Who Had It Worse

The Hokage's son, already in his twenties, wanted to take a fifteen-year-old boy as his master?

It was simply absurd!

His own father was the "Ninjutsu Professor." What ninjutsu could he not use? What theory did he not understand? How was Asuma's behavior any different from taking the long way around? How was it any different from making Hiruzen Sarutobi lose face?!

"If you can't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll break your legs today!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious at his failure to live up to expectations.

"Old man."

Asuma remained calm. He had long known his father would react like this. Wasn't it just because he disliked that Asuma had not asked him for guidance?

He said calmly, "I want to become a Kage-level expert. Can you teach me that?"

"Why couldn't I? I am—what?! You said a Kage-level expert?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's breathing stopped as he looked at Uchiha Akira in disbelief, realizing something. "You mean Akira can help you become a Kage-level expert? How is that possible?"

"He isn't even a Kage-level expert himself. How could he possibly help you?"

If Uchiha Akira had been a Kage-level expert—

Hiruzen Sarutobi would have recruited him long ago. Why would he have waited until now?

In his eyes, Uchiha Akira, who was fifteen and had yet to awaken his Sharingan, would at most become an Elite Jonin in his lifetime. He was far inferior to Uchiha Shisui and Itachi.

"You're wrong, old man!"

Asuma's expression turned serious. "Big Brother's strength is beyond your ability to judge!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "???"

No, wasn't the subject of that sentence wrong?

Him.

The Third Hokage, the Ninjutsu Professor, the longest-ruling Hokage in Konoha's history, was incapable of judging a mere Uchiha who had not awakened his eyes?

"What utter nonsense!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened. "Asuma, are you trying to piss me—"

Before he could finish, Asuma ruthlessly cut him off again. "Old man, Big Brother knows Sage Mode!"

Then—

Uchiha Akira arrived. "Kuchiya! Sage Mode!"

"Akira, from today onward, you're Anbu!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and instantly changed his tone.

"No!"

"Old man, are you kidding me? Even if my big brother isn't made a department head, he should at least be a captain!"

Asuma looked indignant.

"A Kage-level expert in the Anbu? What kind of strength does my big brother have? What kind of status does my big brother have?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression stiffened.

No.

The department head—

That was fucking him!

If Uchiha Akira became department head, did that mean he would have to hand over the position of Hokage too?

"Then captain it is."

He took a deep breath. Looking at Akira's Sage Mode, he could not help but feel shocked. When he had been young, he had also tried to learn Sage Mode, but he lacked the talent for it. This thing depended first on talent and second on time.

Without talent, no matter how hard one grinded at it—

At most, one would end up with a half-finished product like Jiraiya.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled until his face was covered in wrinkles. "Akira, I knew from the start that you had great potential. You were bound to accomplish something!"

"Lord Third Hokage!"

At his age, he was still smiling like some old chrysanthemum. Uchiha Akira looked disgusted. Frowning, he said, "Please address me by my position while we're working. I'm now an Anbu Captain."

"Captain Akira."

Hiruzen Sarutobi went along with it without hesitation or concern. "I'll leave my son in your hands. As long as you can teach him Sage Mode, you can make this old man do anything!"

Once Asuma mastered Sage Mode—

He would become a Kage-level expert, and the Sarutobi line would continue its glory for several more decades!

Anything?

Akira frowned. Those words sounded awfully familiar. He felt as though he had heard them somewhere before.

Akira had always thought relying on connections was bad. Those people who relied on connections deserved to die.

They stole all the good job opportunities.

Now Akira understood. It was not that they deserved to die; it was that he had never been someone with connections. Having connections was fucking great. You could skip work every day and still collect a paycheck for nothing!

"Leave the Third Hokage to me. I'll definitely teach Asuma as if he were my own son."

Uchiha Akira casually waved a hand. "All right, I'm leaving if there's nothing else. Just remember to pay my Anbu salary on time from now on."

"Of course, no problem!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed repeatedly without the slightest dissatisfaction.

He could not help shaking his head. He had never expected to misjudge Akira so badly. Before, he had only thought Akira was an ordinary Jonin, and recruiting him had merely been better than nothing. But now, it seemed this was the most profitable deal he had ever made!

Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi—

No matter how loyal or powerful they were—

Could they possibly be more reliable than having his own son become a Kage-level expert?

"I didn't even do anything, and someone came rushing over to throw money at me. Why didn't I ever get something this good in my previous life?"

Back in his previous life—

He remembered working overtime every day to finish programs, only for the credit not to be his in the end. Instead, his boss got promoted and received a raise. It was infuriating!

"Damn it, if I could transmigrate back, I'd hit him with a Tsukuyomi and make him work 997 for a hundred years. A hundred years!"

His days as corporate fodder in his previous life had been far too stifling.

Even after transmigrating for so many years, Uchiha Akira was still filled with resentment whenever he thought about them.

At that moment, as he passed the Training Ground, a Byakugan boy dressed in white was diligently practicing his punches. Even though he was drenched in sweat, he showed no intention of stopping. Every punch seemed to use all the strength in his body, but his eyes were incomparably gloomy.

It was as though he was not punching.

But trying to shatter the shackles on his body!

"Hey, kid, doing that is useless."

Uchiha Akira smiled and offered a reminder.

"You're too young. Even if you train, you need to take things step by step."

"None of your business!"

The Byakugan boy did not even turn his head. His movements did not slow in the slightest; instead, they became even heavier as he smashed the wooden dummy before him to pieces!

Quite the temper.

Uchiha Akira raised an eyebrow and said faintly,

"Pushing yourself too hard may increase your strength, but it'll leave hidden injuries. Be careful, or you might not even become a Chunin in the future."

The Byakugan boy: "..."

He stopped moving, his gaze blank.

Looking at the strange Uchiha man who had suddenly appeared before him, he wondered whether the other man was lying. If he really could not become a Chunin, then the price would be far too high.

Thus—

His expression became conflicted yet vacant as he stared blankly at Uchiha Akira.

"Neji, as a genius, you're already working very hard. But don't be too harsh on yourself. Your future is still long."

Uchiha Akira shrugged.

Judging from Neji's reaction, he felt that his image in the other boy's eyes was probably not very good.

Yet those words seemed to touch a sore spot.

"What do you know?! What future? What past? None of it means anything to me!"

Hyuga Neji shouted furiously. His eyes were bloodshot, their veins spreading like a spiderweb, as if they had ensnared his entire life.

His father had been forced to die.

He himself had been branded with the Caged Bird Seal, and even his life was in the hands of the Main Family.

In all of Konoha, only the Hyuga Clan had such a disgusting system!

"Of course I know."

Uchiha Akira spoke very calmly. "Your parents died. So did mine. They died when I was five."

There were countless lit homes beneath the night sky, yet from beginning to end, not one of those lights had belonged to him.

"What?"

Hyuga Neji was stunned. His gaze toward Uchiha Akira gained a trace of complexity and understanding. Was he... someone just as unfortunate as himself?

A hint of apology appeared on his face. "Sorry. I... I didn't know."

"It's fine."

Uchiha Akira waved it off carelessly. "Actually, I was lying to you just now."

"?!"

Hyuga Neji instantly raised his head, anger in his eyes. How could someone be so vile, casually toying with another person's feelings?

"Actually, they died the moment I was born. I never even got to see them."

Uchiha Akira grinned. "So? Don't you feel like I had it worse now?"