Sabotaging His Own Future

"..."

The Third Hokage fell silent for a moment, then sighed and explained,

"This is a rule established by the Second Hokage. Every ninja must abide by it. I cannot make an exception for him just because..."

"Is that your reason?"

Katsuo cut him off with a cold sneer.

"Rules set by those before us may have suited the circumstances and needs of their time, but that does not mean they suit the present. You are the Hokage as well. Are you truly content to be an unremarkable successor instead of becoming a pioneer like those who came before you?"

The Third Hokage stared at him in astonishment. It was hard to imagine that a child not even ten years old could say such things.

Those words reflected the far-reaching perspective of one who could see the bigger picture across time.

"Impudent! What could a brat like you possibly understand? Do you think knowing a little taijutsu makes someone a ninja? If it did, samurai would never have been eliminated by ninja. This world is not as simple as you think..."

"Other than taijutsu, he can barely do anything at all. It is already a stretch to call him a ninja... Becoming a Genin is both the limit of his abilities and his good fortune. The Third Hokage has already shown him exceptional mercy and done all he possibly could!"

Utatane Koharu rebuked him with a frosty expression.

"Konoha can afford to have fewer Chunin, or even fewer Jonin, but it cannot allow Chunin and Jonin to have one-dimensional abilities and simple minds. Chunin require not only strength, but a certain degree of overall competence. Jonin must also possess command ability on top of that. Boy, having enough strength does not qualify one to become a Chunin or Jonin. Might Duy simply does not meet the requirements for promotion to Chunin."

Mitokado Homura picked up where Utatane Koharu had left off and revealed the main reason the Third Hokage would not promote Might Duy.

"It is not that we are heartless. Strictly speaking, Might Duy does not even qualify to be a ninja, because he cannot even learn the Three Body Technique... Calling him a ninja is already giving him too much credit!"

Katsuo's face darkened terrifyingly. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he said in a low voice,

"So, in your eyes, those who specialize in taijutsu are this worthless? What gives you the right to look down on others, to act so high and mighty? Your strength?"

The two widened their eyes, slammed their hands on the desk, and furiously rebuked him.

"Impudent!"

"Hmph, daring to defy your elders at such a young age. You truly are an unfilial wretch!"

"When the two of us made our names, your father did not even know where he was. And you think you are worthy of questioning our strength?"

The moment they resorted to personal attacks, Katsuo no longer showed them any courtesy.

"How famous are you, exactly? If one man attaining the Dao and his chickens and dogs ascending to heaven counts, then yes, you are certainly very famous..."

Katsuo's offhand remark left the two Advisors incredulous before rage immediately surged through them.

"Bastard! You uncultured little brat, you have quite the nerve!"

"Say that again if you have the guts!"

The atmosphere in the office grew unbearably tense. Chakra circulated through their bodies, and they faintly showed signs of preparing to attack him.

Katsuo's words had not only turned the two men's faces livid, but even the Third Hokage frowned deeply, displeasure written across his face.

"Hm? You want to fight? Are you planning to rise up and murder someone in front of the Hokage?"

Katsuo provoked their nerves again. The mockery at the corner of his mouth made the two of them wish they could strike him down immediately.

"Enough!"

Although the Third Hokage knew Katsuo was not bad at heart and had merely spoken disrespectfully because Might Duy had been disregarded, that did not mean he would remain indifferent and allow Katsuo to defy his elders.

"Might Duy's matter is not for you to meddle in, nor is it something you need to worry about. You may leave now!"

The Third Hokage's expression was stern, and his voice was cold. He did not want to see this troublesome troublemaker right now...

"You will regret today's decision... A bunch of rigid, old-fashioned fools!"

"Get out!"

The Third Hokage bellowed. Terrifying Chakra burst forth from his body, filling the cramped room with overwhelming pressure!

This was the majesty of a Kage. Katsuo had experienced it firsthand!

It was so powerful that it suffocated him, so powerful that it made his heart pound with fear!

He raised his head and met the Third Hokage's gaze, then looked at the two Advisors with their livid faces. Katsuo silently turned and left.

Behind him, the two Advisors flew into a rage at Hiruzen.

"Are you just going to watch that beast defy his elders?"

Their vicious words made the killing intent in Katsuo's heart surge wildly!

Even so, his pace did not change. Without looking back, he left the office.

Katsuo knew that how he had behaved before the Third Hokage today would affect his future development to some extent. The two Advisors would certainly make things difficult for him in the future, but he did not regret it!

His future was certainly important, but if he could remain unmoved while the brother who had first guided him was being scorned, then how would he be any different from a cold-blooded beast?

What right would he have to face Might Duy in the future?

To hell with the Hokage. I'm done playing along with you!

Even without the Hokage faction's support, Uchiha Katsuo could still rise to prominence!

At worst, he could just defect. He was alone anyway, so it did not matter where he went. Besides, he had the ability to protect himself. Escaping Konoha would not be difficult!

If a man died, even birds would still fly toward the sky. So long as he was alive, why should he put up with this crap?

After parting with Old Duy, Katsuo was walking home when he suddenly stopped. A vast quantity of invisible memories and insights flooded into his mind all at once...

The Shadow Clone's time was up. Its Chakra had been exhausted!

The flood of information entering his brain left his face haggard. This was the aftereffect of overusing Shadow Clones.

Although Shadow Clones were an excellent training cheat for gaining experience, they also came with enormous drawbacks. Throughout the entire Original Work, Naruto was actually the only one who truly used Shadow Clones for training!

Why could no one else do it? Even Kakashi knew the benefits of using this technique for training, so why did they not use it in their daily training? Why did even Naruto rarely do so?

After overusing Shadow Clones for training once, Katsuo finally understood the reason!

Mental exhaustion could really kill you!

That had been his first time training with Shadow Clones. He had created a full twenty of them, and he had naively believed that he was still leaving himself some leeway...

Yet when those clones were released, his consciousness had nearly collapsed. The weak sensation of darkness invading his mind had been eerily similar to the warning sign of death approaching!

Only then had he suddenly understood why the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique had been classified as a Forbidden Technique, and why so few people in the Original Work used it for training...

Katsuo had also wondered why Naruto could do it. How had he managed it?

He had lived two lives, and his spiritual power was extraordinary and vast, yet even he had nearly been unable to withstand the aftereffects... So how could Naruto?

Because he was the protagonist?

Or because he was Asura's inheritor? Strictly speaking, Naruto was also a being formed from the fusion of two souls. It was entirely possible that he possessed spiritual power as formidable as Katsuo's, though the Original Work defined souls as Chakra...

Of course, the biggest reason was probably that he had protagonist plot armor...