The Powerful Sage Body!

Yo knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. No helping it—too excited. Too excited to sleep!

Since he couldn't sleep.

He might as well not bother.

Yo got up, threw on some casual clothes, glanced at his younger brother still sound asleep beside him, and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Shun!

Yo vanished into thin air, leaving not a single trace behind.

Meanwhile.

In the Konoha Back Forest.

Yo appeared like a ghost, silently materializing beneath a tree.

On the trunk was an inconspicuous Taiji Symbol pattern.

This was one of the Flying Thunder God Formulas Yo had pre-carved.

In fact, ever since he mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique a year ago.

Yo had left Flying Thunder God Formulas in many corners.

He did this.

First, for convenience.

Second, for safety.

Yo had never forgotten his situation—as an orphan of the "evil Uchiha Clan."

He and Sasuke seemed safe, but a sword always hung over their heads.

Not to mention what the Third Hokage truly thought in his heart.

Just that old schemer Danzo, with his morbid obsession for the Sharingan, was enough to keep Yo on constant alert.

These Flying Thunder God Formulas scattered everywhere were Yo's escape route.

The moment he sensed any danger, he would instantly flee a thousand miles away to a safe place.

"With the massive Chakra provided by the Sage Body, continuous use and long-distance teleportation of the Flying Thunder God should no longer be a problem!"

Yo turned around, gazing at the dense forest shrouded in night, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Alright then, next... let's get properly familiar with how much Chakra this new body has brought me!"

First test: Distance!

Yo sensed an extremely hidden mark on a distant cliff.

Shun!

Yo vanished abruptly, and almost in the same instant, he appeared out of nowhere on the cliff ten kilometers away.

"Success!"

Yo's heart surged with excitement.

For such a long distance, he used to need at least three consecutive Flying Thunder God jumps to cover it.

Now, one try and it worked!

Second test:

Continuous Flying Thunder God!

Yo began performing irregular consecutive teleportations through the forest.

Shun! Shun! Shun!

Yo flickered between treetops, the ground, and behind rocks.

Sometimes he flashed east, only to instantly appear on the west side; sometimes he leaped high, sometimes he skimmed low along the earth.

"The consumption for this kind of continuous teleportation is completely acceptable!"

"Before, I'd start feeling strained after three in a row. Now..."

Yo silently calculated. He had teleported continuously dozens of times through the forest before he even felt a slight drop in Chakra.

But the recovery speed was extremely fast—within a few breaths, it replenished.

Recovery speed far outpacing consumption speed—absolutely ridiculous!

Third test:

Flying Thunder God Slash!

Yo found an open area where several wooden dummies he usually used for practicing Kunai throwing were set up.

Shun!

Yo hurled a Kunai fiercely, shooting it toward one of the wooden stakes.

The instant the Kunai touched the stake, Yo appeared right behind it, his Shuriken thrusting straight into the wood.

Shua!

Yao vanished into thin air, reappearing behind another wooden post, the shuriken in his hand slashing horizontally.

Shua! Shua! Shua!

Yao kept appearing.

And kept vanishing.

His attacks left no trace, completely unpredictable.

The Flying Thunder God Slash freed him from the inertial limits of conventional taijutsu.

He could launch a lethal strike from any angle.

"This is the real assassination art. The Fourth Hokage used this to make his enemies tremble back then, right?"

"Almost dawn! Let's try Fire Release Ninjutsu again!"

Without realizing it.

The sky's edge began to pale with the first light of day.

Yao stopped moving, breathing slightly heavily, but his eyes were startlingly bright.

Nearly half the night of high-intensity experimentation had elevated his understanding of the Sage Body by another level.

His chakra was truly abundant!

His recovery was truly fast!

His vitality was truly strong!

His stamina was truly overflowing!

"Right now, I at least possess combat power comparable to a peak Kage-level!"

Yao clenched his fist: "From now on, I never have to live with my tail between my legs again!"

Before, he had to keep a low profile just to survive, to avoid being targeted by that old schemer Danzo, right?

Now?

What is low profile?

I'm this damn strong now, why the hell would I keep a low profile?

If Danzo still wants to play any tricks, just come at me!

Hokage Building.

The office was thick with smoke.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, pipe in his mouth, frowning at the data sheets before him.

At this moment, the longest-serving Hokage of Konoha was racking his brains over the issue of assigning graduates to teams.

Every year at this time.

He, as Hokage, had to make the final call, dividing the graduates and assigning them to suitable Jōnin instructors.

This concerned the cultivation of Konoha's new blood and could not be taken lightly.

Most students were easy to handle, like the Ino-Shika-Cho legacy combination—these had established precedents.

The real trouble lay in a few special children this year:

Uzumaki Naruto!

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a special and vital asset, the village's most important and most necessary weapon.

Uchiha Sasuke!

One of the last surviving orphans of the Uchiha Clan, gifted with exceptional talent, but his heart filled with hatred and his personality extreme.

Uchiha Yao!

Sasuke's twin brother, also an Uchiha orphan.

Unlike his younger brother's coldness, Yao appeared cheerful and sociable, with excellent taijutsu and theoretical scores.

He was very popular among his classmates, the top honor student of this year's class.

"That child, Yao..."

The Third Hokage took a drag from his pipe, slowly exhaling smoke, his gaze deep.

Yao's excellence was flawless, and his interpersonal skills were beyond reproach.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi always felt that Yao was too mature! Too mature for his age!

"Could he be another child with a Hokage's mindset, like Itachi? If so, that's fine!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples. Uchiha Itachi wasn't scary; what was scary was another Uchiha Madara.

