Chapter 11: The Soaring Flame's Resolution (3200 + words)

Thank you to every awesome reader who has given this fic 155 power stones, even though the update schedule is not that great.

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Chapter 11: The Soaring Flame's Resolution

Early the next morning, Sasuke woke up groggily and rubbed his eyes, only to be surprised when he noticed...

"This isn't mine and Giyu's room."

He looked to both sides and found his older brother sleeping on his right, while his twin younger brother was on his left. He couldn't believe how fortunate he was.

And all three of them were in Itachi's room.

"By the way..."

Sasuke's memories were a bit hazy.

It seemed that last night he had been carried here by someone. But because he was so sleepy, he thought it was just a dream and didn't pay much attention.

"Did big brother bring me over?"

A blush appeared on Sasuke's face, after all, he was the one in the middle, which meant that compared to Giyu, his big brother really did like him more!

Yay!

"If we could continue like this, it would be even better."

Sasuke's mind wandered.

On the side, Giyu opened his eyes as he felt Sasuke rolling around and covering his face. The mysterious voice resounded in his mind as expected.

"Spent 8 hours in close proximity to Uchiha Itachi. Flame Breathing Resolution +0.06%; Wind Breathing Resolution +0.02%; Moon Breathing Resolution +0.004%."

"Spent 10 hours in close proximity to Uchiha Sasuke. Flame Breathing Resolution +0.07%; Lightning Breathing Resolution +0.03%."

Though not apparent to others, a rare joy seemed to emanate from Giyu's face.

"Indeed, sleeping next to Sasuke beside Itachi should accelerate the progress."

Overnight, the resolution of Flame Breathing increased by 1.3%. At this rate, even if Giyu only relied on sharing a room with them, he could resurrect the Purgatory: Kyojuro Rengoku within two years.

Not to mention they still had to train together during the day...

If Itachi's Fire Release Chakra Nature transformation could progress further, by increasing the resolution provided per hour by 0.01%, the revival progress would be even faster.

However, silently taking advantage of his two older brothers still left Giyu feeling a bit guilty deep down.

"After all, Sasuke has grown up, maybe he doesn't want to sleep with Itachi anymore."

(Sasuke: I advise you not to meddle in my affairs!)

He planned to compensate them with more delicate cooking in the future, or perhaps offer guidance using the Transparent World when they trained, helping them avoid some unnecessary detours.

Giyu carefully examined his right hand and noticed the swelling caused by excessive Chakra usage had completely subsided.

He recollected yesterday's events and gained a better understanding of his own strength.

During the conflict with the three lower-ranked shinobi, he had merely used his physical strength for counterattacks, performing remarkably well and exhibiting the destructive power of a Chunin.

When employing Chakra while using the Breathing Technique, the sword shape was released in a Ninjutsu form! Its power likely depended on the amount of Chakra consumed.

In the latter state, the sword's power was immense, so Giyu decided it was better to use it sparingly in normal circumstances. After all, if it weren't for Shisui, yesterday's young man named Uchiha Enka would likely have been instantly struck down by his Tenth Form.

"Oh, and I need to learn how to dispel Genjutsu as soon as possible."

Giyu's gaze hardened as he clenched his fist.

Such an incident must not occur again.

"Are you all awake?"

Itachi also sat up and his gaze lingered on Giyu for a moment before he playfully ruffled Sasuke's hair. The latter nestled into his brother's embrace, resembling a pampered cat.

Last night, Itachi had been considering matters related to the Anbu after his father sent him there, and he hadn't fallen asleep.

He assumed Giyu wanted to talk to him about what happened yesterday, but after he came in and laid Sasuke down, Giyu immediately fell asleep.

Itachi couldn't quite fathom Giyu's intentions, attributing it to his unique way of expressing fondness.

After all, most of Giyu's behaviors at home were inexplicable, and Itachi had grown accustomed to it.

"Brother, are we going to the Training ground no. 4 today?"

Sasuke was still upset about not having learned the Great Fireball Technique yesterday.

"No, starting today, we'll be training at the Uchiha grounds."

Itachi smiled faintly, "Uchiha Enka has been punished by father and will be stationed with the guard unit for a month."

But what Itachi didn't mention was that after the medical ninja who treated Giyu had left last night, he intercepted Uchiha Enka, who also had little Chakra left. With skillful shuriken &  jutsu, Itachi gave that guy a good lesson.

