[You've stood your ground and used logic to counter Seichiro Uchiha.]
[You have acquired a skill from your opponent: Fire Style - Phoenix Flower Jutsu (C-rank) (Proficient).]
[Your Heart of Steel has gained a stack.]
[You can now view the current number of Heart of Steel stacks and access your skill panel.]
Neo Uchiha was momentarily stunned, then let out a silent sigh of disbelief.
He hadn't intended to trigger this talent—he just wanted to make an excuse to avoid a suicidal mission.
How did things escalate into this?
With just a thought, a virtual screen floated in front of his eyes.
[Employee: Neo Uchiha]
[Title: Heaven-Sent Hero]
[Talents: Heart of Steel (SSS), Sharingan (Unawakened, B), Combat Intuition (Unreleased, S)]
[Skills: Uchiha-Style Shuriken Wire Manipulation (Mastery, S), Fire Style - Great Fireball Jutsu (Beginner, C), Fire Style - Phoenix Flower Jutsu (Proficient, C), Taijutsu (Beginner)]
[Heart of Steel Stacks (Expandable)]
[Insurance Status: Active]
Neo quickly skimmed through the information. It was mostly what he had expected, though the sudden addition of "Combat Intuition" puzzled him.
Other than that, everything was within his predictions.
The interface and the newly acquired jutsu were minor changes. After all, the panel was only for display, and Phoenix Flower Jutsu was just a C-rank fire-style ninjutsu.
Fire-style techniques were notorious for looking flashy but dealing little damage—more smoke than fire.
If he could convince his teammates, this dangerous mission might still be avoidable.
However, Neo's ideal plan quickly shattered.
His logical argument rang clearly in Seichiro Uchiha's ears, causing the latter's face to darken.
Seichiro was from the more pacifist faction of the Uchiha clan and was privy to the mission's sensitive details.
He was already filled with resentment for being dragged into this assignment, and now, being called out by Neo only deepened his frustration. His eyes narrowed, and with a sharp gleam, his Sharingan activated.
"Neo Uchiha... are you lecturing me?"
Seichiro's eyebrows furrowed as he glared coldly at Neo.
"You? A mere Genin who hasn't even awakened the Sharingan—you dare to preach to me?"
"It seems... you need to be taught a lesson!"
Neo had a point, but Seichiro's primary concern was keeping himself alive.
A nighttime mission near the border was something only lunatics would attempt—it was far too risky and never part of his plans.
That's why he reacted with such fury.
When Neo noticed Seichiro's Sharingan activate, he instinctively averted his gaze, looking only at Seichiro's chest and below.
Then he saw it—
Seichiro lunged suddenly, grabbing Neo's hair with one hand and gripping his shoulder with the other, trying to slam Neo's head downward.
A powerful knee strike shot toward Neo's face!
Neo's pupils shrank.
He never imagined that Seichiro would dare to cause internal strife and attack him while Setsuna Uchiha, their team leader, was still nearby!
In the next instant—
Neo inhaled sharply and instinctively moved his body.
Following the force pulling his head downward, Neo twisted his foot on the ground and pushed with his legs and waist, flipping backward and slightly tilting his head mid-air to avoid the incoming knee strike.
At the same time, his hand reached behind his back and threw three shuriken.
In the blink of an eye, the shuriken locked onto Seichiro's exposed throat, wrist, and temple.
"What?!" Seichiro was startled.
With his Sharingan active, he could clearly see the trajectory of the spinning shuriken flying toward him.
He quickly released Neo's hair and leaned back to dodge the three deadly projectiles.
Shock briefly flickered in his heart before it was replaced by a surging wave of rage!
Neo dared to resist!
He dared to fight back against his Chunin superior!
Seichiro's Sharingan's twin tomoe spun rapidly as his eyes narrowed dangerously. His hands began forming seals at high speed—
But Neo was already forming seals in mid-air, faster than Seichiro could settle into his stance.
Rat → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Hare → Tiger!
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
Just as Seichiro finished the last seal, six large fireballs materialized before him, speeding toward him in a deadly arc.
Following closely behind the fireballs came the unmistakable sound of weapons slicing through the air!
Six shuriken and three kunai accompanied the fireballs in a coordinated barrage.
"Damn it!" Seichiro's eyes widened.
Fifteen projectiles surged toward him at once. Even with his two-tomoe Sharingan capable of tracking the trajectories, it was too much to handle.
His only option now was to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape quickly.
But Neo wasn't done yet.
In his left hand, four more shuriken were already clutched between his fingers.
And in his right hand—
Neo reached for a scroll pouch at his waist and unfurled a sealing scroll.
In the center of the scroll was a large kanji for "Ninja".
Judging by the scroll's length, it likely contained over a hundred ninja tools.
"Is this guy insane?!"
Seichiro's mind raced as his heart sank.
"Enough!"
A calm but commanding voice rang out—it was Setsuna Uchiha, who had been silently observing the entire time.
He appeared between them in a flash and drew the ninja blade from his back.
The blade swung in a perfect arc, gleaming like a crescent moon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
All six fireballs, six shuriken, and three kunai were deflected and extinguished by that single slash.
"Seichiro Uchiha."
Setsuna calmly sheathed his blade, his icy gaze piercing through Seichiro.
"Get back to work."
Seichiro flinched under Setsuna's cold stare. After a moment of silence, he turned and walked away to set up traps and fortifications around the camp.
His face, however, still carried a trace of defiance.
He was a Chunin and had only been caught off guard by Neo's overwhelming barrage of ninja tools.
If he fought seriously, there was no way Neo—a mere Genin—could win.
As the tension subsided, Neo quietly began picking up the scattered ninja tools, his heart aching.
Setsuna's slash had damaged two high-quality kunai beyond repair.
And the shuriken—poorly made to begin with—had been sliced in half.
"All that money... wasted."
These were supposed to be used against powerful enemies, but instead, they'd been wasted on Seichiro. Neo felt a profound sense of loss.
Setsuna's gaze lingered for a moment on the three initial shuriken Neo had thrown. He noted the thin wires attached to them before looking away.
With his keen eyesight, Setsuna knew that if he hadn't intervened, Seichiro's Body Flicker would've brought him right into Neo's trap.
If Neo had pulled the wires at the right time... Seichiro's head would've rolled.
Setsuna furrowed his brows and looked at Neo thoughtfully.
For a moment, he felt an eerie sense of familiarity—
It was as though he had been watching himself in battle.
Neo's shuriken skills... they had something special.
"You're Neo Uchiha, correct?" Setsuna asked suddenly.
"Uh, yeah, that's me." Neo blinked in surprise before nodding.
Setsuna's eyes narrowed slightly as he walked over to the campfire and gestured for Neo to sit beside him.
"Come here."
The build-up is complete—get ready for action!