Fugaku's Instruction (Part One)

The next day, he went to the clan leader's office after school, just as agreed.

Fugaku was sitting in the main seat, leafing through some documents.

When he saw Lan come in, he set the documents down and pointed to the seat beside him. "Sit."

Lan sat as told and wasted no words, asking directly:

"When are you teaching me the Shadow Clone Technique?"

Fugaku raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curving in a rare smile.

"You really don't stand on ceremony, kid." As Fugaku spoke, he took a scroll from a drawer and tossed it over. "This is the scroll for the Shadow Clone Technique. Take it and read it first. Remember, this technique consumes an enormous amount of chakra. Your chakra reserves may far exceed an ordinary person's, but you still can't afford to be careless."

Lan caught the scroll in one grab, his eyes lighting up. He could not wait to open it and read a few lines, then looked up.

"You don't need to teach me how to train it?"

"What's the rush?" Fugaku waved a hand. "Before I teach you this, there are some things I need to make clear."

His expression turned serious. "No third person can know that I'm instructing you."

Lan frowned. "Why?"

"You think those old bastards in the clan would agree to me focusing on training an 'outsider' like you?" Fugaku gave a cold snort.

"You refusing Orochimaru has already made quite a few people displeased with you."

"They think you're arrogant and don't know how to consider the clan."

"If they find out I'm personally instructing you on top of that, who knows what kind of trouble they'll stir up."

Lan understood. Fugaku was protecting him, and he was also holding firm to his decision to take him as a disciple.

"I understand." He nodded. "I won't tell anyone."

Fugaku nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now, show me again the ninjutsu you used when you fought me yesterday. Especially that Three Body Technique of yours that you can activate with just one hand seal."

For the next stretch of time, Lan stood in the courtyard outside the office and demonstrated his simplified hand-seal version of the Three Body Technique, as well as Great Fireball, Ki Blast, Galick Gun, and the others.

Fugaku watched very carefully, nodding from time to time, occasionally frowning as well.

Only after Lan finished demonstrating did Fugaku speak.

"Your method of controlling energy is indeed very unique. To simplify chakra mobilization to this degree is something even I can't do. However, it also makes your foundation in ninjutsu seem somewhat weak."

"Do you know why the standard Three Body Technique requires so many seals?"

Lan shook his head.

He had always felt those seals were troublesome, and if he could skip them, he skipped them.

"The process of forming seals is not merely to guide chakra. It is also precise control and stabilization of chakra flow," Fugaku explained.

"When you actually use it, you can skip many steps, but that doesn't mean those steps are unimportant. You must build a solid foundation. Once you encounter chakra interference, or when you need to release an extremely large-scale ninjutsu, the drawbacks of an unstable foundation will show themselves very quickly."

He stood and walked up to Lan.

"Starting today, I'll first help you solidify your foundation. Not just ninjutsu, but taijutsu and use of the Sharingan as well."

"The Sharingan?" Lan was a little surprised. "Didn't you say not to let the Sharingan become a shackle?"

"I said not to let it become a shackle, but that doesn't mean you should waste it." A sharp gleam flashed through Fugaku's eyes.

"The Sharingan is our Uchiha's kekkei genkai, our innate advantage. A true expert must learn to use every power that can be used, not cling stubbornly to old ways, and not reject things blindly either."

In the days that followed, Lan began his "two-faced" life.

During the day, he sent a shadow clone to attend classes at the Ninja Academy.

The basic theory Teacher Umino Ikkaku taught was already somewhat dull to the current Lan.

The shadow clone listened attentively, took good notes, and occasionally dealt with questions in class.

His classmates, including Obito and Rin, did not notice anything wrong with this "Lan." They only felt that he seemed a little more silent than before.

Meanwhile, Lan's main body trained like a demon under Fugaku's personal guidance at an extremely remote training ground deep inside the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Fugaku's way of teaching was completely different from those instructors in the clan.

He never rigidly demanded that Lan recite theory, focusing instead on real combat and understanding.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique—you can already cast it instantly, and its power is sufficient." Fugaku stood across from Lan, looking at the enormous fireball he had just spewed out. "But have you ever thought about what other variations Great Fireball can have besides power and speed?"

