Eight Inner Gates! In Hand!

On a tree some distance away.

A member of the Anbu wearing a Fox Mask hid in the shadows, silently recording information in a small notebook.

As he wrote, he used the Body Flicker Technique to keep an appropriate distance from Uchiha Ao and the boy.

"Why would someone from the Uchiha Clan seek out this kid? If I remember correctly, this child's parents died recently on the front lines along the Land of Fire's border.

"Could it be... the Uchiha Clan wants to take advantage of this chance to recruit the village's orphans?"

At the thought, the Fox-Masked Anbu's gaze turned stern. He tucked the notebook into his chest and closed in on the pair.

A short while later, Uchiha Ao and the boy arrived at a dilapidated apartment building.

The Might Clan was a small clan, nowhere near as powerful as the Hyuga and other major clans. Most of its members lived in small studio apartments.

As soon as Ao opened the door, the smell of instant noodles and expired milk hit him.

"..."

Uchiha Ao stared at the instant noodle bowls on the sofa and floor, and the black garbage bags strewn everywhere. He was at a loss for words.

Might Duy had just offered to pay for lessons in Ninjutsu with a family secret Taijutsu technique. Ao had immediately suspected that the technique might be the Eight Inner Gates, so he had come home with him. He hadn't expected to find this.

Then again, it made sense. A six-year-old who could barely take care of himself was already doing better than ninety percent of his peers, let alone keeping his home clean.

"Brother Sou, have a seat. I'll get you some water. I trained late yesterday and got up early to train some more today, so I haven't had a chance to tidy up..."

Might Duy hurriedly kicked the trash in the hallway aside.

"It's fine. It's good to train hard."

As he spoke, Uchiha Ao's gaze fell on the corner of the room.

Alongside the trash sat a neatly arranged pile of homemade weights fashioned from stones, badly worn from use. Beside them was a Training Plan covered in tally marks. The writing started out crooked and gradually became neat.

Uchiha Ao's expression softened.

Without another word, he put on an apron.

"Brother Sou, you don't have to do that! I can take care of it..." Might Duy hurried over.

"Stay put." Uchiha Ao rested a hand on his shoulder, his tone gentle but firm. "Someone who pushes himself this hard shouldn't waste his time on chores. Your sweat belongs on the Training Ground."

In the next instant, with the Body Flicker Technique, he darted around the cramped room like a phantom.

Might Duy's vision blurred. Before he could make out what was happening, the scattered clothes had been neatly folded and the clutter put away.

In no time, the whole room was spick-and-span.

Click.

At last, Uchiha Ao opened the window, letting a cool breeze sweep into the room and dispel some of the stale odor.

"B-Brother Sou... You really didn't have to!"

Might Duy was clearly at a loss after watching Uchiha Ao's unexpected flurry of activity.

"This was supposed to be my job, and, and..."

His voice trailed off, and he fell silent.

The flurry of activity had reminded him of his late mother.

She used to quietly clean up his messy room, though she always grumbled and looked exasperated afterward. Still, every time, the smile on her lips was so warm...

Sadly, he would never see her again.

"Don't worry about it."

Uchiha Ao crouched down and gently ruffled his hair. "Just follow my method from now on, and I guarantee your room won't get messy again."

"Thank you, Brother Sou..." Might Duy murmured, head bowed.

In the shadows some distance away, the Fox-Masked Anbu had watched it all. He silently added a note to his notebook.

"Attempting to recruit a ninja orphan (suspected).

"Strength appears average. Gentle disposition; showing unusual patience and concern for the ninja orphan, Might Duy."

This man certainly seemed different from the other members of the Uchiha Clan I've met.

A hint of surprise flashed in the Fox-Masked Anbu's eyes as he looked toward the room.

Back inside, after Might Duy had calmed down, he dragged an old wooden box out from under the bed and solemnly took out a faded scroll.

The words "Eight Gates" were clearly written in the center of the scroll.

"Brother Sou, this is the Taijutsu scroll my parents left behind... I know it might not be worth much. Most people look down on Taijutsu."

Might Duy clutched the scroll, his fingers whitening with the force of his grip. He summoned all his courage, but his voice grew quieter and quieter.

"I... I want to trade what's in it for a month of lessons with you. No, even a week! Just give me a chance to learn Ninjutsu! Please!"

He had considered selling the secret technique for Silver Taels to hire a private tutor.

But it was his parents' keepsake, and he couldn't bear to part with it. He wanted something to remember them by.

Yet after a year of trying to learn Ninjutsu, he had realized he simply wasn't cut out for it.

