After a brief moment of surprise—
Uchiha Akira showed a trace of curiosity.
And faint envy.
"I thought that after awakening my eyes…"
"And combining them with my Body Flicker…"
"I could catch up to you."
"Seems there's still a gap."
He paused slightly.
"But… how did you do it?"
His tone was sincere—
Humbly seeking guidance.
Uchiha Shisui didn't hide anything.
After deactivating his Mangekyō Sharingan, he spoke calmly:
"The battlefield is cruel."
"I watched my close friends and teammates die before my eyes."
"In that moment…"
"My emotions surged beyond control."
"A special chakra awakened within me."
"And it flowed into my eyes."
"That… is the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"The true power of the Uchiha."
"…So it requires deep bonds."
Akira nodded thoughtfully.
Then—
Shisui changed the subject.
"I received intelligence earlier."
"Elite Mist ninja were hunting our forces."
"That's why I came."
"I killed four of them."
"The remaining three escaped."
Akira replied calmly:
"I dealt with the rest."
"The eastern front is already under control."
"The Hidden Mist has agreed to negotiations."
"The village has ordered reinforcements to other battlefields."
"Let's regroup with the clan."
"…Alright."
Shisui nodded.
He turned—
Preparing to leave.
But suddenly—
He paused.
Then glanced back at Akira.
"…Can I call you Big Brother Akira?"
"…Just call me senpai."
"'Big brother' makes me sound old."
Akira shrugged faintly.
"There's not much difference in our age."
"…Understood."
"Then… Akira-senpai."
The moment Shisui finished speaking—
His chakra surged.
Akira immediately sensed it.
"…You want to compete?"
A spark lit in his eyes.
Without another word—
Both activated Body Flicker.
And vanished.
—
Deep within the forests near the northeastern border—
Uchiha Fugaku led his forces in ambush.
Suddenly—
A disturbance rippled through the trees.
Everyone tensed.
The next second—
A figure landed.
Akira.
Before anyone could react—
Two seconds later—
Another figure appeared.
Shisui.
From the timing alone—
Everyone understood.
They had just been competing.
And—
Akira had arrived first.
Shisui looked at him—
Genuine surprise in his eyes.
"…Your Body Flicker is incredible."
"I lost."
"You're not bad either."
Akira smiled lightly.
Their simple exchange—
Sent shockwaves through the clan.
"It's Akira and Shisui!"
"They were competing?!"
"Shisui actually lost?!"
"So the rumors are true… he surpassed Shisui!"
"Our clan has produced two geniuses at once!"
"The Uchiha will rise again!"
"So strong… when will I reach that level?"
Voices spread—
Filled with awe.
With pride.
"Shunshin no Shisui"—
Already a legend.
And now—
Another name stood beside it.
"The man who surpassed Shisui."
Uchiha Akira.
These two—
Were the pride of the Uchiha.
In the clan's eyes—
Their status was already approaching Fugaku's.
"Welcome back."
"Both of you performed exceptionally."
"Shisui. Akira."
"You are the pride of our clan."
"Everyone should learn from them."
Fugaku stepped forward.
Approval filled his gaze.
Then—
His expression hardened.
Silence fell instantly.
"I will now relay the village's orders."
"The Hidden Mist has agreed to negotiations."
"But the other three villages continue their attacks."
"They are targeting our borders."
"We will reinforce those fronts."
"And bring this war to an end."
He paused briefly.
Then continued:
"For mission assignments…"
His gaze landed on Akira and Shisui.
"The enemy has deployed elite units."
"They are hunting weaker squads."
"To reduce our strength."
"So—"
"We will divide into smaller units."
"Shisui. Akira."
"As our strongest assets—"
"You will operate independently."
Following Fugaku's orders—
Assignments were quickly finalized.
Tekka, Inabi, and Yashiro—
Each took command of separate squads.
Just as Fugaku prepared to give the order—
Akira spoke.
"The northeastern front faces the Hidden Cloud."
"The northwest—the Hidden Stone."
"The west—the Hidden Sand."
"I have a suggestion."
All eyes turned to him.
Fugaku nodded.
"Speak."
"The enemy is using elite units to hunt our weaker forces."
"In that case—"
"We should pull all Chunin and below to the rear."
"And deploy our strongest directly to the front lines."
"That way—"
"We minimize casualties…"
"And directly counter their elites."