10
The Lower Limit Can Be Continuously Updated
Recently, the Uchiha Military Police Force had become noticeably more impatient and rough in handling disputes.
The number of hardliners had surpassed that of the peace faction. During clan meetings, every Uchiha’s rhetoric increasingly leaned toward launching a rebellion, viewing the village’s suspicions as entirely unfounded.
Currently, Clan Head Fugaku Uchiha possessed formidable strength, while the clan’s strongest member, Shisui Uchiha, had awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan. With a sufficient number of members having awakened their Sharingan and each being an elite ninja, they certainly had the capability to challenge the village.
However, given the gravity of rebellion and the inability to reach an immediate decision, coupled with the lingering presence of the peace faction, they were temporarily exercising restraint.
This level of restraint was maintained under the premise that Fugaku Uchiha had concealed his own awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
If the clan were to learn that they possessed two Mangekyo Sharingan users, it’s likely none would be able to resist taking action immediately.
The clan head wasn’t entirely foolish; while he sided with the hardliners, he understood this battle wouldn’t be easily won.
After the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had suffered a decline in talent in recent years: White Fang had committed seppuku, the Three Sannin had left the village, the Fourth Hokage had died in battle, the Jinchuriki hadn’t yet matured, and even the Third Hokage was aging, no longer possessing the ferocity of his prime as the “Professor.”
The new generation hadn’t had time to grow, while the older generation faced one misfortune after another. Compared to its peak, present-day Konoha resembled a stagnant, decaying windmill desperately in need of a gust of wind to blow away the rot.
Yet, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Despite the talent drain, Konoha still had the Hyuga clan, who were not far inferior to the Uchiha, along with the Aburame, Inuzuka, Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans, plus the Anbu and Root.
Even if they could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. The other four great shinobi villages were unlikely to pass up the opportunity to prevent their recovery. Moreover, gaining the villagers’ acceptance of their rule post-victory posed another significant challenge.
Thus, Fugaku Uchiha hadn’t revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan—partly to retain an element of surprise for the war, and partly because, without overwhelming strength, civil war would be suicidal.
Of course, none of this concerned Luke.
After all, he was just a harmless Konoha villager with a clean background and no allegiance to any faction.
Compared to the conflict between the village and the Uchiha, he was more concerned about having less time to refine his chakra since getting a girlfriend. Fortunately, with loss came gain, and his rewards were substantial.
With both parties equally captivated by each other’s physical allure, Luke and Ayame’s relationship progressed rapidly. They smoothly became a couple, transitioning seamlessly from holding hands to kissing, though they hit a snag at the final step.
When Luke invited Ayame to his home to see his cat that could perform backflips, she resisted the temptation with great difficulty, insisting that such matters should wait until their wedding night.
Thankfully, the issue was eventually resolved satisfactorily.
Because shortly after, Ayame shyly informed Luke that there was always more than one way to solve a problem.
Without a moment to mourn Luke’s regret, the next arrival was Ayame’s wisdom!
After eating the noodles Ayame brought over so many times, Luke had finally learned to cook them himself for his girlfriend. The only regret was that the portions were too large—Ayame couldn’t even finish half.
No worries, practice makes perfect!
After another practice session, the two lingered for a while before Luke escorted Ayame back before dark. He successfully met his future father-in-law waiting outside the shop with a displeased glare.
Luke: (ˇˇ)
Facing her father, Luke felt a bit embarrassed recalling their earlier “duo queue” activities.
Especially since he still wore a relaxed, satisfied expression, and the blush on Ayame’s cheeks hadn’t faded yet—any experienced person could tell what had happened at a glance.
Well, there was no helping it. Their homes were too close, just a couple steps away.
“Chuan Luke, you’re not allowed to come to my shop anymore!” Teuchi Ichiraku nearly gritted his teeth to dust, forcing out the words after a long pause.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ayame, who had initially felt somewhat guilty, immediately protested, stepping forward to defend her boyfriend.
