Main World.
Konoha Year Twenty-Two, winter.
British Continent, New Capital.
Imperial Palace, study.
The snow outside had stopped. Sunlight spilled through the window lattice, casting faint patterns of light and shadow on the floor. Toyotomi Yinglang sat behind his desk, holding a cup of hot tea, a faint smile on his lips. Sakura Haruno sat opposite him, also holding a cup of hot tea, but her brows were tightly furrowed, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.
Those words from earlier were still turning over in her mind-Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had come from Itachi, his Tomoe Rinnegan had come from the Sage of Six Paths, and after losing an arm, he had refused a prosthetic transplant. He was also away from home year-round, leaving her alone in an empty house, with a mortgage that never seemed to end.
After losing his Tomoe Rinnegan, he was only at Weak Kage Level!
She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil inside her.
"Yinglang, you said Sasuke had a low IQ. But whenever he fights, his reactions, tactics, and judgment in the moment are incredibly sharp. He's clearly extremely intelligent."
"Sasuke's low IQ can be broken down into separate areas." Toyotomi Yinglang set down his teacup and leaned back in his chair.
"In terms of battle IQ, Sasuke is at the very pinnacle of the Shinobi World. There's no denying that. He was born to fight."
"But in terms of strategic intelligence, Sasuke ranks below average in the Shinobi World-he's shortsighted and narrow-minded. All he ever sees are the grudges right in front of him. He can't see the broader trends of the Shinobi World or make any long-term plans."
"And when it comes to social dealings and life decisions, Sasuke is an outright idiot-he can't distinguish good from evil or right from