10 Stone Tablet
(A/N: Rewritten—I feel tired)
It has been two days since Yasuo had awoken from his coma, and relative peace ruled over.
He did not go anywhere during the two days, staying home where he mostly browse through different channels on the television with his sisters.
Izuna and Miyrae were absent in those two days, as usual, leaving their kids to the care of Shisui and Miaoyi.
It was Shisui himself, that told him to stay home—saying it was to help him recover from comatose. As even Vyra had agreed wholeheartedly, he didn't have much choice in the matter.
Unfortunately, that also meant he couldn't do much else but laze around.
Thankfully, it was on the third day, that something eventful had happened.
"Yasuo-chan?" Miyrae spoke up during breakfast. She had specifically made plans to be free this day, not that he knew.
"Yes. Mother?" the boy drawled. The times of nothing but tedium had long gotten to him, and he was frankly sick of it.
Miyrae smiled knowingly. Shisui had already told her her son's situation—getting, or rather, forcing a break from training.
"We," she paused, taking a bite of Shisui's delicious cooked chicken. "-will be visiting the Uchiha Manor today."
Yasuo rose his head up from his food, eyes twinkling with curiosity.
"What are we doing there, Mother?" he asked somewhat hurriedly, as the woman chuckled at his energetic response.
"Your Madara-ojisan wants to see you." The smile on her face lit up, seeing her adorable son's behavior almost turn an entire one-eighty.
Seeing Yasuo's excited face simply gesturing her to continue talking, she happily complied.
"Madara-ojisan wants you to visit the Uchiha Ancestral Site," she explained. "But, only you and Madara-ojisan will go. I won't be able to..."
"Why, Okaa-chan?"
This time, it wasn't Yasuo who had spoken out. It was, instead, Kyouko. The girl already knew the reason for her brother visiting the Ancestral Site: the Stone Tablet.
Vyra had told her about it when she had visited the place only a year past. But Izuna had gone with her at that time, not Miyrae.
It didn't interest her much, and one needed their [Sharingan] unsealed, anyway.
"Hmm, well..." Miyrae placed a hand on her cheek, looking at her husband. "Kyouko-chan, you see, I married into the Uchiha Clan. That also means I'm not a real part of the clan, either..."
Kyouko slowly nodded, understanding the meaning of what her mother was trying to tell.
Still, that would mean that her favorite sister, Kumiko, and Mother would not be allowed to go to the Ancestral Site.
The girl went silent, as did everyone else.
'Why's everyone so quiet all of a sudden?' Yasuo looked around the table in confusion, inwardly frowning. 'So what if Mother's not a genuine Uchiha Clan member?'
He stared at Miyrae, as he could have sworn he had seen her eyes becoming darker.
"Cough!" the boy cleared his throat, purposely doing it louder than typical. "W-when are we going, Mother?"
"We'll go in the evening," she replied, smiling as she led another chopstick-ful of savory chicken into her mouth. "Your Madara-ojisan is a busy body, after all."
"That's right, Yasuo-chan." Izuna had finally let his voice become heard.
"I won't be able to go with you today. Sorry, Yasuo-chan," the man sincerely apologized. "But, didn't you say you wanted to join a Team soon?"
Yasuo inwardly frowned—I said that? When?
He turned his eyes toward Shisui across the table, and the [Summoned] stared back at him. The man began lightly bobbing his head up and down; what in the world does that mean?!
Yasuo looked back toward his Father, slowly nodding his head.
If he was perfectly honest, joining a Team didn't sound too bad. At least he wouldn't be wasting his life away at home.
"Good!" Izuna laughed, "Because, Yasuo-chan, I'll be going to the Hokage-sama today to get you assigned to a team!"
"It'll most likely take a week or two," he quickly added. Izuna didn't want his son's expectations to be too high.
"Hiruzen-sama will need time to sort out all of the Teams for you to join one, Yasuo-chan."
"Okay," Yasuo nodded as Izuna took in a breath of relief; he didn't seem to be disappointed. The raven-haired boy stared down toward his food, suddenly finding himself hungry.
Breakfast soon came to a close, as everyone lounged around the living room.
"Mom, dad..."
Yasuo began while they were watching the television together—the couple's ears perking up. Their son was never this casual when calling them. Something has to be wrong!
"Can I go outside for a walk, please?"
The two looked at each other for a second, before Izuna slowly replied: "You see, Yasuo-chan...you still need to rest. You've been workin-"
"Father!" Yasuo interrupted, instinctually changing back into formal addressing. He saw a chance, seeing how his parents were hesitating on a decision.
"Please! It's already been two days, and I've done nothing but sit at home!" he half begged, half argued. "You can even let Shisui-san or Miaoyi-san monitor me!"
Vyra, Kumiko, and even Kyouko were no-gos. They all their respective duties to perform, like doing missions or attending class.
Izuna opened his mouth but closed it as he felt Miyrae's hand upon his arm.
"Fine, Yasuo-chan." Miyrae gave her permission, but her expression was stern against her son's eager eyes. "But, as you said, Miaoyi or Shisui will have to follow you to make sure."
Yasuo vigorously nodded before he glanced toward Shisui standing behind him.
Knowing what his young master was going to ask, the secret Uchiha shook his head.
"My apologies, Yasuo-sama. Unfortunately, I cannot accompany you today," he respectfully declined.
"I have some concerns at the company that strongly requires my attention."
Yasuo nodded regretfully, but he understood.
He didn't have personal experience, but being the CEO of a large business seemed like work. It alone even sounded like work.
The boy turned his head to the other 'servant' of the family standing beside Shisui.
"Then...What about you, Miaoyi-san?" he asked, his tone hopeful. If she said no, then he would stay rotting at home until the evening, and he didn't want that!
As the woman slowly nodded her head, Yasuo grinned, excitedly jumping up from his seat.
"Thank you, Miaoyi-san!"
The boy hugged the flustered beauty, and before she could respond, he had already gone upstairs into his room.
Looking at this scene, everyone smiled amusedly. The only one who didn't seem happy was Vyra, with a pout on her face, but no one quite noticed it.
Yasuo quickly came back downstairs, entirely dressed out of his pajamas, wearing a simple white t-shirt and some black sweatpants.
He took the closet ones he could find, not being much of a fashionist.
"Let's go, Miaoyi-san!"
His face was all smiles as he left through the front door without waiting for the woman.
She would easily be able to follow up with him with her [Stats]...probably. Now that he thought about it, he never did check Miaoyi's [Status].
'AM, can you show me Miaoyi-san's [Status]?' he paused his steps as he asked his system.
