolve to your level, needing stellar energy for sustenance, you may already have ascended to a higher dimension like Ōtsutsuki Shibai."
"You and I—we could very well be friends."
He was offering Kyōshiki reassurance.
Dali knew perfectly well what he was saying, and Kyōshiki understood just as well.
At this moment, they were both tacitly aware.
"There's no reason for us to have a crisis of trust over this. Because someone far more dangerous is on the way."
"But if your ability really is as great as you say, then I think… you'll probably reach that realm even faster than I will."
Kyōshiki didn't hide his worry, nor his acknowledgment of Dali's heaven-defying gift.
He was speaking honestly from the heart.
Seeing him so candid, Uchiha Dali smiled in return. "So, in short, our interests won't clash at the wrong time."
"Perhaps…"
Kyōshiki glanced around.
He didn't feel like thinking about it now.
Saying it didn't matter was a lie—if Dali's gift really was that terrifying, he couldn't help but worry.
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.
So it was better not to dwell on it, to divert his attention elsewhere.
If he obsessed over it, he feared that before Àoshiki even arrived, he and Dali would already end up fighting again.
Seeing Kyōshiki uninterested in continuing, Uchiha Dali also dropped the topic.
But after a while, with Àoshiki still not having appeared, Kyōshiki couldn't hold back and suddenly asked, "Did you comprehend this ability during your evolution process?"
He was still deeply concerned about Dali's talent.
Dali met his gaze, smirking faintly. "What if I told you it was innate?"
"I wouldn't believe it."
Kyōshiki shook his head without hesitation.
"In this universe, no matter the race, innate abilities are exceedingly rare. From what I've learned, almost every lifeform develops their abilities during the process of evolution—through constant study, research, and thought. Only through chance or inevitability do they awaken those powers."
"The true elites are the ones who first develop abilities, then pass them down through generations."
"So no, I don't believe your ability is innate."
Seeing how seriously he said it, Uchiha Dali could only smile helplessly. He was just about to explain further when, at that moment, both of them suddenly turned to look behind them.