Naruto's Strongest Force - Chapter 22
Some time has passed since Itachi’s departure.
As time went on, the enthusiasm surrounding the Uchiha died down.
Shisui, who had initially monitored public opinion, was also busy, as a new feature had been added to his influence template.
Excellent Leadership: To be an excellent leader, you must not only know what your subordinates know but also excel beyond them.
Those loyal or close to Shisui would have their avatars highlighted in the influence template.
Clicking on an avatar reveals a ‘Dream’ button, which is applicable to individuals like Fugaku, Toru, Hinata, Itachi, Shisui, and several other Uchiha members.
Shisui clicked on Fugaku’s avatar under the Taijutsu category.
Dream construction is in progress… Dream construction complete. Uchiha Fugaku – Taijutsu
Shisui lay on his bed, closing his eyes, and his consciousness entered a dojo where a version of Fugaku appeared across him, demonstrating his taijutsu.
Fugaku’s taijutsu moves were heavily styled with Uchiha flair—flashy and skilful.
With the enhancement of the Sharingan, his acrobatics were hard to believe for such a burly man.
After demonstrating, the virtual Fugaku charged towards Shisui.
Instinctively, Shisui tried to use a substitution jutsu but found he couldn’t mobilise his chakra.
With a loud bang, Shisui burst apart like a shadow clone.
Waking up, Shisui found himself in his bedroom.
A virtual training room?
Pulling up the influence panel again, he noticed Fugaku’s avatar had dimmed, and there was a countdown next to it—it would take 24 hours before he could simulate again.
Shisui then selected Itachi’s taijutsu.
Dream construction is in progress… Dream construction complete. Uchiha Itachi – Taijutsu
Back in the dojo, Itachi stood opposite Shisui, dressed in an Anbu uniform and carrying his sword on his back.
Like Fugaku, Itachi demonstrated taijutsu but with a greater focus on his swordplay and his control over shuriken in rapid movements.
He also showed how to change the direction of shuriken mid-air by striking them against each other.
Shisui was astounded.
Having been a transmigrator who spent months barely surviving outside, he thought he had mastered his skills well enough to qualify as a competent Uchiha jonin.
The gap between a regular ninja and a genius was still substantial.
After demonstrating, Itachi, like Fugaku, charged at Shisui. This time, however, he threw multiple shuriken at high speeds.
Prepared this time, Shisui managed to dodge well initially, thanks to the Sharingan’s enhancement.
“I do have some talent,” Shisui thought to himself.
Clang! The sound of shuriken colliding.
A shuriken that Shisui had dodged changed direction and headed towards where he had moved.
Dodging narrowly, Shisui found Itachi throwing more shuriken, which not only hit the previous ones but also blocked Shisui’s potential escape routes with two new shuriken.
As Shisui deflected the shuriken with his sword, Itachi closed the distance.
A single strike and Shisui was cut down, dissipating into smoke.
Awakening abruptly, Shisui marvelled at Itachi’s skill with the shuriken—it was indeed an art form.
Undeterred, Shisui then chose to simulate with Elder Uchiha Hinata.
Dream construction is in progress… Dream construction complete. Uchiha Hinata – Taijutsu
Again, closing his eyes…
After a while, Shisui opened his eyes, exhaling deeply.
In the dream, Elder Hinata, despite his age, proved a challenging opponent.
Even at his advanced age, Shisui had to exert much effort to achieve a mutual kill, not a victory but a stalemate.
Indeed, those who had been battle-hardened were not to be underestimated.
Realising the challenging nature of real combat, Shisui found his actual fighting skills were less adept than he had imagined.
When I revisited Hinata’s profile, the ‘Combat’ button was still there, but now on cooldown, indicating that combat scenarios could be challenged repeatedly.
Fueled with resolve, Shisui set his sights on Elder Uchiha Toru and re-entered the dreamscape.
…
As the morning sun streamed in, Shisui lay wide-eyed, exhausted. The dream realm’s timeline had synchronised with reality.
He hadn’t slept all night, feeling a significant drain on his spirit from the intensive training.
After a night of gruelling battles, besides defeating the aged Elder Hinata, he had also lost in actual combat simulations with Elder Toru. However, he had refrained from using his full powers, including the Susanoo.
For Fugaku, Shisui, and Itachi, there weren’t even options for actual combat, as Shisui had lost in the taijutsu simulations.
There were no combats in ninjutsu, but a mishandling could cause chakra to erratically burst within, often resulting in Shisui ‘exploding’ into smoke.
In genjutsu, while his inherent abilities were decent, his Sharingan made it easy to escape illusions quickly, though casting them proved challenging compared to the others.
His definite edge lay with less experienced Uchiha elites or those like Uchiha Qiming, who only had two tomoe.
Among the Uchiha elites, the best in taijutsu was Uchiha Yaoye, with his swift and brutal swordsmanship—uncharacteristic of his usual goofy demeanour.
Itachi remained unparalleled in shurikenjutsu, and his ability to manipulate their trajectory through mid-air collisions required exceptional perceptiveness.
Shisui found himself particularly challenged by Shisui in genjutsu, feeling utterly foolish as he was controlled almost instantly upon confrontation.
Shisui doubted he’d stand any chance without his powerful Sharingan.
After a night of being thoroughly outclassed, Shisui was exhausted.
Reviewing his influence template, I found that nearly all profiles had entered their cooldown phases.
With that, Shisui closed his eyes, this time genuinely falling asleep.
Upon waking, he headed straight to the training grounds to refine his skills, then returned to the dream simulations.
This routine of relentless practice and dream duels rapidly advanced Shisui’s capabilities.
Now resembling a veteran of countless battles, he was no longer the Jonin who struggled with minor missions.
However, his unique Sharingan techniques remained elusive, and there was no sign of awakening new powers.
Patiently, Shisui waited, his already potent d?jutsu continually strengthening without any effort, growing stronger by the moment—even when doing nothing.
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