Task Squad?

Having sensed the danger, Uchiha Yu did not panic. He adjusted his breathing rhythm and fully controlled the Natural Energy as it circulated, keeping the Dantian's tremors steady while making them deeper and stronger.

The giant ape in his mind seemed to sense the approaching end and erupted into one last frenzy. Uchiha Yu's heart pounded wildly, as though on the verge of cardiac arrest.

An ordinary person would have felt chest tightness and shortness of breath at best, or piercing pain in the pit of their stomach at worst, perhaps even directly experiencing the great terror between life and death. Yet Uchiha Yu felt no pain at all. Instead, he sensed an illusory swelling in his nonexistent body. His intuition told him it was not a problem—as long as he could beat that damned monkey to death, nothing would be a problem.

He was a strange cultivator who followed the feeling of pleasure, and he had complete faith in his instincts. He gathered all his focus and did his utmost to keep both his mind and body steady.

As for that stinking monkey in his mind, there was no need to do anything more. He only needed to wait for the mental realm to turn on its own and slowly destroy the Heart Monkey.

At this moment, Uchiha Yu was not meditating, yet he was better than meditating. His heart held towering waves, yet he could sense all things as clearly as a mirror. Every beat of his heart, every surge of blood through his veins, the seemingly unreal tremors of his Dantian, and the Heart Monkey's final struggle in the depths of his mind were reflected in his awareness down to the tiniest detail. Internally, it was as though he possessed the power of omniscience.

With a turn of thought, he discovered that it was not merely inward omniscience. His perception of the outside had also become unprecedentedly powerful.

The Third Hokage's impassioned speech, the breathing and movements of sixty-two newly promoted chunin, the faint breaths of six Anbu ninja, the dust drifting through the air, and even the blade-sharp gazes of the Anbu were all drawn into Uchiha Yu's mind.

Uchiha Yu felt neither surprise nor joy, yet he understood that he had gained a supernatural ability.

[Omniscient Mind's Eye.]

Unfortunately, his first supernatural ability was still very immature. Its range extended only nine meters. Beyond that distance, the information he could perceive abruptly diminished into meaningless chaos.

As the Heart Monkey released its fiercest roar, its body suddenly exploded, becoming severed limbs and fragments that filled the mental space. Then, amid the Dantian's tremors, they turned into crimson dust.

But the Heart Monkey had not completely disappeared. Its shrill howls quickly turned into pitiful whimpers, and Uchiha Yu could even hear its plea for forgiveness.

How interesting. Let me see what the Heart Monkey has become now.

The mental space shifted with his will. The red dust rapidly settled to the ground, spreading into an incomparably flat crimson land. Upon it, a trembling Golden Snub-nosed Monkey emerged.

It had to be said that the monkey now looked genuinely adorable. Its large, bright black eyes, blue face, golden fur, and pitifully huddled form made it look harmless and obedient no matter how one looked at it. It was practically a different species from the gorilla that had beaten its chest and overturned the natural order moments ago.

But Uchiha Yu would not forget that this monkey had merely been beaten into submission for the time being. On the long road of cultivation ahead, it would remain inseparable from him forever, always trying to stir his emotions and cast him into the dust so that it could take his place.

The Heart Monkey could not be destroyed. It could only be defeated again and again, until it was completely tamed in the end.

Completely taming the Heart Monkey...

That would only be possible when I finally become immortal... probably.

That makes sense. How could the Heart Monkey be destroyed? It is the combined manifestation of desire. Without it, there would only be a lack of desire, without any impulses or emotional fluctuations at all.

Something without desire or impulse definitely would not be human. Even plants have desires and emotions. Guided by desire, they compete for sunlight, water, and fertilizer, even developing weapons such as strangulation, thorns, and poison.

Perhaps only inorganic stones and purely numerical computer programs possess absolutely no desire or emotion.

I am human. Immortals are human too. The Heart Monkey endures as long as people do.

Hm?

Uchiha Yu suddenly discovered that the crimson earth in the mental world was thinning, like snow covering the ground as it melted. The dust formed from the flesh and blood of the giant Heart Monkey's body was vanishing.

At the same time, he sensed a heavy rain descending upon the fields of his heart. The rain was red.

The most direct benefit of subduing the Heart Monkey revealed itself. Its tyrannical emotions became a storm within his mind, nourishing Uchiha Yu's heart and spirit.

It felt incredible!

At this very moment, Uchiha Yu felt an incomparably familiar rush of pleasure. His mind was especially fulfilled, his spirit clear and joyful, and his body completely relaxed. He trembled almost imperceptibly in his Horse Stance, stirring up a tangible surge of vitality and blood.

It was like finally relieving himself after holding in a bowel movement for three days. The comparison was a little crude, but unexpectedly fitting.

As the Heart Monkey calmed, the mental world gradually blurred in Uchiha Yu's mind's eye until he could no longer see it at all.

Fortunately, his perception of the outside world and his body remained clear. His newly acquired supernatural ability had not vanished, which greatly satisfied Uchiha Yu. This was his first supernatural ability—if he had lost it, he would have been furious to death.

There was nothing more cruel in the world than losing something the moment it reached one's hands.

As it happened, just as the Heart Monkey was temporarily subdued, the Third Hokage finally finished speaking about the Will of Fire.

"...I hope everyone will uphold the Will of Fire and strive for Konoha's prosperity and stability!"

Clap clap clap—

The excited children applauded desperately. Some of the more fanatical ones even burst into tears, too overwhelmed to control themselves.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked with satisfaction upon the results of his speech. He believed that these newly promoted chunin would all become his supporters and provide tremendous value in the coming war.

"Sure enough, I am the one who is right."

"The times have changed. Ninja are no longer like they were in the Warring States Era, treating themselves as nothing but tools and becoming blades in the hands of the powerful."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the hidden Root ninja, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Such ninja still exist, but their numbers are no longer the mainstream. They will never be able to stir up much trouble."

The Third Hokage left in satisfaction. He had signed the promotion orders yesterday, and there was no need for him to personally handle such a trivial matter as distributing them. He did not have that much time.

Next, he still had to attend the promotion ceremony for adult genin. Although the Third Hokage knew that these ninja lacked the potential to become jonin, they possessed extensive mission experience and were already qualified chunin squad leaders.

In the early stages of war, these chunin would be the village's main force. They absolutely could not be neglected like Danzo neglected them.

Before long, an administrative ninja handed Uchiha Yu his promotion order.

Before he could read it clearly, another administrative ninja carrying a scroll and writing brush stepped up and asked, "Chunin can form their own mission squads. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"If you do, report their names and ninja registration numbers. Lord Hokage will coordinate the personnel as appropriate. If you have no candidates, then you can only wait for the village's random assignment."

"Mission squad?" Uchiha Yu smiled and answered decisively, "I do not intend to form a mission squad, so there is no need to register."

How could Uchiha Yu possibly team up with others now? Could he let anyone learn his secrets?

Besides, forming a squad meant worrying about others, spending time on them, and splitting mission rewards. How could that be more comfortable than living on his own?