Tōka's purpose

In a corner of Konoha, a vast area was filled with empty, deserted houses, and an eerie, deathly atmosphere enveloped the entire Uchiha Clan.

The once glorious clan is now reduced to nothing but this deserted, empty house.

As night fell, the drifting snowflakes fell on the ground and gradually accumulated.

Returning home for vacation, Sasuke walked alone on the empty street, his feet sinking three inches into the snow.

Sasuke looked up blankly at the two sides: the uncle at the fishing beach, the young lady selling candy, and the vegetable-selling aunt who always greeted him with a smile.

Faint figures moved about, as if everything had returned to normal.

When he looked again with focused attention, he discovered...

The familiar neighbors of yesteryear are long gone, leaving only rows of lifeless houses.

"..." Sasuke, his face showing disappointment, quickly lowered his head, his two fists clenched tightly together.

Resentment, anger, and sadness—all these emotions intertwined and pounded against his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

A gust of Cold Wind swept by, ruffling the stray hairs on Sasuke's forehead.

The shadows cast by his hair obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see the sorrow within them.

Sasuke took a deep breath, and his pace quickened involuntarily, faster and faster...

Until the very end... Sasuke practically sprinted home.

Bang!

The door slammed shut, shaking the snow off the eaves.

The enclosed courtyard surrounded Sasuke, and the thick walls behind him gave him a sense of security.

He slowly sat down, leaning against the wall, Sasuke was carrying aside.

His gaze was filled with resentment as he stared intently at the floor in front of him, his eyes sweeping across the ground but never lingering there.

Because in Sasuke's pupils appeared that man, the man who annihilated the Uchiha Clan — Itachi Uchiha!

I will definitely kill you!

Suddenly! A gust of wind swept up the falling snowflakes, making them swirl in the courtyard and linger, reluctant to fall.

A dark shadow fell before him, its towering form enveloping Sasuke.

"Good eye. Do you hate Itachi that much?"

The sudden sound startled Sasuke-kun.

He flipped himself up with a somersault, flicked his finger to pull out a sharp Kunai from his ninja tool bag, and put on a wary expression.

Looking up, he saw Tōka standing five steps away, hands clasped behind her back, smiling at him.

"Teacher?" Sasuke recognized the person and his hostility lessened considerably, but he remained vigilant.

There was a moment of silence.

Sasuke looked at him intently again, and asked with a hint of sarcasm, "Should I call you teacher, or... Tōka- senpai?"

"The form of address doesn't matter; what matters is that I know what you want." Tōka didn't care about Sasuke's tone, as if he hadn't heard the faint sarcasm.

Sasuke, having shed his disguise, revealed his true self.

After Itachi left, he lost some of his childlike innocence and gained a touch of gloom; this is the real Sasuke.

Itachi grew up hearing about Tōka's genius, while Sasuke heard about Tōka's legend from Itachi.

"What do you want here?" Sasuke asked Tōka.

"Naturally, I'm here to help you achieve what you've been hoping for," Tōka said with a faint smile, turning to look at the inner courtyard. "Won't you invite me in for a seat?"

Sasuke pursed his lips and stared at Tōka. He couldn't sense Tōka's strength, but he had heard about Tōka's deeds from Itachi since he was a child.

This guy in front of me is very strong, even though he's only a Chunin!

Finally, Sasuke put the Kunai back into his Ninja Tool Pouch, then stepped over Tōka and walked into the courtyard.

The two had no connection whatsoever. Tōka's purpose in coming here was singular: regarding that guy!

Sasuke wanted to hear what Tōka would have to say.

The two walked into the courtyard and came into view a long, winding corridor with pebbles on the steps and snow-covered treetops on both sides.

Looking up and to the side, clusters of houses are arranged in twos and threes.

After navigating the winding corridors, Tōka and Sasuke arrived at the main hall. The huge courtyard was indeed too empty, with only a kid of about ten years old living there.

Time slipped away as the two sat in silence.

Holding tea that had long since gone cold, the two sat facing each other without either of them speaking first.

After an unknown amount of time, Sasuke, Sasuke was the first to lose his temper, pouted and asked, "You just said you were helping me?"

Sasuke's gaze never left Tōka's eyes, as if trying to see through Tōka's thoughts.

Tōka took a sip of Clear Tea, then slowly put the teacup down.

She looked up at the falling snow outside the window, seemingly in no hurry to speak, until Sasuke frowned impatiently.

Tōka curled the corners of his lips and said leisurely, "I've heard some things about the Uchiha Clan, but do you think you can take on Itachi with your small frame?"

