Afterward, Aoki Yoru ignored Kakashi, who was immersed in his beautiful world, and turned to look at the three members of Team 7.
At this moment, they were sizing him up with curious expressions; after the briefing they'd had last time, they knew he was a legendary figure.
Then Sasuke stepped forward, gave him a deep bow, and asked with an expectant look on his face:
"Senior Aoki, may I ask how I can increase my strength as rapidly as you?"
After returning home that day, he had specifically looked into Aoki Yoru's past. He had been unremarkable in school, so how did he become so strong in just one year? Was it Kakashi's teaching?
But he was also being taught by Kakashi, and he hadn't seen his strength grow by leaps and bounds!
Sasuke was certain there must be a reason. He had originally wanted to find an opportunity to visit and ask, but he hadn't expected to run into him today.
"Oh?"
Aoki Yoru rubbed his chin and gave Sasuke a surprised look. He hadn't expected the always arrogant Uchiha to actually lower himself to ask for advice.
"Can I ask you something? Why do you want to become stronger? Is it for Itachi Uchiha?"
Upon hearing Itachi Uchiha's name, a look of resentment instantly appeared on Sasuke's face, and his Sharingan activated reactively.
"That's right. I must kill him with my own hands and then revitalize the Uchiha Clan."
Aoki Yoru asked directly: "Increasing your strength might allow you to kill Itachi Uchiha, but how do you plan to revitalize the Uchiha Clan?"
In the original story, even when he reached Six Paths level, the Uchiha hadn't been revitalized. Only one Uchiha Sarada remained; in another ten years, she would probably be called Sarada Uzumaki, and the Uchiha would no longer exist in Konoha.
Sasuke suddenly became excited and said loudly, "Naturally, after killing Itachi Uchiha, I will become the strongest. At that time, the Uchiha name will shake the Ninja World."
"Oh, is that so?"
Aoki Yoru was noncommittal and turned to look at Naruto and Sakura, who were completely confused, not knowing what they were talking about.
"Hey, Naruto, do you know Uchiha Madara?"
"Who's that? Is he Sasuke's relative?" Naruto was bewildered.
"What about you, Sakura?"
"I haven't heard of him either. Is he someone important?" Sakura looked puzzled. Judging by Aoki Yoru's tone, he should be a major figure, but why hadn't she heard of him?
Seeing their expressions, Aoki Yoru then asked: "Then what about Itachi Uchiha?"
The two shook their heads simultaneously upon hearing the name.
Aoki Yoru looked at Sasuke. "You see? Even Uchiha Madara, who was as famous as the First Hokage and co-founded Konoha Village with his illustrious reputation, is hardly remembered by anyone now."
"The crimes committed by Itachi Uchiha are too numerous to record, but look, other than Ninjas, how many people even know of him?"
"Even if you become the strongest in the Ninja World, so what? At best, you'll just be another Uchiha Madara. When you grow old, your name will also drift away with the wind."
Hearing this, Sasuke froze, his face turning pale. This plan was the most perfect solution he had painstakingly thought of. If he couldn't revitalize the Uchiha Clan, how could he face them in the afterlife?
"Then does Senior Aoki have any good suggestions? Please teach me!" Sasuke looked at him expectantly. Since the senior brought it up, he must have a solution.
The originally serious Aoki Yoru instantly became lewd. "It's simple. Find a hundred women to have children with. At worst, you'll get fifty children. If you happen to be exceptionally gifted, maybe each woman will have two or three litters."
"In two or three generations, there will be thousands of people. If you live long enough, you might even see the population recover to what it was before the massacre. Then, your clan will still be the illustrious Uchiha Clan."
As he spoke, Aoki Yoru patted his shoulder with a meaningful look.
Young man, working hard to have children is what you should be doing, instead of being single-mindedly focused on seeking revenge against Itachi.
"Sasuke, before you go to seek revenge against Itachi, find a few women to have children first. In case you die, the Uchiha bloodline will at least survive and the clan won't go extinct. I imagine you wouldn't acknowledge Itachi as the Uchiha Clan's legacy, would you?"
