Three-Legged Golden Crow

Yashui did not wake up as early as usual today. This was because Sarutobi Asuma would be submitting his early graduation application for him.

Once the early graduation application was submitted, he would no longer need to attend the academy. He only had to participate in the graduation exam one month later. There was no homework during this month; improving his strength would depend entirely on his own self-discipline.

Since an elite Jonin like Sarutobi Asuma was submitting it personally, the academy had no reason to refuse. Sarutobi Asuma was, after all, the son of the Third Hokage; even if he kept a low profile, everyone knew the truth. No one dared to casually reject his words.

Next, Yashui needed to consider how to improve his strength. First, he had to raise his power to the Genin level.

"The Sharingan, it still won't close." Yashui took off his glasses in front of the mirror. That pair of blood-red eyes had already transformed into the two-tomoe Sharingan.

The Sharingan had leveled up, but Yashui couldn't feel happy at all.

These eyes felt less and less like his own. They were becoming increasingly difficult to control.

A Sharingan that could not be deactivated was essentially a self-contained chakra drain. The Naruto manga had given everyone the misconception that the Uchiha Clan naturally possessed very little chakra.

In reality, that was not the case; even the Uchiha with the least amount of chakra were no different from other ninja clans. Their chakra reserves were actually quite large compared to other families. However, the eyes of the Uchiha Clan consumed far too much energy.

The massive consumption of the Sharingan forced the Uchiha to be more cautious with their chakra distribution, which in turn created the illusion that they had low reserves. Others who had their chakra "lowered" by the Sharingan included the likes of Hatake Kakashi.

Therefore, even though Yashui had rested for the entire night, his chakra and physical strength had not recovered much.

Yashui put his glasses back on. Even if he couldn't control them, he had no intention of telling anyone else. He believed that if he spoke of this, those looking for entertainment would far outnumber those willing to lend a hand.

Not to mention, there was still that troublesome fellow, Danzo.

But if this matter wasn't resolved, a weight would always remain on Yashui's heart.

"Right!" Yashui suddenly thought of a method that might actually work.

He remembered that in the original Naruto story, many outstanding ninjas trained in the world of Summoning Animals. For example, Jiraiya, Naruto, and others. If he could also go to the world of Summoning Animals to train, wouldn't he be able to ask the Summoning Animals about his Sharingan issues while simultaneously escaping Danzo's surveillance?

Well, he had the method and the idea. All he needed now was a Summoning Animal, and everything would be perfect.

But... he didn't have a Summoning Animal... and even if he did, he didn't know the Summoning Jutsu!

At that moment, the hand signs and application of the Summoning Jutsu flooded into Yashui's mind.

Yashui frowned. Although knowing the hand signs was a good thing, the way he had acquired this knowledge made him feel disgusted. Yashui, who had always wanted to learn ninjutsu easily without resorting to such means, had once again unintentionally learned a technique this way.

Every time he activated the Sharingan, he would inexplicably learn some ninjutsu he hadn't known before.

"Damn it!" Yashui punched his own chest. He felt as if he couldn't even control his own body anymore! He hated himself for his lack of control.

"I must find a way to close the Sharingan, even if it means 'making the Sharingan unable to ever open again,' I must shut these terrifying eyes!" Yashui set his goal: he had to close the Sharingan!

With this thought in mind, Yashui stopped caring about how he had learned the Summoning Jutsu. He didn't care what his Summoning Animal might be; without a second thought, he performed the technique.

No matter what kind of creature it was, he wanted to summon it immediately and ask what he should do!

Yashui's hands moved rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he completed the seals.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

Yashui regretted it the moment he finished. Before his eyes lay an endless, bottomless darkness.

Having watched Naruto, Yashui immediately understood: this was a failed summoning caused by not having a contract with a Summoning Animal!

Yashui felt like cursing out loud: "This is too much of a trap. Why would I learn the Summoning Jutsu without having a contract..."

One should never underestimate the Summoning Jutsu; no matter how common it was, it was still a space-time ninjutsu. If it failed, there was no telling where he might be sent.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Yashui finally opened his eyes.

His body felt much lighter. Yashui looked at his hands and could no longer see his chakra pathways. It seemed the Sharingan had finally closed.

The heart that had been hanging in his chest finally settled. But where was he now?

Only then did Yashui notice the misty clouds surrounding him, looking exactly like a fairyland. Birds of all kinds flew everywhere, and their varied songs were incessant.

"Where... is this..." Yashui stared in awe; it was truly beautiful.

Yashui stood up and looked around. Glancing down at the ground beneath the clouds, he saw villages that looked like tiny toys, with people appearing as small as ants.

Yashui had only seen such a sight from an airplane in his previous world. Could it be that he was currently thousands of meters in the air?

"Caw, caw, caw..."

Beside him, a crow kept calling out to Yashui. As it circled, it seemed to be guiding him.

Lost in this strange place, Yashui didn't know what else to do, so he followed the crow.

He didn't know how long he walked—perhaps ten days, perhaps a hundred, perhaps a million. Yashui followed the crow, walking tirelessly forward, gradually losing all concept of time.

Finally, Yashui reached his destination.

It was a magnificent and vast palace, and a giant three-legged bird stood within it, possessing the air of a master.

Yashui recognized this three-legged bird. In the mythology of East Asia, this bird was a celebrity! In many myths, it was the embodiment of the sun—it was the Three-Legged Golden Crow!

"Are you... the Three-Legged Golden Crow?" Yashui asked, feeling skeptical.

"A member of the Uchiha Clan, I didn't expect you to still remember this old one..." The voice of the Three-Legged Golden Crow was incredibly penetrating; every syllable seemed to easily pierce through Yashui's young body.

Since it said so, it meant Yashui had guessed correctly. It was truly worthy of the Naruto world; this world was indeed infused with all sorts of myths and legends.

"Greetings. I never expected to see a legendary deity. I am truly honored." Yashui lowered his posture and bowed before the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

"Raise your head, Uchiha clansman," the Three-Legged Golden Crow said. "You have walked through an illusion for one hundred and one years; seeing me is the reward you deserve."

"An illusion?" Yashui finally realized. "Then the actual time that has passed is only..."

"Only one minute," the Three-Legged Golden Crow said with a smile. "To have endured one hundred and one years of time, your mind must be very strong."