Chapter 39

In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage's expression was serious.

"Kakashi, you fought him personally. How strong is Uchiha Shū really?"

Kakashi lowered his head and thought for a moment before answering solemnly, "Above Chunin. However, he doesn't know any jutsu, which is a fatal flaw. He can't handle Jonin, so he should be considered a Special Jonin."

The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe, the light smoke enveloping him. His eyes were deep, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

"Hokage-sama, should we give him a ninja identity?" Kakashi asked tentatively.

"A ninja identity isn't necessarily enough to bind him. It might even cause a strong backlash," the Third Hokage understood Kakashi's meaning.

Any ninja qualification issued by Konoha Village places the Hokage's orders above all else. The Third Hokage, being very shrewd, had long seen through Su Zhong's rebellious nature.

A genius who, without chakra, could still reach the level of a Special Jonin in just two years. How could he possibly obey orders without a reason?

Through the water ball image, he had watched the entire battle between Su Zhong and Kakashi.

Kakashi frowned and asked, "Then how should we deal with it?"

The Third Hokage closed his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "Train Sasuke well. They are the last of the Uchiha, and we can use Sasuke to bind him."

Kakashi thought this was a good idea but also saw a problem. Sasuke didn't seem to be a well-behaved person either.

The Third Hokage dismissed Kakashi and sat in his chair, deep in thought.

The words he had just spoken were so familiar. Two years ago, he had decided to use Su Zhong to bind Sasuke.

He never expected that today, he would be reversing those words.

The Third Hokage's face was grim. He could foresee that if they really did this, the two Uchiha would eventually leave Konoha. This was not what he wanted.

Uchiha Shū is a threat!

...

In the underground of the Hokage building, there was a vast underground space.

There was no sunlight here, and the dim lighting made it seem somewhat eerie. The spacious hall was dry and cold, like the shadow under the sun.

A long corridor led to the distance, with bottomless abysses on both sides, dark and chilling.

Tobirama, dressed in gray, had a new bandage wrapped around his left side. He leaned on a wooden cane and stood quietly at the end of the corridor.

He liked this environment. Standing here, he felt like a king of the night, his every word and action unquestionable.

Swish! A cat-faced ANBU appeared in front of Tobirama, bowing and kneeling on one knee.

"Why didn't I know that Uchiha Shū had reached the level of a Special Jonin?" Tobirama asked calmly.

"Sir, I failed in my duty," the cat-faced ANBU trembled.

Tobirama looked down at the ANBU, expressionless, and said, "You know what to do. Go and receive your punishment."

The cat-faced ANBU clenched his right hand into a fist, his body shaking like a sieve, but he dared not argue, "Yes!"

The punishments in the Root were too severe, and no one wanted to endure them.

Tobirama nodded in satisfaction, "You know what to do, right?"

The cat-faced ANBU immediately nodded, gritting his teeth, "I will keep a close eye on Uchiha Shū."

Tobirama nodded, "Since he's not a waste, he shouldn't exist in this world. It seems that two years ago, he acted on his own. Hmph, to use a medical report to clear himself. What a good strategy. But this time, jumping out on his own shows a lack of intelligence. Choose your people and make this person who shouldn't exist disappear!"

"I understand. But, should we inform the Third Hokage?" the ANBU asked cautiously.

Tobirama looked up at the ceiling, where the shadow of Konoha's Hokage sat, "No need. Go and do it."

"Yes!"

"Monkey, what you want to do but dare not, I will do. One day, you will realize that only absolute power through iron and blood is what Konoha truly needs." Tobirama heavily tapped his cane and turned to walk into the shadows.

...

By a small river in Konoha, the water was clear to the bottom, and the pebbles on the riverbed were clearly visible. The distant grass was green, stretching to the horizon. The trees by the riverbank were lush and verdant.

Kakashi leaned against a tree, engrossed in reading "Make-Out Paradise."

The three members of Team 7 were on a mission.

Naruto irritably threw an empty milk carton into the bamboo basket, his face full of anger.

"Kakashi-sensei, we do these kinds of tasks every day, and it's so boring!" Naruto pointed at Kakashi, who was reading under the tree, and complained loudly.

Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Kakashi with dissatisfaction.

"That's right, Kakashi-sensei. We are already Genin, so why do we have to do these kinds of tasks?"

Kakashi's eyes were fixed on the book, but the two complaints caught his attention. He looked up and saw the two of them, unable to suppress their frustration, and chuckled.

After so many days of doing these tasks, it was already quite impressive that they had endured this long.

"These tasks may be simple, but they are to train your basic skills. High-level tasks are full of danger, and a single mistake can lead to the failure of the entire mission. To help you grasp all aspects of a mission, these tasks are necessary. Every Genin who graduates from the Ninja Academy must go through this period of adjustment. It will improve your abilities..." Kakashi spoke with a righteous tone, but it was mostly nonsense.

Naruto wasn't fooled, or rather, he didn't listen. He just wanted to complete high-level tasks to show off to his classmates.

"Kakashi-sensei, we've done so much and improved a lot. Can we take on a high-level task?" Naruto urged Kakashi.

Sakura's eyes sparkled.

