Returning home, Mokutsuki went to the bathroom and stuck out his tongue in front of the mirror.
As he expected, there was a black curse mark on his tongue, the Tongue Cursing Seal, which was mandatory for all Root members.
If Mokutsuki remembered correctly, this curse mark would paralyze the entire body if he spoke about certain topics.
Danzo had set the curse mark to cover anything related to him and Root. This way, even if a member was captured or defected, they couldn’t reveal any secrets.
If that were all, it would be fine since he had no intention of leaking Root’s secrets to anyone. However, Mokutsuki was worried that Danzo could actively control the curse mark, which would be a fatal weakness.
Mokutsuki pondered, trying to recall a way to break the Tongue Cursing Seal from the original story.
“It seems like there’s no good way other than Danzo’s death.”
After much thought, Mokutsuki realized that in the original story, no one had broken the curse mark. Maybe the Third Hokage could order it to be removed for those he took from Root, but otherwise, it would only deactivate upon Danzo’s death.
But Danzo wasn’t an easy target; he wasn’t a fragile character who would die easily.
Danzo was extremely cautious, usually hiding in the Root base and possibly carrying a backup life. He was a difficult opponent.
Considering his current strength, Mokutsuki gave up on the idea of killing Danzo.
“I’ll have to either find Orochimaru or figure it out myself,” Mokutsuki concluded, realizing he had only two options.
Actually, it was more like one option since he couldn’t contact Orochimaru yet.
Checking the time, Mokutsuki sensed Shisui approaching using Sensory Ninjutsu.
Mokutsuki stepped outside, thinking that Danzo seemed to trust the original body, as he had used Sensory Ninjutsu many times without detecting any Root members spying on him.
As Shisui was about to enter the yard, Mokutsuki quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a massive eight-meter-high fireball, turning the training dummy into ash and scorching a large portion of the ground.
Shisui, who had just entered the yard, was stunned by the display and amazed at Mokutsuki’s proficiency in fire release.
Although the Great Fireball Technique was only a C-rank Fire Jutsu, the rank was based on training difficulty, and many Uchiha Jonin favored the Great Fireball Technique.
Shisui was certain that even the Jonin from his clan couldn’t produce such power, as they couldn’t convert so much chakra into fire so quickly.
“Teacher Hanyu, I’m sorry for disturbing your training,” Shisui quickly apologized, regaining his composure.
“It’s no problem. I just finished,” Mokutsuki said, exhaling deeply and inviting Shisui into the house with a smile.
“Actually, the reason the Uchiha are in their current state has a lot to do with your former clan leader, Madara Uchiha,” Mokutsuki said, pouring two glasses of water and handing one to Shisui while keeping the other.
“You know Madara Uchiha defected, right?”
Shisui nodded. “The clan history says the clan leader left Konoha.”
“If he had merely left, things wouldn’t be like this,” Mokutsuki explained, telling Shisui that if not for Hashirama’s strength, Madara would have destroyed Konoha.
Shisui fell silent.
But Mokutsuki told him that the story didn’t end there.
This incident made the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who already disliked the Uchiha, even more wary of them. As Hokage, he implemented many policies targeting the Uchiha.
These policies angered the Uchiha hawks, leading them to plan a coup, which the ANBU discovered, resulting in their imprisonment.
These events gradually tarnished the Uchiha’s reputation, overshadowing their past contributions and making them disliked by the villagers.
“So, that’s what happened…” Shisui realized he had oversimplified things.
“But there were Uchiha who tried to change this, such as Uchiha Kagami, one of the most successful,” Mokutsuki shifted the conversation to Uchiha Kagami.
“Teacher Hanyu, what do you think of Uchiha Kagami?” Shisui asked, curious about his grandfather’s image in Mokutsuki’s eyes.
He had never met his grandfather but had heard many things from his clan members about his strength and genius.
“A Uchiha with the Will of Fire, he served as a bridge, connecting the Uchiha and Konoha, easing tensions,” Mokutsuki said after thinking.
Although Mokutsuki’s words lacked flamboyant praise, Shisui thought it was the best and most fitting evaluation he had ever heard.
“I want to be a Uchiha like my grandfather!” Shisui said determinedly, not realizing he had just called him “grandfather.”
“Grandfather?” Mokutsuki looked at Shisui in confusion.
Realizing his slip, Shisui, not wanting to seem ungrateful, admitted straightforwardly.
