Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 119: Shisui of the Body Flicker, and the Birth of the Akatsuki!

The Konoha outpost in the Land of Rain was situated right at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.

War, being a continuation of politics, was inevitable when the four major nations all sought to carve a piece out of the Land of Fire. Konoha understood that this conflict would be a long and grueling battle—a veritable meat grinder.

However, within Konoha, there was significant division regarding the current war strategy.

Among Konoha's F4, Shimura Danzō advocated for a swift and decisive war. He proposed sending a massive force into the Land of Rain, crossing into the Land of Wind, and dealing a crushing blow to Sunagakure. This, he believed, would showcase Konoha's strength and intimidate the other ninja villages.

Indeed, Konoha possessed the strength to do so.

Yet this proposal was quickly vetoed by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. His reasoning included the difficulty of attacking a desert stronghold like Sunagakure, the opportunistic and defensive strategies of the Ebizō-Chiyo siblings, internal strife within Sunagakure rendering it less of a threat, and the need to reserve forces to handle Kumogakure at the Land of Fields.

Unable to refute the logic, Danzō could only leave with a grumbled warning:

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."

Hiruzen, exhaling a puff of smoke, retorted calmly,

"Danzō, I am the Hokage."

Danzō stormed out, determined to stir up his own schemes.

This disagreement at the leadership level inevitably trickled down to affect the front lines.

In the current Konoha camp, two factions had emerged.

One was the standard ninja force led by Jiraiya, and the other consisted of Root ninjas brought by Orochimaru.

The camp straddled the border.

On the Land of Rain side, the sky was perpetually covered with rolling storm clouds, accompanied by thunder and lightning. On the Land of Fire side, it was a vibrant spring day, teeming with life.

As a Root ninja, Uchiha Ci was assigned to the rainy, storm-stricken side of the camp.

Fittingly, the gloomy atmosphere mirrored his mood.

Entering the camp, Uchiha Ci seemed dazed and disoriented. In modern parlance, he had been thoroughly manipulated by Orochimaru.

After being handed a Kusanagi Sword, he was treated like a workhorse, and his next assignment required him to face hundreds of enemies alone.

Soon, he would even have to traverse the long borders of the Land of Rain to carry out a crazed assassination mission targeting the leader of a military faction.

Ironically, this was exactly what Uchiha Ci had hoped for. He feared Orochimaru would take pity on him, and that mercy would have been a fate worse than death.

It appeared Orochimaru had indeed taken an interest in him but still had no qualms about driving him to the brink.

Despite this alignment with his own desires, Uchiha Ci couldn't shake an unsettling unease.

Was his master planning to reenact the story of Uchiha Setsuna, rescuing him at the last moment before death?

Moreover, the thought of Orochimaru teaching him a slew of bizarre survival jutsus, each more gruesome than the last, sent shivers down his spine.

He was already frighteningly durable, with a repertoire consisting of techniques like immortality, Earth Grudge Fear stitching, forbidden flesh transmutation, and Zero-Tails adaptations.

If Orochimaru added cursed seals, snake-style jutsus, Ryūchi Cave summoning, Orochi-style substitution, body modifications, Rashomon gates, Living Corpse Reincarnation, the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique, or even Sage Techniques to the mix...

Uchiha Ci could only dream of slapping himself for agreeing to this madness.

Standing at the border, caught between sunlight and rain, he felt a mix of frustration at becoming more of a tank and joy at the prospect of reckless battle.

Unable to contain his emotions, he twisted his body and jabbed randomly at the air, muttering,

"This is pure torture!"

The more Uchiha Ci thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Eventually, he raised his hand and aimed a slap at his own face.

Before the blow landed, a sharp voice called out,

"Hey! Hey! What are you doing, Ci-kun?"

A figure suddenly appeared before Uchiha Ci in a flash, using an extraordinary Body Flicker technique, and firmly grasped his wrist, halting his self-inflicted punishment.

"I won't let you hurt yourself!"

Uchiha Ci looked up, his eyes widening in shock. Standing before him was none other than Uchiha Shisui, whom he hadn't seen in over a week since leaving the village.

