Crushing and Seeds

At the Third Training Ground behind the Ninja Academy, the setting sun bathed the field in an orange glow. Students who had heard the news gathered around the perimeter, the atmosphere thick with suppressed excitement and curiosity. A duel between the last two survivors of the Uchiha clan was a topic more than enough to capture everyone's attention.

In the center of the field, Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Ling stood side by side.

Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. He stared daggers at Ling, his dark eyes ignited with the flames of vengeance and a desperate yearning for self-reliance. "I will show you the true power that comes with bearing the Uchiha name!" he roared, pushing off the ground to launch the first attack!

His speed was top-tier among his peers, his movements clean and decisive. The kunai thrust straight toward Ling's throat, accompanied by a fierce, biting wind.

However, in Ling's eyes, Sasuke's movements were riddled with openings. He didn't even bother to activate his Sharingan; relying solely on the superhuman vision and reflexes granted by his Sage Body, he tilted his head slightly, letting the lethal strike graze past his ear.

Sasuke's attack missed, but he did not falter. He flipped his arm to slash horizontally with the kunai while his other hand moved rapidly through hand signs.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A ball of searing fire roared outward. Although its scale was far behind that of an adult Uchiha, its power and chakra control were already astonishing for a student! The surge of scorching wind forced the surrounding students to instinctively retreat several steps.

Facing this signature Uchiha jutsu, Ling remained calm. He didn't even bother with counter-signs; the moment the fireball reached him, he unleashed a sudden burst of chakra from his feet!

"Whoosh!"

His silhouette vanished like a phantom, leaving only a shallow crater behind. The next instant, he appeared behind and to the left of Sasuke, moving with such speed it was as if he had teleported!

Sasuke's pupils constricted violently. Before he could react, he felt an irresistible force strike his wrist!

"Clack!"

The kunai flew from his hand. Ling's palm clamped onto his shoulder like an iron vice, pressing down with a swift motion!

"Bang!"

Sasuke was slammed hard into the ground, sending dust flying. The Great Fireball Technique lost its control, collided with the distant barrier, and slowly dissipated.

The entire field fell silent.

In just a single exchange, Uchiha Sasuke, hailed as the genius of this generation, had been taken down so effortlessly?!

Sasuke lay on the ground, the intense pain and overwhelming sense of humiliation washing over him. He struggled to rise, but the hand Ling kept on his shoulder felt as heavy as a mountain.

"Is this all you have, Sasuke?" Ling's voice came from above, terrifyingly calm. "Being blinded by hatred only makes your movements full of openings. Your anger is meaningless in my eyes."

"Shut up! What do you know?!" Sasuke hissed, violently erupting with chakra in an attempt to break free. The Sharingan! I need the power of the Sharingan!

Yet, no matter how he fueled the hatred in his heart, his eyes remained pitch black. The trauma of the night of the massacre seemed to have exhausted his potential to awaken his eyes, or perhaps, Ling's presence had, in some way, "interfered" with the accumulation of his extreme emotions.

Ling looked down at the struggling Sasuke, feeling no joy, only a trace of pity. He knew this crushing defeat was cruel for Sasuke, but it was necessary. He needed to shatter the fantasy of vengeance built upon Sasuke's fragile arrogance and force him to face reality.

"Your enemy is far stronger than you imagine. With your current mindset and strength, you don't even qualify to touch the hem of his garment." Ling released his grip and stepped back. "Hatred is a driving force, but it is not everything. If you are only driven by hatred, you will never catch up to that man's back for the rest of your life."

Sasuke slumped on the ground, gasping for air. Ling's words were like ice water, extinguishing his raging flames and leaving behind only a bone-chilling cold and a sense of powerlessness. He had lost, and so thoroughly that he hadn't even been worth the opponent's full attention.

He looked up at Ling's indifferent profile in the sunset, and an unprecedented, complex emotion sprouted within him. There was hatred, there was resentment, but faintly, there was also a yearning for a companion that he was unwilling to admit even to himself. If... if this powerful clansman could help me...

No! He shook his head violently, dispelling the weak thought. The path of revenge must be walked by him alone!

Sasuke struggled to his feet and took a deep look at Ling. His gaze remained cold, but it seemed to lack pure hostility, replaced by something indescribable. He didn't say another word, turned, and stumbled away from the training ground. His back remained lonely, yet it seemed to carry a heavier burden.

The watching students silently cleared a path, their gazes toward Ling filled with awe.

Ling paid no mind to those looks. His perception caught a cold, inquisitive gaze from a distant tree, which quietly vanished after Sasuke left.

Orochimaru, Ling sneered inwardly. It seemed this snake could no longer suppress its curiosity.

Just then, the system's notification rang in his mind:

[Ding! Cosmic fluctuations detected. Key character Uchiha Sasuke's perspective has shifted subtly. Host has successfully planted the seeds of 'Admonition' and 'Implicit Guidance' in his heart. Reward: Slight increase in mental energy, obtained special item 'Guidance Rune Stone (Weak)' x1 (Can be used to provide subtle guidance and suggestion to a target under specific conditions).]

[Warning: Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, has arrived near Konoha. His targets may include the host and members of 'Dawn Wind'. Risk level: High.]

Ling clenched his fist, feeling the slight increase in his mental energy and the dim, glowing gray rune stone that had appeared in his system space.

The initial goal regarding Sasuke had been achieved; although the process was intense, a seed had finally been sown. And the new threat, Orochimaru, was already quietly closing in.

Beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of Konoha, greater undercurrents were about to surge.