[Very well, Host]
___
[Status]
Name: [Yu Miaoyi], [Hinako Akuta]
Age: [Immortal]
Race: [Elemental], [True Ancestor]
Power: [1560]
Endurance: [2810]
Dexterity: [920]
Agility: [1124]
Magic: [2955]
Luck: [4]
Charm: [1,280]
Bloodline: [Nature Spirit], [Elemental], [True Ancestor]
Skills:
[Noble Phantasm—Eternal Lament]: Active - Lvl. MAX -
(Effects):
(Body Reconstruction): (With enough energy, it can allow the User to reconstruct their body entirely)
(Energy Nova): (The User can overload their body with energy, turning it into a makeshift bomb)
[Incaranted Elemental]: Passive - Lvl. Sovereign -
(Effect):
(Unlimited Magic): (The User can draw an inexhaustible supply of magical energy from the physical world. However, the output is limited)
[Immortal Winged One]: Passive - Lvl. Divine -
(Effect):
(Eternity): (Grants the User immortality. The User cannot die, and even if the User has died, they will shortly become revived through the magical power of the physical world)
[Presence Concealment]: Active - Lvl. Legend -
(Effect):
(Stealth): (Hides User's presence. Suitable for spying. It is possible to disappear and become extremely difficult to be detected)
[Blood Sucking]: Active - Lvl. MAX -
(Effect):
(Absorption): (The User can absorb another's blood to replenish their own health, as well as their physical and magical strength)
[Items]:
[Twin Swords]: [The two blades are Chinese in design, able to light in flames according to their User's wishes]
___
'S-she's so strong!' he thought as his eyes widened. He had only begun reading Miaoyi's [Stats], and he was already shocked!
Nearly all of her [Stats] reached a threshold of 1,000!
As he continued studying Miaoyi's [Status], he was becoming less and less sure he would be able to defeat her in a battle. And, he was already unconfident seeing her [Stats].
[Absence of Fantasy] still required chakra to use, and he would eventually run out. On the other hand, Miaoyi had an infinite supply of chakra, and she was a True Immortal.
[Seishi]'s Unsealed State could kill immortals, but that wouldn't matter at all, simply if they revived after death and continued being immortal.
Ah—seeing this much power, even if it was only on an imaginary screen of words, was hurting his head.
"Young Master?"
He came back into reality as he found Miaoyi standing next to him, concern within her gaze. It was then that he noticed all of the stares he was attracting.
'I've been doing nothing but stare into space for an entire minute,' he mentally facepalmed. 'Of course, people are going to stare at me.'
"Sorry, I was just thinking about what to do now that I'm outside." the boy smiled as he excused himself, ignoring all the people around them.
The woman nodded before surprisingly giving her opinion on the matter: "Perhaps you might want to cut your hair, Young Master. Such long hair doesn't quite suit you..."
Yasuo paused, pleasantly surprised that Miaoyi had said something—she frankly seemed like the type of person to stay as silent whenever possible.
He turned his attention toward his hair, and she was right, his hair honestly was too long for his liking. It was almost as long as Madara-ojisan's, and his hair was insane!
"Alright, Miaoyi-san, I'll do just as you say!" Yasuo replied as he grinned, his mind already taken off of the woman's immense strength.
"I know just the place!" and he did.
He could clearly remember the way from his house to the barber, all thanks to his [Omnipotent Memory]. He had gone to it once before with his family when he was four.
"Let's go!" Yasuo grasped Miaoyi's cold, yet oddly heating-up hand into his own. He decided to ignore it as he led her toward the barber.
A small part of him was thinking about using the [Body Flicker Technique]. But, seeing how everyone was giving way, he decidedly chose otherwise.
"We're here!" Yasuo stopped his steps in front of a rather modest building.
It hadn't taken too long, only two minutes—though he was sure it was rather slow for Miaoyi. But, she didn't complain during the entire distance, so he guessed it was fine.
"Let's go in, Miaoyi-san," the boy said, and seeing her nod, he walked up and opened the door.
Yasuo looked around; everything was so much more different than it was in the past. Everything seemed much cleaner, and the machinery was leagues more advanced; he could tell just by sight.
It seems that business has been very successful, even with the place's misleading exterior.
He noticed a sign on one of the walls. It was rather striking in the mainly white room with barely any decorations.
'4,899 ryō per cut...' he read to himself as his head slowly processed it.
'That's so expensive!' It's even more than his yearly allowance, darn it! Thankfully, he had the cheat that was [Unlimited Treasury]!
"Welcome!" a female attendant came to greet them. As she saw the pair, her smiling face slowly turned into one of surprise.
"Yasuo-sama! It's been so long, welcome!" the woman greeted with much more enthusiasm, bowing. She had, no doubt, recognized him from one of his previous visits.
"Hello there," Yasuo smiled back.
He had a very clear remembrance of the lady, all thanks to [Omnipotent Memory]. She was the very same attendant from years past, and he was sure she was the owner's wife.
"Did you say Yasuo, Mari-"
A man poked his head through a door, eyes widening as he noticed the boy.
"Y-Yasuo-sama! Welcome, welcome!" The man quickly walked toward him with a massive grin on his face. Yasuo nodded back; he knew the man as the owner of the shop.
"How can we help you? Please, ask away. We'll give you a 70% discount on anything," he declared.
"S-so much?" Yasuo was shocked; a 70% discount virtually meant that the owner would gain no profit at all.
"Of course! How could we not after you'd done so much for this little store?" the man confidently replied. "I would do it for free, but we need to scrape by somehow, hahaha!"
The boy nodded, guessing that this was all Shisui's work. That would be the simple explanation, as he frankly didn't have any memory of helping anyone.
"Then, can you cut my hair, um...up to my shoulders, please."
"Absolutely!" the man readily responded, gesturing toward the door he had entered from, "Please, go ahead, Yasuo-sama."
Yasuo nodded yet again before heading inside the room, Miaoyi silently following him from behind.
He began examining the room, finding only one chair in front of a large mirror.
He could see everything had an Elude—or rather, Elysian—logo imprinted. That proved two things in his head; this was like a 'V.I.P.' Room, and Shisui was most definitely involved with this shop.
Yasuo knew personally about the expensiveness of Elysian items. Even wealthy merchants wouldn't be able to afford everything that was in this place.
The owner entered, closing the door behind him, and motioning his hands at the chair as he said, "Please sit down, Yasuo-sama."
Yasuo complied, doing as the owner asked.
"Hmm..." the owner hummed, rubbing his chin as he looked at Yasuo through the mirror. "Shoulder-length...A ponytail and some ragged hair would suit you finely, Yasuo-sama."
"If you say that, Oji-san, I can only agree," Yasuo smiled.
"Hahaha!" the man laughed boisterously. "This is why I like you so much, Yasuo-sama!"
The owner began cutting his hair, making casual chatter as he did. It had taken an entire thirty minutes for completion, but Yasuo felt fresh.
His hair felt smoother and was much more comfortable to handle, while the tie holding his new ponytail was sturdy, yet pleasant. He was quite happy—grateful for Miaoyi's suggestion.
"That will be 1,000 ryō, Yasuo-sama," the attendant proposed as he was in check-out.
"A-are you certain, ma'am?" he questioned. He was sure that 30% of 4,899 was much more than a 1,000 ryō. "It seems a bit too low..."
It wasn't low at all; a thousand ryō was about an ordinary, non-shinobi family's weekly income.
"No, no. Not at all," the woman shook her head. "We're very confident of our pricings, Yasuo-sama."
"Alright, if you say so..." He handed the woman a 1,000 ryō bill.
"Thank you very much for your patronage, Yasuo-sama." The attendant smiled, bowing her head. "Please come again at any time."
The boy bowed his head back as he contently left the shop.
"Haa..." He took in a deep breath as he stretched out his arms. "Miaoyi-san, how about getting some food? I've been eating Shisui's cooking every day, and it's becoming boring."
