Training

Thud, thud, thud...

In the Uchiha clan training grounds, Suifeng stood bare-chested, his hands wrapped in white bandages. He assumed a straight-punch stance, striking the wooden stake before him blow after blow. Waves of sharp pain traveled from his knuckles to his brain, twisting his face into a grimace.

Not far away, Uchiha Fukuyama stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree. He watched the sweat-drenched Suifeng, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

At first, he hadn't thought much of Suifeng. The boy hadn't made a good impression; he was prone to slacking off during training and showed no signs of a strong will. Fukuyama had expected him to quit within days. To his surprise, Suifeng's training had gradually gotten on track, and he began to adapt to the intensity. Though it had only been a month, the transformation was earth-shattering. This had slowly changed Fukuyama's opinion of him. That said, while Suifeng was hardworking, his aptitude was, at best, slightly above average—or to put it bluntly, rather mediocre.

This was easy to understand. If his talent were truly exceptional, he wouldn't have been kicked to death by Kakashi, would he?

As for why Suifeng had become so diligent, that was also easy to explain.

In the beginning, Suifeng had no cheat, and he couldn't see a future for himself. But now?

With a cheat at his disposal and an understanding of the conditions required to use it, combined with the magical sensation of sensing the extraordinary power of chakra flowing through his body every day, his interest in cultivation had naturally increased significantly.

Interest is the best teacher. Uchiha Suifeng had already laid a decent foundation, so Suifeng persisted. As his training deepened, he gradually adapted to the rhythm, no longer feeling as exhausted as he had at the start, and naturally fell into a proper routine.

"That's enough!"

Seeing Suifeng complete his thousandth punch, Uchiha Fukuyama called for a stop. "Physical training ends here for today. Refine your chakra first, then practice water walking and tree climbing to train your chakra control."

"Yes, Fukuyama-sensei!"

Suifeng stood in place, panting heavily. Feeling the abundant chakra within his body, he replied with full vigor.

Tree climbing and water walking were the foundations of chakra control and the basis for performing ninjutsu. Only by mastering these two could one successfully execute techniques and become a true genin. Knowing the plot, Suifeng understood the importance of chakra control and had no objections.

He was a newcomer with nothing to his name; if he didn't start from the basics, did he expect to pull off something grand?

In the current Konoha, there were no conditions for him to pull off anything grand, and he wouldn't dare to—that old schemer Danzo was watching.

However, if he were Danzo, wouldn't he have given up after watching someone for a month?

To be honest, his progress over this month was noticeable, but compared to true geniuses, it was limited. It wasn't just Fukuyama who saw his mediocre aptitude; even he himself couldn't deny it.

But it didn't matter. Once he awakened the Mangekyo, everything would be different.

Konoha, Root.

Danzo set down the intelligence scroll in his hand and turned his gaze to the Root ninja kneeling before him. "So, you're saying that although this Uchiha Suifeng has awakened the Sharingan, his aptitude isn't particularly good?"

"Yes. Based on the current situation, his talent for taijutsu is lacking. As for the Sharingan, it should be just like the legends say—awakened only after suffering immense trauma."

"Understood. You may leave."

Danzo waved his hand and leaned back into his chair. A sharp glint flashed in his single eye. "The Sharingan, huh? What a troublesome thing."

The Sharingan was indeed troublesome. The report was clear: while Uchiha Suifeng was hardworking, his aptitude was mediocre. Yet, that didn't mean he posed no threat. Awakening the Sharingan didn't improve one's physique, but the dynamic vision alone provided a massive advantage in combat against peers, not to mention the buff to genjutsu. For an ordinary ninja, the advantage was simply too great. This was why his teacher, the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, had been so wary of the Uchiha clan. With the First Hokage gone and no one in the Senju clan awakening Wood Release, Konoha had lost its absolute suppression over the Uchiha. If the Uchiha clan produced a few more geniuses, the balance of power would be broken. Fortunately, the guys in the Uchiha clan weren't very bright.

"However, since his aptitude is average, there's no need to pay too much attention to him."

After all, Root ninjas weren't cheap. With so many Uchiha awakening eyes, it was impossible to monitor them all. Wasting a Root ninja on a six-year-old boy was a loss no matter how you looked at it.

Still, after monitoring for so many days, he felt a bit dissatisfied with this result.

"The Uchiha clan's personality is always twisted and prone to extremes. In that case, perhaps I can...!"

"Uchiha, one day...!"

Thinking of his grand plan, the gaze in Danzo's remaining eye gradually deepened.

At the Uchiha training ground, Suifeng held a kunai, his eyes locked on Uchiha Fukuyama. The next moment, he stepped forward, covering five or six meters in an instant, and slashed the kunai toward Fukuyama's neck.

Bang!

With a dull thud, his charging body was sent flying backward. He crashed heavily to the ground, clutching his stomach and retching uncontrollably.

"Suifeng, you've worked hard, but at your current level, you are still far from defeating Kakashi!"

Watching Suifeng get taken out by a single kick, Fukuyama said with a hint of disappointment.

"When the hell did I say I wanted to defeat Kakashi?"

Suifeng made a bitter face and slowly stood up. "Fukuyama-sensei, I know that too. With taijutsu alone, I have no way to beat Kakashi. Even with the Sharingan active, my chakra can't sustain me for long. To beat him, I have to think of other ways!"

"Other ways?"

"Yeah, I have no chance in a pure taijutsu confrontation. Knowing that and rushing in anyway wouldn't be the act of a wise man!" Suifeng said calmly.

"A wise man?" Uchiha Fukuyama's eye twitched. "Then what do you want to do? Use ninjutsu? Your chakra reserves aren't high, and your hand-seal speed is average, too!"

"Genjutsu, obviously!"

Suifeng said, "Genjutsu. Compared to Kakashi, my biggest advantage is the Sharingan. The Sharingan boosts genjutsu, and I can cast it very quickly. In a fight, as long as I seize the opportunity to cast a genjutsu, I can win!"

Genjutsu?

Uchiha Fukuyama was slightly surprised. Thinking it over, it was a viable strategy—or rather, it seemed to be the only way.

Although a one-tomoe Sharingan provided limited boosts to genjutsu, a boost was still a boost. Most importantly, no matter how strong Kakashi was, he was still just a genin. Once caught in a genjutsu, even if he could break it, it would take time. In a battle between ninjas, even genin, a single moment could decide the outcome.

"If it's genjutsu, which kind do you want to learn?"

"Something simple, with fewer hand seals," Suifeng said honestly. "All I need is an opening!"