Chapter 18: After All, He is an Uchiha

"Uchiha Shisui!"

"Uchiha Shisui!"

After a brief shock, the crowd erupted in cheers, resonating with his name throughout the military camp.

There is no ninja who does not admire the strong, especially those from the same faction; they are their reliance for survival!

After a long while, the cheers subsided.

Uchiha Kai had quietly stepped back at some point.

The firelight illuminated Shisui's face as the expression of him raising his cup gradually softened.

"It is forbidden to drink alcohol in the army; today we can only toast with water, so everyone, please don't drink too much~"

Everyone understood without needing to say it out loud and echoed, "Cheers!"

The banquet continued in an orderly fashion, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

"Sensei, really! Sneaking up there, look at him, so smug that his mouth is practically reaching his ears!"

Sima Yi quietly sipped his tea, listening to the nearby children discussing loudly.

"It's so nice; I envy him! I want to go to Shisui-sama's side too; Shisui-sama is really so handsome!"

"Cheh~ I'm also very handsome, okay? Although I'm still a bit lacking compared to Shisui-sama."

"Shisui-sama is already so amazing with just Fire Release; he's from the Uchiha clan, so if he uses Sharingan, wouldn't he be even stronger?"

"Of course!"

"Then who is stronger, the Hokage or Shisui-sama?"

"Of course, it's the Hokage! Lord Third is the strongest Hokage!"

"I think Shisui-sama is still a bit stronger!"

The youthful energy of the young people also pleased Sima Yi, but he focused more on the silent Uchiha clansman in the crowd, Uchiha Kinha.

He was also a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, sitting with an upright posture and a serious expression, looking quite solemn and somewhat out of place among those around him.

As he heard the discussions about Shisui, his gaze changed several times as if he wanted to speak, but he remained silent.

There really are a lot of issues with this clan! Sima Yi thought to himself, realizing that this person was one of the more talkative individuals he had specifically chosen.

"This young man is also from the Uchiha clan, right? Are all of you Uchiha this powerful?"

Sima Yi usually kept a low profile and did not wear the clan emblem clothing provided by Shisui, so only now did the crowd notice him speaking.

They then turned their gaze to the nearby Uchiha Kinha.

Upon seeing everyone's attention focused on him, Kinha's expression became even more serious, and he sat up even straighter.

He gently nodded and replied in a calm tone, "Yes, after all, he is one of us Uchiha."

Surrounded by young people, everyone froze upon hearing this, then exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

"Uh, hehe, that's true; after all, he is an Uchiha," someone awkwardly chuckled and replied softly.

Sima Yi paused, his hand holding the cup trembling slightly, his eye twitching. He clearly remembered Kai telling him that this person was usually quite talkative.

Is this what he calls talkative?

Fortunately, he had prepared in advance!

Seeing the awkward silence, he spoke up again, "It's great! If I could have an Uchiha on my team, it might be a lot easier."

With that, Sima Yi adopted a light tone and jokingly asked, "If I teamed up with you, you wouldn't mind having a Genin like me, would you?"

Kinha's serious expression paused as his mind raced; this familiar question seemed to remind him of something. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes as he turned to Sima Yi.

"Of course not! Whether in a team or not, we are all part of Konoha. You are all my comrades, and I, Uchiha Kinha, will definitely protect you!"

He said loudly, and his serious expression quickly resonated with everyone.

"What's this? Unexpectedly super reliable!"

"Just as expected from someone of the Uchiha!"

"Then, Kinha-san, can I spar with you? I've always wanted to fight someone from the Uchiha! Please!"

"Hey! No way! We can't trouble Kinha-san."

However, surprisingly, Kinha readily accepted the challenge.

"It's okay; as long as you're willing, you can do it anytime!"

"Really? That's awesome!"

Seeing that the Uchiha boy before them didn't seem as unapproachable as they had imagined, everyone's curiosity about the Uchiha gradually became hard to suppress, and they began throwing out various questions.

"How old is Kinha-san this year?"

"Me? I just turned fourteen last month."

"Wow, you're already a Chunin at fourteen? That's amazing!"

Faced with the praise directed at Uchiha, Kinha seemed a bit unaccustomed. "W-well, it's not that impressive."

In fact, he had already become a Chunin at twelve, but there was a Jonin who was also twelve; in front of that person, his achievement didn't stand out.

"Kinha-san, do you have a girlfriend yet?"

"Ah? N-no, not yet."

Kinha's face flushed; this question hadn't been mentioned in the plan!

"Darn it, don't ask such boring questions! Can Kinha-san tell us about the Uchiha's battles?"

It's here!

Finally here!

Kinha's eyes lit up as he blurted out, "No problem! Let's start with the time Shisui-sama led the team to rescue the Rear Camp."

As he began telling the story, Kinha's enthusiasm shone through; he casually mentioned various Ninjutsu names and their power, leaving everyone gasping in amazement.

Afterward, he also shared a story about how Shisui had eliminated a Mist Ninja and how he had to save the Squad Captain when they were ambushed while using the restroom.

Listening to everyone, their emotions fluctuated from indignation to excitement, and then to laughter.

"That little brat!"

Meanwhile, a figure on the stage was glaring fiercely at Kinha's back, with eyes ablaze and Tomoe spinning wildly, wishing he could jump down and cover his mouth.

Sima Yi silently retracted his earlier doubts; this person was indeed talkative.

After an unknown amount of time, amidst the laughter, the stage suddenly fell silent, and inexplicably, the crowd below quieted down as well, all looking up at the stage.

"It's starting! It's starting!"

Someone stepped onto the ring to announce something, and then four Uchiha clan ninjas appeared at the corners, one of whom was Kai, who looked disillusioned as he stared down at the audience.

Noticing this, someone asked, "Kinha-san, are you participating in the Chunin tournament?"

"N-no, I just became a Chunin not long ago; I still need to keep training."

Kinha awkwardly made up an excuse; in fact, he really wanted to participate but had been strictly forbidden from doing so.

"They're up! It's the Genin group; it's about to start!"

Fortunately, everyone's attention was on the arena, so no one noticed Kinha's odd behavior.

Two Genin walked to the center and performed the Seal of Confrontation, and with a command, the battle began.

There were no flashy Ninjutsu; the two simply fought with Kunai, exchanging blows until one side showed a weakness.

The other side seized the opportunity to strike, but they didn't control their strength well and nearly caused a serious injury. Fortunately, Kai reacted swiftly and quickly subdued them.

To Kai, such matches were quite boring, yet even so, the crowd below erupted with incredible cheers.

Amidst the cheers, the two performed the Seal of Reconciliation, and the victor excitedly raised their hands, looking at the familiar faces in the crowd.

They were all cheering.

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