Kakashi Takes Action

Watching the sun sink toward the horizon, Hiashi Hyuga seemed to see Konoha as it was now.

"The fire of the Will of Fire is the blazing fan of the Uchiha Clan, while the sapling is the bloodline of the Senju Clan. Now that the sapling has been uprooted and the fire extinguished, Konoha is no longer the Hidden Leaf Village it once was."

Hiashi Hyuga could not help but sigh. His voice was loud enough for those nearby to hear, venting his dissatisfaction.

His words were heard not only by the clan heads who were preparing to leave, but also by the Anbu ninja.

The clan heads hurried away, but Hiashi Hyuga's words echoed through their minds.

The Anbu ninja rushed to report to the Hokage. At some point, the Anbu had gained another duty: monitoring shifts in thought within the village and awaiting the Hokage's response.

Those complaints led nowhere. The Hyuga Clan had suffered too many grievances.

And it was not only the Hyuga Clan, but all those who had been corroded by Konoha's darkness.

Kakashi, hidden in the shadows, had also heard Hiashi Hyuga's words. He headed for the mission center. He needed to know what had truly happened back then.

"Father... were you really that fragile?"

Uchiha Feng's temporary residence.

The former Uchiha Clan training grounds.

He had fully adapted to the weighted gear on his body and was now training in the Body Flicker Technique.

This Body Flicker Technique combined the ninja Body Flicker Technique with Yajirobe's Quick-Draw Slash.

It was more covert and far more powerful.

"Young Clan Head, I'm going for a run. I made plans with Guy today." Tien's voice carried a trace of delight, as though he were heading out to meet his girlfriend.

Recently, Tien and Might Guy's relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds. If not for the constraints of the card, Uchiha Feng might have thought Tien was about to betray him.

"Tien, given our current identities, you need to keep your distance from Might Guy. Otherwise, he'll be implicated." Uchiha Feng did not want to discourage Tien, but after the trouble he had caused in Konoha, its rules would inevitably drag Might Guy into it.

Tien's expression changed. He had always imagined Konoha as it was recorded in the Uchiha Clan's archives—the Konoha that existed while the First Hokage was still alive. The Konoha of today was rotten to the core.

"Alright, I understand. Today will be the last time. Really, the last time. Guy is evaluating his student today and asked me to observe. Do you want to come?" Though he could see that Uchiha Feng was not in high spirits, he still extended the invitation.

"Neji Hyuga?" A name surfaced in Uchiha Feng's mind. Back at the Ninja Academy, he and Neji had never gotten along.

One had been an orphan of the Uchiha Clan, the other a branch family member of the Hyuga Clan.

But after leaving Konoha and learning the truth, he had come to admire his former opponent even more. Or perhaps, in certain ways, he could empathize with him.

"If the one being evaluated is a guy named Neji Hyuga, you can teach him Thunder Shock Surprise. I also want to see how far he can go in the future." Uchiha Feng's order came as a surprise.

"Alright, but cultivating that palm technique requires talent." Tien did not ask further questions. He only needed to obey.

Tien left, leaving Uchiha Feng alone to stare at the ruins of the Uchiha Clan. That had once been his home, but now it no longer resembled what it had been.

"Coming to Konoha this time was a little impulsive! But I can't shake this unease in my heart. Why should those who committed such sins get to enjoy all this? What a joke."

Uchiha Feng still had the temperament of a youth. Things had reached this point; there was no room left to retreat.

He could have hidden in the shadows like Uchiha Obito and taken revenge one by one. But the Third Hokage's hypocritical face kept appearing in his dreams, while that beast Uchiha Itachi would always show up around him when he least expected it.

According to Tien, was this demonic deviation? Or an inner demon?

"This Will of Fire really is a joke!"

He drew the katana at his waist. Chakra and ki flooded the blade as it swept across the ground in strokes like a dragon and serpent.

Screech—

A crack several meters long split the ground.

"Honored guest, your swordsmanship has progressed remarkably lately, hasn't it?"

Sarutobi Ippei suddenly appeared, his face carrying the same smile as the Third Hokage's. Uchiha Feng could not help wondering whether the Sarutobi Clan possessed some ninjutsu called Hypocrisy.

The art of that ninjutsu was deception.

Dislike and disgust unconsciously surfaced on Uchiha Feng's face, but he quickly composed himself and found a good excuse. "What, has the commissioned mission still not been arranged?"

Sarutobi Ippei noticed Uchiha Feng's emotions, yet his expression did not change in the slightest. He had not handled the matter of issuing the mission very well. Fortunately, Kakashi had recently wanted to review some mission reports and needed his cooperation, which was why he had agreed to carry out the mission.

"Honored guest, it's not that I haven't tried my best. Hatake Kakashi is simply too difficult to deal with. But I've already settled it. I came to ask for your opinion. Four hours every afternoon for half a month straight—how does that sound?

"Kakashi also made some requests. If Konoha issues an emergency mission, he can leave at any time. And this will not involve actual teaching, only sparring and fundamentals."

Sarutobi Ippei occasionally glanced up at Uchiha Feng, yet he could not glean anything from his expression.

After investigating for some time, they had confirmed that the man before them was simply a training fanatic. Ever since arriving in Konoha, he had either been training taijutsu or practicing swordsmanship.

"That works. When does it begin?" Uchiha Feng nodded.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

The following afternoon.

Uchiha Feng waited alone at the training grounds.

Tien had gone to see Might Guy again. What had originally been their final meeting was postponed because he now had to guide Neji Hyuga.

When Tien returned yesterday, he had marveled at Neji Hyuga's talent. After watching it only once, he had already gained a preliminary grasp of it.

As the agreed time drew closer, Uchiha Feng did not rush. Instead, he began practicing Blade Meditation, allowing himself to become one with the sword in his hand.

This was why Yajirobe was always able to conceal himself. In this state, Yajirobe was an inanimate object.

When he chose to move, it would be the moment a sharp blade left its sheath.

According to Yajirobe and Tien, this Blade Meditation could suppress inner demons. At higher levels, it could even sever them.

The Guardian of Earth had specially developed it for Yajirobe later on.

Tap, tap, tap—

Footsteps approached.

Hatake Kakashi had arrived, with Uchiha Sasuke following behind him.

The moment he sensed Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Feng's Blade Meditation was interrupted, and he broke free from that state of becoming one with his blade.

"You're the employer this time, right? You don't mind if I bring someone along, do you?" Though Hatake Kakashi phrased it as a question, he gave Uchiha Feng no room to refuse.

"I am Fujiwara Feng. I only wish to witness the White Fang of Konoha's swordsmanship. Everything else is irrelevant." Uchiha Feng returned the katana in his hand to his waist, his voice calm.

Blade Meditation was proving quite effective.

Yet his gaze fell upon Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke kept his lips tightly pressed together as he looked around with a hint of nostalgia. When he saw the distant Uchiha Compound, his eyes filled with sorrow as well.

As though provoked by something, his eyes suddenly opened. His black pupils turned red—one eye held a single tomoe, while the other held two.

That surprised Uchiha Feng. Uchiha Sasuke's growth had exceeded all expectations.