The next day, Uchiha Zhuang opened his bedroom door after a night of poor sleep and headed into the living room. Breakfast had already been prepared, and a note had been left behind. The house was empty. The note read, "Whether you're strong or weak, it's only temporary. Remember to eat on time." A warmth spread through Uchiha Zhuang's heart. He smiled, put the note back on the table, and leisurely ate his breakfast.
At Kage Rock, he took in the sweeping view, then lay on the grass and gazed at the clear blue sky and the drifting white clouds. For some reason, his heart felt completely at peace. As a gentle breeze blew, his eyelids grew heavy, and before he knew it, Uchiha Zhuang had fallen asleep. In his dream, he saw the Kage Level strongman again, but this time the man wasn't fighting. Instead, he traveled endlessly, taking in one magnificent, wondrous landscape after another. Then, as if he'd gained some insight, the strongman walked toward the glow of the setting sun in the distance. At the end, he even seemed to wave at Uchiha Zhuang, leaving behind only his retreating figure. "Big brother!" a voice called nearby. Uchiha Zhuang slowly opened his eyes and saw Jiraiya and Orochimaru beside him, calling softly. He slowly sat up and said, "I'm thirsty. Here's ten thousand ryo. You two go buy me a cup of fizzy fruit juice. Make sure the ice doesn't melt. I want it with a little ice." After saying that, Uchiha Zhuang lay back down and crossed his legs as he gazed at the sky. The two took the money and shouted, "Yes, sir!" before running toward the buildings. "Bring back some snacks too. We'll train after we eat," Uchiha Zhuang called after them. "Yes, sir!" they answered from afar.
When his two little underlings returned with the food, Uchiha Zhuang took another nap. Was this spring sleepiness or autumn fatigue? He stretched his arms wide and yawned, then the three of them started eating. Afterward, Uchiha Zhuang said, "I've made a plan. From now on, every day—I mean every single day—you two will run around Konoha. I don't care about your speed; you can even walk at first. After one lap, spend half an hour each on sit-ups, push-ups, tree climbing, and diving. Keep it up for three years! After that, keep everything the same, but add an hour each of throwing shuriken and kunai, practicing swordsmanship, and sparring. Three years later, keep all of that up and add an hour each of releasing ninjutsu, forming Hand Seals, and forming them under all kinds of urgent conditions. You can gradually increase your training load over these nine years, but you mustn't reduce it. Once you've finished all nine years of training, it'll be time to head to the battlefield. Hone yourselves there." The two little underlings were astonished by the detailed training plan Uchiha Zhuang laid out, then knelt and thanked him. In the ninja world, no one would make a training plan for someone else without a reason. Most people had to figure things out on their own. A plan this clear and thorough was like giving a primary school student six years of exam prep for the high school entrance exam and twelve years for the college entrance exam, starting in third grade. It gave them a head start over other children. Over the next month, under Uchiha Zhuang's training and with plenty of food to keep them going, the two made rapid progress. Their physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary children, and by the end, they were even slowly learning to refine chakra. On the final day, Uchiha Zhuang demonstrated all the Water and Fire Release ninjutsu he had mastered, carefully explaining the strengths, weaknesses, and precautions for each technique. The two listened, entranced. After all, anyone would think powerful, dazzling ninjutsu was cool—especially children.
On a crisp autumn afternoon, the three of them strolled along the streets of Konoha. Uchiha Zhuang shared the child-friendly parts of what he'd experienced lately and gradually passed on his ideals to the two boys: this world needed peace! The chosen one, the mountain god, Natural Energy, and so on. As evening fell, they stopped in front of the Uchiha Clan Compound. Looking at his two little underlings, Uchiha Zhuang said, "A generation must bear the burden of several floors. One bag of rice has to be carried to the second floor; one bag of rice, oh, I'll carry it all the way. Only by experiencing pain can you understand pain and truly empathize with it, then cherish peace. But don't let pain blind you. Think carefully, and treat the world with kindness! That's how you'll find the path to peace!" With the sunset behind him and what seemed like stars gleaming in his eyes, Uchiha Zhuang left the two boys shaken. A feeling of reverence for his strength slowly rose in their hearts. Seeing how late it was, Uchiha Zhuang hurriedly urged them to go home. The two little underlings took three steps, then looked back, reluctant to leave. At last, Jiraiya called to Uchiha Zhuang, "Big brother! What should we do if we run into something someday and have absolutely no idea how to handle it?" "When you can't decide what to do, ask the spring breeze. If the spring breeze doesn't answer, follow your heart." Uchiha Zhuang quoted an old saying from Earth—an ordinary saying there, but in the ninja world, an ancient saying from thousands of years ago, imbued with the spirit of the Xia Kingdom. After saying it, Uchiha Zhuang turned and headed home, muttering under his breath, "As if I know. I'm just as lost, you know! You're all practically half the protagonists of the future. You can do whatever you want and get away with it." When he got home, he saw Meiko cooking and Genmu reading the newspaper with a toothpick in his mouth and his legs crossed. He smiled faintly and went inside.
At dinner, Uchiha Zhuang looked at the two of them and said, "I've thought about it seriously for a long time, and I think it'd be good to finish the Ninja Academy. I can build a solid foundation and make more friends, which will help me train better in the future." He'd stopped spouting lofty declarations about maintaining world peace and bringing the world into order. Instead, he spoke in ordinary terms that were closer to everyday life. Meiko and Genmu both looked surprised. "Is that really what you think?" Uchiha Zhuang didn't answer. He took out the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Body Tempering Manual and handed it to Genmu. The two took it and opened it. The contents were all about the body's meridians and acupuncture points, with detailed explanations of various methods of conditioning the body. The later pages contained cultivation techniques, mantras, and moves. The two were so shocked they couldn't speak for a long while. Meiko said, "Where did you get this? A secret manual like this is a treasure. It could be the foundation of some clan!" "You mustn't let anyone else find out! This book is enough to get our whole family killed without a sound!" Genmu said with lingering fear. Uchiha Zhuang hadn't expected the book to provoke such a reaction. It seemed manuals like this were extremely precious in the ninja world. He'd have to be careful not to bring them out casually again. Uchiha Zhuang said earnestly, "I didn't know a manual like this was so valuable. I'll be more careful next time. I found it in the leader's storage cabinet when I wiped out a bandit hideout in the Land of Rivers. I thought maybe they'd just robbed some fleeing clan member who was carrying this treasure!" "That makes sense. There's no way bandits could have obtained a treasure like this on their own! What are you going to do with the book?" Genmu asked. "I wonder if I could trade it for a wife?" Genmu had been expecting Uchiha Zhuang to say something sensible. At that answer, he promptly turned to stone. Only Meiko smiled knowingly and said, "You mean that little girl from the Hyuga Clan, right? I've heard all about it. You rescued her that day, and then you went on a date! Don't worry, Genmu and I will help you!" Uchiha Zhuang was speechless. Meiko was always so enthusiastic whenever the subject of a future daughter-in-law came up! "I mean, after looking through this book, we can tell it's perfectly suited to the Hyuga Clan's training. It's based on completely new theories, and I think it could greatly improve their clan's strength. They'd never pass up a treasure like this. So I want to use the book to create an opportunity for the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan to form an alliance. Ideally, I could even marry into their family, though I think the chances are slim." "That's possible, but you need to understand that the village's higher-ups have always tried to stop the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans from getting too close. If we bring out a treasure like this, it won't escape their notice. They could stop us from forming an alliance at any time, or even come up with a reason to confiscate the treasure. Don't think it's impossible. It's happened before," Genmu said thoughtfully. The three fell silent, staring at the precious manual as they pondered.
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