Team Leader Jonin

"Is it because his teammate died during a mission that he awakened his eyes?"

Fugaku kept his gaze fixed on Uchiha Shimizu until the boy disappeared into the tunnel beneath the wall, only then pulling his eyes away.

He himself had awakened his eyes only after the death of a teammate.

If that was how Uchiha Shimizu awakened his, it certainly made sense.

Awakening a One-Tomoe Sharingan at this age was the mark of an undeniable genius.

Yet, Fugaku felt no great surge of emotion; on the contrary, he felt a heavy gloom.

What did it matter if he awakened the One-Tomoe Sharingan so quickly?

Even if he were lucky enough to awaken the Mangekyo later, Fugaku was certain that the Mangekyo could not defeat the man from the prophecy; the pressure that pair of eyes exerted on him was simply too immense.

Only by using cloning technology to produce a vast number of Sharingan, and allowing his clansmen to use Izanagi without fear of death, could they walk toward a happy future!

"I must find a time to have a talk with Uchiha Shimizu."

Fugaku's vision had been affected after using that ocular technique, declining significantly.

If Uchiha Shimizu did not finish the cloning research soon, they would have no power to resist the future foretold by the ocular prophecy.

Furthermore, the cloning process could only be entrusted to the Uchiha; if outsiders were to obtain this power, Fugaku could not guarantee that the Uchiha name would continue to exist.

In the corner of the spectator stands, a girl with short hair and purple markings on her cheeks glanced indifferently at the scene below.

This was Nohara Rin, who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy. However, she had the self-awareness not to participate in the Chunin Exams, planning to wait until next year instead.

"Could he... have done that sort of thing to Kurenai Yuhi as well?"

In the dim shadow of the sunlight, it was impossible to discern Nohara Rin's expression.

Nohara Rin observed Kurenai Yuhi's micro-expressions closely, only to find, strangely, a hint of a blush?

Hokage Building.

The Chunin Exams had concluded, and the Third Hokage needed to perform a final review and verification of the Konoha examinees' files before entering them into the archives.

"Minato Namikaze, you saw Uchiha Shimizu's performance today."

The Third Hokage picked up his pipe and lit it.

"Yes, I saw it. That child's talent is truly astonishing."

Minato Namikaze nodded.

"How would you feel about having Uchiha Shimizu as your subordinate?"

The Third Hokage asked.

Mission execution was typically team-based, following two main models.

Three-man cells: The standard squad form for Genin, usually led by a Chunin or Jonin, forming a basic four-person unit.

Basic squads: Ninjas operated in four-person squads; exceeding four would result in a loss of agility and restricted movement.

This was a reform implemented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, to increase mission success rates, and the squad-based system had continued to this day.

Although the leading Jonin was referred to as a teacher, the relationship between them was that of a superior and subordinate.

"I... have no objections."

Minato Namikaze hesitated for a moment before nodding.

As a commoner, he could perceive the shifting relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village more clearly than most.

He had originally intended to lead Obito, hoping to slowly influence the Uchiha Clan.

He felt that his compatibility with Obito might be better, because although Uchiha Shimizu appeared gentle, he actually maintained a faint sense of distance from everyone.

Now that the Third Hokage was handing Uchiha Shimizu over to him, he could only accept it silently.

"Minato Namikaze, I'll have to trouble you."

The Third Hokage puffed on the pipe he hadn't touched all day due to his busy schedule, his nicotine craving finally satisfied.

His mind, stimulated by the nicotine, became clearer as he added:

"Fugaku discussed it with me; he wanted to place Uchiha Shimizu in Konoha Hospital as a doctor. It seems like too much of a waste now. A ninja possessing both medical and combat talents should be executing special missions. You should remember to speak with Uchiha Shimizu about this."

"Understood."

Minato Namikaze echoed the sentiment; the Third Hokage's words were very reasonable.

The Uchiha Clan generally joined the Konoha Military Police Force after becoming Chunin; very few worked in other positions.

Pakura was among the elite geniuses of the Hidden Sand Village, and the fact that Uchiha Shimizu could defeat her was proof of his combat talent—and he hadn't even awakened his Sharingan during that fight.

It was only during the battle with Kurenai Yuhi that Uchiha Shimizu had awakened his Sharingan for the first time.

To let him be a pure medical ninja would indeed be a waste.

Minato Namikaze and the Third Hokage then discussed a few more details, and as he was leaving, the Third Hokage patted Minato Namikaze on the shoulder.

"Minato, I am old. You are the person I have high hopes for; the future belongs to you young people."

"You flatter me, Third Hokage."

Minato Namikaze smiled.

His greatest dream was to become Hokage.

Now that the Third Hokage recognized him like this, he felt very happy.

"However... you must handle the matter of Kushina Uzumaki properly."

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to be implying something.

"Yes, Third Hokage."

Minato Namikaze knew this was because Kushina Uzumaki had recently been dissatisfied with the village's restrictions on her movements, leaving her in low spirits.

As a close friend of Kushina Uzumaki, he should go and help her ease her mind to prevent the Nine-Tails from rioting.

It just so happened that he hadn't seen Kushina Uzumaki for a while and missed her dearly; it would be perfect to go see her after finishing the business with Uchiha Shimizu.

Night.

Uchiha Settlement.

Qingshui flipped through the scroll in his hands, his brows slightly furrowed.

This was an item he had just obtained through the Simulator: "Sage Art: White Rage Technique."

Very powerful, Qingshui evaluated.

However, the appearance of this item right now was somewhat useless.

He did not know the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave at all, so naturally, he could not use Sage Art.

Even if he were given the Sage Art scroll and knew the meridian execution routes, he could not use it without natural energy as a power source.

Sage Art: White Rage Technique could cause the air in a certain area to vibrate constantly, making the target feel as if all their bones were grinding against each other, while emitting a dazzling light that obscured the five senses.

But more importantly, this technique was highly effective against Susanoo.

In the original work, when Kabuto used this technique in Sage Mode, Sasuke's Susanoo could barely maintain its form and was on the verge of collapse.

If not for Izanami, it would have been hard to say who would have won or lost in that battle at Ryuchi Cave.

"Is there any way to cultivate Sage Art?"

Qingshui rolled up the scroll and sealed it inside a Sealing Scroll.

In this world, there were only three places to learn Sage Art.

Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryuchi Cave.

Whether these three places existed in real space or in a different dimension remained a mystery.

None of these places were easy for an ordinary person to reach.

The first, Mount Myoboku, could only be entered by those with the right destiny.

Naruto and Jiraiya went to Mount Myoboku using summoning methods and had never traveled there on foot.

Furthermore, the toads of Mount Myoboku had never shown any signs of traveling to the outside world by walking.

The second, Shikkotsu Forest, was incredibly mysterious.

In the original work, what Shikkotsu Forest looked like or where it was located was never revealed.

Even Tsunade had only ever summoned Katsuyu and had never used Sage Mode.