Chapter 40

Uchiha Compound

In the distance, an artificial lake shimmers under the setting sun, its surface glittering with light.

Outside the room, the wooden floor of the corridor is polished to a mirror-like shine.

Suzhong sits on a tatami mat, a redwood desk in front of him. On it are several scrolls, and he is engrossed in reading a palm-sized one.

These are all secret materials of the Uchiha clan, mostly about ninjutsu, with some detailing sealing techniques.

Suzhong focuses on the scrolls about ninjutsu. Although he cannot perform ninjutsu himself, he has never given up on studying it.

Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle. Suzhong will eventually face ninjutsu, and he has been thinking about how to counter it.

Now, he has some ideas.

In Suzhong's view, when facing various ninjutsu that manipulate natural energy, one can either rely on speed to dodge or face them head-on.

"Shun" is a technique developed to dodge ninjutsu, using a sudden burst of power in the legs to create a moment of high speed, thus evading the ninja's lock.

The battle with Kakashi showed Suzhong the feasibility of "Shun." Even Kakashi would be caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed.

For facing ninjutsu head-on, Suzhong thought of Guy.

Guy uses his powerful Steel Body Technique to gather air and form an air blade. This is a very promising direction.

Putting down the scroll, Suzhong raises his right hand into an axe-like position.

Blood quickly flows to his right hand, and the surface of his hand becomes covered with fine bumps, rising and falling as if millions of worms are wriggling under the skin.

With prolonged practice, Suzhong's control over his body has become increasingly precise. He has started to try controlling his capillaries, though progress is slow.

A year ago, he could already control most of his muscles. Focusing his strength in his hand is easy for him.

His pale right hand turns a bluish-black. Suzhong takes a deep breath, shudders, and his right hand suddenly chops down.

Sss!

A visible air blade flies out. The air blade strikes the ground ten meters away, creating a bowl-sized hole, with dirt flying everywhere.

Suzhong frowns, looks at the mud pit, and shakes his head in disappointment.

Although he can now produce an air blade, his strength is insufficient, and the air blade is merely a form.

Recalling the original story, Guy's ability to use the air blade to injure enemies is inseparable from the powerful burst of energy from the Eight Gates.

Suzhong cannot gather chakra and thus cannot use the Eight Gates. The only way is to continue enhancing his physical strength. Only with greater strength can he achieve a more powerful attack.

Two years of continuous training have led to a significant increase in Suzhong's strength.

His Hard Qi Gong, the Golden Bell Cover, has shown excellent results.

However, his Sharingan has not yet activated. Suzhong feels that his Sharingan may never activate. Although he is somewhat regretful, he does not care much about it. He will deal with it later.

Fortunately, his mutated Insight Eye has made rapid progress. The range of insight has expanded from the initial three meters to five meters, and its ability is more refined and powerful.

But after two years of rapid advancement, Suzhong has hit a bottleneck. Intense practice alone is making it difficult for him to improve.

This feeling comes from his keen soul, or rather, his mutated sword intent. It is sudden but makes Suzhong deeply believe.

Intense practice alone is no longer enough for the current Suzhong. This is also why he has decided to show his strength.

Exposing himself to the sun is dangerous, but danger also brings opportunity.

Suzhong can foresee the coming storm, but he is not afraid at all. This is something he has brought upon himself. The test of life and death is the source of his progress.

When Sasuke returns home, he sees Suzhong leaning to one side, his right hand supporting his chin, lost in thought.

"Autumn, I'm back," Sasuke says, sitting cross-legged not far from Suzhong.

"Today we received a C-rank mission. We will leave Konoha for a while, starting tomorrow," Sasuke says, slightly excited.

No matter how mature he tries to be, he cannot hide the fact that he is only seven years old.

Suzhong smiles, "What, a small C-rank mission has you this happy?"

Sasuke scratches his head, embarrassed, "Not really. I've never left Konoha before, and I'm looking forward to this mission to another country."

