Eight Inner Gates! Acquired!

In a tree not far away.

An Anbu wearing a Fox Mask was hidden in the shadows, silently recording information in a small notebook.

As he wrote, he used the Body Flicker Technique to maintain a suitable distance from Uchiha Ao.

"Why would someone from the Uchiha Clan seek out this brat? If I recall correctly, this child's parents just sacrificed themselves on the front lines of the Land of Fire's border.

Could it be... that the Uchiha Clan wants to take this opportunity to recruit the village's orphans?"

Thinking of this, the fox-masked Anbu's eyes turned stern. He tucked the small notebook into his chest pocket and closed the distance of his pursuit.

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

The Might Clan was a small clan, unlike large ones like the Hyuga, so the places they lived in were mostly small, single-room units.

As soon as the door was pushed open, the smell of instant noodles and expired milk rushed to meet them.

"..."

Uchiha Ao looked at the instant noodle bowls on the sofa and floor, and the black trash bags strewn everywhere, rendered speechless.

Just moments ago, Might Duy had offered his family's secret martial arts method as tuition in exchange for learning ninjutsu from him. Uchiha Ao had immediately thought that the secret method was likely the Eight Inner Gates, so he followed him home, never expecting to see such a scene.

But on second thought, it made sense. Being able to barely take care of himself at six years old already put him ahead of ninety percent of his peers, let alone keeping the place clean.

"Brother Sou, please sit. I'll go pour you a glass of water. I trained too late yesterday and got up early for extra practice today, so I haven't had time to tidy up..."

Might Duy scrambled to kick the trash in the hallway to the side.

"It's alright. Hard training is a good thing."

As Uchiha Ao spoke, his gaze fell on the corner of the room.

There, aside from the trash, was a neatly stacked pile of heavily worn weighted training equipment made from stones, as well as a training plan filled with tally marks, the handwriting progressing from crooked to increasingly neat.

Uchiha Ao's expression softened.

He said nothing more and began to put on an apron.

"Brother Sou, you can't do that! I'll do it myself..." Might Duy rushed forward in a panic.

"Don't move." Uchiha Ao pressed down on his shoulder, his tone gentle but firm. "Someone who can be this ruthless with himself shouldn't waste time on these trivial matters. Your sweat should be shed on the training ground."

The next instant, with the aid of the Body Flicker Technique, his figure flickered back and forth within the cramped room like a ghost.

Might Duy felt a blur before his eyes. Before he could even see clearly, he discovered that his scattered clothes had been neatly folded and his miscellaneous items returned to their proper places.

In no time at all, the entire room had become orderly.

Click.

Finally, Uchiha Ao pulled the window open, letting a cool breeze rush into the room, which even diluted the stale odor lingering in the air.

"Sou, Brother Sou... this, how could I let you do this?!"

Watching this sudden series of actions by Uchiha Ao, Might Duy was clearly at a loss.

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

As he spoke, he trailed off into silence.

The sight of that hurried figure just now couldn't help but remind him of his late mother.

She, too, would silently tidy up his messy room. Although she would nag and look at him with feigned disgust every time she finished, the smile at the corners of her mouth was always so gentle...

Unfortunately, he would never see it again.

"Don't worry about it."

Uchiha Ao crouched down, patted his head, and said softly, "From now on, just follow my method of tidying up. I guarantee your room won't be messy again."

"Thank you, Brother Sou..."

Might Duy lowered his head and whispered.

In the shadows not far away, an Anbu operative wearing a fox mask took in everything. He silently added a note to his small booklet.

"Attempting to win over a ninja orphan (Doubt).

Though his strength is average, his personality is gentle. He has shown unusual patience and care toward the ninja orphan, Might Duy."

This person is quite different from the Uchiha clansmen I have seen.

A flash of surprise crossed the eyes of the fox-masked Anbu as he looked toward the room.

Inside the room, after his emotions had settled, Might Duy dragged a worn wooden box from under the bed and solemnly took out a scroll with a darkened color.

In the center of the scroll, the two characters for "Eight Gates" were clearly written.

"Brother Sou, this is a martial arts scroll left behind by my parents... I know it might not be worth much, and most people out there look down on martial arts."

Might Duy gripped the scroll, his knuckles turning white from the force. He summoned all his courage, though his voice grew quieter and quieter:

"I... I want to trade its contents for a month—no, even just a week!—of your time to teach me Ninjutsu! Please, I beg you!"

It wasn't that he hadn't considered trading this Secret Technique for Silver Taels to hire a private tutor.

But this was a memento from his parents; he couldn't bear to part with it, wanting to keep it as a keepsake.

