Moria's Obsession

He suddenly began to tremble violently, letting out a very low, almost hoarse roar, and then abruptly raised his head.

Something was burning in those perpetually cloudy eyes.

It's not ambition, it's not greed, it's something more primal and pure—obsession.

Seeking revenge for his fallen comrades was the only thought he had never uttered aloud in the past twenty years, yet it had never faded away.

He would give anything for this idea—his life, his dignity, none of it mattered.

Even if I become a lackey at the feet of the Uchiha, even if I can never call myself "Kozuki" or "Gecko" again in this lifetime, as long as I can still tear Kaido's throat apart with my own hands, I'll do anything.

"Lord Natsu." His voice was still trembling, but not with the humble tremor of before; rather, it was a violent tremor that had been suppressed for too long and had finally found an outlet.

"I want nothing. The name of Kozuki, the name of Gecko, dignity, freedom—I want none of it. I only ask that you grant me the power to take revenge on Kaido."

"As long as I can kill him, I'll be a dog of the Uchiha for the rest of my life. I'll bite whoever you tell me to bite, and I'll never betray you. Please—give me this chance."

Natsu leaned back in her chair and remained silent for a long time.

Then he slowly stood up, walked to Moria, and looked down at the man who had once dominated the New World.

Moria did not avoid his gaze; his eyes, burning with obsession, met his directly.

"Remember what you said today." Natsu's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable weight. "The Uchiha doesn't accept trash, nor traitors. I can give you more than you can imagine; but if you dare to betray—"

He raised his hand, a flash of dark golden Chakra light disappearing from his fingertips. "I will make you regret being born even more than Kaido."

He turned and walked towards the door, pausing for a moment at the doorframe. "From today onwards, your life belongs to the Uchiha. Go to Spirit Awakening Island and report to Elder Tekka; he will tell you what to do next."

When Natsu pushed open the courtyard gate, the setting sun was sliding down the roof tiles, dyeing the entire courtyard a warm orange-red.

A small figure stood in front of a wooden stake in the center of the courtyard, his hands clumsily but earnestly moving, practicing the Hand Seals again and again.

A few stray hairs on his forehead were damp with sweat and stuck to his brow, but he didn't stop, still muttering the sequence of the incantations.

Natsu leaned against the door frame and watched for a moment, then remained silent to disturb them.

This kid has a stubborn streak, just like Fugaku when he was young.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Sasuke suddenly raised his head, his dark eyes instantly lighting up. His hand Hand Seals froze in mid-air, and a bright, undisguised smile bloomed on his face.

"Natsu!" He skipped and hopped over, but as soon as he reached Natsu, he seemed to remember something, stopped abruptly, straightened his back, and gave a proper bow.

His movements still carried a touch of the rigidity taught in the Clan Academy, but he couldn't hide his excitement.

Natsu watched him struggle between propriety and his true nature, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Sasuke has this indomitable spirit; even when he's drenched in sweat from training, he'll never complain of being tired before anyone else.

He reached out and ruffled Sasuke's wet hair, his tone unusually gentle. "How long have you been waiting?"

Sasuke tilted his head back, chuckled twice, and held up two fingers. "Not long, only two hours."

Natsu shook her head helplessly, walked towards the center of the courtyard, rolled up her sleeves, and waved to the little guy who was still standing there grinning without turning her head. "Don't just stand there, show me your best Ninjutsu that you've been practicing lately."

Sasuke's eyes lit up, he nodded vigorously, and quickly followed.

Natsu's backyard was quite large; it was more like a small Training Ground than a yard. The most striking feature was the lake, about the size of a football field, reflecting the setting sun and shimmering with golden light.

This lake is where Natsu usually tests new Ninjutsu. The bottom of the lake is paved with specially made sealing stone slabs, and there are also several simple defensive barriers around the lake shore. It is not afraid of fire or explosion, so you can do whatever you want with it.

Sasuke followed Natsu to the lakeside, consciously stood five steps away, took a deep breath, and began to Hand Seals.

His technique still carried a touch of childlike awkwardness, but the connection between each seal was already much smoother than that of most of his peers in the Clan Academy.

The sequence was: Chou-Mao-Shen-You-Wu. When the last "Wu" character was formed, his chest suddenly swelled up, and he opened his mouth to spew out a sea of fire that covered the sky.

The flames swept forward in a fan shape across the lake, spanning over thirty meters in width. The scorching fire waves skimmed across the water, evaporating the water vapor into white mist with a hissing sound.

Natsu stood beside Sasuke, arms crossed, her gaze following the edge of the sea of fire, and nodded slightly.

At nine years old, Elite Chunin, his Fire Release Great Fire Annihilation covered over thirty meters—this talent would have been enough to make those old guys fight tooth and nail to acquire him in Konoha's Uchiha Clan Academy.

When an adult Uchiha clansman uses this technique, the sea of fire is usually over fifty meters wide. Sasuke is not even as tall as their chest yet, and his Chakra reserves are far from their peak. The fact that he can spew out a sea of fire over thirty meters wide only shows that his talent is truly top-notch.

He recalled the scenes from the original novel that he had seen in his previous life.

Sasuke's performance in Konoha was always lukewarm, not because he lacked talent, but because no one taught him what the Uchiha should learn.

Kakashi Hatake's tactical system was ultimately inherited from White Fang and the Fourth Hokage, and it is completely different from the Uchiha's orthodox Chakra Nature Transformation and Sharingan usage.

Let alone teaching Sasuke, Kakashi himself struggles to use Obito's Sharingan, and he might not even be able to secure a victory against Three Tomoe Uchiha in a one-on-one fight. How could he possibly teach an Uchiha?

Sasuke put away the hand seals, his breathing still a little rapid, but he immediately turned to look at Natsu, his dark eyes sparkling, filled with the expectation of "Praise me quickly".

Natsu didn't rush to praise him. Instead, she reached out and pressed down on his head, making his sweat-dampened black hair even more disheveled.

"Not bad. But don't get too cocky. There are several peers in the Clan Academy who are better than you. Put away your smugness so you can learn the new things I'll teach you later." Sasuke squinted as his eyes were rubbed, and he replied, "Okay, okay," but the corners of his mouth still couldn't help but turn up.

Natsu withdrew her hand, turned around and Earth Flow on the lake shore. She silently considered that she had to suppress the child's pride, but not too much. She had to let him know how high the sky was and that he had to climb the path step by step.

I might write some slice-of-life stories later, but it won't be for long.

It seems like Red Persimmon is promoting some kind of "god-making project" lately, something about his book "Time Stop." Anyway, his traffic has really dropped a lot recently. Could you guys please give him a small gift and help him get some positive reviews?