"Naruto needs proper guidance and monitoring; Sasuke also needs control and direction. And this Yao..."

The Third lightly tapped his fingers on Yao's file photo, which showed a black-haired youth with a warm, gentle smile.

He seems to need nothing at all—which only makes him more unsettling!

So, how should these three important students be assigned?

Separate them, placing each into a relatively mediocre squad?

Or gather them together, entrusted to a jōnin of sufficient caliber?

If they're gathered together.

Which jōnin has the ability, the patience, and is reliable enough?

Who can simultaneously handle the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the orphan of the Uchiha Clan?

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of a cane striking the floor broke the office's silence.

The office door slid open, and Shimura Danzō walked in.

Half his body was wrapped in bandages, revealing only a sharp left eye.

An aura of cold gloom radiated from him, like a venomous snake.

"Hiruzen!"

Danzō's voice was hoarse and direct, with no pleasantries:

"Hand over that Uchiha Yao from this year's batch. I'll take charge of his training!"

It wasn't a request.

More like a notification.

The Third Hokage's hand, holding his pipe, paused for a moment. He didn't even lift his eyelids, slowly exhaling a smoke ring:

"No."

Danzō's brow immediately furrowed, and his cane struck the floor heavily:

"Why? He's just an evil Uchiha brat!"

"Yao is the most outstanding student of this batch, a rare genius!"

The Third finally looked up, his gaze piercing through the smoke at his old friend:

"He has a bright future. He shouldn't enter Root and be molded by you into a tool without emotions!"

"A tool?"

Danzō sneered, a trace of mockery flashing in his lone eye:

"Have you forgotten that night of the Nine-Tails Incident? The mysterious Uchiha who controlled the Nine-Tails?"

The Third Hokage fell silent.

"The Uchiha Clan is inherently evil. Their Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, is the root of turmoil!"

Danzō said coldly: "Letting a brat like this grow unchecked—who can guarantee he won't become the next Madara?"

He stepped forward, lowering his voice but increasing its oppressive weight:

"Hand him over. Let my Root guide him, and we can ensure his absolute loyalty to Konoha!"

"Don't forget Itachi!"

The Third Hokage's voice suddenly rose, his tone sharpening:

"We promised him we would take care of his two younger brothers!"

"This is our vow to his sacrifice! And the final account we owe to the Uchiha Clan!"

At the mention of Itachi, the air in the office seemed to freeze for a moment.

Uchiha Itachi!

He who severed everything with his own hands.

Bearing all the darkness.

Only to trade for the village's peace!

"A vow?"

Danzō dismissed it with contempt, a flicker of mockery in his lone eye:

"For the village's safety, personal promises are insignificant!"

With that, Danzō shifted his tone, his voice dropping low: "Hiruzen, you probably don't know this yet, do you?"

The Third Hokage's brow furrowed slightly: "Danzō, what are you trying to say?"

Danzō leaned in slightly, casually dropping a bombshell:

"Based on my Root's long-term observation and analysis, this brat named Uchiha Yao... has most likely mastered some form of space-time ninjutsu!"

Upon hearing this, the expression on the Third Hokage's face instantly froze. Uchiha Yao... had mastered space-time ninjutsu?

What a joke!

"And based on the fact that his disappearances and reappearances show no signs whatsoever!"

Danzo continued: "What he has mastered is most likely the Flying Thunder God Technique created by the Second Lord!"

"That's impossible!"

The Third Hokage lifted his head sharply, his tone resolute:

"The Flying Thunder God Technique is an S-rank space-time ninjutsu. Its learning difficulty is extremely high, and it demands exceptionally harsh talent requirements!"

"Since Minato's sacrifice, no one in the village has been able to master it!"

"How could a student from the Ninja Academy possibly grasp it?"

"Heh heh!"

Danzo let out a hoarse, cold laugh, dripping with undisguised sarcasm:

"Impossible? Hiruzen, you've sat in that seat for too long. Have you been blinded by peace?"

Danzo struck the ground heavily with his cane and said coldly: "Over these years, my Root has never, for a single day, given up monitoring the orphan of the Uchiha!"

"Originally, everything was normal. Yao was just a slightly more talented Uchiha brat!"

"But!"

"Since a year ago, this brat has been mysteriously vanishing from Root's surveillance from time to time!"

"How did he leave?"

"What method did he use?"

"Where did he go?"

"There's no way to know!"

"Our sensory-type ninjas in Root simply cannot track him!"

Root... had ninjas with all sorts of bizarre abilities.

Monitoring a single Uchiha brat three hundred and sixty-five days a year was hardly a difficult task.

"There's such a thing?"

The Third Hokage was shocked.

He knew Danzo's methods were underhanded, but he also knew that on matters like this, Danzo would never speak recklessly.

If.

Yao really could repeatedly shake off Root's surveillance and leave the village.

Then ordinary invisibility or stealth techniques were absolutely impossible.

There was a barrier outside the village!

Space-time ninjutsu was indeed the only reasonable explanation!

And the Flying Thunder God Technique, famous throughout the ninja world, was indeed highly likely.

Of course, other possibilities couldn't be ruled out, such as the Reverse Summoning Technique.

"Hiruzen, you've underestimated him too much!"

Danzo looked at the Third Hokage: "This brat is far more dangerous—and far more valuable—than we imagined!"

"Leaving him out in the sunlight is the real irresponsibility toward the village!"

Danzo dropped one final sentence and turned to leave directly:

"This brat has been going out more frequently lately. If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself tonight!"

"See for yourself how many secrets this genius you call 'a bright future' is actually hiding!"