"Senior Kakashi! Senior Kakashi!"
"Senior Nara, let's chat for a bit."
"Uncle Ichiraku, two bowls of ramen, please. And let's chat while we eat?"
"None of you will talk to me?" Jin watched everyone hurry away whenever they saw him. His gaze settled on a spot in the distance, and he sighed. "Come on, little Pakkun. Have a little chat with your big brother."
Even the dogs on the roadside had to put up with him!
Pakkun turned to look at Jin, and its dog eyes actually showed a very humanlike look of disdain.
It turned and walked away.
"Don't go! Teach me how to carve a dog's head into an Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
"Wouldn't that count as saving your life with a dog's head?"
Patter, patter, patter.
Unfortunately, Pakkun vanished in a flash.
All that remained was Jin, sitting in the village street, watching the sun that had already begun to set with a hint of dejection.
He'd been out since morning, and in more than ten hours, he hadn't copied a single trait!
It wasn't as if he hadn't talked to anyone, but every attempt to copy a trait had failed.
Was today just a bad luck day?
Just then, the System suddenly displayed a notification.
[Congratulations, host, for basking in the sunlight for 666 minutes. Chakra +666.]
"Six hundred and sixty-six? Fine, fine. You're not even pretending anymore, are you, System?"
Uchiha Jin's face darkened, and he turned toward the clan compound.
"Woof, woof."
But there was one thing worth mentioning: on his way back, a group of Pugs and Akita Inus led by Pakkun suddenly came running after him.
Seven or eight dogs gathered around his feet, affectionately rubbing against him.
He paused, a little surprised.
"Hm? I don't think I copied Kakashi's Summoning Trait, did I?"
"Does Kakashi seriously think sending a dog over will shut me up?"
Three minutes later.
"Pakkun, you're kind of soft and fluffy."
Who didn't love puppies?
Cute, fluffy puppies!
Ten minutes later.
By the time Jin returned to the village with the dogs in his arms, a well-built man was standing at the entrance.
He held a long stick in his hand, with the words "Seven Wolves" clearly visible on it.
It was Uchiha Fugaku.
When he saw Jin, his face darkened noticeably. He snorted.
"Jin!"
"Here!"
Fugaku: "...What exactly did you do to Sasuke?"
His voice carried a hint of displeasure.
Over the years, because he knew how talented his second son was, he had simply watched over him from a distance and rarely interfered.
But now, this involved his other son!
He had no choice but to take it seriously.
"Sasuke? What did he do?"
Jin rubbed Pakkun's head, looking confused.
Hadn't his old man just beaten Sasuke that morning?
"Hmph! Since this morning, that kid's been shouting about wanting to bask in the sun, saying that it makes you stronger! He laughs while he does it! And now he wants to become Hokage?"
"Listen to that! A child of the Uchiha clan wants to become Hokage!"
"No matter how much I scold him, he won't listen! He even says he wants to die on top of the courtyard wall!"
As he spoke, Fugaku angrily raised the stick in his hand and swung it down!
"Woof, woof, woof! Awoooo!"
And then... Pakkun got a good whack on the head.
Without the slightest embarrassment, Jin shifted Pakkun out of the way and quietly suggested, "How about... I go talk to him?"
"Hmph! Go ahead! If you can't talk him around, then tonight we're having—dog meat!"
With that, he flung his sleeve and walked away.
Three- or four-year-old children were at the age when they loved getting up to mischief.
He couldn't be bothered to deal with it, so he might as well dump the problem on Uchiha Jin.
Who knew? Maybe another genius would emerge.
Behind him, Pakkun, held in Jin's arms, tucked its tail between its legs.
How had things turned into eating dog meat?
It didn't understand!
It really didn't understand!
And it suddenly felt that this mission might be a little difficult!
Three minutes later.
The courtyard wall of the Clan Head's residence.
A tiny figure stood atop it, howling at the sky.
"The sky's clear, the rain's stopped, and I, Uchiha Sasuke, am going to become Hokage!"
Facing the setting sun, Sasuke shouted the words Jin had repeated in front of him over and over.
Then, following Jin's example from his memory, he raised a hand, stuck it into his hair, covered his face, and laughed wildly.
"Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha!"
"It's about three-tenths of the way there. Your voice is just too childish, your mouth isn't open wide enough, and you're not laughing loudly enough."
Jin's commentary came from the corner amid the laughter.
He shook his head, Pakkun in his arms and seven yawning Shiba Inus behind him.
He hadn't expected that the words he'd said just to tease Sasuke would actually stick with him.
Well, there they were.
Sasuke wasn't going to destroy the village. He was going to become Hokage!
So what was Naruto supposed to do?
"You... You, you, you... Why did you suddenly come back, you jerk?!"
Getting caught like this was as embarrassing as getting caught wetting the bed by your sworn enemy!
Sasuke's little face quickly flushed red. He turned his head away with a muffled huff, lips pursed.
He refused to look at the person below.
Then Jin smiled, rubbed the dog's head, and asked softly, "So, does Sasuke want to become as strong as his big brother?"
"Hm?"
Sasuke had never seen him act so gently before.
He hesitated, but still shook his head firmly.
"By the way, about yesterday's shuriken—"
As he spoke, Uchiha Jin casually flicked a metal shard into the air. It traced seven sharp turns before shredding the distant target into splinters.
"You want to achieve an effect like that, right?"
Gulp.
Sasuke stared at the wood fragments raining down, his Adam's apple bobbing.
He was genuinely tempted.
That flashy shuriken technique!
For the past two days, it seemed to have been on his mind every moment!
After wrestling with it for a while, he spoke in a small voice.
"F-Fine... But you're the one who asked me! Even when I get stronger, I'll still beat you up!"
"I'll... just go a little easy on you..."
He'd agreed?
That was great!
Jin shook his head and took his time.
[After talking with Uchiha Sasuke for ten minutes, attempting to copy a trait.] [Copy failed. Chakra +1.]
It failed again?
What was going on today?!
If talking wasn't working, then he'd just have to turn things up a notch!
Jin grinned and patted Pakkun. "Sic him. Bite him."
Sasuke: ???
Pakkun: Woof!!!
Before you continue