"Remember, Sasuke," Shisui said, correcting his movements as he stressed the point,
"The prerequisite for using these techniques is that you've determined a confrontation is unavoidable, and your top priority is to 'get away,' not 'win.'"
"Until you're strong enough, avoiding unnecessary injuries and protecting yourself is the wise choice. That isn't cowardice. It's strategy."
Watching Sasuke practice with such focus, he continued to guide his thinking:
"At every stage of life, you need to do what suits your abilities at that stage."
"Right now, you need to grow and learn, build up your strength, learn how to protect yourself in this complicated situation, and see the people and things around you clearly."
"Blindly fighting head-on or getting stuck in grief and anger will only make you lose the chance to grow stronger and seek the truth."
"Yes, Shisui! I understand!" Sasuke earnestly committed Shisui's words to memory.
Even if he didn't understand them now, as he grew older, the day would come when he did.
Just then, several shadows dropped soundlessly around them like wraiths, surrounding the pair.
The Anbu Captain at their head said gravely, "Shisui, you shouldn't be here." The atmosphere tightened in an instant.
Sasuke sprang to his feet almost reflexively. This time, unlike before, he wasn't simply helpless with fear.
Instead, he unconsciously assumed the rough defensive stance Shisui had just taught him, nervously putting himself between Shisui and the others.
Shisui slowly stood and rested a hand gently on Sasuke's shoulder, signaling for him to relax.
"Get lost!"
Every ANBU member froze for a moment. Then an immense force slammed into their minds.
In an instant, every ANBU surrounding Shisui collapsed to the ground.
The Third Hokage, approaching from outside with his pipe in hand, was stunned.
He hadn't expected Shisui to attack outright.
"Shisui..."
The Third Hokage's gaze swept over the fine cracks on Shisui's face, unmistakably those of Impure World Reincarnation, then settled on the ANBU sprawled on the ground.
"Explain your actions."
Shisui's voice was utterly calm. Gone was the respect for the Hokage he'd shown in life; all that remained was the detachment and indifference of someone who had passed through death:
"There's nothing to explain. Whoever poses a threat to me now, I attack."
He offered no defense, merely stated the facts—or perhaps sent a message.
The Third Hokage looked astonished. He hadn't expected Shisui to take that tone.
"I don't have much time left." Shisui pointed to the cracks on his face.
"This body could return to the Pure Land completely at any moment."
"I just want him to learn, before I disappear for good... how to keep a clear head when he has no one to rely on, how to tell kindness from pretense, and how to... survive."
"A child who's lost everyone he could depend on and can't even learn the truth needs at least a few basic things to protect himself in this village, doesn't he?"
His words were like an invisible needle, piercing the Third Hokage's usual gentle facade.
He now understood where Shisui stood.
The Third Hokage silently drew on his pipe. White smoke obscured his expression.
His sharp gaze lingered on the spreading cracks across Shisui's face.
A "ghost" who could vanish at any moment, a dead man who resented the higher-ups, an older brother who only wanted to teach a child to "think for himself"...
Forcing them to stop would be pointless and might even make matters worse.
After a long while, the Third Hokage slowly exhaled a smoke ring, as if letting out a sigh of resignation, too.
He waved a hand.
The ANBU members dragged away those who had fainted and silently withdrew into the surrounding shadows, vanishing from sight.
"Once a week, and nothing more." The Third Hokage finally spoke, his voice betraying no emotion. "Shisui, don't do anything beyond 'teaching.'"
After taking a long look at Shisui and Sasuke, he turned and left, giving the training ground back to them.
Only after the Third Hokage had disappeared completely did Shisui look down at Sasuke, whose eyes still held traces of shock, but also a hint of new understanding.
"Think carefully about everything that happened today. I'll come see you again next week."
"Hello again! I'm Trumpet Nine."
He cheerfully greeted the Nine-Tails, curled up inside its cage.
The Nine-Tails only raised its eyelids lazily, then closed them again, completely ignoring him.
"Heh... ignoring me is your loss." Shien cast out a blatant hook.
The Nine-Tails only raised its eyelids lazily, then closed them again, completely ignoring him.
Clearly, that hook was too obvious. It wasn't biting.
Seeing that the Nine-Tails still didn't react, Shien wasn't annoyed. He simply extended his senses.
The scene that entered his awareness was Naruto frantically tidying his room.
The little guy had his rear stuck up in the air as he struggled to scrub the dried stains on the floor, which had long since mixed with dust. They were probably the "masterpiece" left by a spilled cup of instant noodle soup.
Naruto was sweating profusely, his little face flushed, but the room was still a complete mess.
"Looks like you don't want to know the truth," Shien's voice drifted leisurely through Naruto's mind.
Naruto jolted.
"Trumpet Nine! Don't be mad! I'll get it clean right away! Right away!"
He hurriedly tried to explain, then accidentally kicked over the bucket beside him.
"Clang—"
The bucket of dirty water spilled across the floor, making an already chaotic situation even worse.
Naruto stared at the filthy water streaming across the floor. His face went deathly pale, and despair welled in his eyes.
Just then, someone knocked at the door. Mikoto's gentle, concerned voice came from outside:
"Naruto, is something wrong? I heard a loud noise."
"I... I..." Naruto stammered in a panic, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.
"Go open the door," the voice in his mind guided him.
"People who truly care about you worry about you first. They don't start by scolding you."
Naruto hesitated, but finally shuffled over and opened the door.
Seeing the mess inside and the filthy water on the floor, Mikoto immediately understood what had happened.
But her first words were, "Naruto, are you hurt?"
"Huh?" Naruto froze. The scolding he'd expected never came. He lowered his head and spoke in a tiny voice:
"N-no, I'm not hurt..."
Then a strong wave of shame washed over him.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Mikoto. I made such a mess of the house..."
Mikoto looked at the child living alone with no one to teach him, her eyes full of sympathy.
She gently tousled Naruto's messy hair.
"It's all right, dear. We can put things back in order, and we can clean up the dirt."
"It's normal not to know how to do these things. I'll teach you, all right?"
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, stepped into the room, righted the bucket, and picked up the mop to clean up the dirty water. She explained patiently as she worked:
"To tidy a room, you first need to learn to sort things and put them away..."
"For dried-on stains like these, soak them with water first, then wipe them..."
As an experienced homemaker, Mikoto moved with practiced ease, each step clear and precise.
Naruto stayed beside her, listening, watching, and learning, nodding hard from time to time.
In less than half an hour, the room had gone from filthy and disordered to bright, clean, and tidy.
Just then, Sasuke called from downstairs, "Mother, I'm home!"
Mikoto spoke gently to Naruto, who was filthy from head to toe:
"Go take a proper bath and change into clean clothes first. Come downstairs for dinner afterward, all right?"
Naruto's eyes reddened, and he nodded emphatically. "Okay! Thank you, Aunt Mikoto! I'll be down in a bit!"
Before you continue