Chapter 173: A Joke—Indra’s Reincarnation Thinks He Lacks Talent

After delivering the crucial warning, Itachi Uchiha didn't linger in Konoha any longer.

After all, staying even a minute longer in the village increased the risk of exposure. And if anyone caught him sitting and chatting with Akira Uchiha, the consequences would be disastrous.

So, after passing on the message that Akatsuki was planning an attack, Itachi swiftly left. He didn't even take a moment to see Sasuke.

"Akatsuki is sending nearly half of its top members?" Akira mused. "And that old fox, the Third Tsuchikage, is using this opportunity to stir up trouble?"

"Well then," Akira thought to himself, "if that's how they want to play it, I won't hold back."

Watching Itachi's retreating figure disappear into the night, Akira's mind raced with thoughts.

This Jonin Exam that Konoha had invited the other ninja villages to join—Akira knew why they had all agreed so readily. They wanted to get a clear sense of Konoha's current strength.

But it seemed only Onoki, the Tsuchikage, was intent on causing trouble.

The old man was still hell-bent on eliminating Akira.

Moreover, because of the situation with Orochimaru, the Akatsuki had somehow come to believe that Akira had used Kotoamatsukami on Orochimaru!

In one sense, that was good news—Kakuzu, who had actually been subjected to the powerful genjutsu, wouldn't be as easily exposed. But on the downside, Akatsuki had once been very wary of Akira's ability with Kotoamatsukami.

Now that they thought he had already used it, they likely wouldn't be as cautious around him anymore.

That might explain why half of Akatsuki's core members were daring enough to come after him.

After thinking it through and gaining a clearer picture of the situation, Akira made his way back to the Uchiha compound.

Instead of going home, though, he headed straight for the Hokage's residence.

It was already late, well past eight o'clock, so Fugaku should be finishing up for the day, right?

"Akira, you're here to see Fugaku?" Uchiha Mikoto greeted him warmly as she opened the door. "He should be home in about half an hour."

"Does he always stay this late at work these days?" Akira asked, glancing at the time.

"Yes, he usually doesn't get home until around nine," Mikoto replied, inviting Akira inside and pouring him a cup of tea.

"Being Hokage is really a tough job, huh?" Akira thought to himself, taking a sip. His respect for the position grew slightly, but so did his desire to stay as far from it as possible.

"I'm home," a familiar voice called out a few minutes later.

The door opened to reveal Sasuke, looking exhausted as he stepped inside.

"Akira?" Sasuke blinked in surprise at seeing him. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here to see the Hokage. You look tired—have you been training for the Jonin Exam?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, the exam's coming up soon. As the Hokage's son, it would be disgraceful for me to lose," Sasuke sighed. "I need to make sure I'm ready. As they say, a clumsy bird must start flying early. If you lack talent, hard work is your only option."

He spoke with a bit of self-deprecation.

But hearing this, Akira's expression grew... strange.

Was this a joke? Sasuke, the reincarnation of Indra, claiming he lacked talent and had to rely on sheer effort?

No Indra reincarnation in history had ever needed to work that hard.

However, considering Sasuke's situation...

His older brother, Itachi Uchiha, had been one of Konoha's brightest prodigies and had already unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan at Sasuke's age.

Meanwhile, Akira, who was the same age as Sasuke, was already a famous figure across the ninja world.

And then there was Naruto Uzumaki—once considered the worst student in their class. After a brief trip with Akira to the border, he had trained with Jiraiya and could now summon the Nine-Tails' chakra, manifesting four tails. He was already a powerhouse on the level of a Kage.

In Sasuke's eyes, surrounded by such incredible individuals, it probably made sense that he felt inadequate.

"By the way, Sasuke," Akira said after a brief pause, "your sensei is Kakashi, right? You've learned Chidori, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I've mastered it," Sasuke nodded.

"Have you ever thought about further developing Chidori?" Akira asked.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked curiously, sensing that Akira was about to share some valuable insight.