"I would be delighted, Young Master," the beauty bowed her head.
"Good!"
Yasuo grinned, grabbing Miaoyi's hand into his own once more.
"Vyra told me about this really great place," the boy excitedly began as he ran, dragging his guardian.
"She said the ramen was marvelous, and I really want to try it!" he continued giddily, not noticing the small smile that was forming on Miaoyi's face.
She was enjoying her time with her Young Master, especially how he allowed her to experience things she'd never felt before.
But, just as she was beginning to immerse herself within the feeling, her Young Master's step suddenly stopped.
"We're here!" Yasuo proclaimed as he stood in front of a stall, oblivious to the beauty beside him.
He was already inwardly salivating from the aroma coming from inside the small establishment, too busy thinking about food to care.
"Ramen Ichiraku," he read the name of the stall out loud, nodding to himself.
He would keep in mind the name of the restaurant, keeping it 'special' in his well of, literally, unforgettable memories.
"Let's go in, Miaoyi-san," Yasuo said, finally turning his head to the woman beside him.
Yasuo watched as she stoically nodded, but he thought she looked...dissatisfied? He shook his head; he was most definitely merely imagining things.
He gently pushed the—what he liked to call—'Entrance Cloth' away as he entered the stall.
"Good morning!" a kind-looking old man greeted them with an equally kind smile.
He handed the two of them a folded sheet of paper, what Yasuo assumed was the menu.
"Here you are, please take your time," the old man nodded before going back to handmaking fresh noodles.
Yasuo couldn't help but smile back. The owner's smile really was contagious. And, realizing he would be able to see the old man personally work, his smile only broadened.
His [Cooking] [Skill] would level up from witnessing the old man cook first-hand, and he would be able to replicate the recipe as well!
Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't going to visit this place ever so often after stealing the formula. Coming back only served to benefit him.
"Thank you." Yasuo and Miaoyi politely thanked and accepted the piece of paper, taking a seat on the provided stools.
The boy began quickly eyeing through the menu, pleasantly surprised seeing all of the different combinations and flavors.
As he flipped to the last page, Yasuo grinned.
"Owner, I'll have miso ramen with extra chasu," he ordered.
If his little memory of Naruto served right, it was his favorite ramen, and he wanted to try it for himself.
"Ah, that flavor!" the old man laughed, "It's a little on the unpopular side of my dishes, but coming right up!"
"Why is it so unpopular?" Yasuo couldn't help but ask. It was extra pork in already excellent ramen. He could already feel his stomach rumbling just from thinking about it.
And, it was even at the same price as miso ramen with chasu!
"It's not a personal reason, really," the owner chuckled, "It's just that seaweed is so much more popular with customers."
"People would order miso ramen with chasu for the seaweed, rather than the extra chasu with no seaweed, you see."
Yasuo nodded even if he didn't quite understand—what was so great about seaweed?
"Owner," it was then that Miaoyi finally spoke up.
He turned his head toward her, curious about what she wanted to order.
"Please, tell me what'd you like to eat, pretty miss," the old man once again laughed his gentle laughter.
"I would like miso ramen with extra seaweed," she continued impassively, utterly stoic to the owner's compliment as if she was all too used to it.
Yasuo felt an eye twitch as he stared at his guardian, while the woman stared back without a flinch.
"Haha," the old man heartily laughed, "I told you, young man. It's my most popular dish!"
Yasuo could only nod in defeat as he rested his head upon his arms, patiently waiting for his order to be completed...
'Oh, right! How could I forget?!'
"Hey, owner, can I watch you cook?" Yasuo suddenly asked as he stared at the man.
"Hmm?" the old man looked up from his station and matched the boy's stare with a smile. "Of course you can," he gestured his hand for the boy to come.
"Thanks!" the boy smiled back, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief, as he opened the small gate, leading inside of the booth.
"No problem, young man," the old man gently laughed as he continued with cooking. "There's no problem at all."
Silence came about.
The boy was content with quietly watching the owner cook, and the owner was just happy cooking; the added factor of an interested audience only made him more delighted.
The rose-eyed beauty was as emotionless as usual.
"Finished!" the old man said, ending the silence, holding two large bowls in his hands.
Yasuo offhandedly looked at his [Cooking], now at [Lvl. 19].
He was inwardly shocked; it had gone up a whole nine levels just from watching the owner cook! The owner must be a god of cooking!
Yasuo cleared his head—there were more important things that needed his attention right now, like testing the taste of the owner's miso ramen.
He was extremely excited and almost couldn't wait.
"Here you go, young man," he handed one bowl to the boy beside him and the other to the woman, "And you too, miss."
The woman nodded appreciatively, gracefully beginning to enjoy herself within the pleasures of ramen.
Yasuo thanked the owner before he quickly got back to his seat, grabbing himself a pair of chopsticks and digging in.
He savored the first bite, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the intense rapture of each taste in his mouth. The pork was simply amazing when combined with the deep flavor noodles.
The boy took another bite, then another, then another as with each, the speed of his vacuum-like mouth and hand became increasing faster.
"Tink!" The noise snapped him out of his trance, coming to realize that everything except the soup, was now entirely in his stomach.
"Ah..." the boy uttered, not being quite sure of what to say. His stomach, though, still felt hungry and nowhere near full—he wanted more.
"Hahaha! I never knew my cooking was so good, to the point that people would finish it in a blink of an eye!" the old man earnestly laughed, as Yasuo's cheeks began flaring up in embarrassment.
"Young man, you seem like you want more?" the owner asked, and the boy slowly nodded.
"Very good!" The owner's laughter only grew. "I'll keep cooking until your stomach is completely bloated, young man!"
Yasuo couldn't help but join in into the laughter; the old man really was a great person.
"Pooh," he turned his eyes toward the noise, and the owner did the same.
It seems that Miaoyi had finished her bowl as well, and with the way how her face flushed, Yasuo thought that she looked blindingly adorable.
"A-ah," the old man seemed to be shocked too, "Y-young miss, would you like more as well?"
Miaoyi's nod was almost unnoticeable, but it seemed that the owner had managed to catch it. It would seem that he had good eyesight.
"Good!" the old man laughed, trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere, and working. "Ah, really. My cooking is exceptional! Haha-"
"Dad! I'm back..."
Yasuo turned around toward the direction of the voice, met with a boy that was virtually a younger version of the owner.
"Oh, there's customers!" the boy exclaimed before quickly entered the inside of the booth.
"I'm sorry, that's just my boy, Teuchi," the old man looked apologetic, "Please, pay him no mind."
"What do you mean?"
Yasuo turned his head away from the owner, seeing the boy come back. He now dressed in the same outfit as his father, albeit smaller.
'He really does look like the owner,' Yasuo nonchalantly thought.
"I'm helping you cook!"
"Teuchi-"
"You said I could help you today!"
"But-," the old man hesitated before finally breathing in a deep breath defeated. "Fine, Teuchi. But, I'll only allow it if the customers agree."
The boy, so-called Teuchi, turned his head toward the two, eyes shining with hope.
'He is only looking at Miaoyi...' Yasuo noted in the back of his mind but nodded nonetheless.
