Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 11: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson, Dragon Fire Technique! The Great Elder's Decision

"Don't be nervous, sit."

Uchiha Setsuna spoke calmly, then pulled out a shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and tossed it to Uchiha Ci.

Uchiha Ci caught it instinctively, examining it briefly but found nothing special about it.

If anything, the shuriken seemed to be of higher quality—crafted meticulously, more durable than the kunai he used for blocking.

"Great Elder, what is this?" Uchiha Ci asked, a bit puzzled.

"Who taught you your shuriken technique?" Uchiha Setsuna asked, half-closing his eyes as he spoke.

Uchiha Ci's heart skipped a beat. Earlier, he had only made a simple move against Seijiro, not even utilizing the wire manipulation technique within his shuriken skills, yet Uchiha Setsuna had still noticed something off about his technique.

But this was a tricky question for Uchiha Ci to answer. After all, the skill he used was something he had learned by observing Uchiha Setsuna himself. He couldn't very well say, "I've admired you for a long time and have been watching you throw shurikens for a year, so I've gained some small insights." That would sound ridiculous.

In the clan, Uchiha Ci hadn't even interacted with high-ranking members like Uchiha Shisui, let alone learned such advanced shuriken techniques from them.

After a long moment of hesitation, Uchiha Ci had no choice but to answer honestly:

"Great Elder, I'm just a lowly genin. Besides the basic training courses offered within the clan, I have no other means to learn ninjutsu, so I can only practice these cost-free techniques..."

"Oh?" A sharp glint suddenly flashed from beneath Uchiha Setsuna's half-closed eyelids.

So, this kid is an unrecognized genius?

No wonder that proud boy Shisui kept exchanging glances with him.

"I see..." Uchiha Setsuna pondered for a moment, then nodded and pulled out another shuriken from his ninja tool pouch.

He held the shuriken in one hand while forming a Tiger seal with the other.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

The shuriken in the Great Elder's hand was suddenly enveloped in flames, floating in mid-air, spinning rapidly.

"The Phoenix Sage Fire and the Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson are of the same lineage, with no significant changes in the seals."

"The technique is simple: wrap the ninja tool in chakra, form the Tiger seal to change the chakra's nature, then throw it."

The Great Elder spoke calmly.

Uchiha Ci couldn't help but be taken aback when he heard this, his expression growing strange.

The Great Elder... is teaching him?

The Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson was an advanced version of the Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, a B-rank ninjutsu. Unlike the Phoenix Sage Fire's fireballs, it involved wrapping shurikens in rotating flames.

Not only did this increase the sharpness of the shuriken, but the rotation also enhanced the power of the Fire Release technique.

"You try it." Uchiha Setsuna retracted his chakra and casually instructed.

He didn't bother to catch the flaming shuriken, letting it fall to the ground with a clatter.

Uchiha Ci, who had been watching with wide eyes, felt a slight sense of disappointment.

He had thought the Great Elder might demonstrate some kind of invincible iron grip.

It seemed that even someone as skilled as Uchiha Setsuna was still just flesh and blood.

Obeying the command, Uchiha Ci placed the shuriken before him and, with a serious expression, formed the Tiger seal with both hands.

He tried to grasp the shuriken using chakra of a changed nature.

The shuriken on the ground flickered with a small flame, moved slightly, and then fell back to the ground, refusing to move any further.

An awkward look crossed Uchiha Ci's face.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Setsuna, watching from the side, narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded imperceptibly before speaking in his usual calm tone:

"That's it. This is the simple form change of Fire Release. Remember this point."

"From here, you can extend the technique in many ways, such as—"

The Great Elder threw another shuriken, embedding it into a nearby tree trunk.

The difference this time was that this shuriken had a wire attached to it.

Then, as if casually, the Great Elder formed four seals with one hand. Uchiha Ci immediately recognized this as the sequence for the Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique.

Snake—Dragon—Hare—Tiger!

A line of fire instantly followed the wire, surging forth.

"This is the Dragon Fire Technique. Practice with this technique first. Once you've mastered it, then practice the Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson. Once you've reached that level, come find me."