At this moment, Kakashi, who was on a tree focusing intently on his 'philosophy of life,' stumbled and almost fell off the tree. He looked at Aoki Yoru, who was currently playing the role of a mentor, in shock.
The expressions on the faces of the three youngsters in the field instantly froze, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Inner Sakura was waving her fists. 'What nonsense is this bastard saying? Is he going to let 99 women compete with me for Sasuke?'
"Alright, let's train," Aoki Yoru clapped his hands to interrupt them, ignoring their reactions.
During the subsequent training, Sasuke was a bit absent-minded; it seemed he had found a grand path to success.
...
The second stage of the Chunin Exams.
Just like in the original story, it was held at the tower in the Forest of Death.
Sasuke was still bitten by Orochimaru just like in the original story and had now been taken by Kakashi to be sealed.
At this moment, Aoki Yoru was chatting with Yui and Kenta on the high platform, looking at the examinees in the field with interest.
Although they were already Jonin, they had only graduated two years ago, and this was their first time watching others take the exam.
It was like someone who already had a driver's license enjoying watching novices practice driving in a panic; for some reason, it just gave a sense of satisfaction.
"Kenta, Yui said you went to the Hidden Sand Village for an exchange. How was it? Did you gain anything?"
When Aoki Yoru first returned, he wanted to find his teammates for a get-together, but unfortunately, he only found Yui, who was working at the hospital.
She told him that Kakashi had taken the newcomers out on a mission, and Kenta had been sent to the Hidden Sand Village for an exchange.
Since Konoha and the Sand signed an alliance treaty, to demonstrate the close relationship between the two sides, people were sent to exchange and learn from each other every year for a period of six months.
Kenta showed an excited smile. "I gained a lot this time. During the exchange, I met a Genin named Raiga who is a few years older than us."
"Like Rock Lee, he completely cannot use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, but he has a strange technique that, like the Eight Gates, can multiply his strength. I've already figured out the basics, and before long, I'll be able to replicate it."
"Wait, if that's the case, why is he still a Genin? Given his strength and age, he should have become a Chunin or Jonin long ago. You know the Hidden Sand Village is desperately short of experts," Yui pointed out the contradiction.
"Yui, not everyone has Rock Lee's luck," Aoki Yoru said, looking at Rock Lee, who was frantically warming up.
"In a hidden village, Chakra is everything. Someone like Raiga who can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu will be looked down upon by the whole village, and no one respects his Taijutsu either."
Kenta nodded in agreement. "Exactly, that's Raiga's situation. He's looked down upon by his teammates and trains alone day and night. I only ended up sparring with him by a stroke of luck."
At this moment, the field suddenly went quiet. With Gekkō Hayate's announcement, the matches officially began.
Although the Genins' strength was only at that level, Aoki Yoru and the others watched with great interest; after all, it was enough of a show to enjoy.
An interesting scene occurred mid-match: Neji Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga fought internally. In the end, Hinata was still heavily injured by Neji, though she wasn't in critical condition like in the original story.
"It seems Neji still can't let it go," Aoki Yoru sighed.
"Well, after all, he still doesn't know the truth of what happened back then. I wonder what choice he'll make—will it be the same as the original, or will he walk a different path?"
The matches proceeded without much surprise until the final round—Rock Lee VS Gaara.
Aoki Yoru couldn't figure out why, even though Gaara had been exposed, the Hidden Sand Village still hadn't let him go back. What was Rasa thinking? Had Orochimaru really given him that much confidence?
The battle between the two in the field was indeed spectacular; even an average Chunin would struggle against them.
The final result was no different from the original story: Rock Lee's left leg and left arm were crushed by Gaara, and he was saved by Guy at the last moment.
Whoosh—
A figure appeared beside them, kneeling on one knee, and said in a low voice: "Lord Aoki, the Hokage has an emergency summons."