Yet, the boy didn't even seem to have noticed that he had agreed!
"Haa..." the old man sighed, "I'm sorry, young man. My boy is a little hot-blooded. He's still young, you see, only six years old."
He had only noticed now, but the owner had been calling him "young man." It was strange—he was only ten, and he felt that being called "boy" was a lot more appropriate.
Though, he had his height to blame. He was much taller than the usual ten-year-old, but he was currently in the past, where people were shorter than in Naruto's days.
Much shorter.
If his memory served correct, Naruto was 4'9 at twelve, yet he was only four-foot at ten.
It was really odd; how people could evolve so quickly that their heights would increase by lengths in mere years. No...there was something he could blame it on: chakra.
Where the problem rested was in genes, chakra, or just hormones. All three were quite sound arguments, perhaps except the first two.
The boy inwardly shook his head. His head was only thinking utter nonsense now.
"No, no. It's fine," Yasuo waved his hands. He honestly couldn't blame the kid, Miaoyi is just too pretty for anyone overlook!
'...' The Uchiha boy froze; he was having those strange thoughts again.
Miaoyi eventually nodded, and Teuchi cheered. The boy went back inside, soon coming back and grabbing a chair, standing on top of it.
Teuchi began using all of the utensils with practiced experience, almost cooking with the same skill as his father. The boy was very talented in culinary arts.
But, Yasuo was more than content with his "stolen" abilities. He was able to level up his [Cooking] skill almost twice as fast because of the boy.
He and Miaoyi had ultimately stayed until very late in the afternoon, fully immersed in the joys of ramen-heaven till they had realized the time.
They—Yasuo—had paid for the costs: a total of 5,550 ryō.
He had counted that he and Miaoyi had eaten a sum of seventy-one bowls of ramen, each one priced at 85 ryō.
He was very positive that 67 multiplied by 85 was much more than merely 5,550 ryō, but could only give up trying to pay the full price. The owner wouldn't take it no matter whatever he did.
Still, he was very thankful to the owner and his son. Thanks to them, his [Cooking] was now [Lvl. 27], able to provide an entire 135% bonus to all of his future dishes.
'[Cooking] really does scale incredibly hard, and it's easy to use too...' Yasuo idly thought, now sitting at home, waiting for his mother to come home from whatever she was doing, and begin set-off.
"Yasuo-chan, let's go!" Almost as if on cue, the woman called out his name from the front door. "Miaoyi-san, please come with us as well."
"Coming!"
The boy bounced off the couch, walking with slightly hastened steps toward his mother, Miaoyi stalking silently behind his back.
"Oh, Yasuo-chan, you got a haircut," his mother let out a light giggle, "You're looking good."
"Well, come on then," Miyrae smiled as she opened the door and began walking into the streets, her son and maid promptly following.
"Good evening."
"Nice to see you too."
"I'm doing great. How about you?"
Miyrae greeted her friends and acquaintances as the trio made their way to the Uchiha Manor.
They had made attempts to talk to Yasuo as well, but none did the same for Miaoyi. No one seemingly noticed her, and the boy knew the reason.
She was using her [Presence Concealment] to, literally, conceal her presence.
He tempted in doing the same, but, unfortunately, his [Lord of Concealment] happened to be a tad-bit too powerful.
It didn't allow him to obscure himself only to the point where others could see him, but wouldn't mind him. It, instead, virtually erased the entirety of his existence for its duration.
The triad soon arrived at their destination.
He had personally never come to the Uchiha Manor before, but it looked most definitely grand and noble.
The walls surrounding the very Japanese-like mansion, all had Uchiha Clan symbols—declaring the magnificence of the clan.
The Uchiha Manor itself was immensely great in size. It was to the point where he could only see a speck of the tall Hokage Residence not too far away from it.
"Welcome, Miyrae-sama, Yasuo-sama," a guard approached them, bowing as the man opened the front gates. "Madara-sama has been expecting you."
"Thank you. Let's go in, shall we?" Miyrae answered for the entire group, nodding.
"Yes," the guard pulled his body up, dignifiedly straightening his back. "Now then, please follow me."
The man began walking, and the trio followed accordingly.
In the corner of his eye, Yasuo could see another guard post up on the gate. Everything was incredibly organized—the boy thought.
The group continued through multiple hallways, each nearly the size of an entire medium-sized room. Eventually, the guard stopped in front of a door.
Richly designed, almost looking western and modern, it didn't much fit the Uchiha Manor, which was more Japanese. But, still, Yasuo thought that it oddly suited the grand mansion.
"Madara-sama," the guard called, keeping his tone respectful as he knocked on the door.
"What is it?" a calm, yet distinctly gruffy male voice said in response.
There was a very sharp connection between the man's voice and his father's, and from it, Yasuo could already tell it came from his uncle.
"Miyrae-sama and Yasuo-sama have arrived, and are right beside me, Madara-sama."
"Oh, they are?" Madara's voice pitched up, and the boy could tell they had his uncle's attention now. "Come in!"
"As you wish, Madara-sama."
The man opened the door, bowing his head toward the ones inside. He turned around, doing the same for the group, before leaving—he knew he was an unwanted body.
Miyrae entered the room, and the two beside her followed.
Within seconds, Yasuo could already spot Elysian upon the items around the utterly massive room. It only further proved how much control Shisui had in the Land of Fire.
He turned his eyes toward the other three in the room, recognizing two of them as his previous classmates: Fugaku and Mikoto.
"Ah, that's right; you were in the same class as Fugaku and Mikoto, weren't you Yasuo-chan?" Madara spoke up, noticing his nephew's gaze.
"What?!" Fugaku rose to his feet from his seat pillow, pointing his finger toward the red-eyed boy. "That can't be Yasuo!"
Yasuo glanced toward the youngest female in the room, as she too seemed surprised, though not as much as Fugaku.
"The three of you haven't been formally introduced to one another, have you?" Madara laughed, and it was then that Yasuo noticed his uncle's missing teeth.
'Time really takes its toll on everyone. Even Madara-ojisan can't escape it...' Yasuo inwardly sighed.
[Host's and Host's Summoned and Contracted bodies will not age further than twenty-one]
'...That's not what I'm worried about, but it helps to know.'
"-ell, how about I acquaint you three?" Madara asked, and the trio of kids nodded. It was more like an order than a question, compelling the three to agree.
"Very well!" The now old-ish man grinned. "Then, I'll start with Fugaku and Mikoto."
"These two are my heirs, the ones who will inherit and lead the Uchiha Clan very soon when I retire."
"Pleased to meet you," the engaged pair spoke in unison, bending their waists in courtesy.
"Ha ha ha," his uncle laughed. "Good! Now, onto Yasuo-chan. He's my little nephew, my brother's oldest child. Now that would make him an Uchiha Prince of sorts..."
"Pleased to meet you, too." Yasuo bowed back, one of the few rare moments he used his mother's drillings of formality.
"And..." Madara began but hesitated, before ultimately deciding to declare it: "He is the heir to Elysian."
"Madara!" his mother finally ended her silence, jumping up onto her feet, her voice severe and her face fierce with unlaced anger.
The so-called "heir" of Elysian himself was initially surprised but soon regained his composure.