"Sure, it's good to go out and see the world. But when you're out, don't just enjoy the scenery; be cautious," Suzhong says habitually, a remnant of his teaching Xiao Sheng.

"Got it. By the way, can I really not learn your Hard Qi Gong?" Sasuke asks, somewhat unwilling.

Suzhong chuckles, "Still not giving up? Can you control the flow of your blood? Can you accurately control your heartbeat?"

Sasuke looks dejected, "No."

Suzhong smiles and turns back to the scroll, continuing his study.

"Remember, what suits you is the best. Your advantage is the Sharingan. Continuously evolving the Sharingan is your path. Of course, don't neglect other areas. Taijutsu, ninjutsu, especially Fire Release, should not be overlooked. Uchiha Madara could destroy all of Konoha with just taijutsu and Fire Release. So, ninjutsu is not inherently good or bad; it depends on how the ninja uses it. Memorize all the ninjutsu data I gave you; it will benefit you in the future." Suzhong speaks casually while quickly browsing the scroll. He can basically read it once and then put it aside.

Sasuke is used to Suzhong's reading habits. Initially, Suzhong's ability to remember things at a glance amazed him for a long time.

"Autumn, will exposing your strength bring trouble?" Sasuke asks, thinking of the ANBU who died in the alley two years ago.

Suzhong turns and looks at Sasuke with surprise, "You think a lot. But don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Sasuke nods without speaking. Suzhong always has a strong sense of purpose.

"Are you leaving the village tomorrow for the mission?" Suzhong suddenly asks.

"Yep. Is there something?" Sasuke turns to look at Suzhong, puzzled.

Suzhong touches his chin, squints, and thinks, "I'll go with you."

"Really!" Naruto's eyes widen in surprise, "We're on a mission, not on vacation," Naruto says, feigning seriousness.

"Can't help it. Sasuke can't eat food cooked by others, so I have to go and cook for him, acting as a nanny," Suzhong points to his back with his right thumb.

Naruto only now notices that Suzhong is wearing a black robe and carrying a small black pot on his back, which, if not looked at closely, might make him seem hunched.

"Pfft! Hahaha..." Naruto points at Suzhong's black pot and laughs.

Sasuke's mouth twitches, speechless. He thinks, "Can't you find a better excuse?"

The group chats and jokes, and soon Kakashi arrives at the Konoha gate. He glances at Suzhong with surprise but does not ask.

After calling for the pass, he leads the group out.

The two guards at the gate ignore Suzhong, not even bothering to register him.

"Who is that guy? Why did the ANBU tell us to ignore him?"

"Who knows? Maybe the Hokage has given him some other task. We're just gatekeepers; this isn't our concern. Just follow orders."

"Makes sense..."

...

Early in the morning, Suzhong and Sasuke arrive at the Konoha gate.

From a distance, they see Naruto carrying a large bag, shouting and waving at Sakura.

Naruto waves and greets them when he sees Sasuke arrive.

Sasuke, expressionless, walks coolly to the gate and leans against the frame, closing his eyes to rest.

Naruto, ignored, looks annoyed. Seeing Suzhong smiling, he perks up.

"Autumn, are you here to see Sasuke off? Did you know, I got a C-rank mission!" Naruto puts his hands on his hips, looking proud.

Suzhong chuckles, "I'm going with you."

"Really!" Naruto's eyes widen in surprise, "We're on a mission, not on vacation," Naruto says, feigning seriousness.

"Can't help it. Sasuke can't eat food cooked by others, so I have to go and cook for him, acting as a nanny," Suzhong points to his back with his right thumb.

Naruto only now notices that Suzhong is wearing a black robe and carrying a small black pot on his back, which, if not looked at closely, might make him seem hunched.

"Pfft! Hahaha..." Naruto points at Suzhong's black pot and laughs.

Sasuke's mouth twitches, speechless. He thinks, "