There was no sarcasm in it, just a feeling that Sasuke was too naive.

However, this scene was extremely jarring to Sasuke.

"I will definitely kill that guy!" Sasuke's face instantly darkened, and he roared.

At the same time, a sharp Kunai, flipped in his palm.

Then Sasuke high into the air, gripping his kunai tightly with both hands, and thrust it Kunai at Tōka, using the momentum of his fall to pierce through Tōka's body!

Tōka remained seated, observing Sasuke's actions.

Then, slowly and deliberately, he extended one hand, brought his five fingers together to form a palm, gathered strength in his palm, and skillfully slapped it onto the tea table.

The teacup on the table suddenly bounced up, and then Tōka waved his arm.

Several movements were completed in the blink of an eye, and the teacup shot through the air with a whoosh, heading straight for Sasuke who was charging at him.

Bang! A muffled thud!

Unsurprisingly, the teacup struck Sasuke squarely in the chest.

Sasuke's body flew backward with a thud, arcing through the air before crashing heavily back to its original position. The Kunai in his hand fell to the floor with a clinking sound.

"Today I'll teach you your first lesson: patience!"

Tōka smiled and stood up, then slowly walked to Sasuke and knelt down.

Under Sasuke's wary gaze, Tōka dipped his index finger into the now-cold tea on the table beside him.

His fingertips slowly traced lines on the floor, writing a single character with tea.

"Tolerate..."

Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply, and a look of resentment flashed across his small face.

It's easy to say, but how can we tolerate the hatred of our clan being wiped out?

"To be honest, looking at the entire Ninja World, I can't think of anyone who can compare to Itachi." Tōka reached out and grabbed Sasuke by the collar, lifting him up.

After glancing at the disheveled Sasuke, Tōka added, "You underestimate your brother."

"Shut up, he's not my brother!" Sasuke shouted as if he had been provoked, glaring fiercely at Tōka.

If looks could kill, Tōka's body would probably be riddled with holes by now.

Tōka didn't care about Sasuke's tone; the worse the attitude, the more Sasuke hated Itachi.

Glancing at Sasuke, who was becoming increasingly agitated, Tōka knew that the time was ripe for provocation.

So he cut to the Gate of Opening, "It's not that there's no way to kill Itachi, but can you really do it?"

"I'll do anything to kill that man!" Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"Is that so?"

Tōka stared into Sasuke's eyes and chuckled softly.

"Itachi has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. If you want to kill him, you must possess the same eyes as him!"

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's expression Mangekyō Sharingan? That guy said the same thing!

Only...

The Mangekyō Sharingan isn't something you can just get by wishing for it!

Does this guy have a solution?

The thought flashed through his mind, Sasuke raised his eyes to look at Tōka with a blank expression. Beneath his seemingly calm face, a pair of eyes full of desire flickered subtly.

Sasuke craved power, the power to kill Itachi.

"You should have awakened your Sharingan by now, right?" I vaguely remember that Sasuke awakened his Sharingan on the night of the massacre of his clan when he was seven years old.

Both eyes have awakened the One-Tomoe Sharingan.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then his chakra surged into his eyes.

Buzz!

His jet-black eyes were stained with blood, instantly turning into a pair of scarlet pupils, each containing a jet-black Tomoe floating in the center.

It really is One-Tomoe Sharingan, although its Dojutsu is very weak.

Tōka saw this and silently nodded in agreement.

"A single Tomoe evolves into Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Two-Tomoe Sharingan evolves into Three Tomoe Sharingan, and only after the Three Tomoe Sharingan does the Mangekyo."

Tōka glanced at the burning desire in Sasuke's eyes and let out a cold laugh.

Then came a bucket of cold water poured down on him.

"Many Uchiha clan members spend their entire lives without being able to awaken the Sharingan, let alone the Mangekyou Mangekyo, which is rare, with only one in millions awakening it."

Sasuke lowered his head, his face extremely pale.

Itachi is so strong...

He thought he had overestimated Itachi, but he only saw the tip of the iceberg.

Is he destined to never get his revenge?!

"Itachi is strong, but not invincible. When you are truly willing to give up everything to seek power, come find me."

Tōka's voice suddenly faded into the distance, like a gust of wind blowing out the window and disappearing into the vast expanse of white falling snow.

Sasuke had been lost in thought, suddenly woke up and looked to the side, only to find that Tōka, who had been standing not far away, was nowhere to be seen!

The lingering scent in the air gradually faded; Tōka was truly gone.

Sasuke frowned slightly and looked towards the main entrance.

Why is this guy...?

If he could truly gain the power to kill that man, regardless of Tōka's motives, he would gladly give his life...

