Chapter Fifty-Nine: Terra's Transformation

Black markings began to spread across Shisui’s entire body, his skin growing hard and resilient. At the same time, his hands transformed into razor-sharp claws, the black talons gleaming with a ghostly light. Finally, his physique underwent a dramatic change—his entire frame became more robust, exuding a powerful aura.

“A power akin to a cursed seal?” Uchiha Li watched Shisui’s transformation, and immediately the Heaven and Earth Curse Seals developed by Orochimaru came to mind. Both abilities introduced foreign power into the body, altering it and enhancing the user’s capabilities in all respects. The difference was only that Orochimaru’s seals were born from his research into natural energy, whereas Shisui’s current state was the result of his transformation into an Apostle. In essence, the amplification provided by both should not differ greatly.

“Wait a moment…” It was then that Uchiha Li suddenly noticed a subtle change in Terra as well. Though the shift was minute, as Terra’s master, he sensed it clearly. With Shisui’s successful inheritance of the title of Tenth Apostle, the “Tyrant Dragon King” Bacal, Shisui became linked to Terra, and a small portion of his chakra began to flow continuously into Terra. This amount of chakra was insignificant and would not affect Shisui’s daily combat abilities, but it represented a wholly new avenue—a channel to accelerate Terra’s awakening.

“In other words, with each Apostle’s contract, Terra’s revival will proceed at an ever-quickening pace.” Uchiha Li immediately understood, a ripple of excitement stirring within him. Terra was his deepest secret, one that concerned his future, but its revival had always been excruciatingly slow. Until now, the only sources had been his chakra absorption ability and the daily portion of chakra he allocated to Terra himself. Now, with Shisui able to “feed” Terra as well, the process would become much more efficient.

Though this stream of chakra seemed trivial, over time even the smallest trickle could gather into a mighty river. What’s more, Shisui would not be the only Apostle; in the future, more could be recruited. With their combined contributions, Terra’s resurgence would become tangible.

Moreover, with the establishment of the link between Shisui and Terra, Uchiha Li discovered he could communicate with Shisui at any time through Terra. Shisui, too, could contact him through Terra, provided he gave permission. This seemingly minor feature was, in fact, of immense value, further reinforcing his role as “leader.”

These two unexpected rewards left Uchiha Li in high spirits. Seeing Shisui regain consciousness, he decided to wait until preparations were complete before testing the communication function. After all, when the time came, he would need to appear as the leader—any slip could compromise him, and he needed to maintain an air of mystique.

Noticing Shisui’s open eyes, Uchiha Li asked, “How do you feel?”

“Excellent. This dragon transformation mode fills me with power.” Shisui was gazing down at his own body, occasionally moving his limbs to test them. Even without formal testing, he could feel a significant improvement in his physical abilities. After a moment of contemplation, Shisui gathered himself and reverted to his original form.

Uchiha Li commented, “It seems you’ve successfully inherited Bacal’s power. From now on, your codename in Terra will be ‘Tyrant Dragon King’ Bacal.”

“‘Tyrant Dragon King’ Bacal…” Shisui murmured, then added, “I can sense that this is only a fraction of Bacal’s true power.”

Uchiha Li nodded. “As you continue to develop, the power you’ve inherited will only grow.”

After a brief pause, his expression turned solemn. “Now that you are an Apostle of Terra, there are matters I must relay on behalf of the leader.”

Shisui nodded, signaling for him to continue. Joining such a mysterious organization and obtaining new power naturally came with obligations. In his mind, as long as it posed no harm to his clan or the village, he could agree.

Seeing this, Uchiha Li spoke directly, “First and most importantly, nothing concerning Terra may be revealed to outsiders under any circumstances. Your identity as an Apostle must remain secret.”

Shisui nodded seriously. “Understood.”

“Second, as an organization, Terra will occasionally assign missions for you to carry out.”

Shisui nodded again. “As long as the missions are reasonable and do not jeopardize my clan or the village, there are no issues.”

Uchiha Li smiled. “Don’t worry. Terra’s ultimate goal is revival; it won’t become entangled with the clan or village.”

“That’s a relief,” Shisui breathed out.

“That’s all. The organization won’t interfere with our daily lives,” Uchiha Li continued, before adding with interest, “So, would you like to test your new strength?”

Shisui’s eyes lit up, a hint of anticipation flashing across his face. In truth, since he began observing Uchiha Li, he had entertained the idea of a spar. There simply hadn’t been a suitable opportunity—until now.

“Come on, let’s head back and try.”

Seeing Shisui accept, Uchiha Li immediately activated the teleportation array. In moments, a swirling vortex appeared, and the two returned to the familiar wilderness near the village.

Back in the woods, Shisui remarked with some emotion, “I always wondered why you’d changed so much. Now I see it’s because you joined such a mysterious organization.”

To him, Uchiha Li’s transformation and rise in strength were clearly the work of Terra—nothing else could account for it.

Uchiha Li was perfectly content to let Shisui believe this. He replied casually, “Now you’re a member of Terra, too. It’s only a matter of time before you have the power to change the fate of your clan and the village.”

“I’ll do my best.” Shisui nodded, then asked, “By the way, what’s your codename in Terra?”

Uchiha Li’s eyes flickered. “I’ve inherited Karosso.”

Calling himself the “Great Will” might arouse suspicion, but just giving the name should be safe.

“Which Apostle is that among the Thirteen? Isn’t there a title, like my ‘Tyrant Dragon King’?” Shisui pressed, sensing the vague reply.

“You’ll find out in time,” Uchiha Li deflected, then changed the subject. “Enough of that—let’s see just what your new powers can do.”

Shisui suppressed his curiosity, took a deep breath, and said, “Then be careful.”

As soon as the words left his lips, Shisui entered dragon transformation once more, his aura shifting dramatically. At the same time, he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.

“Is he planning to go all out?” Uchiha Li thought, focusing his mind. He had no way of knowing just how strong Shisui had become in this state, so caution was paramount.

The Mangekyo spun relentlessly as Uchiha Li drew several kunai from his belt, adopting a battle stance to signal the fight’s start.

Shisui wasted no time. With a single step, the ground beneath him split open in a deep crater, and he charged forward with the unstoppable force of a rampaging dragon.

Witnessing Shisui’s speed, Uchiha Li felt a chill despite the dynamic vision his Sharingan provided. His instincts were correct: Shisui, already a master of high-speed assaults, now wielded a level of physical prowess that was truly terrifying.

Without hesitation, Uchiha Li hurled all his kunai toward Shisui, hoping to block his advance. But Shisui paid them no heed—he simply batted them aside with his claws.

In an instant, the distance between them closed dramatically…