Shisui and his entire company of clones were the only ones who knew of it. And, as betrayal in the company was practically impossible, Yasuo guessed it all of this was Shisui's work.
'Still, that would mean that the Elders know about my [Treasury]...' Yasuo thought, but he couldn't do much about it.
Yasuo's logic was that, if Shisui couldn't do it, neither could he.
The man's [Kotaomatsukami] could add and rewrite memories, but it couldn't erase them.
"Sigh..." Madara lowered his head, stroking his entirely non-existent beard.
"Look at it like this, Miyrae," his uncle began, "When these two succeed me, they will eventually know of this. It will bring no harm; for them to learn of it any sooner."
The man looked up, staring into the woman's glaring eyes, sighing even harder than before.
"I, Madara Uchiha, promise you that the heirs of the Uchiha Clan will not nor ever reveal Yasuo Uchiha's status unless given direct permission by the Elysian heir himself."
She reluctantly sat back down but kept her glare on the man.
"Ahem!" Madara coughed, fishing Fugaku and Mikoto out of their shock as he tried to lighten the mood.
"Yasuo-chan, it's been years since we've last met, and I've never shown you my brewing skills before! So...what'd you say, how about it?"
"Okay!" Yasuo nodded with a broad smile; he was going to get more level on his [Cooking] skill!
"Excellent!" Madara stood up, waving his hands toward himself. "Let's go then, follow me."
Yasuo nodded, lifting himself as he went along with his uncle, the still-hidden Miaoyi trailing closely behind him. They didn't have to walk much far away, as there was a nearby door leading into a kitchen.
Though, he could swear that Madara had only come into this one to appease his mother. There were only four-five teaspoons of loose leaves in the batch.
He didn't know what type of tea leaves they were, but he knew for a fact that it wasn't nearly enough.
Yasuo sat back and watched as his uncle began brewing with skill and precision, and two minutes later, Madara presented him a finished cup of fresh brew.
"Try it," the man handed him the cup of tea with a small content smile on his face, "Young people these days don't like to drink bitter, but you'll love this, I promise you.
"Thank you, Madara-ojisan," Yasuo accepted the cup as he slowly took a sip, savoring the deep yet smooth and refreshing flavor of the tea.
He couldn't help but close his eyes and smile as he enjoyed its pleasantness.
As he opened his eyes again, Madara's somewhat wrinkled and grinning face was mere inches away. "Ah!" he yelped in a startle.
"I told you that you would like it, but it looked like to me that you loved it!" his uncle took a step back, laughing boisterously.
"Don't do that, Madara-ojisan." Yasuo breathed in a deep breath.
"Hahaha! Alright, alright."
"...I want to try."
"Hmm, what? You want to try, Yasuo-chan?" Madara repeated, taken back. He didn't expect the boy to ask that question at all, though he probably should have prepared for it.
"Yeah. I want to try brewing tea, Madara-ojisan," Yasuo nodded.
"No problem..." Madara grinned before pausing, realizing an issue. "Small problem, there're not enough tea leaves."
"But, don't worry, Yasuo-chan," he patted his nephew on the shoulder. "I'll go get some for you. I'll be back real soon. It'll only take a few minutes."
Seeing the boy nodded in understanding, Madara walked out of the room in quick steps.
Yasuo found a chair in the corner of the kitchen, deciding to sit down as he waited for Madara to come back.
'My [Cooking] skill is already at [Lvl. 28]. That would give me a 140% boost...' Yasuo thought, turning his head toward the glass container of, still unknown, tea leaves.
He stood up, going next to the kitchen counter and grabbing himself a handful of the loose leaves. It felt smooth, whole, and sturdy. It was not too light and didn't easily crumble with a soft touch.
'Madara-ojisan said he would not be back until a couple of minutes. It should be fine for me to try to do it myself for now.'
'AM, can you find similar, but higher quality tea leaves than those in my hands?'
[It is a matter of course, Host...]
[Purchase Black Light Tea Leaves for 15 A.M. Points? Yes/No!]
'Yes,' Yasuo inwardly nodded. 'So they're black tea leaves, huh? Good to know.'
(Ding! The Host has obtained [Black Light Tea Leaves])
He put the loose leaves in his hands back into the container, drinking from the teacup until it was half full. That would be his excuse if Madara ever asked what he was doing for the past, present future, few minutes.
'AM, buy another cup as well,' Yasuo ordered as he began cleaning the gooseneck kettle his uncle used to brew the drink.
There was nothing in the kettle. Madara had only made enough for one cup of tea.
[Purchase Pristine Luxury Teacup for 10 A.M. Points? Yes/No]
'Yes-'
"Young Master..."
(Ding! The Host has obtained [Pristine Luxury Teacup])
"Eep!" Yasuo exclaimed, sighing in relief when he realized it was only Miaoyi standing next to him. In all honesty, he had somewhat forgotten about her..."You scared me there, Miaoyi-san."
"My apologies, Young Master," she replied, but her face was as stoic as usual. "What are you doing?"
"Well, you see, Miaoyi-san," Yasuo tried to explain himself, "I have a pretty good memory, so I'm trying to recreate what Madara-ojisan did before."
Miaoyi nodded, stepping back as to disturb not her Young Master.
Yasuo turned his attention back toward the kitchen counter, pulling out both the teacup and leaves from his [Inventory].
He began to repeat the exact process that Madara had used—the perfect measurements, timings, and motions.
Yasuo picked up the gooseneck kettle as he gently poured the brew into his teacup. It had taken a minute and fifty-seven seconds, precisely the same as when Madara had done it.
He wasn't afraid that he had spent too much or less time. The tea leaves were the same as the ones that Madara used, albeit of surpassing grade; he trusted AM for it.
Yasuo stared at the finished product, marveling at its description.
[Calming Rich Black Tea]
[Grade]: [Rare]
[+57% Favorability]
[+15% Mental Ease]
'That's great, but why did it make it into an [Item]? It never did that before...' Yasuo wondered to himself, but could only shake his head, unable to find an answer.
The boy lifted the cup to his mouth, slowly savoring the extreme intensity of satisfaction around his tongue.
"Mmm..." he hummed in the pleasure, sneaking a glance toward Miaoyi, who was standing not too far away. Her eyes were solely on the cup in his hands.
He smiled mischievously. "Miaoyi-san, do you want a drink?"
The woman shifted her rose-tinted eyes toward her Young Master, her face flaring as she slowly and timidly nodded in the positive.
"Alright, no problem." Yasuo grinned, walking up to the blushing beauty and holding the cup toward her. "Here."
Miaoyi tilted her head in initial confusion before her face flared up even more than before. But, she still accepted the teacup, though hesitantly.
She turned the cup a little so that her lips wouldn't indirectly touch her Young Master's, taking a light sip.
Looking at her face, Yasuo already knew she enjoyed it, but he still wanted to ask: "How is it?"
"Good," Miaoyi responded with a slight nod, taking continuous sups of the deep drink.
Yasuo laughed as his previous grin widened even further, threatening to reach the ends of his face. He eventually took a sigh to calm himself.
The boy left Miaoyi alone with the cup, proceeding to clean up all of the tools he used to make it.