Lan was stunned. "Variations?"

"For example, controlling its shape, making it split apart midflight, or changing its temperature and burn rate," Fugaku said. "The essence of Fire Release lies in 'control,' not merely 'release.'"

He demonstrated personally. It was the same Great Fireball Technique, but the fireball Fugaku spat out actually changed direction nimbly in midair like a living creature, and even split into several smaller fireballs that struck different targets in the distance with precision.

"This..." Lan stared, dumbfounded.

He had always thought Great Fireball was stronger the bigger it was. He had never imagined it could be used like this.

"Watch carefully. The subtle differences in hand seals and the precise injection of chakra will all affect the effect of the ninjutsu." Fugaku slowed down the speed of his hand seals. "Your control over chakra is very strong. That's your advantage. Now, try to imitate my method and feel every trace of chakra flow within the flames."

Lan took a deep breath and began to try.

At first, he could never get the trick. The fireball either exploded outright or refused to obey him.

Fugaku did not rush him either. He only watched quietly from the side, occasionally pointing out his mistakes.

"You injected too much chakra, causing the flames to go out of control."

"The seal here was half a beat slow, so the flame's form scattered."

"Feel it with your heart, don't watch it with your eyes."

Apart from ninjutsu, the taijutsu training was even harsher.

Fugaku's attainment in taijutsu far surpassed anyone Lan had encountered before.

His attacks looked slow, but they contained endless variations. Every move aimed straight for a vital point, and his defense left not a drop leaking through.

"Your physical strength is great, and your speed is fast. Those are your assets." Fugaku turned sideways, easily dodging Lan's heavy, forceful punch, while his palm shot out like a venomous snake toward Lan's ribs. "But your fighting technique is too crude. You rely entirely on instinct and brute force. True taijutsu is the perfect combination of technique, strength, speed, and prediction."

"Bang!" With just a light tap from Fugaku, Lan felt half his body go numb, and his movements instantly stalled.

"Again!" Fugaku stepped back two paces and motioned for him to continue.

Collision after collision, knockdown after knockdown.

The wounds on Lan's body kept increasing, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

The feeling of fighting an expert made the Saiyan blood in his body begin to boil.

Every time he was knocked down, he could feel his body adapting, growing stronger.

"Good, that's it!" Fugaku watched Lan charge up again, a hint of approval flashing through his eyes. "Get angry! Turn your unwillingness and humiliation into power!"

Under Fugaku's deliberate guidance, Lan's fighting style was also quietly changing.

He began to learn to look for openings in his attacks and predict his opponent's movements while defending, no longer simply charging and smashing blindly.

The Sharingan training was comparatively dull.

Fugaku had him stare at rapidly moving objects for long periods to train his dynamic vision; he also had him observe complex patterns, memorizing the details within them to improve his insight.

"The power of the Sharingan is not limited to copying and insight," Fugaku told Lan. "As it evolves, it will awaken even more powerful abilities. But before that, you must fully master its most basic powers."

Lan had also asked Fugaku about his parents.

That day, during a break from training, the two of them sat on the rocks at the edge of the training ground.

"Teacher Fugaku," Lan hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "three months ago, my parents... what mission did they die on?"

Fugaku's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, then quickly returned to calm.

He looked at the distant woods and fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I don't know the specific details of the mission either. They were borrowed by Root. Many families in the village had personnel borrowed, with deployment orders from the Third Hokage and the council of elders."

"Root?" Lan's brow furrowed.

He had an impression of this organization. It was an extremely secretive department, and its methods were very dark.

"Mm." Fugaku nodded, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness. "Root's missions have always been highly classified. Even as clan leader, I have no authority to ask about them."

Lan fell silent.

He thought of how Orochimaru's human experiments had been conducted within Root.

According to his memories from his previous life, Hidden Leaf Village's upper echelon had been utterly obsessed with human experimentation ever since the Second Hokage, delusionally trying to reproduce the First Hokage's invincible combat power.

This cowardly, filthy Hidden Leaf Village!