“Let me see.” Makoto Uchiha walked over and gave Obito’s right hand a squeeze.
It was indeed a bit harder.
Though still far from a true block of iron, it was at least a start.
“Not bad.” Makoto Uchiha patted Obito’s shoulder.
“Keep at it.” “Right!” Obito replied, bursting with energy.
Things were about the same on Guy’s side.
His Chakra flow was smoother than Obito’s, but it always became unstable when solidifying—hard one moment and soft the next.
“Don’t rush,” Makoto Uchiha said.
“Take it slow.
Chakra control isn’t built in a day.” Guy nodded and resumed his training.
Using a Flowing Iron Body to harden specific parts of the body was far more flexible than standard full-body hardening.
Moreover, localized hardening consumed less Chakra and lasted longer.
The only difficulty was Chakra control.
Forcing Chakra to flow precisely and solidify accurately within the body demanded extraordinary fine control.
Obito and Guy certainly couldn’t manage it yet, but that was fine—they could take their time.
If they succeeded, their combat strength would jump significantly.
If they failed…
they could treat it as Chakra control practice.
Either way, they wouldn’t lose out.
“Brother Sei,” Obito suddenly asked, “once I master this, will I be able to move around while using Iron Body, just like you?” “Yes,” Makoto Uchiha said.
“But you can only move the unhardened parts.
For instance, if you harden your right hand, your right hand can’t move, but your left hand, legs, and head still can.” Guy pondered this as well.
“Brother Sei, if someone takes this to the absolute extreme, can they harden their entire body and still move?” Makoto Uchiha glanced at him.
“Theoretically, yes.
But it requires extremely high Chakra control.
I reckon you’d need to reach Jonin level to pull it off.” “Jonin…” Guy clenched his fist.
“Then I’ll definitely train until I become a Jonin!” “Me too!” Obito chimed in.
Makoto Uchiha chuckled.
“Then get to work.” He walked off to the side, sat down, and watched Obito and Guy keep struggling.
Obito was wrestling with his right hand, while Guy was battling his left leg.
Both were dripping with sweat, yet their eyes were filled with determination.
Watching them, Makoto Uchiha felt a quiet surge of emotion.
These two blockheads might not possess astounding talent, but their perseverance was truly formidable.
Obito had lost countless times and never gave up; Guy had been mocked for years and never gave up either.
Now that they had a clear direction, they were pushing themselves to the absolute limit.
*Maybe…* Makoto Uchiha thought, *they really can pull it off?* He didn’t know for sure, but he hoped they would.
Because in this world, strength was everything.
Only with strength could you survive, protect those you cared about, and…
change certain things.
Like the fate of the Uchiha.
Lately, Makoto Uchiha had been feeling intensely annoyed.
It wasn’t ordinary annoyance.
It was the kind where someone watched you while you walked, stared at you while you ate, and left you feeling like an eye was watching your back even when you went to the bathroom.
Anbu.
It was definitely the Anbu.
Those crow-like figures spent all day lurking in the shadows, monitoring his every move.
Makoto Uchiha had tried to shake them off—taking detours, hiding, even using Transformation.
None of it worked.
They stuck to him like a stubborn rash that refused to be scraped away.
“Damn it,” Makoto Uchiha muttered, panting as he ducked into an alleyway.
“This can’t go on.” He needed to train, farm his rewards, and grow stronger.
But with the Anbu watching him like hawks, he couldn’t do a thing.
Every day was spent dodging surveillance, unable to materialize any Ninjutsu.
*No way,* Makoto Uchiha gritted his teeth.
*I have to figure something out.* Figure out what, though?
Fight them head-on?
Don’t be ridiculous.
He was just a six-year-old kid whose Chakra was Genin level at best.
Taking on the Anbu head-on was suicide.
Run away?
Where to?
Konoha was only so big, and you could run from the temple, but not from the monk.
Besides, as an Uchiha, where could he possibly flee?
Squatting in the alley, Makoto Uchiha’s mind raced at top speed.
Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
*Right!
I’m not on my own.* *I’m an Uchiha—a prodigy of the Uchiha clan.* *And prodigies have privileges.* He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and smiled.
*When in doubt, go find the guardians.* *** The Uchiha Clan Compound, Main Meeting Hall.
Today was the weekly regular meeting.
Uchiha Yashiro sat in the main seat with a group of elders below him, every single one of them wearing a stern expression as if someone owed them money.
“Regarding the issue of the Police Force’s budget…” Yashiro began.
The door was pushed open.
A small head poked inside.
“Um…” Makoto Uchiha blinked innocently.
“I’m looking for the clan leader.” surrounding room fell instantly silent.
Every single elder turned their head as one, fixing their gazes on the doorway.
Makoto Uchiha felt a bit unnerved under their intense stares, but he steeled himself and said, “I’m looking for the clan leader.
It’s urgent.” Yashiro frowned slightly.
He recognized the boy—Makoto Uchiha, six years old, a first-year student at the Academy.
He possessed solid talent and was said to be quite proficient in Taijutsu.
But no matter how decent he was, he was still just a six-year-old child.
Was it appropriate for a six-year-old to barge into a high-level clan meeting?
“Get out,” an elder said with a dark expression.
“This is no place for you.” “Indeed, completely lacking in manners,” another elder agreed.
Yashiro raised a hand, silencing them, and turned his gaze back to Makoto Uchiha.
“What is it?” “I…” Makoto Uchiha built up his emotions until his eyes turned red.
“I’m being stalked.” The meeting hall grew even quieter.
“Stalked?” Yashiro narrowed his eyes.
“By whom?” “I don’t know,” Makoto Uchiha shook his head.
“But I can feel someone constantly watching me.
When I eat, when I train, even when I’m sleeping, I feel eyes staring at me.” The elders exchanged looks.
Stalking a prodigy of the Uchiha?
Who possessed such nerve?
“It’s the Anbu,” an elder spat coldly.
“It must be,” another elder agreed, nodding.
“Who else would dare besides them?” “Lord Hokage doesn’t trust us Uchiha at all.” “Outrageous!” The meeting hall erupted.
The elders spoke all at once, each overflowing with righteous indignation.
Makoto Uchiha remained silent.
He kept his head lowered, but his eyes were secretly scanning the room.
Then he spotted someone.
A young boy sitting quietly in a corner, neither making a scene nor causing a disturbance.
About five years old, with dark hair, large eyes, and quite delicate features.
Makoto Uchiha’s pupils shrank.
*Uchiha Shisui.* Why was he here?
Makoto Uchiha’s mind worked furiously.
Shisui was a year younger than him and wasn’t scheduled to enter the Academy until next year.
Rationally speaking, he shouldn’t be attending a meeting like this.
Unless…
*Unless he’s already drawn the attention of the higher-ups,* Makoto Uchiha thought to himself.
*A five-year-old super genius who hasn’t even entered the Academy yet can already wipe the floor with Genin.* *No wonder.* No wonder he felt the Anbu’s surveillance on him had loosened recently.
No wonder Konoha’s higher-ups hadn’t come looking for him directly when monitoring potential threats.
It turned out a far more dazzling genius was standing out front, taking all the heat!
Far from being upset, Makoto Uchiha actually felt like laughing.
*Fantastic,* he thought.
*With Shisui drawing their eyes, I’m just a second-tier prodigy who isn’t worth heavy surveillance.*