The Great Elder's tone was indifferent as he ordered, then threw out another shuriken with a wire attached.

This time, he simply formed a single Tiger seal.

Then, the Dragon Fire surged forth once more.

He had simplified the entire sealing process down to a single seal.

Uchiha Ci was dumbfounded. So, there were people in the Uchiha clan capable of such feats.

Using Fire Release with just one seal... it was only slightly less impressive than the way Hashirama Senju could clap his hands and summon anything...

"Once you've practiced well and mastered the nature transformation of Fire Release, then... we can discuss other things."

Uchiha Setsuna furrowed his brows, raising his head slightly to meet Uchiha Ci's eyes, then shook his head and said coldly:

"Never mind. Just focus on surviving first, then we'll talk about anything else..."

In just two minutes, Uchiha Setsuna, an elder from the Warring States period, had imparted the secrets of Fire Release's form and nature transformations to Uchiha Ci.

He truly had no reservations in teaching...

If it were a normal ninja, they would never be able to comprehend Uchiha Setsuna's teaching methods.

But Uchiha Ci had already mastered the Uchiha Style: Manipulated Shuriken Technique at a master level, and he had also mastered Seijiro's proficient-level Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu.

When he compared this knowledge in his mind, he realized from a high-level perspective—

Techniques like the Phoenix Sage Fire, Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson, and even the Dragon Fire Technique were merely special applications. With his godlike control over his body, Uchiha Ci tried to replicate them in his mind.

Then, to his dismay, he realized...

He actually understood it...

You have mastered Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique (Beginner, C-rank).

You have mastered Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson (Beginner, B-rank).

Two notifications appeared before his eyes, leaving Uchiha Ci momentarily stunned.

Then, he looked at the Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna with a face full of resentment.

Stop teaching me! Stop teaching me!

My brain itches! I'm going to overload my mind!

At this rate, I'll have maxed out all my levels before even stepping onto the battlefield.

How is this even fair?!

Just then, Uchiha Seijiro returned from setting up perimeter traps, a serious expression on his face.

"Great Elder, there's a group of Yugakure ninja searching the area nearby. I think we should consider retreating for now..."

However,

When Seijiro saw Uchiha Setsuna teaching Uchiha Ci ninjutsu, he was stunned for a moment, and his eyes immediately turned red.

He knew it!

No wonder Uchiha Setsuna had chosen Uchiha Ci for this mission.

So, this sly little brat is one of the Hawks!

Moreover, this brat had even deceived Lord Shisui, making him believe he was an ally of the Doves!

How outrageous!

"What did you say?" Uchiha Setsuna asked, frowning slightly.

Suppressing his displeasure, Uchiha Seijiro reported:

"There's a group of Yugakure ninja ahead, patrolling the area with clear intent."

He then suggested:

"The ninja code states that, outside of missions, it's best not to stir up trouble."

"Furthermore, Great Elder, given the current chaos in the Land of Hot Water, it would be best for us to avoid direct confrontation with the enemy."

Uchiha Ci furrowed his brow slightly. He had heard Obito mention this last night.

It was a lesson Minato Namikaze had taught his students. In short, the Land of Hot Water was currently in turmoil, and while traveling, they should be cautious of certain individuals.

The advice was to minimize contact with ninja outside of their mission.

One group to avoid was the local ninja in chaotic regions.

Because at this time, the Yugakure ninja might no longer be serving their village.

Of course, Uchiha Ci didn't particularly care.

He was actually eager to encounter strange ninja.

However, unlike his earlier suggestion to cross the border at night, he didn't have a suitable excuse now to convince the team to take risks.

But,

Upon hearing the news, Uchiha Setsuna suddenly opened his half-closed eyes, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning slowly.

He kicked apart the campfire, drew his longsword, and ordered coldly:

"Prepare for battle."

"Seijiro, you will lead the way. We'll deal with the Yugakure ninja you found."

"Then, we'll march quickly and cross the border of the Land of Hot Water tonight!"