Uchiha Enka probably needed three days of rest before returning to guard duty.

Hearing that he wouldn't have to run so far, Sasuke exclaimed in delight, "Great! Then it's okay if we come home late."

"Training requires a balance of work and rest, Sasuke."

Itachi gently tapped Sasuke's forehead and then changed the topic, "However, I'll only have about a month to train with you every day. Spending more time together might be nice."

"Huh?"

Not only Sasuke but also Giyu looked at Itachi inquisitively, their eyes asking, "Why?"

"I've already promised father to participate in the Chunin Exams in August."

Itachi explained, "Once I become a Chunin, I might be assigned missions outside of the Land of Fire."

"Does that mean you won't be back for a long time?"

Sasuke gave him a pitiful, pleading look.

Life wouldn't be enjoyable without his big brother.

"I'll try to complete missions as quickly as possible."

Itachi responded with a smile, "But I won't be able to be with you and Giyu every day."

"If you go outside the village, won't it be dangerous?"

This concern came from Giyu, of course.

Just from this question, Itachi could sense the differences between his two younger brothers.

Compared to Sasuke, who simply wanted to stick to him, Giyu was more mature, showing genuine concern for his well-being.

Yesterday, while surveilling their father in the woods, he had naturally overheard Giyu's lengthy explanation of why he didn't want to become a ninja.

Regardless of how it was put, the future of a ninja that he described seemed too realistic and despairing for a child.

It was hard to imagine that such words could come from someone who had never been on a battlefield.

"Don't worry about my safety. Father will screen all missions I receive before I undertake them."

Itachi knew that most of the missions he would undertake in the future would be related to the qualities required by Anbu, such as surveillance and assassination.

However, any mission that allowed for advanced planning and strategy, he was confident in completing.

On the other hand, border patrol missions might involve encounters, and for his current underdeveloped physique, they could pose some danger.

"That's good."

Giyu only half-believed Itachi's words.

He still couldn't forget the time when Itachi returned home covered in blood after losing a teammate when he was eight years old.

The dangers he might face once he left the village would multiply.

Out of concern, he almost blurted out, "Can I come with you?"

Even with his limited knowledge of the ninja world, he understood that neither ninja rules nor their parents would allow such a thing.

But he had to do something for Itachi, or he wouldn't be able to rest easy at home.

After pondering for a while, he lowered his head and said, "Since you're going to participate in the Chunin Exams, do you want me to help you train?"

"Hmm?"

Sasuke and Itachi looked at him sharply.

Both of them, one having witnessed it firsthand and the other having heard it from Shisui's description, knew that this younger brother possessed the physical qualities to easily defeat lower-level ninja.

[He doesn't even need the Sharingan to react to the attacks of those two juniors in a timely manner.]

[Moreover, his skilled and direct attacks are impossible unless someone intimately understands the human body's weaknesses.]

Shisui's evaluation lingered in Itachi's mind.

[Judging from his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, calling Giyu a genius is not an exaggeration.]

[But his heart is a bit too soft. Even though he defeated an opponent seven years older than himself, he showed no joy; instead, he seemed guilty.]

"Are you really willing?"

Itachi gazed into Giyu's eyes, "I thought you didn't like anything related to being a ninja."

"I don't like it, but I don't want anything to happen to you."

Giyu responded directly, without any disguise.

The gradually freezing and firm heart of Uchiha Itachi seemed to be touched by warm sunlight.

"Then I'll rely on you, Giyu."

"Yeah."

"You two, don't leave me out either. I want to help train big brother."

Sasuke interjected with a puffed-up air of displeasure, interrupting their exchange.

In this way, for the next twenty days or so, the innermost area of the Uchiha training grounds became the exclusive training zone for the three brothers.

In the mornings, Itachi would teach Sasuke techniques like the Three-Body Technique, Great Fireball Jutsu, and Phoenix Sage Jutsu, while Giyu would sit within two meters of them, extracting chakra.

Because they were close to home, they would return for lunch.

To speed up cooking, Giyu learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu from Itachi using the Transparent World. However, due to his chakra reserves, he could only create up to four clones at a time. Itachi deduced from this that Giyu's chakra amount was slightly less than his.

