I thought I could raise a Hokage!!!

"I won't show mercy!"

Uchiha Shisui declared, yet, as if dealing with his own crow, he reached out to grab Beiyuan's neck—an action eerily similar to that of a butcher on a farm.

Some people are dead, yet they still live.

Some people are alive, yet they should have died long ago.

Beiyuan silently recited a small poem in his heart while forming a small Tailed Beast Ball in his mouth. Though it contained only a small amount of chakra, its power...

Boom!

A dazzling explosion erupted, and as thick smoke filled the air, a massive crater was revealed in the ground.

Uchiha Shisui had retreated into the distance, his back pressed tightly against a tree trunk, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He stared at the crow in shock.

"What kind of ninjutsu is this...?"

This clearly wasn't an ordinary technique inherited by ninja animals.

Seeing chakra gathering in the crow's mouth once again, with no indication of needing rest, Shisui forced a wry smile, quickly flickering away while leaving a single remark echoing through the forest:

"That's quite the simple and brutal fighting style..."

Beiyuan immediately locked onto the Flying Thunder God mark on Shisui's body... Found it!

The crow vanished in an instant!

Shisui, hiding behind a boulder, was deep in thought.

"That technique… it must be some kind of high-density chakra energy bomb..."

"Gah~"

A wing lightly tapped his shoulder.

Shisui froze.

"When did—?"

Whether it was speed or perception, the crow's abilities were frighteningly sharp.

What Shisui didn't realize was that the moment he touched Beiyuan, the crow had already marked him with the Flying Thunder God seal. From that moment, the battle's outcome had been sealed.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

The genius chunin no longer dared to hold back. He immediately unleashed four shuriken wrapped in flames, flinging them toward Beiyuan while simultaneously retreating!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A second burst of fire jutsu followed, ensuring that the crow had no room to escape.

Clang!

With a casual flick of its wings, Beiyuan smacked the flaming shuriken out of the air, instantly extinguishing the fire chakra. Shisui's signature technique was effortlessly neutralized.

Shisui, unwilling to let up, had unleashed a massive fireball in Beiyuan's direction. But before he could confirm a hit, he sensed that the crow was already outside the attack's range.

Red Sharingan eyes appeared—right in front of him.

Beiyuan, somehow now at his side, tilted his head as if enjoying the show.

"It escaped in the time between hand seals..." Shisui murmured, genuinely impressed. "Its ability to read the timing is on par with that of a skilled ninja."

"Then next... the Body Flicker Technique!"

In an instant, a dozen clones materialized around Beiyuan, each infused with Shisui's chakra signature. The real Shisui was hidden among them, constantly switching places between the clones.

Shisui's plan was clear: surround the crow, engage in relentless close-quarters combat, and exhaust its stamina until he found an opening.

But Beiyuan merely flapped its wings and slowly ascended into the air. A small, black-purple Tailed Beast Ball formed in its mouth...

It didn't matter how many clones there were.

There was no problem in this world that a single well-placed Tailed Beast Ball couldn't solve.

Boom!

Every single clone vanished instantly.

Any other ninja would have been on the verge of tears after witnessing this scene.

Shisui, known for his precision and speed, found his intricate techniques reduced to nothing more than flashy tricks in the face of pure, overwhelming power.

"Substitution Jutsu! Body Flicker Technique!"

He, Uchiha Shisui, would never give up so easily!

How could this unreasonable crow possibly understand the essence of true ninja combat?

Beiyuan observed Shisui from a distance. The Uchiha was using high-speed movement to create two afterimages, making it seem as though he was running in three different directions at once.

A clever move.

This newly developed technique had impressive real-world applications. If an opponent couldn't determine which figure was the real Shisui, they would be unable to catch him. And even if they guessed correctly, Shisui could instantly switch places with one of the other afterimages.

The only problem was...

No technique could outrun the Flying Thunder God. And no afterimage could hide from the Flying Thunder God's mark.

"Gah~"

The crow effortlessly located Shisui's real body and fluttered down beside him, feigning exhaustion, looking as if it could barely stay upright.

...This acting was too fake!

Shisui gritted his teeth but didn't let his guard down. He instantly switched places with one of his afterimages, retreating in another direction.

"Gah~"

Still acting half-dead.

Shisui finally snapped.

"Stop insulting a ninja's intelligence! Even Itachi wouldn't fall for this!"

Beiyuan paused in contemplation.

...This person was about to lose, and he was already starting to lose his grip on reality, rambling nonsense. How dare he insult Beiyuan's acting skills?

It had spent years perfecting the art of pretending to be exhausted while resting on Itachi's shoulder!

Seeing Shisui attempt another switch...

"Gah~ Gah~"

For the third time, Beiyuan landed next to him without fail.

Shisui finally sighed in defeat, raising a hand.

"I... admit defeat."

Realizing there was no path to victory, Uchiha Shisui surrendered.

After all, this was just a practice battle to test his new Body Flicker technique. It was clear that there were still some flaws. Itachi had struggled to keep up, even with his Sharingan, but Beiyuan... how had it been able to see through him so easily?

"How could Shisui lose to Beiyuan?" Itachi asked in disbelief, glancing down at the crow perched proudly on his shoulder. "It's just a crow!"

The once-arrogant Beiyuan lowered its head in frustration.

It really wished it could become human again...

"...It seems my new technique still has a lot of room for improvement," Shisui admitted, forcing a chuckle.

Though he had been forced to concede, the loss still stung—especially since speed was supposed to be his greatest strength.

If others knew about this, they would probably feel even worse.

He was a genius illusionist, yet he had become known as "Shunshin no Shisui" for his speed… and now, he had been utterly outpaced by a crow.

"Itachi, how did Beiyuan manage to find my real body?" Shisui asked, his curiosity outweighing his pride.

Shisui himself was desperate to know.

His new technique, compared to the previous clone-based Flicker, had its advantages and disadvantages. But in actual combat, it allowed him to chase or escape almost instantly.

"Gah~ Gah~"

Beiyuan, having just mastered Shisui's movements during the battle, casually picked up a fruit and gave an answer that sounded nonsensical yet was completely true.

"As long as the speed is fast enough, any attack can be dodged."

"...What?"

Itachi blushed slightly and translated, "It said… Shisui, your speed is too slow."

"Indeed." Shisui nodded, accepting the truth. "My current physical abilities and speed are far from their peak. But still... that crow is ridiculously fast."

Honestly, it was like fighting a nightmare.

If Shisui had tried to face Beiyuan head-on, he would have realized something far worse.

The crow had countered his newly developed D-rank technique with an S-rank forbidden technique.

And it shameless enough to do it.