Arisu's expression tightened slightly, but there was not the slightest trace of anger in his heart. Instead, he quietly nodded to himself.
After living for several hundred years, he had long treated honor, humiliation, and disrespect in the world as light as drifting clouds.
If he became angry just because of a few arrogant words, then wouldn't those hundreds of years of life have been lived in vain?
Arisu had deliberately turned himself into the appearance of a white-haired old man precisely to hide his true identity, so that the moment he appeared he would not cause crowds to bow in worship and shake the entire world.
This time he entered the world only to visit the nine tailed beasts. He certainly was not here to attend a "fan meeting."
"Old man, if you want to die then get lost to the side. Don't stand here blocking the view! When the Uchiha are working, idle people should get lost!"
An Uchiha clan member shouted coldly with raised brows. Chakra mixed with hostility rushed forward, and he clearly did not place the old man in his eyes at all.
But Uchiha Izumichi, the clan leader, suddenly narrowed his gaze, and a storm rose in his heart.
'Something's wrong!'
'When exactly did this old man appear?'
Just now he had been completely focused on suppressing the Nine-Tails. With the insight of his three-tomoe and even Mangekyo Sharingan, he had not sensed this person's presence at all.
It was as if he had always been part of the forest, like a withered tree or a passing breeze, silently standing in the middle of the battlefield.
Facing the furious Nine-Tails and the cold killing intent of dozens of elite Uchiha ninjas, this old man could remain calm and unmoving.
Such composure and confidence was absolutely not something an ordinary ninja could possess.
"Wait… that is!?"
Uchiha Izumichi suddenly stopped breathing, his pupils shrinking sharply. His gaze locked onto Arisu's eyes, and the blood in his body seemed to freeze for a moment.
Those were eyes that clearly did not belong to anything mortal.
There was no distinction between pupil and white of the eye. There were only layer upon layer of mysterious circular rings.
He had once glimpsed a brief description of eyes like this in the oldest fragment of secret scrolls within the Uchiha clan. The more he remembered, the more shocked he became.
The moment the Nine-Tails, Kurama, caught sight of Arisu, its scarlet beast eyes widened instantly.
The violent chakra around it suddenly calmed by more than half, and then it spread its fox mouth into a delighted grin.
The Nine-Tails proudly swept its tails across the ground, looking at the Uchiha ninjas like they were clowns performing on stage.
'Hehe, the backing has arrived!'
'Even your Uchiha ancestor would have to bow respectfully before this one!'
"Old man, who are you?", Uchiha Izumichi suppressed the shock in his heart and spoke in a low voice.
Arisu slowly stepped forward.
"Young friends, this Nine-Tails is an old acquaintance of mine. If you wish to capture it, you will have to pay a heavy price, and the Nine-Tails will also be seriously injured."
"It would be better for you to leave now. I hope you can give me a little face and let it go.", Arisu spoke gently.
As soon as these words came out, every Uchiha clan member stared with wide eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
'What? You're saying the world's most terrifying beast, the Nine-Tails, is your old acquaintance?'
"Sir, this tailed beast is combat power our Uchiha are determined to obtain. You should leave quickly!"
"To abandon the Nine-Tails just because of an old man is absolutely impossible for the Uchiha to agree to!"
Uchiha Izumichi's face hardened as he coldly refused.
Arisu nodded slightly. He reached behind his back and drew the Flame Fan into his hand. The ancient patterns on its surface glimmered faintly in the forest light.
"In that case, I will make an exchange."
"The Flame Fan on my back is a rare treasure. It also has some connection with your Uchiha ancestor, Indra."
"I will use it to trade for the Nine-Tails. What do you think, young friend?"
The Uchiha ninjas looked at one another, their eyes full of confusion.
But the moment Uchiha Izumichi heard the name "Indra," his expression changed drastically and the killing intent around him suddenly surged.
"You dare to directly speak the name of my Uchiha ancestor!"
The three tomoe in Izumichi's eyes spun rapidly, instantly transforming into the eerie Mangekyo Sharingan.
"What exactly is your relationship with my Uchiha ancestor? Such behavior is the greatest disrespect to the Uchiha!"
Before Arisu could speak, Kurama at the side could no longer hold back.
The Nine-Tails laughed wildly toward the sky, "Hahaha! What relationship? Even your ancestor Indra would respectfully call this one 'ancestor' when he saw him!"
"Do you even know that the Six Paths your Uchiha have worshipped for generations…"
Before it could finish speaking, Kurama suddenly felt its throat tighten, as if an invisible force had grabbed it. It instantly fell silent.
It lowered its head and met Arisu's calm gaze sweeping toward it. Immediately it drooped its head and obediently shut its mouth.
It instantly understood that the teacher did not want to reveal his identity. Just now it had spoken too much and crossed the line.
Arisu had never intended to reveal his true identity, nor did he want to interfere too much with the disputes of the ninja world. Taking out the Flame Fan this time was simply going along with the situation.
This fan had originally been something he planned to give to Indra back then, but it had been forgotten due to circumstances.
Giving it to the Uchiha now could be considered returning the object to its rightful owner.
Besides, a fan could not increase combat power by much. Compared to what Otsutsuki Hagoromo had given to Asura, this was only a small gesture. It could not even be considered favoritism.
A small cheat didn't count as cheating.
Arisu looked again at Uchiha Izumichi, his tone calm.
"Well then, young friend, what do you think?"
Izumichi stared fixedly at Arisu's ringed eyes. Records from the clan's secret scrolls flashed through his mind, and a terrifying thought suddenly exploded in his head.
'The Rinnegan...'
'Those are the legendary Rinnegan!'
The secret scrolls only recorded it in fragments, saying these were the eyes of a certain disciple under the Sage of Six Paths, possessing power that reached heaven and earth.
Who cared who he was, or what background he had. As long as he could seize these eyes, the strength of Uchiha Izumichi would surely reach the peak of the ninja world.
Why fear Senju Shuuichi? Why worry that the Uchiha could not dominate the world.
"Sir, I don't want the fan."
A vicious smile appeared at the corner of Uchiha Izumichi's mouth, and his voice suddenly turned cold.
"But these eyes of yours, I'll take them!"
He suddenly burst into action.
In an instant, chakra exploded beneath his feet. His figure turned into a blur. The three-tomoe Sharingan locked onto Arisu's eyes, and his right hand formed a claw, grabbing straight toward those Rinnegan.
"I got it!"
Izumichi was wildly overjoyed inside. His fingertips were already approaching Arisu's eyes.
But at the very moment his fingers were about to touch...
BOOM!
A dazzling white light suddenly burst out, bright as the rising sun, instantly covering the entire battlefield.
The white light flashed away in less than an instant, so fast that no one had time to react.
When the light faded, Uchiha Izumichi stood frozen in place, his back facing Arisu. His whole mind was blank.
'What happened?'
'Where am I?'
'Why am I facing away from this old man?'
In that single moment just now, he had not even seen Arisu move. He had not detected the trace of any technique. It was as if an invisible force had simply moved him, instantly switching his position.
Uchiha Izumichi suddenly turned around.
Every hair on his body stood on end. Alarm bells rang wildly in his heart.
"What technique did you just use?! What kind of move was that?!", Izumichi clenched his fists tightly as he shouted in shock.
Arisu did not answer. His expression remained gentle.
He looked just like an old man with the bearing of an immortal sage.
'What move?'
'Could I tell you that this was simply one of my normal attacks?'
'A basic attack chained into another basic attack!'
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