Linear Potential

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage Office, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk.

Spread out before him was the latest report from Root, containing an analysis of the direction Kyoshin Uchiha had fled.

The Third Hokage sighed and took a sheet of paper from his desk drawer.

He picked up his pen and wrote to Ōnoki himself.

In the letter, he expressed concern over the disappearance of a Genin and requested permission to send a Konoha squad into the Land of Earth to search for him.

To show his sincerity, he promised to provide five million ryo to compensate the Land of Earth for any inconvenience the search might cause.

The letter was soon delivered.

Iwagakure, Tsuchikage Office.

Ōnoki's gaze moved between the letter and the messenger twice as he weighed the matter carefully.

If he rejected the request outright, Konoha might suspect that Iwagakure had taken Kyoshin in.

Ōnoki's back had begun to ache again, but what troubled him more at that moment was this diplomatic document, mild in appearance but sharp in intent.

He thought for a while, then picked up his pen and began to write a reply.

In his response, Ōnoki expressed his understanding of Konoha's missing Genin, but proposed revised terms.

Konoha would need to pay ten million ryo, and Iwagakure would allow one squad to enter the Land of Earth.

The squad could have no more than three members. Iwagakure would assess each member's abilities, and none could be above the level of an elite Chunin.

The squad would be forbidden from approaching Iwagakure and could search only elsewhere in the Land of Earth. The search would be limited to fifteen days.

At the same time, Iwagakure would send a squad to assist.

This would prevent difficult terrain from slowing the search and avoid casualties from accidentally entering dangerous areas—or a greater dispute from wandering into forbidden territory.

Ōnoki handed the reply to the messenger. "This is Iwagakure's final answer."

After the messenger left, Ōnoki began drafting a letter to the daimyo.

The letter explained that Konoha's search operation needed to be reported to the Daimyo Palace, as diplomatic protocol required.

However, Ōnoki made no mention of Kyoshin. He chose his words carefully, ensuring he revealed nothing that might arouse suspicion.

The letter soon reached Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen fell silent.

Ten million ryo was no small sum, but it was within Konoha's means.

The real issue was the restrictions.

The squad's size, the cap on its strength, the ban on approaching Iwagakure, and the joint search.

Each restriction seemed like a carefully designed line of defense.

Ōnoki had taken a harder stance than Hiruzen expected, but he had left room for compromise.

He had not rejected the request outright. Instead, he had proposed terms that protected his village's sovereignty while remaining just barely acceptable to Konoha.

This kind of political maneuvering certainly suited Ōnoki's style.

Eighteen days later.

The search came to a complete end.

Konoha returned empty-handed.

Ōnoki and Hiruzen Sarutobi were both old foxes.

Ōnoki had not leaked anything about the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha.

Konoha's reputation had suffered no immediate damage, but it had also been unable to infer Kyoshin's approximate whereabouts from the direction of "public opinion"—because there had been no public opinion at all.

Hiruzen Sarutobi came up with two possible explanations for the search's failure.

First: Kyoshin had never gone to Iwagakure. The traces leading toward the Land of Earth had been a diversion.

Second: Kyoshin was in Iwagakure, and Ōnoki was keeping "public opinion" as a trump card to use against Konoha in an information war.

Either way, whatever Konoha chose to do next could no longer affect Kyoshin.

Iwagakure.

Night fell. After finishing his training for the day, Kyoshin's clothes were soaked with sweat.

He went to the bench at the edge of the training ground and sat down, then opened his canteen and took a few gulps.

Over the past few days, he could feel himself improving.

Kyoshin closed his eyes and called up his status panel in his mind.

[Host: Kyoshin Uchiha

Bloodline: Two-Tomoe Sharingan

Ninjutsu: Great Fireball Technique, Clone Technique, Transformation Technique

Genjutsu: Sharingan, Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique

Taijutsu: Konoha-Style Swordsmanship

Chakra: 8

Combat Power: 17

System Ability—Linear Potential: Hard work brings rewards. Your potential has no limits or bottlenecks.]

An ordinary Genin had a chakra level of 5. Kyoshin's had been 6 before, and now it had risen to 8.

An ordinary Genin had a combat power of 5. Kyoshin's had been 9 before, and now it had risen to 17.

His improvement was tangible. He could feel the chakra flowing more smoothly through his body, and his Taijutsu movements had become more precise.

As he rested, Kyoshin considered his current situation.

Iwagakure had genuinely welcomed him, and Ōnoki's protection was solid.

But Kyoshin knew that protection came at a price.

He needed to demonstrate enough potential for growth to maintain Iwagakure's investment in him.

So how could he demonstrate that potential?

As he pondered this, a figure walked in from the training ground's entrance.

Kurotsuchi wore a dark brown training outfit that evening. Her short black hair was neatly swept back, and she carried a lunchbox in one hand as she strode lightly over to Kyoshin.

"Kintsuchi, you're still training this late?"

"No, I'm finished."

Kurotsuchi set the lunchbox on the bench and opened it.

Inside was Iwagakure's signature cuisine, still steaming: Rock-Grilled Meat and Land of Earth Rice.

The aroma wafted through the air, making Kyoshin feel hungry.

Kurotsuchi sat down beside Kyoshin and gave him a plaintive look.

Her expression mixed helplessness with a hint of complaint. "You know, ever since you got here, Grandpa's gotten a lot stricter with me."

"Grandpa used to make sure I trained, but he was pretty lenient about it."

"Now he checks my progress every day, and he's increased my training load, too."

"I think it's because you're so talented that Grandpa's expectations of me have gone up as well."

Kyoshin ate from the lunchbox. The food tasted great, rich with the flavor of meat. "That'll help you get stronger."

Kurotsuchi sighed. "I know all that, but it's still exhausting."

"I have my early graduation exam in three days. Grandpa said if I don't pass this time, he'll double my training."

Though she looked annoyed, there was a glimmer of anticipation in her eyes. "I hope you can come watch. You're really strong, so maybe you could give me some advice."

Kyoshin nodded. "I'll be there."

A smile spread across Kurotsuchi's face. "Then it's settled. The exam's at the Ninja Academy's testing ground, three days from now, in the morning. Don't be late."

With that, Kurotsuchi left the training ground at a brisk pace.

Kyoshin watched her walk away. He really should go see her graduation exam in three days.

Kurotsuchi's exam might be a good opportunity. He could observe the strength of Iwagakure's younger generation and become more integrated into life here.

More importantly, demonstrating his potential for growth would help reassure Iwagakure's leadership.

Kurotsuchi's invitation might not have been her decision alone.