Strike Early

"What! You're saying Uchiha Sasuke's strength may have already reached Chunin level? He may have even surpassed a Chunin? Iruka, are you joking with me?"

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged face was filled with astonishment as he stared at Iruka in disbelief.

"Yes, Lord Third. I wouldn't dare joke with you about something like this. By my assessment, Uchiha Sasuke absolutely possesses the strength of a Chunin!"

Iruka answered respectfully, though his tone was certain.

"At the time..."

Iruka recounted Sasuke's performance that day to the Third Hokage in full detail.

"Good, good, good!"

After hearing him out, the Third's face bloomed into a smile like a withered chrysanthemum in full flower as he said "good" three times in a row.

"The Uchiha Clan truly is Konoha's foremost clan! First there was Uchiha Itachi, who passed the Chunin Exams at ten and became a Chunin. Now his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, possesses the strength of a Chunin at only seven!"

"Good. Truly excellent!"

The Third wore an extremely pleased expression.

"Then, Lord Third, should Sasuke be allowed to graduate early?"

Iruka asked. Afraid that the Third might refuse, he hurriedly added:

"After all, Senior Kakashi graduated from the Ninja Academy at five and became a Chunin at six. I believe there should be no issue with letting Sasuke graduate early now."

"No problem, of course there's no problem! He's a genius comparable to Kakashi Hatake. Naturally, he can graduate early."

The Third agreed without hesitation.

"However, you needn't handle this matter. Just focus on your teaching. When I have time, I'll personally assess Sasuke."

"And let that child understand just how great the Will of Fire is!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled kindly.

"Good, that's wonderful! With your personal assessment, Lord Third, I'm sure Sasuke will become an outstanding Konoha ninja!"

Iruka's face was filled with admiration.

"Mm."

The Third nodded slightly, indicating that Iruka could leave.

After bowing to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Iruka quickly left the Hokage's office.

Only after Iruka had completely disappeared did the Third's kindly old-man smile vanish entirely.

In its place was a gloomy, aged face.

Uchiha. Again, Uchiha!

Why did the Uchiha Clan always produce such monsters!?

First came the genius ninja Shisui of the Body Flicker, then the genius Uchiha Itachi, who became a Chunin at ten, and now Uchiha Sasuke!

Hiruzen Sarutobi rose to his feet and walked to the window, gazing in the direction of the Uchiha compound with darkness in his eyes.

Hmph!

A destabilizing clan like this should disappear. Only then could Konoha achieve peaceful and stable development.

Therefore, for Konoha's sake, please disappear completely, Uchiha Clan!

"Shinnosuke!"

Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi called softly.

The next moment, a masked ninja appeared behind him and dropped to one knee.

"Father, what are your orders?"

The man was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son, Shinnosuke Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not turn around. He continued looking out the window and said calmly:

"Tell Danzo that he can agree to Uchiha Itachi's condition and spare Uchiha Sasuke's life. But tell him to act quickly and stop dragging this out!"

"Huh!? Father, we're moving against the Uchiha Clan already? Our preparations aren't thorough enough yet. Acting rashly could lead to unforeseen complications!"

Shinnosuke was somewhat worried.

The Uchiha Clan was an extremely famous major clan throughout the Ninja World.

Exterminating the Uchiha Clan without being fully prepared carried enormous risks.

"Sigh!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, his voice low as he said:

"I don't want to act in such haste either! But there's no choice. The Uchiha are simply too unstable. If we don't eliminate them quickly, I cannot rest easy!"

"Besides, another genius has appeared in the Uchiha Clan. If we let him grow any stronger, eliminating the Uchiha later will become troublesome!"

"But this is still too rushed!"

Shinnosuke remained worried.

"Enough. You don't need to concern yourself with such matters. Just relay my orders to Danzo!"

"Trust me, my old comrade has surely made thorough preparations long ago. After all, eliminating the Uchiha is something he has been yearning for."

"Yes!"

This time, Shinnosuke Sarutobi said nothing further. After answering, he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot, heading for Root to notify Danzo.

After standing by the window for a while longer, the Third finally returned to his seat. He then picked up his pipe and began puffing away.

"Uchiha Sasuke, seven years old. I hope you can properly understand the Will of Fire when the time comes. Otherwise, the Uchiha Clan will truly be exterminated!"

The rising smoke completely obscured his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

After winding through countless turns, Sasuke finally found the Uchiha compound in Konoha's most remote corner, following the memories in his mind.

Back then, Konoha's higher-ups had joined forces with the major ninja clans to collectively ostracize the Uchiha. The Uchiha compound had been forcibly relocated from Konoha's bustling district to this desolate area.

No wonder the Uchiha Clan rebelled in the original story!

They were clearly one of Konoha's founders. Not only had they failed to receive the power they deserved, but they had also been ostracized at every turn. It would have been strange if they hadn't rebelled.

Yet the outcome had been utterly tragic. Uchiha Itachi had been fooled, allowing Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others to take down the Uchiha Clan without losing a single soldier.

To Sasuke now, that outcome seemed rather laughable. If even one Uchiha had possessed a functioning brain and made preparations in advance, there was no way thirteen-year-old Itachi alone could have wiped out the entire Uchiha Clan.

And Uchiha Itachi himself had been easily fooled by the Third. It was simply absurd!

Or was the Will of Fire really that incredible, capable of brainwashing a Kage-level ninja?

No matter how ridiculous the clan massacre in the original story had been, Sasuke, who now possessed Second Pillar's peak strength, would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen again.

With that thought, Sasuke slowly walked into the Uchiha compound.

Meanwhile, in an alley somewhere within the Uchiha compound.

"Speak! Tell me where that bastard Uchiha Itachi is! I'm going to settle the score with him!"

"That's right! The three of us are prepared this time. We won't let that bastard Itachi succeed in ambushing us again!"

"Hmph! Uchiha Itachi dared humiliate us like that the other day. We'll definitely let him know what it feels like to be unable to take care of himself!"

Tekka Uchiha, Uchiha Yashiro, and Inabi Uchiha wore furious expressions as they aggressively cornered Izumi Uchiha in an alley.

"Y-you need to calm down. Itachi is such a gentle person. He wouldn't casually attack his clan members. There must be some misunderstanding!"

Izumi Uchiha's body trembled slightly, and she appeared somewhat frightened. After all, she was only a thirteen-year-old girl. It was normal for her to be afraid.

Though she was frightened, she still did her best to defend Itachi.

Besides, she truly did not believe that Itachi would violently attack members of his own clan!