However, Itachi believed that if Giyu learned the Shadow Clone technique and his father found out, it might draw his attention again. So, he also taught Giyu the Water Clone Jutsu.

Although the Water Clone couldn't synchronize memories, had insufficient attack power, and couldn't stray too far from the original, it was more than capable of handling cooking.

Most importantly, the Water Clone was incredibly chakra-efficient.

In the afternoon, Itachi would create shadow clones to teach Sasuke shurikenjutsu, while the original Itachi would engage in close combat with wooden swords and Giyu.

His swordsmanship was learned from Shisui. To be honest, apart from being incredibly fast, the differences between various ninjutsu styles of swordsmanship weren't significant.

But as he fought Giyu, Itachi gradually realized that Giyu's style of attack wasn't a conventional ninjutsu or the swordsmanship of a Samurai from the land of iron.

On the contrary, it was a combat style used to battle formidable opponents or monster-like entities, characterized by highly exaggerated movements. Every strike from Giyu mobilized his entire body's strength without leaving any room for error.

For instance, moves like "Water Surface Slash," "Water Wheel," and "Whirlpool" were accompanied by acrobatic and highly challenging bodily motions.

Honestly, there was a hint of childlike fantasy in this swordsmanship. That's how Itachi characterized Giyu's Water Breathing forms.

Without using chakra, Itachi, as an Uchiha, believed it would be nearly impossible to replicate those complex moves in such a short time. However, Giyu was able to.

This swordsmanship, full of vulnerabilities for a ninja, seemed innate in Giyu's hands, with almost no discernible weaknesses.

Moreover, after completing a whole set, Giyu's breathing wouldn't be disrupted. In other words, Giyu's swordsmanship was nearly impossible to replicate without his unique breathing technique.

Yet, when Uchiha Itachi attempted to utilize the Sharingan to mimic Giyu's breathing, he felt an odd force eroding his chakra. He immediately stopped.

"Either don't use chakra when you're using Water Breathing, or ensure that the externally drawn breath is mixed in balance with your body and mental energy. But that would require constant training."

That what Giyu said to him

So, every evening after dinner, Itachi had an additional task—to learn Water Breathing from Giyu, the type that doesn't involve chakra.

When he discovered how it could instantaneously enhance physical qualities and control, Itachi understood the value of the breathing technique in critical moments. Thus, he practiced it with utmost seriousness.

In situations where chakra was insufficient, he could fully rely on the breathing technique to engage enemies. As the Total Concentration Breathing enhanced the entire body temporarily, it was faster and more convenient than using chakra to vitalize the body, saving many unnecessary steps and energy conversion losses.

After about a week, he finally mastered the first nine forms of the Water Breathing—much faster than the Giyu of the previous world.

As for the Tenth Form—he temporarily couldn't execute it due to requiring exceptionally high physical abilities.

And the Eleventh Form—could only be performed once he mastered everything perfectly.

On the day before Itachi's Chunin Exams, Giyu said to him, "Water Breathing is a guardian's swordsmanship. I hope you can rely on it to protect yourself, but try not to harm innocent people. Can you promise me that?"

In a world without the demon, combined with the fact that Itachi was family, he felt at ease passing on the breathing technique to him.

But ultimately, this swordsmanship was created to guard against being harmed by demons, and Giyu hoped it would be used with as little bloodshed as possible.

"I will remember."

Itachi lowered his head and touched foreheads with Giyu, saying, "Thank you, Giyu."

Though it felt a bit awkward to say so.

However, during these over twenty days of training with Giyu, Itachi's progress in Taijutsu was much greater than when he practiced with Shisui.

Many times, he even suspected that Giyu possessed something similar to the Byakugan, allowing him to easily discern the flow of his internal chakra and making his training twice as effective.

After learning the breathing technique, Itachi also successfully compensated for his lack of strength.

At this point, he finally felt that he had touched the threshold of becoming an "all-around ninja." The Chunin Exams, which were already quite within his grasp, held no suspense.

The next day.

Itachi's Chunin Exams were held in the Hidden Sand Village, and all three rounds would take about a month to complete.

Without his older brother's company, Sasuke seemed somewhat gloomy. Even when training with Giyu, his spirit was lacking.

Considering that his mother and her team were also participating in the exams, Giyu wasn't worried about Itachi's safety. The only regret was that the rapid growth of his Flame Breathing analysis rate might slow down.