His only female [Summoned] seemed to enjoy the tea too much to depart from it, so he decided to let her keep it. It was good, but not quite worthy of his [Treasury], in his opinion.
"Yasuo!" Madara burst into the kitchen just as he finished cleaning up and setting everything back into its original place. Miaoyi quickly hid her presence as well.
"Is something wrong, Madara-ojisan?"
"Heh, heh, heh," his uncle nervously laughed. "You see, while I was trying to find some tea leaves for you, I realized how late it is already."
"We won't have time to go to the Naka Shrine," Madara explained. "These old bones need a lot of sleep, you see, Yasuo-chan."
"There's no problem, Madara-ojisan," Yasuo shook his head without much complaint.
He was already more than content; Madara surprisingly had an interest in tea brewing. Perhaps it was his [Luck] deciding to do its job.
"Hahaha!" Madara laughed. "I really wish Fugaku was more like you, Yasuo-chan. He always cries whenever things don't go his way."
The boy imagined that Fugaku didn't precisely cry and that it was merely his uncle rambling. His cousin didn't seem like that type of person.
"Cough! Anyway, Yasuo-chan. We should get going now."
"Okay."
Yasuo followed Madara out, and it seemed that everybody had already left.
"Don't worry. Your Okaa-chan just left because it was getting late. I'll take you home after we visit the Shrine. Is that alright?" Madara noticed his confusion.
"Alright," Yasuo agreed.
"Good."
The duo, with the concealed Miaoyi, continued into the streets, not walking too far until they had reached a place just as his uncle had described: a shrine.
"It isn't all that impressive, is it?" the man suddenly asked.
Yasuo could merely nod. He didn't know why he realized only now, but his uncle was darn perceptive.
"Hahahaha—don't worry, Yasuo-chan. It's what's inside that is interesting," Madara explained mysteriously, or really, not at all.
"Madara-sama," two guards bowed and opened the entrance.
Madara nodded back, leading Yasuo inside the shrine. The place was massive, not as large as the Uchiha Manor, but still about one-third of the mansion's entire extent.
"Here we are..." His uncle eventually stopped in front of a large monument of stone, marked with a three-tomoe [Sharingan] and a range of markings.
"What is this, Madara-ojisan?" Yasuo asked upon seeing the block, distinctively differently from everything else in the shrine.
"Hahaha," Madara chuckled, not revealing anything: "You'll soon find out, Yasuo-chan."
The man began performing a strange series of different hand seals, each one completely different from the usual used to perform Jutsus.
"You'll go in first, Yasuo," Madara said as he continued with the hand seals. "This stone needs to close for security reasons, and I'm the only one who can do it."
Yasuo nodded, before uttering in a bare whisper: "Miaoyi..."
"Present," she kept her words simple and just loud enough for her Young Master to hear, as she caught his words with her skilled ears.
"I'll go inside, keep him distracted."
"Yes."
Madara had thankfully not as of yet seen Miaoyi, allowing for the plan to, hopefully, flourish.
He had already set down his Boundaries from his [Lord of Concealment]. It would help with not alerting the guards; fighting Madara, even if he is old, is going to be hard enough.
Rumble——! The monument suddenly moved, seemingly lifting itself, revealing a staircase that led downward.
"Yasuo-," Madara began, but Yasuo didn't hear his uncle finish as he nodded, jumping inside.
As he explored earthward, he could hear shouting and echos of fighting, but everything soon turned deaf. His Boundary didn't reach the lower parts of the staircase.
He quickly cast another Boundary.
It would force everyone except himself, as the User of the [Skill], to virtually forget the existence of the place. As well as the added benefit of making others compelled to turn the other way.
Yasuo hastily made his way down the stairs, before reaching a strangely lit room with nothing but an equally odd Stone Tablet.
He was getting eerie vibes from the place, and he wasn't quite sure he liked it.
"Houuu..." Yasuo took in a deep breath, cautiously stepping forward toward the Tablet, activating his [Sharingan] to react quickly to any probable threats.
He doubted there weren't any traps for intruders, but as he continued walking, nothing had happened.
'Maybe...' Yasuo carefully looked around, 'Maybe there really aren't any traps...?'
He decided to lower his guard. Miaoyi was still out there fighting, and he couldn't waste any time. Yasuo stood before the Stone Tablet, trying to make out its strange characters.
"What in the world is this?"
He could read some of its lines, but most of the words remained blurry and unidentifiable. He didn't have the opportunity to sit and work it out, either.
"AM, help me out here!"
[Purchase Information for 10 A.M. Points? Yes/No!]
"Yes!" Yasuo replied without a hint of hesitation.
It was his last few points, but he didn't care. He was practically getting it for free with how cheap 10 Points is—he could easily make it back, and more, with a single dish.
Though, strangely, the tea he had previously made had provided him without any Points at all...He would worry about that later.
(Ding! 10 Points have been used to purchase Information!)
[Information: Inventory]
"Inventory?" Yasuo repeated. "Why is the Information so short? Only one word?"
[What does Host expect, using only 10 Points?] came back AM's sarcastic reply. The boy was surprised. Did his system suddenly grow a backbone?
Yasuo mentally called up his [Inventory], showing all of the items inside it on a screen in from of him.
"[Seishi], [Gravity Suit]...[Snow]? Huh, so my [Unlimited Treasury] is linked to the [Inventory]."
He continued to look through his [Inventory], deciding to ignore how every item was utterly disorganized.
Eventually, as his eyes landed on a particular [Item], Yasuo realized what his system was trying to tell him. He gingerly called it out into reality and his hands.
"The [Book of Knowledge]..." he muttered its name as he reluctantly held onto the tome.
It had previously belonged to his friend, Raziel, and it frankly didn't feel right using it. He knew the reason was idiotic, but a part of him felt that way.
Still, it was the only solution.
Yasuo sighed, inevitably giving in into the innate greed for knowledge and enlightenment as he slowly opened the book.
He focused his intent solely upon the Stone Tablet of the Uchiha Clan, wanting to decipher its text. However, within seconds, his brain was already filled with things he didn't even want to comprehend.
Sometimes, it was situations like this that he highly appreciated his [Omnipotent Memory]. Although it didn't state it in its description, the [Skill] helped his mind filter through memories.
Otherwise, he was sure that his brain would have long become dead from all the images of dog sh*t he had sitting in there.
Yasuo took in a deep breath, beginning to organize the new data.
He lightly scanned through the information of the Ōtsutsuki Clan and Uchiha Clan, mainly focusing on Stone Tablet itself.
It was not too long before he found out the truth of the monument, as well as the existence and purpose of Black Zetsu.
"F*ck!" Yasuo cursed in a panic.
He needed a way to change the Stone Tablet now.
If he didn't, it would spell disaster for whomever stupid enough to believe the record, with the entire world coincidentally dragged along with the utter fool.
The boy knew the way to forge another Stone Tablet, but he didn't have the Points to do so.
[There is a way for Host to earn Points immediately through the system]
"Hm? What is it?" Yasuo asked, his voice wrapped in hope.
[With Host's Seventh Birthday, the system had provided Host with the Privilege to sell to the system through the Store]
His eyes lit up, calling up his [Menu] as he selected the [Store]. And, indeed, the [Sell] option was present along with the [Rotations], [Gacha], and [A-A Shop].