However, this past year of studying Ninjutsu had made him realize that he simply wasn't cut out for it.

Uchiha Ao did not look at the scroll, but instead stared straight into Might Duy's eyes, which were flickering with nervousness, and asked in return:

"You want to learn Ninjutsu that badly? Even when everyone says you have no talent?"

"Yes!"

Might Duy practically roared it out, tears swirling in his eyes.

"I'm not reconciled to this! I really am not reconciled to only knowing Taijutsu! I want to prove that even someone like me can..."

"Can what?"

"Can... can become an amazing Ninja!"

Uchiha Ao fell silent.

Unlike the cheerful father remembered by Might Guy in the original story, he could see that Might Duy truly yearned for Ninjutsu.

But thinking about it, that made sense. What young boy hadn't once fantasized about those dazzling Ninjutsu?

The open-mindedness of adulthood was nothing more than the helplessness and regret left over after the struggles of youth.

This brief silence caused Might Duy's heart to sink to the bottom of the valley; he felt that he had indeed been too greedy.

"Fine, I agree." Uchiha Ao said with a serious expression.

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

"However, the terms will have to change."

Uchiha Ao pointed to the scroll in his hand: "I don't just want to see this. I also want you, Might Duy, to teach me everything you know about practicing Taijutsu—every Technique, every feeling of breaking through your limits—without holding anything back."

He crouched down to be at eye level with Might Duy, his tone becoming incredibly earnest: "From today on, meet me at the village training ground after school every day. I will teach you the mysteries of Ninjutsu, and you will be my Taijutsu teacher."

"This isn't a transaction; it's mutual learning."

As he spoke, he winked playfully, "How about it, Teacher Dai? Are you willing to take me on as your student?"

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

This form of address was like a ray of light, cleaving through all the inferiority and gloom in his heart.

A sense of being respected that he had never felt before made his body tremble slightly.

At school, the disappointed gazes of his teachers and the mocking laughter of his classmates had almost made him believe that he wasn't cut out to be a Ninja.

He never expected that Brother Sou would...

He gripped the Scroll tightly, using all his strength to bow deeply to Uchiha Ao, his voice choked with emotion yet incredibly firm:

"Brother Sou! Thank you."

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

The remark he made earlier about them being teachers to each other was actually sincere; after all, Might Duy's talent in Taijutsu was enough to call him a genius.

Building a good relationship with him early on would also play a significant role in his future path.

At the entrance of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Who's there?!"

A thin, plain-faced young man wearing the Uchiha Clan Uniform held a Kunai in a reverse grip, shouting at the figure ahead.

"It's me."

Uchiha Ao waved his hand with a smile, his tone flippant.

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

Uchiha Qingyi Lang narrowed his eyes. Once he recognized the person, he lowered his Kunai and let out a cold snort.

"So it's you. Why are you returning to the compound so late today? Haven't you learned your lesson from the assassination attempt a couple of days ago?"

Uchiha Ao chuckled, not bothering to refute him.

This Qingyi Lang was one of the few bad friends the Original Owner had. Of course, it wasn't because they were two of a kind, but rather because they were both failures who ended up together.

Likewise, in his twenties and still unable to awaken the Sharingan, he was looked down upon by the clansmen. He hadn't even managed to land a position in the village, eventually settling for the job of guarding the clan compound gate.

"Wait."

Uchiha Qingyi Lang reached out to stop him. "The Clan Head said that once you returned, you are to go see him."

"Did he say what it was about?"

"How would I know? Just go when you're told," Qingyi Lang replied irritably.

"However..."

As he spoke, he looked around and whispered, "You should still be careful if you go. I saw Setsuna come to deliver the message earlier. He and Brother Jing have never seen eye to eye, and I suspect the Clan Head isn't brewing anything good either."

"Is that so..."

Uchiha Ao's eyes flashed, and he patted his friend on the shoulder with a smile. "Thanks. Once I get into the Police Force, I'll treat you to a drink."

Uchiha Qingyi Lang slapped his hand away in annoyance. "Get lost. If you don't want to treat me, just say so. The Police Force? Looking at how frail you are, you'd struggle to even cast a Ninjutsu. You'd better go home and tend to your injuries."

Uchiha Ao waved his hand with a smile and headed toward the clan grounds.

As for the Clan Head summoning him, he already had a rough guess; it was nothing more than wanting to hear what message Tobirama Senju had passed on.

He figured the other party likely already knew that he had been dismissed from his position at the Ninja Academy.

Just as he was thinking about how to phrase things so that the Clan Head might reward him with another fragment of Sharingan Secret Technique experience, a familiar voice called out from behind him.

"Ao, wait a moment."