"I'm Matsumoto Ryūichi. Starting today, I'll be the Jonin leading Team Seven." Matsumoto Ryūichi's voice was calm.
"In my team, I don't care what bloodline limits you have or what kind of background you come from.
I only care about three things: discipline, fundamentals, and execution."
He paused, deliberately letting his gaze linger on Liuyu's face for a second.
"Especially those who think they're something special just because they have a little talent. You'd better put that attitude away around me.
Shinobi go to the battlefield. They aren't performers in a circus."
Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki instinctively straightened up. "Yes, sir!"
Liuyu pushed up his glasses and said nothing.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Matsumoto Ryūichi's eyes, but he didn't let it show. He merely said coldly, "Now, introduce yourselves.
Your name, what you like, what you dislike, and your dream. You first." He pointed to Haruno Kazuya.
"Yes, sir! My name is Haruno Kazuya. I like reading and studying the theory behind ninjutsu.
I hate bugs, and my dream is to become an elite Jonin who fights with his wits, like Lord Shikaku Nara!"
"My name is Fujiwara Itsuki. I like eating rice balls and practicing Taijutsu.
I hate people who talk too much, and my dream is to master Taijutsu and protect the people who matter to me!"
Both boys introduced themselves earnestly, brimming with the energy unique to the young.
Matsumoto Ryūichi's expression softened a little. He nodded, then looked at Liuyu with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Your turn, Uchiha Ryūha."
Liuyu raised his eyes and calmly met Matsumoto Ryūichi's gaze.
Silence stretched for two seconds.
Just as Matsumoto Ryūichi was about to impatiently prompt him, Liuyu spoke. His voice was soft, yet every person there heard him clearly.
"Uchiha Ryūha."
"I don't have any particular likes."
"What I hate... is probably boredom."
He paused. His eyes narrowed slightly behind his lenses as he gazed at the distant sky, his tone as casual as if he were saying, "I'm having ramen today."
"My dream... is probably to stand in the heavens."
The training ground fell silent for a moment.
Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki gaped at him, utterly bewildered.
Stand... in the heavens?
What did that mean?
Matsumoto Ryūichi's expression darkened completely.
Stand in the heavens?
What an outrageous claim!
What kind of dream was that? Arrogant! Conceited! He had no idea how vast the world was!
As expected, the Uchiha were all cut from the same cloth!
Did they think they could look down on everyone just because they had a little talent, with their eyes practically on top of their heads?
Matsumoto Ryūichi's chest heaved. He forced down the urge to reprimand Liuyu, but his gaze had already gone cold as ice.
"Good." He forced the words through clenched teeth. "Uchiha Ryūha, I'll remember your 'dream.'"
He stopped looking at Liuyu and turned to Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki, his tone softening slightly.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll take on missions.
I'll decide whether you're qualified to remain my students based on your performance."
"That's all. Dismissed."
With that, Matsumoto Ryūichi vanished using the Body Flicker Technique, unwilling to stay even a second longer.
Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki exchanged bewildered looks, then cautiously glanced at Liuyu.
Liuyu had already taken out his scroll again and was reading as if no one else were there, as though he hadn't just said something so earth-shattering.
"Um... Liuyu," Haruno Kazuya hesitated, but finally asked in a quiet voice.
"What did you mean by 'stand in the heavens'?"
Liuyu looked up from his scroll and glanced at him, then suddenly smiled faintly.
"Exactly what it says."
He closed the scroll and turned to leave, leaving his two teammates even more confused than before.
That little performance today should have put the Third Hokage at ease.
An arrogant, haughty Uchiha prodigy was better than a sinister, deep-thinking Uchiha prodigy.
Of course, those were also Uchiha Ryūha's truest feelings.
That evening, in the Hokage Office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffed on his pipe as he watched the training ground appear in his crystal ball—the moment Liuyu said, "Stand in the heavens."
"Heh. Youth is wonderful," the Third Hokage said with a smile, blowing out a ring of smoke.
"Arrogant and conceited, with no basic understanding of what it means to be a shinobi." Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses and spoke coldly.
"Hiruzen, is it really wise to entrust such a dangerous individual to Matsumoto?
Matsumoto is steady, but his abilities are limited. What if..."
"That's precisely why he's suitable," Utatane Koharu cut in, her voice stiff.
"Uchiha Ryūha's abilities are too bizarre. We need to keep an eye on him.
Matsumoto values fundamentals and can temper his personality. As for the danger... Anbu will keep watch."
The Third Hokage neither agreed nor disagreed. He simply watched Liuyu's retreating figure in the crystal ball.
To stand in the heavens...
What an interesting dream.
It was good for young people to have ambition, but they also needed to learn to keep their feet on the ground.
"By the way," the Third Hokage said, suddenly remembering something. "How has Hatake Sakumo been lately? Is he holding up?"
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance. She shook her head.
"About the same. He's shut himself away at home and won't see anyone.
The effects of the failed mission are still spreading. There's been some talk in the village... and it hasn't been kind."
The Third Hokage sighed. Smoke blurred his expression.
"Have Anbu keep a closer eye on him. Sakumo is a hero of the village. We can't let him... do anything foolish."
"Understood."
At the training ground in the mountains behind the Uchiha Compound,
Uchiha Ryūha finished his training for the day and sat on a rock to rest.
The system panel automatically opened in his mind:
[Host: Uchiha Ryūha]
[Current Energy: Reiatsu (automatically converted from chakra)]
[Zanpakuto: Kyoka Suigetsu (Shikai) Compatibility: 15%]
[Skills Learned: Flash Step (Beginner), Red Fire Cannon (Basic Proficiency)]
[Reputation: 600 (somewhat well-known in Konoha)]
[Karma Points: 300]
[Current Side Quest: White Fang's Swan Song (Time Remaining: Three Months)]
"Starting tomorrow, I'll be taking on missions..." Liuyu murmured to himself.
Matsumoto Ryūichi's attitude had been obvious. He wanted to "temper" Liuyu with missions.
Preferably, he'd make Liuyu embarrass himself and face "reality."
And according to custom, the first mission would probably be D-rank—finding cats or dogs, pulling weeds, babysitting, that sort of thing.
Boring and a waste of time.
But...
Uchiha Ryūha pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the glow of the setting sun.
Perhaps this was also an opportunity.
A legitimate chance to move around the village without arousing suspicion.
There was still plenty of time, but he needed to find a moment when he could avoid the eyes of Root and Anbu.
As for Matsumoto Ryūichi's contempt?
Liuyu smiled. It was a faint, disdainful smile.
What kind of look did an ant give a giant? Did the giant care?
Of course, Uchiha Ryūha wasn't exactly a giant yet.
He stood and brushed the dust off his clothes.
He should go back and get ready.
Tomorrow would be an interesting day.
Meanwhile, in the shadows at the edge of Team Seven's training ground,
a masked figure silently emerged. Watching the direction Liuyu had gone, the figure wrote on a report scroll:
"Subject is calm, displaying composure beyond his age.
Shows a neutral attitude toward team leader; no obvious signs of resistance. Rarely interacts with teammates."
"Initial assessment: Threat Level B. Continued observation required."
After finishing the report, the figure melted into the shadows and disappeared.
It was Konoha Anbu.
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