Yasuo tapped [Sell], bringing him into a screen that provided him with his [Inventory], [A.M. Points], and a selection for [Confirm].
"So I can exchange [Items] for [Points]..." he mumbled to himself, a brilliant idea suddenly popped into his mind.
But, before that, he remembered a matter of importance: "AM, how much is it going to cost to change the Stone Tablet?"
[Would Host like to exchange for the alteration of the past as well?]
Yasuo slowly nodded. That would be for the best. There was a chance that his uncle would be suspicious of the sudden change of the Stone Tablet.
[Very well...The payment is 1,000,000 Points, calculated with the addition of changing History]
"Alright."
Yasuo began rubbing his hands in anticipation, before tapping on [Holy Water] in the [Sell] menu. His plan was rather simple: merely sell the items in his [Inventory] that came from his [Treasury].
"[Comfirm]!" the boy unnecessarily shouted out, hitting the said button.
(Ding! Beginning to process exchange...)
Yasuo stared at the screen in expectation.
(Ding! The process has resulted in failure! Unable to [Sell] duplicate [Holy Water]!)
"Aw man," Yasuo whined, muttering: "It was such a great idea—I was really hoping for it to work..."
The boy sighed and shook his head, continuing through his [Inventory] to find things to sell. And, soon found a suitable [Item] by the name of [Random World Token].
He quickly sold the thing, getting [450,000] from the [500,000] he had previously spent getting it. It was a 10% reduction.
Yasuo didn't exactly know why he had bought the [Item], having no plans to leave the world of [Naruto] anytime soon.
Nonetheless, he now had about half the Points he needed. But, the catch was, his [Random World Token] was the only thing he could logically sell.
[Seishi] was an obvious 'No,' as well as [Fable] and the [Book of Knowledge], too.
That left him with the [Gravity Suit] and [Guidant Trainer]. Still, those two were great for training, especially the latter from the memories of Urataros' [Possession].
"What do I do?!" Yasuo pulled his hair in frustration. "AM, is there any way to pay without having enough Points?"
[...There is indeed a way]
"Tell me!"
[If Host does not mind going into Debt, then you can purchase your desire]
"[Debt]?" Yasuo asked, "So I can spend Points above what I have...But, AM, what happens if I don't repay the [Debt]?"
[The Debt must be repaid within a Month. If it isn't by then, Host's and Host's Summoned's Statistics will all decrease by 1% every day]
Yasuo cringed, finding himself much less stoked about having a way to alter the Stone Tablet. The penalty was incredibly high; three months of [Debt] would already make him weaker than a pebble.
The boy was indecisive, but, gritting his teeth, he accepted the [Debt]: "I'll buy it, AM."
He was sure he would be able to get out of it with the [Sell] option.
It allowed him to exchange anything that wasn't in his [Treasury], and he was sure he would be able to obtain enough [Items]. He had two cheat-codes called Shisui and Elysian.
(Ding! Special Offer [Stone Tablet Modification] purchased for 1,000,000 Points!)
(A.M. Points Left: -550,000 Points)
(Ding! Host entered [Debt]!)
A screen appeared in front of him—almost like a keyboard of sorts. Yasuo guessed this was the thing that was going to allow him to change the words of the Stone Tablet.
He tapped [Delete].
"Woah," said Yasuo as he watched the Stone Tablet become a single word-less. It would seem that [Delete] erased entire words, both conveniently and potentially annoying.
He held onto the [Delete] key until the monument become a blank slate, before choosing to [Undo] everything up to Black Zetsu's work.
"Why would I delete everything when Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki wrote pieces that actually help the Uchiha Clan?" Yasuo muttered to himself, shaking his head.
In fact, most of the Stone Tablet was written by the Sage to benefit the Uchiha.
It was only the parts about reviving Kaguya Ōtsutsuki inscribed by Black Zetsu, the offspring of said person, that would guarantee calamity.
He decided to leave the Stone Tablet at that, both not having enough time or any good ideas to put on the monument.
Yasuo waved his hand, dispelling the Flags around the room, and rushing up the staircase. In the meantime, he equipped [Fable].
The [Item] was useful in many ways; he merely never had the thought of using its incredible [Effects] during training, or ever really.
Using the mask's in-built [Presence Concealment], Yasuo sneaked into the utterly destroyed, and still being continuously broken down hall.
Miaoyi and Madara were fighting even now. But, there were no visible guards or even dead bodies for that matter.
Evidently, [Lord of Concealment] worked finely.
"WHOOSH!"
An abrupt, massive, and scorching fireball came streaking toward him, unleashing unrestrained destruction to whatever it touched.
Yasuo ran for his life, barely managing to escape the orb of havoc even with his [Fable]-boosted [Agility].
He inhaled a deep breath before releasing, as it became muffled to an unnoticeable whisper and distorted to an unrecognizable mesh of tones.
The boy had wanted to take his chances with Madara, but now he was hesitating, seeing the overwhelming power that the man possessed.
Yasuo gritted his teeth, deciding to go for his idea nonetheless. But first, he had to get to Miaoyi to tell her to back off.
Though dumb on multitudes, he wanted a one-on-one.
He decided by the easiest, but perhaps the stupidest idea of them all: sneaking up and directly telling her to withdraw.
Thankfully, the woman was only a small amount of steps away, positioned in a way that defended the staircase.
Yasuo locked his sight upon the beauty, sneaking up, and boldly planting his hand on her shoulder as he found a good time to do so.
A sudden and very life-threatening gust of wind blew toward his face, nearly blowing his body away from the pressure.
The boy tried his best to resist the pain, keeping his body as upright and relaxed as possible. Yasuo inwardly sweatdropped; he knew this was a bad idea, but he most definitely did not sign up for dying in an instant.
He was also grateful for Miaoyi's restraint and recognition as if not, he would have already died.
"Leave this to me," Yasuo ordered, controlling his voice to a serene calm.
Miaoyi only nodded in response as her body vanished into the shadows with the activation of her [Presence Concealment].
Yasuo turned to Madara, greeted with the sight of a frown on the man's face.
He didn't seem too tired or injured, which Yasuo considered a 'positive.'
"Who are you? What do you want?"
It would seem that Miaoyi had said nothing to Madara—his crimson eyes veiled behind the mask lit. He wanted to mess with his uncle. If Miaoyi had said nothing, he wouldn't either.
Seeing the masked bastard unresponsive, Madara scowled even harder, beginning to cast a Jutsu.
If he wasn't going to get answers, then so be it. Yasuo was in potential and incredibly imminent danger, and such was leagues more significant right now.
"[Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation]!"
Yasuo was shocked seeing Madara pull out such a deadly and destructive technique. He simply felt small and insignificant in front of the mass of energy.
Madara clearly didn't care for the shrine's state, though most of everything was already broken down by now.
But, he was even more surprised when AM suddenly prompted a Notification.
(Ding! [Fire Release] has reached MAX level through [Omnipotent Memory]!)
(Ding! [Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation] has been acquired through [Omnipotent Memory]!)
However, the boy was not able to read his new ability's information, as the ball of flames had already reached within mere meters of his body.
"[Absence]..."