“Teacher Hanyu, don’t worry too much about the so-called debt. Just visiting my grandfather’s grave would make him happy,” Shisui said.
“Such a debt of saving my parents’ lives cannot go unpaid. Shisui, would you like to be my disciple?” Mokutsuki asked.
Understanding Mokutsuki’s intention, Shisui felt it was a great honor but also thought it might be unfair to Mokutsuki.
However, seeing Mokutsuki’s genuine desire to teach and not just repay a debt and thinking it would be great to have such a knowledgeable and powerful teacher, Shisui nodded and called out, “Teacher Mokutsuki.”
[Would you like to establish a master-disciple relationship with Shisui Uchiha?]
The system prompt appeared immediately. Mokutsuki chose “yes” without hesitation, finally gaining a genius disciple.
[Relationship established successfully. Current trust level: 2, unlocking “Disciple Training Feedback” and “Teaching Return.”]
Reading the description, Mokutsuki was overjoyed. Disciple Training Feedback meant that as his disciple grew stronger, so would he. The higher the trust level, the more feedback. At trust level 2, the feedback was doubled. For every point of chakra Shisui gained, Mokutsuki would gain two points!
Teaching Return meant that whenever Mokutsuki gave Shisui something, the system would randomly reward Mokutsuki in return. The higher the trust level, the better the reward, with a daily limit of one.
Thinking for a moment, Mokutsuki handed Shisui a booklet.
It was a manual on Fire Nature Transformation training he had written in the afternoon, originally intended to give to Shisui at the right moment to build goodwill. Now, he wanted to test the Teaching Return function.
“This is a manual on Fire Nature Transformation that I wrote. Take it home and study it. I’ll regularly check your progress. As your teacher, I’m very strict and won’t lower my standards because of any debt,” Mokutsuki said seriously.
With Shisui getting stronger, Mokutsuki would double his strength. He decided to oversee Shisui’s training rigorously.
“Thank you, Teacher Mokutsuki. I will train diligently,” Shisui thanked him sincerely for taking the booklet.
He appreciated Mokutsuki’s strict standards, seeing them as proof that Mokutsuki truly regarded him as a disciple, not just repaying a debt.
[You have given your disciple a nature transformation training manual. Due to the disciple’s gratitude, you have received a critical reward: Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu (Proficient Level).]
Upon receiving the reward, a flood of memories of training the Dragon Flame Jutsu filled Mokutsuki’s mind as if he had practiced it countless times.
The Dragon Flame Jutsu was a B-rank Fire Jutsu, more flexible than the Great Fireball, allowing for controlled attacks with fire dragons. Once mastered, the hand signs could be simplified to one, allowing for multiple dragons to be released simultaneously.
Since the system granted him proficient level directly, Mokutsuki could now unleash three fire dragons with just one hand sign.
Seeing Shisui as more than just a person, Mokutsuki thought of him as an endless goldmine, constantly generating rewards.
Noticing it was getting dark, Mokutsuki said, “It’s getting late. Let me walk you home so your family won’t worry.”
“Thank you, teacher, but I can walk back on my own. I live alone now,” Shisui said, waving his hand.
He didn’t want to take up more of Mokutsuki’s time after already troubling him today.
Hearing this, Mokutsuki recalled that Shisui’s parents had never been mentioned, likely having died shortly after his birth.
He realized that neither of them had parents, a unique bond.
“But my uncle often comes to take care of me,” Shisui explained, not wanting Mokutsuki to worry.
Mokutsuki nodded, not insisting on walking him home. Today was just the first day of their relationship; there would be plenty of opportunities to build goodwill later.
On the way home, Shisui flipped through the training manual Mokutsuki had given him, recalling the fire jutsu he had witnessed, growing more curious about Mokutsuki.
As a famous prodigy in his clan and the grandson of Uchiha Kagami, Shisui had met many powerful Uchiha, giving him a broader perspective than his peers.
He thought Mokutsuki’s strength seemed beyond a Chunin, and it was strange for such a powerful ninja to be teaching at the academy, which usually only required basic teaching skills.
Watching Shisui walk away, Mokutsuki also looked forward to tomorrow.
He had classes in both the mornings.
In the afternoon, wondering what rewards he would earn.
Plus, the afternoon class was Might Guy and Obito’s, making him eager to see their potential levels.
(End of Chapter)
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