Above Jonin

Silence!

Aside from Uchiha Mikoto and Kuiko, who did not understand the remark, the old man was utterly shocked. After his brief surprise, however, he burst into laughter!

"Haha, you little brat, all you know is how to talk big. Do you even know what your words mean? Do you know what a Jonin is? Jonin is already the limit for ninja. You know nothing, you little brat. Heh heh!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Katsuo asked softly, then quietly looked at the old man.

As he looked into Katsuo's eyes, the old man gradually stopped laughing, and his expression became extremely grave!

Perhaps many believed Jonin to be the pinnacle, because even the Kage of a village could ultimately only be classified as Elite Jonin. Yet the old man knew that there truly was something beyond Jonin!

Others might not know of such an existence, or might have subconsciously forgotten it. But as an elder of the Uchiha Clan, how could he possibly forget?

Twenty years ago, during that battle at the Valley of the End, even Konoha, dozens of kilometers away, could sense the intensity of the fighting. Earthquakes came one after another. That night, the people and animals of Konoha were all restless, while the entire village was eerily quiet. Everyone prayed, praying that the First Hokage would emerge victorious.

They could not help. Whether they were Jonin or Elite Jonin, that sort of battle was not one they could interfere with. All they could do was pray in their hearts!

Uchiha Feng, an Uchiha elder in the prime of his life at the time, had felt the battle raging dozens of kilometers away. His feelings had been immensely complicated. He hoped the First Hokage would win, yet he also did not want his former Patriarch, his former faith, to lose.

Before Konoha was founded, the pride of the Uchiha Clan, their faith, their Patriarch, an existence beyond Jonin, was named:

Uchiha Madara!

With Uchiha Madara's departure, they had lost their souls. With Uchiha Madara's defeat, they no longer possessed their former pride. This was a clan that had lost both its soul and pride; its decline had become inevitable!

"Uchiha Madara!"

Uchiha Feng's pupils contracted slightly. Before he realized it, a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan had appeared in his eyes, meeting Katsuo's bright black gaze!

These eyes! This feeling... what is going on?

Uchiha Feng frowned.

He is clearly just a scrawny five-year-old brat, yet I keep feeling there is something unusual about him. What exactly is different? Was I influenced by those words and Lord Madara?

No, that is not it!

Uchiha Feng fell into deep thought. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan gave off a heavy aura. Even Uchiha Mikoto, who feared him the least, did not dare disturb him at this moment.

After a long while, he shook his head. Rather than continue dwelling on it, he asked directly:

"Where are your parents? What is your father's name? Who let you enroll in school a year early?"

"It is just me in my family. My father's name was Uchiha Osamu."

"Uchiha Osamu? He was only a Chunin... What accomplishments could his child possibly have..."

Uchiha Feng thought to himself. He knew very well that the Uchiha Clan differed from others; they placed great importance on bloodline. The son of a Chunin would find it difficult to become a Jonin. Those with a one-tomoe Sharingan rarely produced children with two- or Three-Tomoe Sharingan. The odds exceeded ninety percent, to the point that it was nearly an ironclad rule.

But when he met Katsuo's eyes once more, he changed his mind.

"At your age, being able to stare into my Three-Tomoe Sharingan for so long truly shows that you are extraordinary. I approve your nomination to the Ninja Academy!"

Uchiha Kuiko and Katsuo exchanged smiles. He then gave Uchiha Feng a solemn bow.

"Thank you!"

Only now did he learn that the Ninja Academy had so many unspoken rules. There was an enormous difference between having a Jonin's nomination and not having one. If things were truly as Uchiha Feng had said, such a nomination could already be considered a great favor!

Only as an Uchiha elder did he have the privilege to do this. For an ordinary small clan, only someone at the Patriarch's level could nominate two students at once!

"Heh heh, do not celebrate too soon. Once you get to the Ninja Academy, you must protect Mikoto for me. If she suffers even the slightest bit of bullying, I will hold you accountable..."

"I do not need anyone to protect me, hmph!" Uchiha Mikoto said haughtily, then ran out with a red face!

"Hm? Mikoto? Uchiha Mikoto? Could she be Itachi and Sasuke's mother? This..."

Katsuo was slightly startled. Only then did he notice the girl.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you thinking, you little bastard? By protection, I mean the kind where 'you step in when someone wants to bully her, and you step in when she wants to bully someone else.' Do not get the wrong idea, damn it..."

Katsuo answered helplessly:

"A bodyguard and a thug..."

"Heh heh, you are a smart one. Oh, right, you need to pay special attention to a little brat named Uchiha Fugaku. He circles around my Mikoto like a fly all day long. If you have the ability, help me teach him a hard lesson."

"Grandfather, he has not even started school yet. How could he possibly be Fugaku's match? If you send him to do that, he will get beaten badly... Besides, if you have the ability, why do you not deal with him yourself? Are you not just getting Katsuo hurt?"

Uchiha Kuiko pointed at Katsuo's skin-and-bones body and muttered with a face full of black lines.

Uchiha Feng flew into a rage and roared:

"If he were not the Great Elder's grandson, I would have beaten the hell out of him already..."

Katsuo scratched his head awkwardly. It was the first time he had heard someone shout their cowardice so righteously.

After leaving the administrative office, Katsuo immediately found a noodle shop, ordered a large bowl of noodles, and slurped them down.

He was skin and bones and terribly hungry. Even after finishing the large bowl, he was only half full, but he still restrained the urge to order another.

The main reason was his body. What it needed now was recuperation, not to be stuffed full.

As for how to recuperate? Naturally, by eating smaller meals more often and maintaining balanced nutrition.

After eating, Katsuo casually bought a bunch of bananas and several apples from a fruit stall. After purchasing two bottles of milk and several pieces of bread from a small shop, he headed straight home.

Along the way, he occasionally kept watch behind and around him, wary of anyone following him, until he finally saw his own courtyard.

The first thing he did after returning home was tuck several small scrolls onto his person. Then he shut the doors and windows, and left the house.

He climbed a large tree several hundred meters away from his home. This was a tree Uchiha Katsuo had climbed before. From here, he could see his own courtyard, but it was difficult to see this place from the house.

Sitting on a branch, he began reading the Seal Technique Scroll.

From time to time, he practiced forming the hand seals shown in the scroll. He knew that Seal Technique was a mandatory lesson for ninja.

The speed of forming hand seals was also immensely important. After all, a freak like Uchiha Itachi could form six seals in a second—enough to terrify Kakashi, who had more than a decade of experience jerking off!