He had cried out, but his voice became contorted to a convincingly calm whisper. Yasuo lifted both his hands forward in haste, as it soon came into contact with the fireball.
"What in the world...?!" Madara's eyes widen in shock seeing his Jutsu turn into nothing but air, as the only hints of its existence were the remnants of burnt wood.
Yasuo soundlessly inhaled a deep breath.
Although [Absence] usually didn't take much chakra to utilize, it was an entirely different story when trying to erase a gigantic and powerful ball of fire.
"Tch." Madara began weaving another set of hand seals. "If one doesn't handle the job, then simply up the power...!"
"[Fire Release: Great Phoenix Fire Extinction]!"
Yasuo prepared himself as he watched his uncle unleash a ball of fire equivalent in size to that of [Great Fire Annihilation].
(Ding! [Fire Release: Great Phoenix Fire Extinction] has been acquired through [Omnipotent Memory]!)
He readied his [Absence], having enough uses of the [Skill] for around ten more Jutsu cancellations the size of [Great Fire Annihilation].
However, as the boy stuck his hand out to obliterate the incoming projectile, it suddenly split into nine separate orbs. They moved in a way that surrounded him, effectively trapping him.
SLASH—!
Yasuo summoned [Seishi] into his hands, trusting in his reflexes and [Dexterity], managing to cut every bullet-speed fireball racing toward him in profound cleanness.
Seconds after, they exploded into miniature bomb-like bursts, forcing another use of [Absence].
'I have nine and a half more uses of [Absence],' Yasuo thought to himself.
It would have been initially nine-uses but with [Fable]'s [Five Times Muliplier] for leveling [Skills], [Absence of Fantasy] was already [Lvl. 39].
"I see. So you're able to use your chakra to dispel my Jutsu," Madara said with a frown as the fire was removed, his [Sharingan] triggered.
"But, that also means you'll eventually run out of chakra," Madara grinned menacingly, "Let us see who has more, shall we?"
"[Fire Release: Unending Flame Cannon]!"
(Ding! [Fire Release: Unending Flame Cannon] has been acquired through [Omnipotent Memory]!)
As the name suggested, Madara released a barrage of fireballs, each packed with a dense amount of power and chakra.
Yasuo readied his sword, prepared to use it as much as possible to conserve his chakra. But, he suddenly felt his chakra reserves surging up nearly back to full!
'[Holy Water]!' Yasuo remembered.
It had only been two days since his awakening, and the effects of [Mighty] lasted for a whole week—perhaps even more. He had after all, practically chugged an entire gallon of the liquid.
'I can use my chakra with less reservation...' the boy thought as he continued with slicing away at the continuous mass of incoming fireballs.
"[Fire Release: Unending Flame Cannon]!" Yasuo performed, using a much more chakra-exhausting version of [Absence], where it erased everything within a foot around himself.
He shot out the flames from his mouth, just as his uncle had done, immediately removing his utterly draining shield of [Absence].
Yasuo didn't need it up, especially as his Flame Cannon was surpassing in power than Madara's own. He was going unrestricted in chakra usage for the unending fireballs.
And, it was proving its worth.
For once in the fight, Madara was forced into the defensive.
"[Susanoo]!" Madara ceased his attack, summoning the [Ribcage] of his blue-colored avatar. It easily deflected the attacks, but, with his oldening body, he felt his chakra dwindling in bulks.
(Ding...! Unable to acquire [Susanoo]!)
'Crap...' Yasuo inwardly thought in a panic as he saw how effortlessly Madara had blocked his Fire Cannon, ignoring AM's notification.
'It'll be nearly impossible for me to really damage him with his [Susanoo] up, even with [Seishi]. He's so much physically stronger than me, though he doesn't seem to realize...'
The boy eventually nodded internally, coming to a decision: 'Then... a few more minutes. I'll fight with Madara for a few more minutes before escaping...'
"Come upon this land. My [Treasury]," Yasuo uttered, trying to sound grand. Bluffing was going to be one of his strategies, and he was going to utilize it.
The crimson-eyed boy waved his hand, as multiple silver portals came into reality above his head and around him. At the same time, he used [Atomic Authority] to shake the ground beneath.
From the gateways to his [Treasury], came dozens of [Seishi]. He had long [Marked] his [True Zanpakutō], but the copies weren't the same quality as [Seishi].
They were not as sharp as the original sword, and the sheath didn't have the same properties either. The copies also couldn't release into [Shikai Form], but that was a given.
But, that merely proved how greater of an object [Seishi] is to the almost cheat-like [Holy Water], which copies were virtually identical to the original.
Nonetheless, the copies of [Seishi] still made a fantastic sword capable of destroying almost everything in its way.
"Go forth," Yasuo commanded, aiming the original [Seishi] toward Madara. And thus, the abundance of swords sprung forward—all focused upon a single target.
"Mere blades? Come then!" Madara welcomed. The man stood his ground, confident that his [Ribcage] would be more than enough to block the incoming projectiles.
However, Yasuo controlled the copies to surround Madara from all sides, positive that his swords would penetrate.
The boy unconsciously grinned behind [Fable] as he watched the replicas of [Seishi] pierce through Madara's [Susanoo]. It was to the point that his uncle was somewhat bleeding through small cuts.
'[Lord of Concealment].' Yasuo cast behind himself and summoned a [Clone] while Madara was distracted.
He ran back under the shrine, dispelling his clone, blades, and all of the Boundaries of [Concealment] he had previously cast. Yasuo could see Miaoyi watching him in the corner of the room, but he ignored her.
He began pretending to read over the Stone Tablet, waiting for Madara to appear at any time now...
"Yasuo!" Madara shouted, and Yasuo could hear his footsteps as the man rushed down the stairs.
"H-huh?" Yasuo turned behind him, feigning ignorance.
His uncle instead chose to put his hands on his shoulders, beginning to pat his body before finally staring worriedly at the boy.
"Are you alright? Did anything happen? Was there anyone that came down here?" Yasuo shook his head, and Madara released a sigh of relief.
"Good," the man nodded, "now let's get you home."
"D-did anything-" Yasuo began, gazing toward his uncle's wounds. He purposely avoided Madara's eyes, not wanting to be affected by any sort of possible Genjutsu.
"Don't worry you about anything," Madara cut, shaking his head. "Give me your hand, Yasuo."
Yasuo nodded, sneaking a glance toward Miaoyi and mouthing 'Home' as he followed through with Madara's instructions.
The boy was unable to see the woman's response before he suddenly found himself back in front of his home.
Yasuo watched as Izuna quickly hurried out of the house toward the sudden pair. "Yasuo are you hurt anywhere?"
"No," the boy replied.
"Thank goodness," Izuna drew a deep breath, "Yasuo go inside, take a shower, and go to sleep. Everyone is already asleep. I won't be home until tomorrow."
Yasuo slowly nodded, running inside the house. He let out an unhumorous chuckle as he went indoors, closing the door behind him.
"I really am weak compared to the powerhouses in this world..."
The boy sighed, taking off the hair-tie for his ponytail and walking upstairs into the bathroom. He took a long bath, putting on sleepwear, and going to his room for the next day.
He wasn't quite tired, but sleeping never hurt.
'I need to increase my power, fast...' Yasuo thought to himself before sleep caught him with stride.
