Returning to the Village

Amada and Kakashi were sitting on the ground, taking a break.

Kakashi turned his head to look at Amada and sighed.

"The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan really is impressive. Your Illusion Technique just now even worked on a Jonin."

Amada smiled and replied modestly.

"Actually, that Illusion Technique isn't very effective against shinobi with strong wills. That Jonin probably fell for it because he was injured and his resolve had weakened, giving me an opening."

Kakashi nodded and said nothing more.

He leaned against the tree trunk and relaxed, savoring the rare moment of peace.

The two sat quietly, chatting now and then about everything from combat techniques to their usual training.

Though they had just been through a fight for their lives, the atmosphere now felt remarkably relaxed.

However, the calm didn't last long.

The faint sound of footsteps came from the distance. Amada and Kakashi tensed almost simultaneously,

quickly rising to their feet and looking toward the sound.

"Someone's approaching."

Kakashi spoke in a low voice, gripping the short blade in his hand.

Amada also tightened his grip on his katana, ready to face any potential enemy.

But when two familiar figures emerged from the woods, the tension in Amada and Kakashi's bodies immediately eased.

They were Konoha Jonin Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi.

"Senior Inoichi, Senior Choza."

Amada called out in greeting.

Inoichi and Choza had been wearing stern expressions, prepared to engage the enemy.

But when they saw that Amada and Kakashi were safe and sound, while the Cloud Village Jonin lay on the ground,

lifeless, both of them looked astonished.

"You... took down that Jonin?"

Choza asked in disbelief, glancing back and forth between Amada and Kakashi.

Inoichi froze for a moment, then broke into an appreciative smile and sighed.

"Young people these days are incredible. You're even starting to outshine us old-timers."

Kakashi remained as calm as ever, his tone indifferent.

"We just got lucky."

Amada, meanwhile, spoke with some embarrassment.

"We were lucky, too. If he hadn't let his guard down, we might not have won."

Choza nodded at their words, speaking with conviction.

"A win is a win. Every uncertainty in battle is part of what decides the outcome. If he let his guard down, that just means you were stronger than him."

Inoichi walked over to Yalan's body and examined it closely. His expression turned to one of surprise.

"This guy... Is he Yalan from the Cloud Village?"

Choza came over and took a close look as well, then nodded in confirmation.

"That's right. It really is Yalan. He was a well-known fighter in Kumogakure. I can't believe he fell to you two."

Inoichi turned to look at Amada and Kakashi, admiration clear in his eyes.

"Defeating Yalan wasn't something you could accomplish through luck alone."

Afterward, Inoichi carefully secured Yalan's body, and the group set off for Konoha.

Along the way, Amada and Kakashi stayed on their guard. The mission wasn't over yet, after all, and no one dared to let their guard down.

By the time they reached Konoha, Asuma and the others had already been waiting at the village entrance for quite a while.

When they saw Amada and Kakashi return safe and sound, smiles of relief spread across their faces.

Obito couldn't help rushing forward and giving Kakashi's shoulder a hard slap, his voice edged with excitement.

"It's so good to see you're okay! We were worried that Jonin might have—"

He hadn't finished when Asuma cut him off.

Asuma was relieved, too, but even more than that, he was shocked.

"You... really took down that Jonin?"

Amada nodded, his tone calm.

"Yeah. We got a bit lucky, but in the end, we made it through safely."

Kakashi, meanwhile, kept up his usual cool demeanor.

Kurenai and Rin didn't say much, but their eyes were full of admiration.

Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi gave the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi a detailed report on the mission.

After hearing their report, Hiruzen's brows furrowed slightly, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

Sitting in his office chair, he held his pipe and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, thinking to himself,

"I've always known Kakashi was gifted. After all, he's Sakumo's son. But I didn't realize Uchiha Amada had that kind of talent as well... To defeat a Jonin at such a young age, their strength and potential really can't be underestimated."

He paused.

"Leaving a prodigy like him under Danzo would be a waste. Perhaps I should reconsider his assignment."

Meanwhile, Amada's life settled back into its usual quiet routine.

He continued to spend his days on missions, studying, and training.

One day, a year later, Amada was at home,

holding a copy of Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements and reading it intently, a thoughtful look on his face.

After a year of diligent study, his understanding of Sealing Jutsu had deepened considerably.

Though the contents of Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements remained difficult to understand, he could now make out a small portion of them.

Amada had always thought Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements was a profound technical text.

But as he studied it in greater depth, he realized it was much more than that.

It was more like a unique cultivation method, one that described how to cultivate a special kind of "Qi."

This "Qi" was completely different from chakra and seemed to possess almost limitless potential.

It could not only strengthen the body, but also be used to forge magical artifacts and even refine all things.

Amada still hadn't fully grasped its other specific functions,

but even what he understood so far had already benefited him greatly.

"So that's it... No wonder Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements is considered such an extraordinary art."

Amada murmured, excitement shining in his eyes.

He knew that once he mastered this method of cultivating "Qi," his strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

Though he had only grasped the basics so far, he was already eager to try cultivating it.

Just as Amada was absorbed in studying how to begin his cultivation, a clear eagle's cry suddenly sounded outside the window.

It was the signal to assemble.

Amada frowned, reluctant to put his book aside, but quickly stored Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements in his system space.

After composing himself, Amada hurried to the meeting point.

When Amada arrived, he found that their teacher, Kushina, was already waiting there.

Once Asuma and Kurenai arrived as well, Kushina took an appointment letter from her clothes,

cleared her throat, then announced with a hearty laugh,

"Amada, congratulations! Starting today, you're officially promoted to Chunin!"

Amada froze for a moment and took the appointment letter.

But Asuma, standing beside him, couldn't wait to ask,

"Teacher Kushina, what about me? Did I get promoted too?"

Kushina glanced at him and shook her head with a smile.

"Asuma, you still need to polish your skills. Keep working hard, and you'll have a chance next time."

Asuma's face immediately filled with frustration. He clenched his fists and muttered under his breath,

"How could this happen... I've been working so hard..."