His body trembled, and suppressed memories surged forth like a tide.

His current state—all of it—was because of this man.

It was him. It was all his fault!

Recognizing Shisui, Uchiha Ci's emotions flared to such intensity that his Sharingan activated involuntarily. His pupils trembled with fury.

If not for this man stealing his death mission in the Land of Rain, he would never have gone to the Land of Hot Water. He wouldn't have encountered Shinno, Kakuzu, the Jashin Cult, or Orochimaru—all entities that were increasingly abnormal and difficult to deal with.

If he had stayed in the Land of Rain, he would likely have perished like the countless other anonymous ninjas on the battlefield.

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Ci forced a smile and raised his hand in greeting.

"Hi~."

Shisui, full of concern, sighed and patted Uchiha Ci's shoulder.

"Ci-kun, don't blame yourself too much. I've heard about what happened in the Land of Hot Water."

He continued, "No one could've done better. Even the elder using Izanagi was a last resort. Don't let it weigh on your heart."

Hearing this, Uchiha Ci's forced smile froze.

Oh, right. Uchiha Setsuna, the elder, was also involved in this mess.

Why had he forgotten that?

So, Shisui's purpose here was clear now.

Scratching his head awkwardly, Shisui grinned.

"By the way, the elder sent a messenger hawk. He wants you to train with me and Shinichi-nii over the coming days. You'll be learning how to properly use your Sharingan, along with clan techniques, illusions, taijutsu, and advanced skills."

Pulling Uchiha Ci along, Shisui began talking about training methods.

"Shinichi-nii is incredibly strong and kind. Under his guidance, I've mastered my Sharingan and discovered some unique effects when combining Sharingan techniques with the Body Flicker. We should discuss this and—"

Uchiha Ci immediately interrupted, raising his hand.

"Stop!"

"You said what? Discuss what?"

Shisui chuckled and scratched his head.

"Oh, right! I forgot to name this jutsu. How about... Phantom Body Flicker?"

Uchiha Ci's heart sank as he stared at the young prodigy before him.

Even without going to the Land of Hot Water, Shisui had created the technique that would make him famous—the Phantom Body Flicker.

This jutsu seamlessly combined Sharingan genjutsu with the Body Flicker technique. A masterful integration of illusion, taijutsu, and the Uchiha's bloodline limit.

The last notable integration of illusion and taijutsu was the Konoha-style Willow, an S-rank technique.

It seemed Uchiha Ci had just witnessed the birth of a legend.

And its name was Shisui of the Body Flicker.

The thought that Shisui intended to teach him such a terrifying technique made Uchiha Ci shudder.

If this continued, he wouldn't even get the chance to complete his assassination mission or survive his solo battles. He would die from becoming too tanky.

"No, stop!" Uchiha Ci coughed and diverted the conversation.

"Shisui, I appreciate your kindness, but this technique seems difficult. Let's take it slow. By the way, where are we? This place feels far from the main camp."

Unknowingly, Shisui had led him deep into the Land of Rain, where they now stood in an eerie forest. The air was thick with a foul miasma, and raindrops slid off the leaves and grass.

Shisui released Uchiha Ci's arm, smiling.

"It's like this. Ci, I've made some friends here in the Land of Rain. They've heard of you and want to meet you."

Uchiha Ci was taken aback, laughing awkwardly.

"Friends? I'm just an average ninja, nothing worth mentioning."

From above, a confident voice interrupted, and three figures descended from the treetops.

"The apprentice of the Sannin, destroyer of the Jashin Cult in the Land of Hot Water, and slayer of Kirigakure's prodigy, Hōzuki Mangetsu—the Immortal Asura, Uchiha Ci."

The person in the lead removed their hood, revealing a head of bright orange-yellow short hair that stood out even in the gloomy Land of Rain.

Then, with a broad grin directed at Uchiha Ci, they spoke in a hearty tone:

"Let me introduce myself,"

"I am the leader of the Akatsuki, Yahiko!"