The Lone Solo (Part One)

The summons to the Hokage's office was, to Uchiha Arashi, nothing more than one step in his plan.

When he walked out of that smoke-filled office, the sunlight was just right.

On the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village, ninja and villagers hurried to and fro, and everything seemed so peaceful. But Arashi knew how many undercurrents were hidden beneath that peace. He had just stood before the highest authority in the Hidden Leaf and used a half-true, half-false speech about the "Will of Fire" to win himself an opportunity—an opportunity to graduate early.

"The graduation assessment?" Arashi murmured, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

To him, this was nothing more than a formality.

The real challenge had never been these set rules and exams.

But he also knew that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was no fool.

Since that old fox dared to propose a more difficult assessment, he would definitely not let him pass easily.

"Perfect." Arashi clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him grow stronger by the day. "I'll show you what a true genius is."

In Uchiha Arashi's dictionary, the word "failure" did not exist.

Over the next few days, Arashi did not relax his training because of the approaching assessment.

On the contrary, he raised the intensity of his training another level.

His Shadow Clone still went to the Ninja Academy on time every day to "clock in," dealing with classes that had long since become child's play to him. His true body, meanwhile, carried out extreme special training beyond ordinary imagination in a secret training ground deep within the Uchiha Clan Compound.

He constantly pushed his body to its limits, drawing out the potential of the Saiyan Physique bit by bit. Under his control, his Saiyan Chakra became ever more condensed and powerful. Every punch carried a sharp whistle that tore through the air; every leap left a faint afterimage behind him.

During this period, Obito and Rin also came to find him several times.

Obito watched Arashi's almost self-torturing training methods, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.

He both envied Arashi's talent and strength, and feared such brutal training.

But every time he saw the look in Arashi's eyes, as if flames were burning within them, the fire in Obito's own heart that refused mediocrity would quietly be ignited as well.

He would still silently stand off to the side, imitating Arashi's movements and carrying out his own training.

Rin was gentle as always. She would bring medicine for injuries, and during Arashi's breaks, she would treat the wounds left by his training while chattering about interesting things at school, trying to help his taut nerves relax.

"Compared to their deep connection with Kakashi in the original story, the two of them seem a little closer to me. It's probably because I became an orphan before Kakashi did," Arashi sometimes thought.

"Arashi, your assessment is next Monday, right?" Rin asked worriedly as she wiped the abrasions on Arashi's arm. "I heard this assessment is very hard. It's a special mission arranged personally by Lord Hokage."

"Mm." Arashi responded faintly, his gaze still fixed on the distant forest, as if he were thinking about something.

"You have to be careful." Rin's voice carried genuine concern. "You're really strong, but you still shouldn't be too careless."

"Don't worry." Arashi turned his head and looked at Rin, a rare trace of warmth entering his eyes. "I won't lose."

His tone was very calm, but that unquestionable confidence inexplicably put Rin at ease.

Obito cut in from the side, "Arashi, when the time comes, Rin and I will go cheer you on!"

Arashi glanced at him, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Tch~ Boring. Do whatever you want."

Time quickly arrived at Monday.

The location of the assessment was not the Ninja Academy's training ground, but a dense forest outside the Hidden Leaf Village.

This place had been temporarily designated as the assessment area, and the Anbu had made thorough arrangements.

When Uchiha Arashi arrived at the assessment site, several ninja in charge of the assessment were already waiting there.

The one in the lead was a middle-aged man wearing an Anbu mask. He was a special jonin directly under the Hokage, responsible for overseeing the entire assessment.

"Uchiha Arashi?" The jonin looked at the child before him, who was only five years old yet had eyes as sharp as blades, and frowned slightly.

Clearly, he had also heard quite a few rumors about this child.

"Yes." Arashi's answer was concise and clear.

The jonin nodded and handed over a scroll. "This is your assessment mission."

Arashi took the scroll and unfurled it.

The contents were very simple: infiltrate the marked "enemy camp" ahead, obtain the "confidential document" located in the center of the camp without being discovered, and withdraw safely. Mission time limit: three hours.

Within the "enemy camp" area, multiple layers of traps had been set, and three chunin-level guards were patrolling and defending it.

"There is only one rule," the jonin said without any emotion. "During the assessment, you may not use lethal ninjutsu or methods. If you are 'killed' by the guards or fail to complete the mission within the time limit, the assessment is failed. Now, the timer starts."

As soon as the jonin finished speaking, an Anbu member beside him pressed the stopwatch in his hand.

Arashi did not hesitate in the slightest. His figure flashed, and he darted into the forest like a ghost.

He was extremely fast; the fallen leaves underfoot did not even have time to make a sound.

After entering the forest, Arashi did not immediately head deeper in.

He first stopped, closed his eyes, and pushed his ki-sensing ability to the limit.

Everything around him became clear in his perception.

The aura of the trees, the crawling of insects, the movements of birds and beasts in the distance... and several relatively strong human chakra fluctuations.

"Three chunin?" The corner of Arashi's mouth curled into a cold smile.

He could clearly sense the positions of these three people and the rough routes of their patrols.

"Interesting."

He did not choose to barge in head-on. Instead, he used the dense branches and leaves as cover, weaving through the forest like a cheetah as he steadily approached the target area.

Very soon, he encountered the first trap.

It was a tripwire hidden beneath the fallen leaves on the ground.

If triggered by accident, it would pull the mechanism above and fire kunai coated with anesthetic.

Arashi's steps stopped before the tripwire.

He did not even bend down to check it. He simply tapped the ground lightly with the tip of his foot, injecting a faint thread of Saiyan Chakra underground.

"Crack."

With a soft, crisp sound, the mechanism beneath the ground was destroyed by the force of his ki.

Expressionless, Arashi continued forward.

A trap of this level was no different from decoration to him.

Like an experienced hunter, he continuously avoided all kinds of traps.

Some were trigger-type explosive tags, some were illusion arrays meant to confuse the eye, and others were ninja tools capable of binding the body. But he dismantled each and every one of them.

His movements were light and precise, as if he knew these traps like the back of his hand.

This was not only because of his strength, but also because he possessed the Sharingan.

Although it was only a single-tomoe Sharingan, it already allowed him to see through many details ordinary people would find difficult to notice.

The faint flow of chakra in the traps, the subtle bulges in the ground—none escaped his eyes.

Very soon, he infiltrated the outer perimeter of the "enemy camp."

This was a relatively open clearing. Several simple tents had been set up in the middle, and the largest tent among them should be where the "confidential document" was stored.

The three chunin guards patrolled in three different directions around the clearing. Their positions formed a triangle, allowing them to respond to one another.

Arashi hid in the crown of a large tree, observing from above.

The chunin on the left was tall and muscular, clearly the taijutsu type.

His steps were steady, and his vigilant gaze swept across his surroundings.

The chunin on the right was of medium build, and his hands remained in a hand-seal posture the entire time, as if he were ready to release ninjutsu at any moment.

His chakra fluctuations were relatively active, so he should be the ninjutsu type.

As for the one in the middle, he was small and thin, his footsteps light and silent. His eyes flickered uncertainly as he constantly scanned the blind spots around them.

His chakra perception seemed very sharp. He was the sensory type.

Taijutsu, ninjutsu, sensory... their coordination isn't bad, Arashi thought to himself.