The Seed has been planted; it needs time to take root and sprout.

Snowflakes fluttered in the biting wind, dancing lightly with the shivering, withered leaves. As a snowflake fell, the empty street gained a chill that seemed to lie dormant in the depths of winter.

A tall, slender figure strolled along the long street, his feet treading on the snow that couldn't be swept away, leaving a trail of clearly visible footprints.

In the Land of Snow, heavy snowflakes are falling from the sky.

In Town, Kimimaro, Karin, and Yakumo hid in an old thatched hut.

Tōka's orders were to help Princess Kazahana Koyuki of the Land of Snow reclaim the Land of Snow and then establish power there.

This task could only be accomplished by the three of them independently. Apart from the initial information provided by Black Zetsu, which helped them find Kazahana Koyuki, they received no further assistance.

"The intelligence has been gathered. There are four ninjas from the Land of Snow who are worthy of our attention: Kazahana Dōtō and his three subordinates. It's estimated to be the configuration of an Elite Squad."

Kimimaro unfolded the Scroll in his hand, which contained the intelligence he had gathered in the Land of Snow over the past few days.

Karin and Yakumo leaned closer. "Elite Squad? Isn't that one Jonin and three Chunin?"

"It's just speculation," Kimimaro said.

"Is there any plan?" Yakumo asked, not wanting to make a mistake.

"Using Princess Xiaoxue as bait, we'll separate the four of them and defeat them one by one." To ensure a safe outcome, Kimimaro decided to separate Kazahana Dōtō and his three subordinates.

Karin and Yakumo exchanged a glance. This method was good, but they needed to use their "client," Princess Yuki, as bait.

A hint of reluctance crossed Yakumo's small face as she hesitantly asked, "Do we really want Princess Yuki to be the bait?"

"How about we try another approach?" Karin chimed in.

"No, we can't change it." Kimimaro shook his head expressionlessly. This was the fastest way to take over the Land of Snow.

They don't have much time, and they can't afford to waste too much effort on a clown like Kazahana Dōtō.

What Tōka needed wasn't a powerful ninja village, but a stable place to settle down; the three of them also needed such a place to train.

If it weren't for the fear of disappointing Tōka if the mission failed, Kimimaro's first thought would have been to storm the Land of Snow's palace and carry out the decapitation plan!

Outside the simple thatched hut, large snowflakes danced in the air.

As the first golden rays of sunlight pierced through the hazy morning mist and fell upon the earth, a group of about ten people left the town lightly equipped.

Beneath the cedar trees beside the path, a discreet gaze fell upon the back of the group, paused for two seconds, and then disappeared.

It was as if it had never existed, except for the trembling branches of the cedar tree and a pile of snow falling under its own weight.

The white figure darted away, like a snow wolf darting across the thick snow.

The Land of Snow, the Royal Palace.

In the dimly lit hall, a tall man, dressed in specially made Chakra Armor, sat on a high seat with a gloomy expression, rubbing his forehead.

A stifling atmosphere filled the entire hall, the oppressive mood seemingly freezing the room in place.

"The adorable Little Snow Princess has returned?" Kazahana Dōtō opened the urgent secret letter, a sinister smile creeping onto his lips.

The appearance of Kazahana Koyuki foreshadows the arrival of the treasure he has been longing for.

This time, we absolutely cannot let her escape again!

"Do the three of you know what to do?" Kazahana Dōtō shouted in a deep voice at the empty hall.

"Clear."

With a whoosh, three figures emerged from the darkness and knelt on one knee beneath the throne amidst the Kazahana Dōtō.

These three were the Snow Ninja hired by Kazahana Dōtō: Nadare Rōga, Winter Energy Hail, and Tsurutsuki Fubuki.

Fuyuguma Hyōhaku, the fattest member of the Snow Ninja Three-Man Squad, can glide on snow using a skateboard. His left hand is covered in armor, which seems to possess powerful striking ability. He can fire threads, and it appears to be steam-powered.

Tsurutsuki Fubuki, a female ninja of the Snow Ninja Three-Man Squad, has purple hair and green eyes, and also wears armor specially made by the Land of Snow. Her armor is equipped with wings, allowing her to fly and act as a bomber.

The last one is Nadare Rōga, the strongest of the three. Both his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu are far superior to Winter Hail and Tsurutsuki Fubuki.

"Go." Kazahana Dōtō raised his hand.

Upon hearing this, the three of them leaped out of the window.

Waaaaah~~

As the snow fell heavily, three figures plummeted straight down, disappearing into the vast white world in moments, merging into the silvery snow curtain.