Aoike touched his ear in disbelief, wondering if he'd imagined what he'd heard.
The proud heir to the Uchiha legacy—Sasuke himself—had actually asked him, a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, to train him.
"Out of everyone my age, you're the strongest."
"Besides, my mother once told me that you have Uchiha blood in your veins, too."
Even the way he spoke had that familiar Uchiha arrogance.
"And our relationship might be closer than you think."
Aoike furrowed his brow. It was true that they were related by blood, but whether they were that closely related was another matter.
As Aoike wondered about it, Sasuke laid a family tree in front of him.
Aoike followed Sasuke's name up the chart and found the name Hyuga Shirahana had mentioned, beside Uchiha Mikoto's.
Uchiha Jo.
His relationship to Uchiha Mikoto: brother and sister.
Aoike stared at Sasuke's face with a complicated expression. He'd never imagined that his late father and the clan leader's wife were related by blood.
All these years, no one had told Aoike about it. I'm the last one to know?
Back to the matter at hand.
"I'll need to ask the clan leader first."
"And you need to understand that the Hyuga and Uchiha have completely different approaches to training. I can't teach you much when it comes to improving your strength."
That was just an excuse.
Aoike knew there were only a few reasons Sasuke had come to ask for his help.
First, in Konoha, Aoike was the only person he had both a blood connection and a history with.
Second, Sasuke wanted to see if he could find any Uchiha teachings through him.
After the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the scrolls and notes on techniques, secret arts, Sharingan training, and the like had surely fallen into the hands of Konoha's higher-ups.
The official story was that Itachi had taken them or that most had been destroyed, with Konoha keeping only a portion. How much they'd kept depended on how strong Sasuke's bond with Konoha was.
Wasn't Itachi being so ruthless precisely because he wanted the Uchiha to become a part of Konoha once and for all? So long as Konoha ensured Sasuke's safety, the village would control his path to power, with Itachi serving as the catalyst.
According to the script Sarutobi Hiruzen had envisioned, once Sasuke's bond with the village reached a certain point, most of the Uchiha's teachings—aside from forbidden techniques—would make their way back to Sasuke through Kakashi.
From then on, Konoha would have complete control over this sharp blade, the Uchiha, and wouldn't have to worry about it turning on its master.
After seeing Sasuke off, Aoike hadn't even had a chance to ask the clan leader when Hyuga Hiashi sent someone to summon him. A few days had passed since Aoike had last seen Hinata, and he hadn't expected to find her in this situation.
She stood to one side, listening to Hyuga Hiashi's scolding. Neji lay unconscious on the ground nearby, while Hinata seemed to want to show concern for her fellow clan member, yet didn't dare. That only displeased Hiashi further.
Perhaps he'd noticed Aoike approaching. Words like fate, loyalty, and obedience began coming up more often.
Once Hiashi started in on his theory of fate, he lectured Aoike for half an hour before finally finishing.
In the reception room, the clan leader had finished expounding on his values and began talking with Aoike.
"You're saying the Uchiha orphan came to ask you to train him?"
Aoike ran his fingertips over the teacup. Its smooth, warm surface spoke to its value.
"Yes. The scroll my mother gave me contains a little information about Uchiha training methods."
I see.
Hyuga Hiashi considered whether this might affect the Hyuga clan's interests.
A capable clan leader needed political instincts. The reason the Hyuga clan had endured for so long was that they understood exactly where to align themselves.
So long as the Hyuga clan's interests weren't harmed, if a prodigy from the Branch Family had a request, Hiashi didn't mind tossing him a few crumbs.
"I'll find time to ask the Third Hokage. We ought to be cautious when it comes to the last Uchiha orphan."
After taking the scroll Aoike had prepared earlier, Hiashi promised he would look into it.
It wasn't until three days later that the dispute in the Hokage's office finally came to a resolution.
"Hmph. I've always said it: all that talk of bonds, whether it's the Uchiha or the Nine-Tails, is child's play."
"Hand them over to the Root. I'll turn them into Konoha's sharpest weapons!"
Danzo leaned on his cane. Beneath his cutting words lurked a dark ambition.
"Enough! The will passed down by the First and my teacher was for children to grow up strong in the village. It's a good thing Sasuke has formed new bonds here."
"Heh. Hiruzen, you're so hypocritical... Without the Root... Anyway, the Uchiha and the Nine-Tails are both better suited to protecting Konoha from the darkness."
"Silence, Danzo!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed a hand on the desk.
"I am the Hokage!"
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen." Without giving him a chance to respond, Danzo slammed the door behind him and left.
"Phew. I hope you don't do anything rash."
He took a drag from his pipe to calm himself, then had the Anbu bring Hiashi in from the waiting room.
He put on a kind expression for this supporter of the Hokage's administration.
"I've read the scroll. There's no problem. It only contains some rough information. I've also added a few insights of my own, which should make it easier for the two children to master."
After Hiashi thanked him and left, the elderly Third Hokage finally slumped wearily back in his chair.
The darkness Sasuke would fall into as love turned to hatred was profound. If left unchecked, history might repeat itself. It would be good to have Aoike, who had Uchiha blood on his mother's side, spend some time with him.
A Hyuga from the Branch Family, bound by the Caged Bird Seal, was perfectly safe.
After receiving the answer, Aoike met Sasuke at the training ground in the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Like two children from the same extended family going out to play alone for the first time, awkward silences and embarrassment set the tone.
Fortunately, they had the training scroll. They could at least talk about Uchiha-style Nintaijutsu.
Once Sasuke started practicing tree climbing and Water Walking, Aoike finally had a chance to openly get his hands on Uchiha materials.
Back when he was with the Hyuga, he'd been treated like an outsider...
There wasn't much in the scroll.
Fire Style—Great Fireball Technique
Fire Style—Phoenix Sage Fire Technique
Lightning Style—Earth Flow Technique
Genjutsu—Hell Viewing Technique
Notes on Uchiha-style Taijutsu and how to use the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
It was pretty comprehensive. It was enough to take an ordinary person to Chunin level, and with just this scroll, Sasuke could train all the way until graduation.