Uchiha Ao didn't look at the scroll. He gazed straight into Might Duy's anxious, flickering eyes and asked, "You want to learn Ninjutsu that badly? Even though everyone says you have no talent?"

"I do!"

Might Duy practically shouted the words, tears welling in his eyes.

"I can't accept it! I really can't accept being able to do nothing but Taijutsu! I want to prove that even someone like me can..."

"Can what?"

"Can... become a great ninja!"

Uchiha Ao fell silent.

Unlike the cheerful father Might Guy remembered in the original story, Ao could tell that Might Duy truly longed to learn Ninjutsu.

But it made sense. What young boy had never dreamed of wielding dazzling Ninjutsu?

The open-mindedness of adulthood was often just resignation and regret born from the struggles of youth.

The brief silence made Might Duy's heart sink. He thought he had been too greedy after all.

"Fine. I'll teach you," Uchiha Ao said earnestly.

Might Duy jerked his head up, unable to believe his ears.

"But I want to change the terms."

Uchiha Ao pointed at the scroll in his hands. "I don't just want to read this. I also want you, Might Duy, to teach me everything you know about training in Taijutsu—every technique, every feeling you've had when pushing past your limits. Don't hold anything back."

He crouched down to meet Might Duy's eyes, his tone utterly serious. "Starting today, meet me at the Training Ground by the village entrance after school every day. I'll teach you the secrets of Ninjutsu, and you'll be my Taijutsu teacher.

"This isn't a transaction. We'll learn from each other."

Then he gave Might Duy a playful wink. "Well, Teacher Dai? Will you take me on as your student?"

"T-Teacher?" Might Duy was completely stunned.

The title was like a shaft of light, cutting through all the self-doubt and gloom in his heart.

The feeling of being respected for the first time made his body tremble.

At school, his teachers' disappointed looks and his classmates' mocking laughter had nearly convinced him that he wasn't suited to be a ninja.

He never thought Brother Sou would...

He clutched the scroll tightly, then bowed deeply to Uchiha Ao with all his strength. His voice was choked with emotion, but utterly resolute.

"Brother Sou! Thank you!"

Uchiha Ao smiled, ruffled his hair, gave him a few more instructions, and then left.

What he'd said about being each other's teachers had been sincere. With his talent for Taijutsu, Might Duy was undoubtedly a genius.

Building a good relationship with him early could also help Ao greatly in the future.

At the entrance to the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Who's there?!"

A lean young man with an unremarkable face, dressed in an Uchiha Clan Uniform, held a Kunai in reverse grip and barked at the figure ahead.

"It's me."

Uchiha Ao waved with a cheerful grin, his tone teasing.

"Qingyi Lang, what's the matter? It's only been a few days, and you've already forgotten me?"

Uchiha Qingyi Lang narrowed his eyes. Once he recognized Ao, he lowered his Kunai and snorted.

"Oh, it's you. Why are you getting back to the compound so late today? Haven't you learned your lesson from the assassination attempt a couple days ago?"

Uchiha Ao chuckled and didn't argue.

Qingyi Lang was one of the original owner's few friends—though not because they shared the same interests. They were simply equally useless.

Like Ao, he was in his twenties and still hadn't awakened the Sharingan, so the clan looked down on him. He hadn't managed to land a position in the village either, and in the end, all he'd gotten was the job of guarding the clan compound's gate.

"Wait."

Uchiha Qingyi Lang held out a hand to stop him. "The Clan Head said to go see him after you got back."

"Did he say what it's about?"

"How would I know? He told you to go, so just go," Qingyi Lang replied irritably.

"But..."

He glanced around and lowered his voice. "You'd better be careful. I just saw Setsuna come by to deliver the message. He and Brother Jing have never gotten along. I doubt the Clan Head has anything good planned for you."

"I see..."

A glint passed through Uchiha Ao's eyes. Then he smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Thanks. When I get into the Police Force, I'll buy you a drink."

Uchiha Qingyi Lang slapped his hand away. "Oh, give it a rest. If you don't want to treat me, just say so. The Police Force? With how weak you look, you'd be lucky to manage a single Ninjutsu. Go home and recover properly."

Uchiha Ao waved with a smile and headed into the compound.

He had a pretty good idea why the Clan Head wanted to see him: he probably wanted to hear what Tobirama Senju had said.

The Clan Head had likely already heard that Ao had been dismissed from his job at the Ninja Academy, too.

As he wondered what to say to convince the Clan Head to give him another Sharingan secret-technique scroll as a reward, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Ao, wait a moment."