Chapter 29: A New Operation
After a brief moment of surprise, Uchiha Dali looked on with curiosity and a hint of admiration.
"I thought that after awakening my Sharingan, combined with my Body Flicker Technique, I'd be able to catch up with you."
"But it seems there's still a gap in our strength."
"Tell me, how did you do it?"
His expression was sincere, as if he were genuinely seeking guidance.
Uchiha Shisui, without holding anything back, deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan and explained, "The brutal battlefield has taken many lives. I witnessed the deaths of my closest friends and comrades."
"At that moment, I felt an overwhelming surge of rage, and an immense amount of special chakra flooded my eyes. That was how I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—the strongest form of the Uchiha clan's Bloodline Limit."
"It must have been an incredibly deep bond…"
Uchiha Dali nodded in understanding.
Just then, Shisui shifted the topic and said, "I received intelligence that elite Mist ninja have been actively hunting down our forces on the battlefield, so I came to investigate."
"I already took care of them—killed four, and three escaped," Dali replied.
"The situation on the eastern front is mostly under control. The latest intel is that the Land of Water and Kirigakure have agreed to peace talks, and the village has ordered us to support other battlefields."
"Let's go regroup with the rest of the Uchiha."
"Alright."
Uchiha Dali nodded casually.
Just as Shisui turned to leap forward, he suddenly looked back at Dali and asked, "How about I call you Big Brother Dali from now on?"
"Just call me 'senpai' instead. 'Big Brother' makes me sound too old, and there's not that much of an age gap between us," Dali said with a grin, shrugging his shoulders.
"Alright, then let's go, Dali-senpai."
The moment Shisui finished speaking, an immense surge of chakra erupted from his body.
Uchiha Dali immediately sensed the unique chakra flow and instantly understood Shisui's intent.
"You want to test yourself against me?"
His competitive spirit flared up in response.
Without a word, the two of them activated their Body Flicker Techniques simultaneously, charging forward at full speed.
---
In a dense forest near the northeastern border of the Land of Fire, Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader, was leading a squad of Uchiha ninja in ambush formation.
Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from the trees.
Everyone tensed up instantly.
A moment later, a figure landed steadily in front of them. As they looked closer, they recognized him—it was Uchiha Dali.
Before anyone could speak, another figure arrived just two seconds later—Uchiha Shisui, another prodigy of the Uchiha clan.
From the timing of their arrivals, it was obvious to everyone that they had been testing their Body Flicker speed.
And clearly, Uchiha Dali had won.
Sure enough, as soon as Shisui landed, he looked at Dali with surprise and said, "Your Body Flicker is incredible. I lost."
"You're amazing too," Dali replied modestly with a slight smile.
Their exchange left the surrounding Uchiha clan members in awe.
"It's Dali and Shisui!"
Someone murmured excitedly.
"Were they competing in Body Flicker?"
"Shisui actually lost to Uchiha Dali…!"
"So the rumors from the enemy weren't false—he really has become 'The Man Who Surpassed Shisui of the Body Flicker!'"
"Two prodigies appearing at the same time in our Uchiha clan… Our revival is within reach!"
"Amazing… I wonder when I'll be that strong?"
The Uchiha ninja all looked at the two with admiration and pride.
The name "Shisui of the Body Flicker" had already spread across the battlefield.
And now, in recent days, another title had emerged—"The Man Who Surpassed Shisui of the Body Flicker," referring to Uchiha Dali.
These two young men were the pride of the Uchiha clan.
Among the proud Uchiha, where strength dictated status, the standing of Uchiha Dali and Uchiha Shisui was already nearing that of their clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku.
"Welcome back. Both of you performed exceptionally well—Shisui, Dali," Fugaku greeted them as he approached. His gaze carried deep admiration and genuine pride.
Then, his expression turned serious.
Sensing this, the once-excited clan members instantly fell silent.
"I will now relay the latest orders from the village."
"Kirigakure has conceded defeat and agreed to peace talks, but the other three villages remain hostile. Their forces are still raiding our border, attacking our troops. We must move to support our forces and bring this war to a decisive end!"
"Here is the mission deployment plan…"
Fugaku first looked at Shisui and Dali.
"The battlefield remains complex. Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure have all dispatched elite units to ambush our weaker squads, attempting to inflict heavy casualties on our forces."
"So we must split up. Shisui, Dali, as our top combatants, I am assigning each of you solo missions…"
According to Fugaku's strategy, both Dali and Shisui were given separate assignments.
Meanwhile, the Jonin-ranked Uchiha Tekkō, Uchiha Dōka, and Uchiha Hachidai were each tasked with leading squads to support different battlefronts.
Once the personnel were assigned, Fugaku turned to address the entire group.
Just as he was about to give the order to depart, Uchiha Dali suddenly spoke up.
"The enemy has sent elite ninja specifically to hunt down our scattered or weaker squads. Since that's the case, I have a proposal."
All eyes turned to him, and Fugaku nodded, signaling for him to continue.
"We should move all Chunin and lower-ranked units to the rear and place our strongest fighters on the frontlines to counter their elite forces."
"This way, we can minimize our casualties while effectively stopping the enemy ninja."