"Uchiha Yoru, this old man is very satisfied with your tofu. I have a sword technique—I'll pass it on to you."
"Alright. Thank you, Grandpa Nobuyuki."
"What's there to thank? I don't have long left. Being able to pass this sword art on to you means it won't be wasted."
Uchiha Nobuyuki walked to the center of the courtyard. Somehow, a longsword appeared in his hand. In an instant, his hunched, aged body straightened upright.
A dense killing intent erupted from him.
And within that killing intent was a thick, almost tangible scent of blood.
It wasn't real blood—but Yoru could smell it.
Shisui, on the other hand, only felt a chill crawl up his spine. He instinctively took several steps back, retreating beyond the reach of that killing aura.
Nobuyuki let out a sigh.
"I'm old… just picking up a sword, and I can't even control my killing intent anymore."
Only then did Yoru notice—
The sword in the old man's hand was a double-edged straight sword.
His eyes lit up.
That was exactly the weapon he preferred.
A straight blade optimized for thrusting—not the curved katana that dominated the streets.
The katana's popularity had its reasons. When neither side wore armor—or only light armor—its slashing and bleeding capability was more than enough to be lethal.
But Yoru knew—
The katana's real advantage lay in manufacturing and training costs.
In true one-on-one combat, however—
A sword possessed far more methods of attack.
And thrusting strikes were far deadlier than slashes.
To receive guidance from a shinobi who had survived the Warring States era…
And to have that guidance align perfectly with his own preferences—
That was nothing short of extraordinary luck.
Uchiha Nobuyuki began to move.
Slowly.
The longsword traced one motion after another.
To Shisui, it was completely incomprehensible.
To Yoru—
It was… confusing.
So he raised his right hand and tapped his brow.
A simple genjutsu activated, concealing his three-tomoe Sharingan.
Then—
He began copying.
Every movement.
Every shift of the wrist.
Every subtle change in angle.
And at the same time, his mind raced, dissecting each detail.
But the more he analyzed—
The more confused he became.
These movements… lacked obvious lethality.
But—
An old man over eighty, dragging a frail body, demonstrating swordsmanship for him like this…
Could it be a joke?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
This was an Uchiha—
A shinobi from the Warring States era.
Pride was etched into their bones.
They might joke while drinking, might tease their descendants for amusement—
But once they spoke solemnly like this, there would be no jokes.
Then—
A flash of insight.
Yoru's gaze shifted.
Instead of focusing on the sword alone—
He took in the entire body as a whole.
And suddenly—
Those slow, unhurried movements revealed a different flavor.
[All swordsmanship… ultimately leads to the same destination.]
There were many movements—
But when categorized by force application, there were only eight:
Point, thrust, chop, sweep, intercept, cut, lift, block.
Among them, point and thrust were used most frequently.
From different angles, at different heights—
Sometimes fierce, sometimes light.
All other movements existed only to serve those two.
Either to connect between thrusts—
Or to defend, then transition into another point or thrust.
It was—
Almost identical to the foundational movements of Huaxia swordsmanship.
Only…
Simpler.
Fewer techniques.
But far more aggressive.
Due to his age, Nobuyuki's memory faltered at times.
He would pause mid-motion to think—
Then continue.
Sometimes he made mistakes, repeating a movement.
Shisui watched in total confusion, unable to grasp anything.
At last, the old man completed the sequence.
Breathing slightly heavily, he asked,
"Did you remember it? Did you understand?"
Shisui nodded—
Then shook his head.
He had memorized the movements, but understood nothing.
Nobuyuki chuckled, patting his head.
"It's fine if you don't understand yet, young master. You're still too young. Just remember it—you'll understand in time."
Then his gaze shifted to Uchiha Yoru.
Yoru nodded.
"I've memorized the movements. I also roughly understand them. It's just… the transitions in the initial section—I didn't see them clearly."
"You actually understood it?"
Nobuyuki's eyes lit up with surprise.
"Good. Very good. Since you were just a bit off, I'll demonstrate it again."
"Watch carefully. I don't have the stamina for a third time."
"Hm. After going through it once, I remembered quite a bit more. This time should be better."
Shisui became even more focused.
But soon—
His eyes went wide.
The movements…
Were completely different from before.
Each individual action was similar—
Yet not the same.
And the sequence?
Entirely different from start to finish.
Shisui's mind turned to mush. In the end, he could only force himself to memorize everything.
Yoru, meanwhile, continued memorizing as well.
But with the three-tomoe Sharingan's copying ability, memory came easily.
So he relaxed his mind, focusing on analysis—verifying his earlier conclusions.
Thinking back to his previous life—
It had taken him weeks to barely memorize a set of school exercises.
And now?
Yoru couldn't help but feel—
The Uchiha clan was truly blessed.
A handsome face.
A powerful body.
And most importantly—
These eyes.
No wonder other clans disliked them.
People with cheats right next to you—
Were always the most annoying.
…
The meal had been satisfying.
The swordsmanship—learned.
Afternoon training continued until sunset.
At last, Uchiha Nobuyuki prepared to leave, taking Shisui with him.
Before departing, the old man had Shisui step outside. Then he turned back to Yoru.
"Yoru, this old man hopes… once little Shisui awakens his Sharingan, you'll teach him this sword art."
"Of course."
Yoru immediately understood.
The old man had already confirmed he possessed the Sharingan.
"My genjutsu… had a flaw?"
"No. The genjutsu was fine. But this sword art—only those with the Sharingan can learn it quickly."
"Ah… I overlooked that."
"Haha. It's good that you know to hide your strength. But you still need to pay attention to details."
"And your ocular power is too strong. Even using the simplest copying ability causes noticeable disturbance."
"So there was leakage of ocular power… I understand."
His surging spiritual energy had nourished his eyes—
But part of that power had slipped beyond his control, leaking unconsciously.
That was not a small issue.
It had to be fixed immediately.
If others noticed—
Especially Root operatives—
It would be trouble.
Fortunately, it was Nobuyuki who had discovered it.
The old man's mouth was tight.
His secret would not be exposed.
Thinking this, Yoru bowed.
"Thank you. I'll keep my promise. Besides… I truly like Shisui as a little brother. I'll naturally take care of him."
"Good. Hearing that puts me at ease."
"That child… is just like his grandfather. Too kind. Too simple."
"I worry he'll end up like Kagami… dying without ever understanding why."
"Uchiha Kagami… at such a young age, already stronger than this old man. Rampaging across the battlefield, unstoppable… yet…"
Watching the old man's suddenly dim expression, Yoru couldn't help but sigh.
"Human hearts… have always been more dangerous than the battlefield itself—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because when he looked up—
Something was wrong.
Uchiha Nobuyuki's eyes were filled with satisfaction.
Not a trace of sorrow remained on his face.
[…I've been played.]
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