For these over twenty days, the three brothers spent about twenty-two hours together each day. Additionally, Itachi and Sasuke trained in Fire Style Jutsu, which accelerated the Flame Breathing analysis rate by at least 0.8% per day. The progress had now reached a terrifying 36%.

However, without Itachi for the next month, maintaining the same growth rate in analysis became exceptionally difficult.

[Does that mean I'll have to go to work with father?]

As this absurd thought flashed in Giyu's mind, he heard a clear ringing sound.

Following the sound, he saw three individuals awkwardly staring at the transparent threads beneath their feet. They were the three lower-level ninja who had caused trouble with Uchiha Enka the other day.

"It's you again?!"

Sasuke was initially flustered, but upon seeing Giyu standing expressionless at the side, his complexion immediately returned to normal.

"Are you here to claim this spot? Haven't you forgotten the outcome of disturbing us last time?"

"Please don't misunderstand."

These three lower-level ninja had handsome features, thin lips, and sharp eyes typical of the Uchiha clan, but this time they seemed quite gentle.

The leader took a step over the warning bell set by Itachi, touched his nose, and said, "Actually, we've come to thank you."

"Thank?!"

Sasuke asked with confusion, "Thank who? And why?"

"Of course, we're thanking you for not revealing what happened that day all this time. You've saved our face."

Another person spoke up, looking somewhat ashamed.

Facing Giyu, he said, "When we were treated at the hospital, the doctor also said that it was probably your merciful control of strength that prevented us from being seriously injured. That's another thing we're grateful for."

Giyu remembered him. He was the lower-level ninja who had tried to bind him with a rope.

He solemnly bowed to Giyu and said, "And, you're truly formidable."

The other two nodded in agreement.

After that day, Uchiha Enka was severely beaten and then sent to the guard station. Meanwhile, these three individuals continued living in fear of the disgraceful incident of being defeated three-against-two by a five-year-old.

The Uchiha clan was united. Once a clan member faced hostility from outsiders, they would stand united against them, regardless of whether they were right or wrong.

However, they were equally unforgiving toward their own failures and weaknesses, never missing an opportunity to ridicule them and claiming it was for their benefit.

These three lower-level ninja had been in hiding at home for a whole week until they were certain that no detrimental rumors were circulating about them. Only then did they regain their courage.

At this point, they remembered the clan head's son who had beaten them so ruthlessly, and that he had promised to keep their secret.

Therefore, out of gratitude for Giyu's magnanimity and acknowledgment of his strength, they had been wanting to find a chance to thank him in person.

But during this time, the three brothers were inseparable on the training grounds.

While Uchiha Enka never mentioned who had beaten him like that, the three lower-level ninja could probably guess that it was none other than Uchiha Itachi.

It was only today, with Uchiha Itachi away for the Chunin Exams, that they found the courage to express their gratitude.

"This is a small gift."

The leader of the group waved his hand, and the person at the end immediately produced an exquisite snack box .

"For you and your little brother..."

"I'm the older brother!"

Sasuke exclaimed loudly, seeming a bit resentful, but his eyes were fixed on the pattern on the snack box.

Seeing that it contained his favorite sweets, Sasuke asked Giyu, "Giyu, should we accept this gift?"

"This probably costs over a few thousand."

Giyu, responsible for cooking, was the wealthiest among them. He could clearly gauge the value of the snacks. "It's quite expensive."

"This is money we earned during missions."

The leader of the lower-level ninja said, "If you don't mind, please accept this token of our appreciation."

Seeing all three of them and Sasuke looking at him earnestly, Giyu accepted the gift box.

The notification sound rang again.

[You have become friends with Uchiha Torai, Uchiha Fumi, and Uchiha Gan, granting you access to their analysis data.]

Giyu was momentarily stunned. He hastily stuffed the snack box into Sasuke's hand and suddenly, out of nowhere, asked the three of them, "Would you like to train with me and Sasuke?"

And so, even though Uchiha Itachi wasn't present, the Flame Breathing analysis rate continued to grow at a high pace. When Itachi returned, the speed increased further.

Finally, four months later, on New Year's Eve, Uchiha Giyu fully analyzed the Flame Breathing technique.

The only thing left to achieve was mastering the Flame Breathing technique to the Intermediate level before resurrecting Flame Pillar, Rengoku Kyōjurō.

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