The Cunning Third Generation

Reflecting on the conditions proposed by Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sasuke began to ponder. The Uchiha compound was not an impossible option; after all, Sasuke had originally intended to destroy it upon his departure. Since he was going to destroy Konoha anyway, collecting a little interest now seemed like a pretty good idea.

However, Sasuke was somewhat suspicious of the S-rank ninjutsu Sarutobi Hiruzen had produced. He hoped it wasn't the kind of technique that required one to perish along with their opponent!

For example, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal or the Eight Inner Gates. If it were the Eight Inner Gates, Sasuke could barely accept it, but if it were the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Sasuke would definitely not agree. What was the point? A one-for-one trade? That would be a total loss!

"If you agree, you may choose one from these!" Seeing Sasuke begin to hesitate, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled slightly and pushed the scroll he had just brought over toward Sasuke.

"Uh... alright!" Looking at the S-rank ninjutsu before him, Sasuke swallowed hard, then cast his gaze upon the scrolls.

Seeing Sasuke's reaction, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled deviously. Using a ninjutsu that was impossible to learn to trade for the Uchiha compound—this deal was definitely not a loss!

"The Will of Fire, what a fine shackle it is!" Watching Sasuke's gaze settle on the scrolls, Sarutobi Hiruzen wore a subtle expression. If it were only these scrolls, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not guarantee that Sasuke would definitely agree to his terms.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was secretly pleased with his own cleverness, Sasuke looked at the scrolls before him with a rather strange expression.

There were five scrolls in total. Although they looked impressive, it seemed the difficulty of learning them was not exactly low!

Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, a money pit; Eight Inner Gates, a life-burner; Yin Seal, a bit feminine; Dead Demon Consuming Seal, a one-for-one trade; Flying Thunder God, a lost art!

Looking at the scrolls in front of him, there were two that Sasuke favored: the Yin Seal and the Flying Thunder God. After all, these were the only two he could barely manage to use; as for the others, Sasuke didn't even want to touch them.

Of course, if Sarutobi Hiruzen had dared to bring out the Impure World Reincarnation, Sasuke would certainly have chosen that, with the excuse that he wanted to see his parents!

Unfortunately, that was a technique Sarutobi Hiruzen might not dare to produce. Looking at the Yin Seal and the Flying Thunder God, Sasuke thought for a moment and decisively chose the latter. After all, although the Flying Thunder God was difficult, it was more suitable for Sasuke; as for the Yin Seal, it was somewhat redundant for him at his current stage.

If it had been a few years ago, Sasuke would definitely have chosen the Yin Seal, as it allowed for the gradual storage of chakra. But now? Sasuke felt it was unnecessary; it would only slow down his plans.

"The Flying Thunder God? With your talent, Sasuke, you might actually be able to learn it. Do your best! I will arrange a new residence for you tomorrow!"

Seeing that Sasuke had made his decision, Sarutobi Hiruzen put away the remaining scrolls and slowly took his leave.

"Tomorrow? What an impatient old man! I hope you enjoy the remaining year and a half of your life!" After accepting the Flying Thunder God scroll, Sasuke muttered to himself. After all, he was about to graduate, Team 7 was about to be formed, the Chunin Exams were approaching, and the Third Hokage was about to pass away!

Returning to his home, Sasuke first sealed everything he could use into scrolls, then took out a backpack and packed all the sealing scrolls inside.

Only then did he begin to slowly study the so-called S-rank ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God!

Created by the Second Hokage and popularized by the Fourth Hokage, it was a space-time ninjutsu. If he could successfully master it, it would be a major trump card for Sasuke!

However, the Flying Thunder God was still the Flying Thunder God; the difficulty of learning it remained. Sasuke studied for an entire night without making any headway.

The next morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived at the Uchiha compound with two Konoha advisors and the "scapegoat king" Danzo. Clearly, the four of them wanted to divide the Uchiha compound; after all, if Sarutobi Hiruzen did it alone, it would likely invite gossip.

Needless to say, Sarutobi Hiruzen was sure to take the lion's share. When the four of them arrived at Sasuke's house, Sarutobi Hiruzen took out a package and handed it to Sasuke, claiming it contained kunai specially crafted by the Fourth Hokage.

Then, Sasuke was led away from the Uchiha compound by an Anbu operative.

"Hiruzen, this Uchiha is a bit of a waste! He hasn't even awakened his Sharingan. Isn't it a bit too rash to give him the Fourth Hokage's kunai?" After Sasuke left, Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen's recent actions with a puzzled expression.

"Rash? I don't think so. The better I treat him, the more firmly he will believe in the Will of Fire. If he happens to learn the Flying Thunder God, we will not only have an ace to deter other villages, but also a lackey who obeys our every command. After all, he believes in the Will of Fire without question. And I just happen to be the Hokage."

"Of course, if he can't learn it, then that's his own incompetence, and it has nothing to do with us!"

Looking at his personal scapegoat, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled calmly and then took out a map of the Uchiha compound to begin dividing the territory.

Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen pointing and gesturing on the map, Danzo nodded smugly after a long silence. He was interested in the Sharingan, but since Sasuke was already 11 and hadn't awakened it, he was clearly not worth Danzo's consideration.

Following the Anbu to an area near the back mountain, they arrived at a courtyard that clearly looked like it had just been cleaned up.

"This is the residence the Hokage has provided for you!" After handing a set of keys to Sasuke, the Anbu who led him there vanished.

"What a perfect facade! Third Hokage!" Looking at his new residence, Sasuke curled his lip helplessly. Others might not know what happened in the back mountain, but how could Sasuke not know?

Using the key to open the door, Sasuke entered his courtyard. Although it looked rather simple, it was perfect for Sasuke; it was remote and not easily noticed.

"Now I have no psychological burden!" Recalling Sarutobi Hiruzen's schemes against him, Sasuke smirked. Now, Sasuke could strike at the Sarutobi clan without any restraint; after all, it was your clan leader who schemed against me first.

After tidying up his new home, Sasuke took out the kunai Sarutobi Hiruzen had given him. Upon opening the package, Sasuke felt speechless.

Inside the package were five Flying Thunder God kunai, but they were all pieces of junk—either broken or rusted.

"As expected of you, Sarutobi Hiruzen!" Looking at these kunai, Sasuke shook his head helplessly.

The treacherous Third, and the Uchiha without a bloodline.

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