Kakashi shook his head inwardly. The ninjas who grew up in peacetime didn't understand the harshness of the ninja path.

In their era, after graduating from the Ninja Academy, they were immediately sent to the battlefield. Only the quick and brutal ninja battles could forge an outstanding ninja. Those who survived the battlefield became excellent ninjas.

Many of his classmates had already disappeared.

But the death rate back then was really high. Out of ten people, if two or three made it to the end, it was already good.

Due to the needs of war, they had no time to adapt to the ninja world. Unlike the current generation, who grew up in peace and had not yet realized the harshness of the world, they only thought about showing off.

They needed more training.

Kakashi continued reading "Make-Out Paradise," ignoring Naruto's shouting. In his view, Naruto was passionate and optimistic but too restless.

Thinking of this, Kakashi glanced at Sasuke.

In recent days, regardless of the task, Sasuke had completed it meticulously.

This surprised Kakashi. He thought Sasuke, filled with hatred, would lack the patience to do these low-level tasks quietly.

But the fact was, among the three, only Sasuke did the tasks calmly, without any impatience. Kakashi was curious. What kind of ability did Uchiha Shū have to teach Sasuke to be so calm?

Naruto, not giving up, saw that Kakashi ignored him and decided to confront him.

Turning his head, he saw Sasuke carefully picking up trash by the riverbank.

"Sasuke, why don't you say anything? We do these tasks every day, don't you find them annoying? Come on, let's go to the Third Hokage and ask for a more challenging task. When we tell Shikamaru and Kiba, they'll be so jealous," Naruto squinted his eyes, daydreaming.

He often caused trouble for Sasuke, but Sasuke ignored him.

Naruto, though seemingly carefree, was extremely sensitive. Sasuke wasn't just being cool; he genuinely didn't care.

Seeing Sasuke still calmly picking up trash, Naruto suddenly realized. Sasuke didn't just not care about him; he didn't care about anyone.

He was very curious about Sasuke. At some point, Naruto felt that Sasuke was very similar to him. But somehow, Sasuke had become different. He was very curious.

"Hey, Sasuke, aren't you angry?" Naruto leaned in, curious.

Sakura, who was bending down to pick up trash, perked up her ears.

"Why should I be angry?" Sasuke's eyes were fixed on the riverbank, and his bamboo tongs moved steadily, picking up the trash and flicking it into the bamboo basket.

"These meaningless trash-picking tasks are so embarrassing. Don't you think Kakashi-sensei is just messing with us? Shouldn't you be angry?" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi's eyes caught Sasuke's precise movements, and his pupils suddenly narrowed.

Hearing Naruto's question, Kakashi also perked up his ears. He wanted to hear why a seven-year-old Sasuke had such patience.

"I don't have time to be angry. I need to use every moment to improve myself. Besides, these trash-picking tasks are not meaningless; you just can't find their meaning," Sasuke dodged Naruto's face and moved two steps to the right, continuing to pick up trash.

"You can't find the meaning? What meaning could there be? How could such a lousy task have any meaning?" Naruto crossed his arms, turned his head, and sneered.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, a hint of pity in his eyes.

He saw himself from two years ago, desperately yearning for something. But his restless heart prevented him from calming down and understanding himself.

"What's that look for?" Naruto was angry. Sasuke's pity made him inexplicably furious.

Sasuke ignored Naruto and suddenly stepped into the river. Strangely, instead of sinking, he stood steadily on the water, his shoes not even getting wet.

"Wha..." Naruto, who had intended to fight Sasuke, was choked. Sakura covered her mouth, her face full of shock.

For them, who had just left the Ninja Academy, Sasuke's ability to walk on water was incredible.

Sasuke's face was calm, neither proud nor disdainful.

He walked calmly on the water, his tongs occasionally dipping into the water, and the trash would arc into the bamboo basket on the shore.

"Picking up trash can train shuriken throwing, and walking on water can train chakra control. Try to integrate training into your daily life, making every action a form of training. This way, you can stay ahead of others. One step ahead, and you'll stay ahead. Over time, you'll gain extraordinary power. So I say, these tasks are not meaningless; you just can't find their meaning."

Sasuke continued picking up trash, calm and composed.

Naruto and Sakura stared at Sasuke in shock.

Sasuke's calmness stunned them. Compared to Naruto's constant noise, Sasuke's calmness in picking up trash was more shocking. They were truly amazed.

Kakashi, closing his "Make-Out Paradise," was also stunned.

When he saw Sasuke picking up trash, he had a feeling. Now, it was confirmed, and he recalled Sasuke's slightly strange behavior during the previous tasks.

Kakashi suddenly realized that Sasuke had, without his notice, taken the lead among all his peers.

"Hey... Sasuke, who taught you?" Naruto stammered, suddenly feeling a bit ashamed.

"Of course, it was Shū. Who else could it be?" Sasuke smiled, a look of gratitude on his face.

If he hadn't trained with Shū for the past two years, he would have wasted all his time. Even after graduating from the Ninja Academy, he would have been no different from Naruto and Sakura.

Blind, restless, and without a goal.

But now, he had a clear goal, a step-by-step training plan, and visible progress. He was calmly and passionately pursuing power!

Sasuke enjoyed the joy of this progress.