Chapter 19: Rising Fame
Thanks to an outstanding counteroffensive, Uchiha Dali gradually established a solid reputation among most of the Uchiha clan.
Labels such as "genius," "incredibly powerful," and "calm and decisive" naturally became associated with him.
No one referred to him as "the descendant of the 'strongest Three Tomoe Sharingan'" anymore.
Instead, when his name was mentioned, the clan members would say, "A man who can rival Shisui of the Body Flicker."
Uchiha Dali did not interfere with this subtle shift in perception among his clan members. He simply let it happen naturally.
He understood the importance of stepping up when duty called.
Moreover, earning the respect of his fellow Uchiha was a crucial step in his plan to change the clan's fate.
After that, Uchiha Dali led these clan members—who were originally destined to become cannon fodder in the Third Great Ninja War—to successfully ambush and annihilate multiple Kirigakure forces active on the battlefield.
From the fact that during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the entire Allied Shinobi Forces, including the samurai of the Land of Iron, totaled merely eighty thousand, one could see the reality.
Even the so-called "great nations" like the Five Great Ninja Villages—whether it be Konoha, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, or Iwagakure—had very limited numbers of troops they could deploy directly to the battlefield.
For any single ninja village, having more than ten thousand combatants in a war was already an incredible feat.
Under these circumstances, Kirigakure had lost several elite raiding units in succession, amounting to several hundred shinobi.
This was enough to cause them considerable distress.
Naturally, news from the battlefield soon reached the ears of Kirigakure's high command.
And the name of the man who had instilled fear in countless Kirigakure ninjas—the one they called "The Man Who Surpassed Shisui of the Body Flicker"—began spreading across the battlefield.
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At this moment, on the outskirts of the battlefield near the eastern border of the Land of Fire, in a concealed spot—
Uchiha Shisui was observing the outside world from his hiding place.
His mission today was to ambush an elite unit from Kirigakure.
According to intelligence, the enemy was formidable.
Several Konoha strike teams had already fallen victim to them.
Moreover, the enemy had sabotaged Konoha's supply lines.
That was why the higher-ups had deployed this Uchiha prodigy, hoping to turn the tide.
Before long, Uchiha Shisui detected movement in the forest.
He remained motionless, continuing his silent observation.
Soon, he saw eight shinobi rapidly approaching from the front.
Although they were still more than two hundred meters away, this distance posed no difficulty for Shisui's Sharingan.
With his exceptional perception, he easily identified their numbers and faces.
He noticed that the man leading them, despite looking only in his twenties, carried an imposing air—clearly not an ordinary individual.
And the Kirigakure shinobi following him were all at least of jōnin level.
But that wasn't all Shisui noticed.
He also observed that the leader wore a black eye patch over his right eye.
At first glance, it seemed like he had lost his left eye.
Yet, Shisui's gaze sharpened slightly.
His Sharingan had detected something unusual in the enemy's chakra flow.
"What's with that eye?"
Just as Shisui was feeling surprised, the enemy suddenly halted about fifty to sixty meters away.
The leading Kirigakure jōnin raised his hand, signaling the others to stop. His sharp gaze locked onto Shisui's hiding spot.
It was clear he had already discovered Shisui's ambush.
"What is it, Captain Ao?"
One of the team members asked in confusion.
"The right eye I lost on the battlefield... by chance, I acquired a replacement. And this new eye is far from ordinary."
The man called Ao, as if answering his subordinate's question, pulled out a kunai and hurled it toward Shisui's position.
The kunai sliced through the air, striking its target with lightning speed.
However, it was as if it had vanished into thin air.
Ao then raised his head, looking toward the treetop in front of him.
His expression tensed slightly.
The others followed his gaze and were similarly taken aback.
Just moments ago, the spot had been empty.
Yet now, a young man had suddenly appeared.
He looked no older than a teenager.
But his unwavering gaze, and the brilliant yet chilling crimson glow in his eyes, made it clear to every Kirigakure shinobi present—
This boy was not someone to be trifled with.
"Shisui of the Body Flicker..."
Ao's expression grew solemn as he slowly uttered four words.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Shisui coldly and curiously studied the enemies below.
He showed no signs of hesitation despite being outnumbered several times over.
"Is that really Shisui of the Body Flicker?"
"There's no doubt. The rumors about him on the battlefield are everywhere. Our side has gathered plenty of intelligence on him!"
"Looks like we'll have to call off our mission."
Ao said in a low voice.
He was well aware of the situation.
Even with his team's combined strength and the newly acquired Byakugan from the Hyūga Clan, fighting Shisui would come at a steep cost.
At best, it would be a pyrrhic victory.
Such a battle was not worth the risk.
Thus, Ao made the decision to retreat without hesitation.
Fortunately, Shisui had no intention of stopping them.
It was clear that he had reached the same conclusion as Ao.
Facing eight jōnin alone—even if he won, it would be a costly victory. The reason was simple: his opponent's right eye was none other than the Hyūga Clan's bloodline limit, the Byakugan.
The dojutsu reputed to have the strongest perception.
"Your Uchiha clan truly is an exceptional ninja clan. To think you would produce not just one but two unbelievable geniuses."
"Before we leave, would you mind telling me—what is your relationship with Uchiha Dali?"
Ao stared at Shisui warily, his Byakugan already fully activated, reading every chakra fluctuation in his opponent's body.
His question wasn't just out of personal curiosity. More importantly, he wanted to gather intel on the Uchiha.
After all, one of his missions in this war was to investigate that man—
The one known as "The Man Who Surpassed Shisui of the Body Flicker"—
Uchiha Dali.