A busy day

Luo Mang had been preparing things ever since he woke up that morning.

He did not plan to go out for the next two days. Instead, he intended to build himself a home in the pocket world.

He would also give some thought to how he could use it in the future. His current idea was to raise a whole horde of monsters, then open the pocket world with a casual wave and let them charge out to help him fight. Wouldn't that be awesome!

He could even keep a beauty tucked away in there!

Although it was called a pocket world, it had come from his cheat. Now that he was making full use of it, it was no different from an entirely new world, except that it was under his control.

Once he had an idea, he needed to act on it. Whether he wanted to keep monster beasts or have another place to go on dates, he needed to build something. His goal for the next few days was to construct a house.

He would plant some crops while he was at it. Food was a major concern, too. This was not cultivation, where spiritual energy could keep hunger at bay. He still needed to eat, or he would starve to death.

Fortunately, he could cut timber whenever he needed it, and picking up a few repair tools would not arouse suspicion, would it?

After returning home, he entered the pocket world and began felling trees and cutting planks.

With yesterday's experience and no restrictions holding him back, the work was fairly easy. Before long, he had produced a stack of planks.

He marked out the site, laid the foundations, and slowly built upward...

As he worked, Luo Mang thought how nice it would be to have a Great River version of the Wooden Shield. Its offensive power might be weak, but it would be more than enough for building houses.

That was just wishful thinking, though. He could only keep working. He did not even have time to write in his diary. He needed to make good use of the reward in front of him before considering anything else.

For someone with his spectacularly rotten luck, getting a golden glow even once was already the limit. If he managed to get golden glows back-to-back, the sun really would be rising in the west.

Without any illusions, he had no expectations. Taking care of what was right in front of him mattered most.

He certainly could not finish everything in a day or two. Today's goal was to get the house built first. Surely he could not sleep out in the open every time he came in?

The pocket world's weather could be controlled, but he did not have that authority yet. He could hardly keep praying for good weather until he got it...

And so he spent the entire day building, right up until evening.

Thump, thump, thump!

Pounding his aching shoulders with his hand, he left the pocket world. Without even eating dinner, he flopped onto his bed, wanting to sleep.

Why did he only want to sleep, rather than fall asleep immediately?

"Rewards, rewards. Right, right, I've still got something important to do."

He had no great hopes. Shuriken would be fine, too. If he ever drew a ninety-nine-plus stack of Shuriken, that would count as a blue-glow reward.

[Didn't check the weather today. Probably sunny. I didn't hear any rain.]

He began writing his diary.

Sasuke Uchiha had just returned home. Excitement filled his face as he climbed onto his bed and took out the diary.

"Kakashi really is strong, but he's still weaker than that man. He's the strongest person I have access to right now. Looks like I'll need to learn what he can teach me before looking for anyone else."

While waiting for the diary entry to finish, Sasuke Uchiha found his thoughts wandering back to the day's events.

Sparring with Kakashi and listening to his explanations today had taught him a great deal. His current strength still placed him at the very bottom of the genin.

He needed to keep working hard, so Sasuke set himself a new goal: surpass Kakashi first.

"Once I awaken those eyes from the video, I'll definitely be able to beat him."

After muttering that under his breath, Sasuke Uchiha turned to read the rest of the diary.

[So tired. So sleepy. I want to sleep...]

Then the diary's glow faded.

Sasuke Uchiha opened his mouth. He had spent the whole evening looking forward to some information, only to get this. "That's all?"

Yes, the glow had vanished completely. That was all there was-just those few words tonight.

"How tired could you possibly be? I practiced ninjutsu all day."

Helplessly, Sasuke Uchiha lay down on his bed to sleep. He had already eaten dinner when he parted ways with Kakashi.

He was bored out of his mind now. He had thought he could pass the evening reading the diary, but he had never expected this.

At the Hatake Compound,

Inside his bedroom, Kakashi Hatake reacted much as Sasuke had. He opened his mouth, then closed it again and sighed.

"He didn't even write a proper diary entry. He must have been pretty busy today."

"Was he out on a mission, or something else?"

He shook his head slightly. Never mind. He had hoped to learn something about Sasuke, or perhaps their future enemies, but there was nothing at all. If there was no information, so be it.

He had sparred with Sasuke Uchiha today. The boy truly lived up to the Uchiha name. He had some skill and picked things up well.

With his lightning affinity and Sharingan, it made sense that Kakashi's future self would take him as a student and teach him Chidori.

But he was far too much like a typical Uchiha: arrogant, looking down his nose at everyone. That absolutely needed correcting, or he really might end up like he had in the video.

Kakashi considered his plans for Sasuke, then shook his head after a moment. There was no point thinking too far ahead right now. People changed, after all.

Just like him. Kakashi had never imagined there would come a day when he put down Icha Icha Paradise and picked up his father's swordsmanship notes to study instead.

"Hopefully, he'll reveal something useful when it really matters."

They still did not have many clues. All they knew was that there would be plenty of enemies in the future, but they had no information about those enemies.

He could only pray that this person with the power of prophecy would remain in the village and reveal things in his diary at crucial moments, even if he preferred to keep a low profile and stay out of the spotlight.

At the very least, he needed to pass on some information. Having someone like that in the village was a tremendous blessing, one that could help them avoid many future crises.

After that prayer, Kakashi stopped dwelling on it. His Purple Fish Eyes remained languid as he read the swordsmanship notes.

Swordsmanship had developed from martial arts. What mattered was insight and understanding. Only once one truly understood it could one put it into practice.

Naturally, the ninjutsu mastered by someone known as the White Fang of the Leaf could not be weak. It could certainly reach Kage-level strength.

This was bound to be a sleepless night for Kakashi, wasn't it?

Elsewhere, Uchiha Itachi was in much the same situation.

Reading the diary had left him utterly speechless.

With an ability like that, he isn't making proper use of it. He's even a little listless. Hmm, right. Surely he hasn't dreamed that he's doomed to die in the future.

Uchiha Itachi tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. He had spent an entire day in his room without receiving any information or instructions from the Masked Man.

Was the offer still not enough?

"But I really don't have anything else worth offering right now."

He absolutely could not hand over Shisui's eye. Who knew whether the man would turn around and use it on him?

I'll wait a little longer. If that doesn't work, I'll raise the price. At worst, I'll just be his cowboy. I have to survive, at least. As long as I'm alive, there's hope.

Otherwise, if Sasuke turned into what he had seen, wouldn't all his plans be ruined?