Linking with Sasuke, Indra's Chakra

Zuo Hao stood in the center of the examination room, surrounded by the clones he had just created. Every one looked solid enough to be real, their hand seals crisp and precise, their chakra signatures unnervingly steady.

"You've got to be kidding. Is that really what a Ninja Academy student can do?"

"I can't tell which of those clones is the real one!"

"The Uchiha Clan... they really are monsters..."

"Zuo Hao Uchiha, full marks." Iruka took a deep breath and wrote down the score on the Scoreboard. First place in the graduation exam.

He looked up at the impassive black-haired boy before him, his voice conflicted. "Congratulations."

Zuo Hao nodded, dispelled all his clones, and headed toward the waiting area.

As he passed Sasuke, he slowed and glanced at his younger brother.

"You're up."

Sasuke raised his head, defiance burning in his eyes.

"I'll surpass you."

"Mm. I'll be waiting."

Zuo Hao sat on a bench in the corner, and the blue screen appeared before him again.

[Mission complete.]

[Rewards issued: Fire Release Ninjutsu—Majestic Destroyer Flame (B-rank), Bond Link attempt ×1.]

A warm stream of information poured into his mind. Zuo Hao closed his eyes. The hand seal sequence and chakra flow for Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame were as clear as if they had been carved into his soul.

Then a new prompt appeared.

[Key figure detected: Sasuke Uchiha.]

[Twin brothers—special bond available.]

[Establish Bond Link?]

[Link reward: Share Sasuke's training progress and obtain Indra's Chakra.]

Indra.

The eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths, the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan, and the source of Sasuke's power in his previous life.

That chakra was Yin Release taken to its extreme, the foundation that allowed the Sharingan to evolve into the Mangekyo Sharingan, and even the Rinnegan.

And now the system was telling him that linking with Sasuke would let him obtain that power immediately.

Zuo Hao glanced at Sasuke, who was preparing to demonstrate Shurikenjutsu in the center of the examination room. A faint smile touched his lips.

His little brother had never known what kind of power flowed through him.

And as the older brother, Zuo Hao certainly didn't mind... taking a little share of that inheritance.

"Establish the link."

[Confirming Bond Link: Sasuke Uchiha.]

[Linking... Link successful!]

[Current Bond Level: Lv. 1]

[Obtained: Indra's Chakra]

A cold, powerful chakra surged inside him. Zuo Hao felt his eyes grow warm, as though something deep within his pupils were stirring.

At that moment, in the Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his broad desk, a pipe in his hand.

The office door swung open.

Kakashi sauntered in, one hand in his pocket and the other holding that perpetually unfinished copy of Icha Icha Paradise. His one visible, deadpan eye was half-open.

Everything about him said, I'm tired. Don't bother me.

"Third Hokage, you wanted to see me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer at once. He tapped his pipe against the ashtray, drew a deep breath, then spoke slowly. "Kakashi, I have an assignment for you."

"What assignment?" Kakashi turned a page, his tone casual.

"Take charge of a team."

The page stopped turning.

Kakashi lifted his gaze. A subtle emotion flickered in his deadpan eye. "Third Hokage, you know none of the students I've led before passed my test."

"This time is different." Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed a list across the desk. "See for yourself."

Kakashi put away his book, stepped forward, and picked up the list. As his eyes swept over the names, his brow tightened almost imperceptibly.

Team 7.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Sakura Haruno.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Zuo Hao Uchiha.

The four names sat neatly in a row, impossible to ignore.

"Two Uchiha?" Kakashi set down the list, a trace of reluctance in his voice. "Third Hokage, this lineup..."

"It was deliberate." Hiruzen Sarutobi cut him off, his aged voice firm. "Those two children are all that remain of the Uchiha Clan. Sasuke and Zuo Hao are both orphans who survived that night."

He rose and walked to the window. With his back to Kakashi, he watched the sun sink outside.

"Konoha owes the Uchiha an explanation."

He said it softly, but the words landed like a stone.

Kakashi fell silent for several seconds. His gaze settled on the two Uchiha names, and another face flashed through his mind: Obito Uchiha.

"Sasuke and Zuo Hao..." Kakashi repeated, his tone complicated. "How have they lived all these years?"

"On their own." Weariness crept into Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice. "After the Uchiha Clan Downfall, two eight-year-old children were left to live alone in an old house on the edge of the Clan District."

"No one cared for them, and no one guided them. Sasuke became withdrawn. As for Zuo Hao..."

"He came first in the graduation exam. Full marks."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Full marks? That exam must have been easy for him."

"More than easy." Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down again, his fingers tapping a steady rhythm on the desk. "Iruka noted in his report that the solidity and number of clones Zuo Hao produced with the Clone Technique far exceeded Genin level. They even reached Chunin level."

Meanwhile, at the Ninja Academy.

Zuo Hao sat at his desk, bored out of his mind, when the system suddenly issued a mission.

[Side Quest triggered: Scroll of Seals Incident.]

[Mission description: Tonight, Mizuki will manipulate Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals. You have the following choices—]

[Option 1: Stand aside and let events unfold as usual.]

[Mission reward: Chakra reserves increased by 10%.]

[Option 2: Stop Naruto from stealing the Scroll of Seals and report Mizuki's plot to the Third Hokage.]

[Mission reward: Increased favor with the Third Hokage and increased trust from Konoha High Command.]

[Option 3: Help Naruto obtain the Scroll of Seals and protect him from the shadows.]

[Mission reward: Bond Link attempt ×1.]