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On the way to the clan compound, Kazuki warned Sasuke:
"Don't dwell on why Orochimaru won't be your team's Jonin leader. Because he is, and always will be, a restless individual, a dangerous person filled with rebelliousness from head to toe. Of course, you, kid, also have that kind of potential."
"...."
'Can the Elder read minds?'
Sasuke looked up in shock, then immediately lowered his head again, because Kazuki's last sentence felt like a hammer blow.
"I made you Orochimaru's student so that he could help you, help you improve your strength, lay your foundation. Not so he could become your true teacher. In teaching you, he is qualified. But as a sensei, no. Remember, you need to have a clear sense in your heart about who can be trusted and who cannot. Orochimaru belongs to the category of those who can never be trusted. You can utilize his abilities, but you cannot believe in him, even if you could crush him with one hand."
Making a gripping gesture with his hand, Kazuki continued:
"Telling you all this, besides making you aware, is also to tell you: never, ever become a second Orochimaru. Otherwise, I will personally crush every bone in your body!"
"YES, SIR!!"
Sasuke shuddered, his whole body trembling slightly. He instinctively stood at attention and responded loudly.
Kazuki signaled for him to keep following.
"From today onward, continue your training in ninjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, all aspects as usual. Go back and tell Itachi to help train you every night. Your spiritual energy is strong, which means you can master powerful genjutsu more easily than others. Mastering more genjutsu will not only make up for your own shortcomings but also make your fighting style more unpredictable, keeping your enemies guessing. Keep the enemies you fight constantly on edge. Making every enemy you fight always keep on edge is our Uchiha's advantage. Don't throw away your innate advantages."
Was Sasuke in the original story not skilled in genjutsu?
That's not entirely accurate either; the kid did know some.
Just very little!
Perhaps it was related to his upbringing. First, his clan was massacred, and at that time he hadn't received proper instruction in that area yet.
Later, after graduating, he followed Kakashi, and Kakashi wasn't a ninja who specialized in using genjutsu in combat.
After leaving Kakashi and Konoha, Sasuke followed Orochimaru.
And unfortunately, Orochimaru's genjutsu skills were just so-so.
Expecting him to teach genjutsu to a pure-blooded Uchiha was really a bit of a stretch.
So, Kazuki decided to let Itachi handle it himself.
He certainly wasn't going to take it on.
No time, no inclination, plus he was afraid he might not be able to resist the urge to slap Sasuke to death.
Upon returning to the clan compound, Kazuki and Sasuke went their separate ways.
Sasuke bowed deeply to Kazuki, who was already walking away, then nervously looked around.
Making sure no one was paying attention to him, he gripped the Kusanagi sword at his waist tightly and quickly ran towards home.
Heaven can bear witness, he was scared half to death.
*****
After Sasuke left, Fugaku emerged from an empty alleyway:
"It seems you gave that child Sasuke quite a fright."
"That kid is a bit too unrestrained. He needs to be reined in. He and Itachi aren't the same type. Strong pressure is more effective for Sasuke than lecturing."
The Second Pillar?
A typical case of responding to force rather than reason.
Some things, you could talk until you were blue in the face and it might not work. Sometimes, you just had to get tough to make him remember.
Itachi, on the other hand, happened to be the opposite type.
Lecturing was more effective with him.
Fugaku nodded slightly, not saying anything more, even though Sasuke was his son.
Even if it was his own son, he needed to be disciplined when he got out of line.
After exchanging a few more words, they each went home.
*****
Early the next morning, Sasuke was about to head out to find Uchiha Kaze.
Unexpectedly, the other party was earlier than him, already waiting at the door early in the morning.
Seeing Sasuke come out, he couldn't be bothered with words, just tilted his head signaled for him to follow.
Then he led Sasuke straight to the Ninja Academy.
So, who is my last teammate?
Since their destination was the Ninja Academy, Sasuke knew the last member of the team was still at the school.
That meant it would be chosen from his classmates.
As for exactly who, Sasuke couldn't guess, and Uchiha Kaze wouldn't say.
As long as it wasn't Naruto, anyone else was fine.
Sasuke wasn't too concerned about this anyway. He didn't really care who his teammates were.
It was the same old story: he, Uchiha Sasuke, would be the strongest, the central point of the team.
Karin and the other teammate would just have to follow his lead.
*****
Today was the day for team assignments.
The graduates who had passed the exams this year sat nervously in their classrooms, waiting for their teachers to arrive.
The practice of the teachers themselves coming to pick up their students, without announcing it beforehand, was a tradition Kazuki had maintained.
Giving the students a bit of mystery was good.
At least it gave them something to look forward to.
"Sasuke-kun!"
The classroom door was pushed open, and the noisy classroom instantly fell silent. All eyes turned towards the door.
When they saw Uchiha Kaze in his Uchiha robe, the eyes of many students in the class lit up.
Because their teacher had told them in advance that the village would break from past tradition and select some powerful ninja to be their Jonin leaders.
As for exactly who, the teacher himself didn't know.
But he had given the students a small hint, telling them that powerful ninja from major clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha, who had rarely appeared in such roles in the past, would also become sensei.
This was a pretty clear hint.
Don't think that just because the children were young, they didn't understand the underlying implications.
On the contrary, many children were very smart. With just a slight hint, they knew this meant a great opportunity for them.
Therefore, when they saw Kaze, many students' eyes shone with hope.
Unfortunately, their inner hopes were destined to be dashed.
Compared to the other students, the two girls, Sakura and Ino, were overjoyed when they saw the expressionless Sasuke standing at the door.
The most exaggerated was Sakura, who even started crying, which left Sasuke utterly bewildered.
Is this girl's brain okay?
Sakura's tears might be deadly to Naruto, but to Sasuke, they meant nothing.
On the contrary, Sasuke would just think she was strange, that something was wrong with her head.
"Miss Hinata, please come with me."
Uchiha Kaze knew Sasuke was popular at school, he just hadn't expected it to be this extreme.
Ino was fine, just very excited. But Sakura... truly lived up to being the super love-struck fool.
"Ah? Me?" Hinata pointed at herself, frozen in her seat.
"Yes, please come with me."
Kaze took a deep breath and repeated himself.
He swore, if it were anyone else, he would have ignored them long ago.
Unfortunately, Hinata's status was different; she couldn't be treated dismissively.
Sasuke's mind was blown.
My last teammate is Hinata?
Hyuga Hinata?
With Hinata here, can I still be the center of the team?
Facing others, Sasuke could hold his head high and not even look at them properly. But Hinata...