Chapter 33: Life is not easy, you can only pretend! 【1】

**Brilliant!**

Only a coercive king like him could come up with such a method.

With that, Uchiha Qiye made his way home in high spirits.

---

### Uchiha Kazuma's Mansion

"Grandpa, I'm home," Uchiha Qiye called out as he stepped through the entrance.

"Welcome back, Little Master. The Young Master and Madam have returned as well," one of his grandfather's subordinates greeted him calmly.

"They're back? Good. Take me to them," Qiye said coolly.

Following the subordinate, he soon found his parents, Uchiha Osora and Uchiha Akira Hina.

"Xiao Qi, you're back! Come here, let me give you a hug!" His mother, Uchiha Akira Hina, rushed over and scooped him into her arms, though this made Qiye squirm with discomfort. After all, he was already five years old—far too old for this, in his opinion.

"Xiao Qi, I heard about your graduation. Excellent work, as expected of my son!" Uchiha Osora said proudly, puffing out his chest. "That's the kind of Haki I had back in the day."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Kazuma, who stood nearby, gave Osora a look of pure disdain.

*I know what you were like back then,* Kazuma thought, *and it definitely wasn't anything worth bragging about.*

Qiye, meanwhile, saw this as another opportunity to show off.

"For me, such things are as easy as drinking tea," Qiye said, his voice dripping with arrogance. "My only frustration is that my power has grown too quickly. There isn't a single opponent worthy of me. Being invincible... it's lonely."

Once again, Qiye's ego soared as he basked in his own self-praise.

In his mind, the only thing that mattered was pretending with style—even if it meant pushing it to the extreme. As long as his system rewarded him for it, he didn't care how outrageous his words sounded.

After all, sustaining so many skills wasn't easy. Life was hard. If pretending was his way to cope, so be it.

But just as Qiye was reveling in his self-proclaimed greatness, his mother interrupted his moment of glory.

"Aww, look at my little man acting so grown-up! Come on, have some snacks! Open wide—ahh!" Uchiha Akira Hina cooed as she hugged him again, offering him a treat.

Qiye was mortified.

*What is this?* he thought in frustration. *A forced interruption? I was right in the middle of pretending!*

Thankfully, the system still registered his earlier display.

---

*Ding! The Host has successfully shown off. Style points +666!*

*Ding! Style points automatically allocated: Mangekyō Sharingan +333, Great Fire Annihilation +333.*

*Ding! Mangekyō Sharingan (1115/10,000): Experience not yet full. Keep showing off to level up!*

*Ding! B-rank Great Fire Annihilation (7333/10,000): Experience not yet full. Keep pretending to level up!*

---

Another 666 style points! This brought a wave of relief to Qiye. Even though his moment had been cut short, the system had still rewarded him.

---

"You went to the Hatake household?" Uchiha Kazuma asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes," Qiye replied with a nod. "I was interested in Sakumo-sensei's swordsmanship, so I asked to learn from him, and he agreed."

"That's good," Kazuma said, nodding approvingly. "But when you go tomorrow, remember to bring some gifts as a token of respect."

"The Hatake family may be small," Kazuma continued, "but with a Kage-level shinobi like Hatake Sakumo, they are not to be underestimated."

"Why would I go again tomorrow?" Qiye asked, genuinely puzzled.

"You haven't fully learned their swordsmanship, have you? Don't you want to master it?"

"I've already learned it," Qiye replied nonchalantly, scratching his head. "Sakumo-sensei said I just need to practice diligently from now on. There's no need for further lessons."

*Pffffttt!*

Kazuma nearly spat out his tea in shock. Coughing, he quickly gathered himself and asked, "You mean to tell me you've already learned the Hatake clan's Thunder Sword Technique?"

Kazuma couldn't believe his ears. The Hatake family's swordsmanship was renowned throughout Konoha, and Sakumo's mastery of the Thunder Sword Technique was legendary.

Initially, Kazuma had been surprised that Hatake Sakumo even agreed to teach Qiye in the first place. He figured it was because his grandson was an undeniable genius. After all, who wouldn't want to foster a good relationship with such talent?

Clearly, Hatake Sakumo had made a wise choice. By teaching Qiye, he had earned a favor from a future powerhouse. If the Hatake clan ever faced any difficulties, Qiye would likely come to their aid out of respect for his former teacher.

But to hear that Qiye had mastered their swordsmanship in a single afternoon?

That was beyond extraordinary.

Kazuma hadn't received any reports indicating such an achievement. Of course, the Jonin he had stationed to keep an eye on Qiye couldn't exactly enter the Hatake household themselves. They had merely waited outside until Qiye had finished.

None of their information hinted that Qiye had learned the entire Thunder Sword Technique in one afternoon.

*Could my grandson's talent really be this outrageous?* Kazuma thought, regaining his composure. *To learn A-rank swordsmanship in a single afternoon... This child is definitely like me—a true genius.*

His narcissistic thoughts mirrored those of Uchiha Osora and Uchiha Qiye, confirming that the trait was indeed inherited.

SUNDAY OFFER 💰

Today free trial available in PATREON

🎖️🥈JOIN FREE MEMBER IN PATREON

EVERY 10 MEMBERS I UPLOAD 2 EXTRA CHAPTER $

VISIT OUR PATREON FOR MORE:

https://www.patreon.com/reacher001.