“Dad, don’t go too far! Luke-kun hasn’t done anything wrong. Why are you kicking him out?”
Teuchi Ichiraku stamped his foot. “The shop is mine, so what I say goes! If I say he’s not allowed in, then he’s not allowed in!”
“Then I won’t sleep at home tonight!”
Yes, yes!
Luke’s eyes lit up, wishing he could raise both hands and feet in agreement. He promised he wouldn’t do anything—Ayame would be perfectly safe staying overnight in his room!
Teuchi Ichiraku: “…”
He’d been threatened again.
Under her father’s grief-stricken gaze, Ayame proactively kissed Luke. “Don’t blame my dad. He’s just worried about me.”
“It’s fine, I understand.”
Luke wore a slightly conflicted expression. More than that, he thought it was more important to help his girlfriend develop the habit of brushing her teeth promptly after meals.
After returning home, Luke practiced his Binding Arts as usual. As the night deepened, he lay in bed and slowly closed his eyes.
…
“Yo, you’re here.”
In the mysterious space, Pirate Luke was swinging a bamboo sword through the air. Seeing his replacement, Hokage Luke, arrive, he stopped his movements.
Although staying in the mysterious space didn’t cause mental fatigue, boredom was inevitable. The Lukes usually passed the time by training.
“Yeah.” Hokage Luke nodded and stepped forward to bump fists with Pirate Luke.
Pirate Luke looked envious. “You caught her so quickly? That’s great. At our dojo, even the cafeteria server is a senior brother.”
“If you can’t resist making a move on your senior brother, Death God Luke and I will never share with you again. We’ll also warn any future Lukes.”
Hokage Luke, worried he might do something outrageous, gave a preemptive warning.
“Who would do something like that?!” Pirate Luke felt speechless.
That’s hard to say, Hokage Luke silently complained. When a man’s desires flare up, it’s not just humanoid creatures—even a Gatorade bottle would be in danger.
Pirate Luke: …We’re all Lukes. Did you think I wouldn’t know what you’re thinking?
With an opening that small, forget his current exaggerated two-meter-plus proportions—he couldn’t have fit even in his previous life!
Hmm… this was his estimated conclusion. He hadn’t actually tried it in his previous life.
After some banter, Pirate Luke clocked out to rest. He was feeling lonely and urgently needed to beat up a senior brother to vent.
After he left, Hokage Luke also began his training.
The Lukes entered the mysterious space through their souls, so physical enhancements were ineffective. They could only hone their skills and temper their will. The pirate Luke practiced swordsmanship through swinging his sword, but his main focus was demon arts.
For now, Luke couldn’t obtain high-level Ninjutsu of B-rank or above. While C and D-rank techniques were less strictly controlled and could be acquired, their power and practicality were inferior to demon arts. Naturally, he chose to practice demon arts instead.
The two worlds differed drastically in their control over knowledge.
In the Soul Reaper world, the Shin’ō Academy taught everything openly. From the lowest-ranked demon art, No. 1, to the highest, No. 99, as long as you could learn it, nothing was withheld. All knowledge was laid out before you—how much you mastered depended entirely on yourself. If your strength was sufficient, you weren’t held back; you’d be selected by a captain to join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. If dissatisfied, you even had the chance to challenge for a seat.
What an ideal learning and working environment!
The ninja world was entirely different. Even the most basic Three Body Technique was kept secret from civilians. Mid-to-high-level Ninjutsu required immense contributions to even consider learning, while the highest-level techniques were either sealed as forbidden arts or circulated only among a select few.
That said, this approach wasn’t entirely unreasonable. After all, forbidden techniques in the ninja world were truly devastating and far-reaching. If they fell into the wrong hands, they could cause massive upheaval.
Luke extended a finger, channeling chakra within his body, and chanted softly:
“Hado No. 4, Byakurai!”
The Elden Ring DLC data is absolute garbage.
That aggression and attack frequency—even the Black Blade’s second phase would shake its head in disbelief.