I Only Had This Brief Respite

How shameless! Absolutely shameless!!

Watching the whole sequence of moves, Obito was so furious he was about to explode!

How could he do that? Was that even allowed?

He'd actually strapped iron weights to himself!

How was that any different from cheating? Th-this was cheating!!

"Suifeng's such a sly guy!"

Asuma spat out the dried grass in his mouth, looking impressed. "He actually came up with a strategy like that. He really shouldn't be underestimated!"

"What do you mean, shouldn't be underestimated? That was just shameless!" Obito stamped his feet in anger.

"It was a strategy tailored to his opponent, you idiot. Suifeng had already gathered information on Kakashi and learned his attack patterns and habits. He prepared accordingly and lured Kakashi into a trap. That's how ninja fight!" As expected of the Hokage's son, Asuma might have been rebellious, but he knew his stuff. "Kakashi let his guard down this time!"

And so, the highly anticipated examination came to an end. Suifeng defeated Kakashi, passed the test, and successfully received his Genin Forehead Protector. He had completed his clan's mission and become the youngest Genin in the Uchiha Clan.

"Suifeng, you did well this time!"

Fushan still wore the same stern, expressionless face, but his tone was much gentler than before.

"It's all thanks to your teaching, sensei!" Suifeng chuckled. "What should I do next?"

"That's up to the elders," Fushan replied. This time, Suifeng had defeated Kakashi and completed the clan's mission—that was one thing. More importantly, his tactical skill in the fight had exceeded the clan's expectations, so they would surely pay him even more attention. They would make suitable arrangements for his future.

That was the privilege of being part of Konoha's foremost clan, the Uchiha.

Ordinary Genin were assigned to squads with other Genin, led by a Special Jonin or Jonin. They took on low-level missions and began their careers as ninja.

But Genin from the Uchiha Clan had another path available to them: the Konoha Military Police Force. They didn't have to take on missions all over the place like ordinary newly graduated Genin.

It was also a way for the Uchiha to protect their own ninja. But to outsiders, it made the clan seem at odds with the rest of Konoha.

"The Military Police Force?"

At the Great Elder's residence in the Uchiha Clan Compound,

Suifeng nodded calmly. "Yes, Great Elder. I'll do my best!"

"You've been training under Fushan for the past few months. You can join his squad. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask him."

"Yes, Great Elder!"

Suifeng was on his best behavior.

"You did very well this time. When facing a powerful opponent, you didn't just charge in recklessly. You designed a strategy tailored to your opponent and succeeded. That's far better than I expected. You showed the Uchiha Clan's mettle and rendered a great service. If there's anything you want, just ask. The clan will do its best to provide it."

"I'd like to learn swordsmanship and Medical Ninjutsu. I'd also like to learn the Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Swordsmanship and Medical Ninjutsu?" The Great Elder was quite surprised. "Aren't you studying Body Techniques and genjutsu? Why have you suddenly decided to learn swordsmanship and Medical Ninjutsu?"

"I feel that I still have a lot to learn about controlling chakra. I want to improve my chakra's offensive power through Medical Ninjutsu. As for swordsmanship, I'm simply interested in it!"

"That's no problem, but you're still very young, and you can't learn so many things all at once. Fushan can't teach you all of that, either. Put swordsmanship aside for now. As for Medical Ninjutsu..."

Wako will teach me Medical Ninjutsu. I've already spoken with her.

"Mm, Wako is an excellent medical ninja. She should have no trouble teaching you!"

As a capable medical ninja, Wako was also a vital member of the Great Elder's faction. The Great Elder knew her well.

"Here are three scrolls of ninjutsu. They're rewards from the clan: the Great Fireball Technique, the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, and the Sharingan Genjutsu, Mirror Heaven and Earth Change. Take them home and study them carefully. As a ninja of the Uchiha Clan, you must know Fire Release Ninjutsu and genjutsu."

"Thank you, Great Elder!"

"Also, ask Fushan to teach you the Shadow Clone Technique. It's a B-rank ninjutsu, and you don't seem to have enough chakra to use it yet."

"I'll work hard!" Suifeng replied, taking the scrolls.

"All right. I'll speak to Fushan. Go home and get some rest. Report to Fushan's squad in three days."

"Yes!"

Hand seal speed, ninjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, genjutsu, Body Techniques, swordsmanship, the Six Powers, the use of Nen Ability, all sorts of wild ideas...

Back home, Suifeng tossed the ninjutsu scrolls aside. His head felt like it was about to explode. There was simply too much he needed to learn and practice, and he was starting to feel at a loss, unsure where to begin.

Before this, he'd focused single-mindedly on getting past the Kakashi boss fight, concentrating on Body Techniques and genjutsu, with a little cleverness on the side. Now that he'd cleared that hurdle, he felt somewhat lost.

Forget all the ideas swirling around in his head. There was already too much in this world that he needed to learn and practice. Besides everything he'd listed, there was also the Senjutsu he coveted, developing his Zanpakuto, and so on and so forth...

It all spun around in his mind like a revolving lantern. There was no focus, no order of importance, no goal. He felt almost as if he'd gone mad.

"No, this won't do. I have to prioritize and decide what matters most!" He abruptly sat up in bed and shook his head hard.

He didn't have much time left. In just over a decade, the Uchiha would be wiped out. During those years, the most powerful clan in the Ninja World would live in constant fear, beset by one crisis after another. If he didn't improve his strength quickly, he wouldn't even know what killed him when the time came.

Who else could he count on?

The Third Hokage?

The Third Hokage had personally given him his Forehead Protector today. Just thinking of that hypocritical smile on his face made Suifeng not want to speak with him.

The conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha was severe. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, even though he was only a child, becoming a ninja meant choosing sides. He was naturally on the Uchiha Clan's side. There was no way to please both sides. Just look at what happened to Shisui and Itachi, those two fools. The Third Hokage couldn't be trusted. The Konoha High Command couldn't be trusted. Konoha couldn't be trusted!

As a middle-aged man in his forties, he saw these things clearly enough.

Seventeen years—no, sixteen years at most. The clan would be wiped out, and he'd be twenty-two. His life would only just be beginning. He wasn't about to stake his life on those useless fools in the Konoha High Command.

He had to control his own fate. And to control his fate in this world, he needed strength. How could he get stronger?

Training!

He couldn't give up on Body Techniques. They were the foundation of everything, especially Iron Body, one of the Six Powers. Since he'd already made progress, he had to keep going. At his current pace, he'd master it completely within a year at most. Then developing Finger Pistol would be much easier.

There was also Moonwalk, which he could practice alongside the Body Flicker Technique. Once he succeeded, he'd be able to use the Body Flicker Technique as well as Shisui.

Iron Body and Moonwalk were essential training, on top of the fundamentals of Body Techniques.

Next was Medical Ninjutsu. He could set ordinary ninjutsu aside for the time being, but he had to improve his chakra control. Fine-tuning it would lay the foundation for developing techniques and moves from his memories in the future. So Medical Ninjutsu was a required course. Also, chakra control had nothing to do with integrating the Nen system—he needed to start learning that too.

He also had to work on his hand seal speed. It was fundamental to using ninjutsu. Ideally, he'd also master one-handed hand seals. Of course, that wasn't essential. If he managed it, it'd be a bonus; if not, it wouldn't matter.

The last thing was the Shadow Clone Technique. He had to master it. Though it was a B-rank ninjutsu, using it to train and develop techniques was like having a cheat code. It was an essential skill.

Those were the things he needed to start working on for now. As for other ninjutsu, genjutsu, swordsmanship, and the like, he'd let them go for the time being. His energy was limited, after all. He had to know what to prioritize.