"No—this time, I mean it."
Uchiha Shunichi shook his head as he spoke.
Sasuke froze for a moment, suddenly unsure of what he was supposed to do next.
Driven by an intense desire for revenge, Sasuke's daily life had long since become nothing but training after training.
Even so, he was deeply dissatisfied with the speed of his own progress. Compared to the former members of his clan… compared to that man when he was a child, the gap was still far too wide.
But in truth, this was perfectly normal.
When Uchiha Itachi was young, Konoha was still mired in war. Children were required to become combat-ready as quickly as possible, so both the clan and the village accelerated their training.
Now, however, it was a time of peace. The demand for combat power was low, and Konoha focused instead on ideological education for young ninja.
In other words… brainwashing. Indoctrination of loyalty.
"Then… what am I supposed to do now?"
Sasuke asked, at a complete loss.
Shunichi replied absentmindedly, "Read. Rest. Even taijutsu specialists don't train endlessly. Your body still can't handle prolonged training sessions."
Hearing this, Sasuke walked over to Shunichi and picked up a ninjutsu scroll
And understood absolutely nothing.
What Shunichi was studying now was no longer ordinary ninjutsu. It wasn't high-level, but it was still complex.
Moreover, it wasn't even a combat-oriented technique.
At once, the way Sasuke looked at Shunichi changed.
He had always known that this clansman of his was strong—but he never imagined that Shunichi was studying things he himself couldn't even comprehend.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not your opponent," Shunichi said slowly, sensing Sasuke's gaze. "I study these miscellaneous fields primarily to solve my own physical problems."
Although Shunichi still couldn't use his eyes for long periods, he had already grown accustomed to using sensory techniques in daily life.
While sensory ninjutsu was vague when it came to most objects, it reacted very strongly to the human body.
Sasuke paused, then said calmly, "Aside from you, no one our age is a match for me."
"That's pure wishful thinking," Shunichi shook his head, bluntly cutting him down. "You just haven't met them yet."
Sasuke chose to half-believe, half-doubt this answer. He understood his own strength, but he truly had never encountered an opponent on his level.
At this stage, Konoha was simply too peaceful.
In fact, the Ninja Academy itself couldn't teach much. Children from major clans usually had private instructors. The so-called "geniuses" of the Academy were little more than a comfort label for kids.
Only after graduating from the Academy could one truly be called a genin.
"This is a ninjutsu I've been conceptualizing. If you've got nothing else to do, try experimenting with it," Shunichi said after hesitating for a moment, tossing a scroll to Sasuke. "But be careful—don't damage your body. The moment you feel pain, stop immediately and come find me."
The scroll was only a half-finished product, but based on Shunichi's own experience, it still had some effect.
"This is what you've been busy with all this time?"
Sasuke opened the scroll curiously. What was written inside looked almost like a game—astonishingly simple.
"Yeah. The effect is weak, but it exists," Shunichi nodded.
Hearing that, Sasuke began to train.
To be fair, even though the contents of the scroll seemed like wasted effort, the difficulty wasn't low at all. Even if the results were minimal, it was still an excellent way to train chakra control.
...
As time passed, night fell.
Shunichi had prepared dinner that evening. Sasuke had made a mistake while practicing the ninjutsu—nothing serious, but his entire body ached whenever he moved.
Just as the two were about to eat, a sudden noise came from the courtyard. Instantly, both became alert.
The Uchiha clan had been wiped out. Anyone who came here now—other than Konoha ninja—could only be an enemy.
"Who's there?!"
Sasuke demanded, kunai in hand.
"It's me!!"
A familiar voice came from the yard.
Uzumaki Naruto stood there, filthy from head to toe, as if he'd been injured somehow. Upon hearing Sasuke's voice, he looked visibly relieved.
Seeing this, Shunichi sheathed his blade—but doubt lingered in his heart.
Why had this guy come to his house?
The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was extremely important to the village. ANBU were usually assigned to protect him at all times. Shunichi had sensed those hidden ANBU near Naruto more than once.
"What are you doing at my place?"
Sasuke asked coldly.
To Sasuke, Naruto was nothing more than an annoying deadweight—weak, yet lacking any self-awareness.
"Well… I don't know what happened today. I wandered around and somehow got lost. There are so many empty houses around here…"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly and laughed.
Hearing this, Shunichi immediately understood what had happened.
It seemed that the kid resurrected via Edo Tensei had erased Naruto's memories, along with the others'.
What puzzled him, however, was why the ANBU around Naruto hadn't reported this to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Was this some kind of test?
But wasn't that far too dangerous?!
Even if his Mangekyō Sharingan had issues, it was still a Mangekyō Sharingan. Its core abilities were all intact.
"Sasuke, let him in," Shunichi thought for a moment before speaking. "Dinner's ready anyway. He can eat with us."
He couldn't confirm the truth of the situation—but this was a good opportunity.
Sasuke was clearly reluctant, but he still let Naruto inside with a frosty expression.
"Wow! It smells amazing!"
The moment Naruto entered, the aroma of food hit him. "I didn't expect the two of you to know how to cook!"
"Hmph! Dead last—can't even do something this simple?"
Sasuke's irritation toward Naruto only grew stronger.
Naruto, however, didn't mind this attitude at all. Compared to the villagers' cold indifference, he actually preferred Sasuke's hostility.
At least Sasuke acknowledged his existence
Rather than looking at him with disgust even though he'd done nothing wrong.
"Eat first," Shunichi said calmly. "Afterward, I'll have Sasuke escort you home."