"Well, for example, what if you incorporated shape transformation into Chidori? You could extend the range of the Lightning Release, creating something like Chidori Sharp Spear. Chidori is known for its piercing power, after all."

"Or, if you release Chidori from your entire body, it becomes an all-encompassing offense and defense technique. You could call that Chidori Current."

"And there's even Chidori Senbon—scattering the technique into countless projectiles."

"And don't forget, nature's own lightning is incredibly powerful. I have a concept for a jutsu called Lightning Release: Kirin. Let me explain it to you."

While it seemed like Akira was teaching Sasuke something new, in reality, these were techniques that Sasuke himself would eventually develop in the original timeline.

Since Sasuke would naturally be inclined to create these jutsu, they were perfect for him to focus on now.

Chidori Sharp Spear, Chidori Current, Chidori Senbon, and Lightning Release: Kirin—Akira went on to describe each of these techniques in detail.

As Sasuke listened, his eyes sparkled with excitement.

These advanced applications of Chidori were incredibly practical.

And more importantly, they seemed perfectly suited to his abilities.

By the time Akira had finished explaining his ideas, Sasuke was looking at him with newfound admiration.

"Akira, you really are a genius. Just a few pointers from you, and I've already learned so much!" Sasuke said, full of respect.

"It's nothing, just some basic ideas," Akira replied with a casual wave, smiling at Sasuke's awestruck expression.

In truth, Akira thought these developments for Chidori were incredibly useful.

But he knew his own talent wasn't enough to come up with techniques like Chidori Sharp Spear or Lightning Release: Kirin on his own. He couldn't even begin to imagine how long it would take him to figure them out.

So why not let Sasuke handle the research?

Once Sasuke perfected the techniques, Akira could simply copy them using his Sharingan. Wasn't that the smart play?

With the Sharingan's ability to copy jutsu, Akira figured it was always good to have more techniques in his arsenal.

Kakashi was known for having copied over a thousand jutsu—now that was someone who truly made the most of the Sharingan's potential.

"Akira, you're here? Is there something you wanted to discuss?" Fugaku Uchiha finally arrived, noticing Akira with mild surprise.

Akira was known for being laid-back and avoiding work when he could, so it was rare for him to show up like this.

It must have been something important for Akira to break his usual pattern and come over.

"I have some information I wanted to discuss with you," Akira said, getting straight to the point.

"What's the news?" Fugaku asked, instantly serious. He knew Akira wouldn't be here unless it was urgent.

"It's about Akatsuki. Pain is planning to lead a group of their core members to attack during the Jonin Exam," Akira said, relaying the information Itachi had shared.

"This information came from Itachi, didn't it?" Fugaku asked after a moment, his expression growing more grave.

"Itachi?" Sasuke, who had been deep in thought about refining his Chidori, suddenly snapped to attention. He stared intently at Akira.

"Yes," Akira confirmed with a nod.

"Itachi? You saw him? He came back to Konoha?" Sasuke asked urgently.

"He did, briefly, to warn me. But I'm sure he's already left," Akira said.

But Sasuke wasn't about to sit still.

Ever since Itachi had been forced to leave the village after the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke hadn't seen his brother.

Now that Itachi had returned, Sasuke wasn't going to miss the chance to find him. He turned and ran out of the house.

Mikoto opened her mouth, as if to call Sasuke back, but a glance from her husband made her stop. She sighed softly and let it go.

She knew that if Sasuke wasn't allowed to go out and search, he wouldn't rest until he had.

"Akira, what do you think? How should we handle this situation?" Fugaku asked, turning his attention back to Akira.

Sasuke's departure was a minor concern for the moment. The real issue was how to deal with Akatsuki's impending attack.

"Simple," Akira replied with a confident smile. "High risk means high reward. This may be a dangerous situation, but if we play it right, the rewards could be even greater."

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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 218 at patreon.com/Emik01.