Rengoku actually had his eyes on Sasuke long ago, but he had been relatively busy these two days and hadn't had the chance to tend to it.
Now that Fugaku personally came to ask, it was just right.
"Mm, Sasuke has pretty good talent."
"I'm very optimistic about him, but what I want is not a student, but a disciple."
Fugaku's eyes lit up; he didn't expect it to go so smoothly. Rengoku didn't hesitate at all and agreed right away.
Moreover, the relationship of a disciple is even closer than that of a student.
"Hahahaha, good, good, good. I'll go prepare right away."
Rengoku lifted his teacup, "No need for formalities and rituals, it's not the right time anyway. Just let him come and serve a cup of tea."
Fugaku thought that made sense too, so he called Sasuke, who was practicing shuriken throwing techniques, to come in.
"Father, Senior Rengoku, I'm here."
Rengoku asked with a smile, "Want to take me as your master?"
Sasuke's eyes turned, "Senior Rengoku, tell me first, is my brother stronger or are you stronger?"
Fugaku glared at Sasuke from the side, "Sasuke!"
Rengoku waved his hand, "What, now you have your own thoughts?"
Sasuke lifted his head proudly, "I'm not an idiot."
The three Mangekyo Sharingan in the clan had already revealed their identities.
Everyone was still discussing the Mangekyo quite actively.
In the past two days, Sasuke had heard it countless times. Clan members whispering and praising Rengoku in private, with tones full of respect and admiration.
"Senior Rengoku is the number one expert in Uchiha, right?"
Rengoku smiled slightly, "These things need you to judge for yourself, not just believe whatever others say."
Sasuke turned to glance at Fugaku, whose face was also full of a smile.
He rolled his eyes, then walked up to Rengoku and performed a formal kneeling salute, "Master!"
Rengoku smiled without speaking, nor did he help Sasuke up.
Fugaku knocked on the table from the side. Sasuke saw that his father pointed at the teacup and suddenly realized.
He hurriedly offered tea to Rengoku and saluted again.
Rengoku took the teacup and sipped, "Get up."
"Yes, Master," Sasuke bounced up in one move.
Fugaku smiled at the side and said, "Sasuke, why did you want to confirm whether Rengoku is Uchiha's strongest?"
Sasuke said as if it were a matter of course, "I can only take the strongest as my master, so I can help my brother in the future."
Fugaku glanced at Rengoku. Rengoku's true combat strength had always been a mystery, but in terms of potential, he was definitely stronger than himself.
Although Itachi was younger, in intelligence he was left behind by Rengoku by who knows how many streets.
Fugaku hoped even more that Sasuke could be a bit smarter, able to escape from the mental shackles of the Uchiha.
Rengoku was undoubtedly the best choice.
"Your master's strength isn't only in combat."
"Then what is it?", Sasuke asked curiously.
Fugaku patted Sasuke's head, "You'll understand in the future."
Rengoku was also thinking at this moment about how to teach Sasuke.
Fugaku could be considered a strong man in his own right, so it wasn't that he couldn't teach Sasuke.
Having him become the master clearly meant recognition of his intelligence and potential.
Rengoku decided to start by broadening Sasuke's perspective, "Alright then, Clan Leader, I'll leave the matter of choosing a site to you."
"Sasuke, follow me. I'll give you your first lesson today."
He greeted Fugaku and then left with Sasuke.
Fugaku responded with a smile and took a sip of tea.
All in all, things were developing in a good direction.
———
Rengoku brought Sasuke to the training field.
Sasuke usually wouldn't come here, because he was still a child.
His previous training had all been under the guidance of Fugaku and Itachi.
Moreover, most of the clan members weren't usually in the clan grounds.
But this time, following Rengoku, Sasuke found that at least dozens of people were gathered here, mostly engaging in pairwise combat, and the scene was very lively.
When Rengoku arrived, greetings toward him came one after another.
"Fourth Elder!"
"Hello, Fourth Elder!"
"Greetings...!"
Rengoku nodded in return to each, and even accurately called out everyone's names.
Everyone respected Rengoku from the bottom of their hearts.
Rengoku brought Sasuke to the largest training area in the center.
"Sasuke, if you want to become strong, the first step is to broaden your horizons."
"Today, you just watch here, see how the Uchiha fight."
"If you have questions, ask me afterward."
On the way in, Sasuke had already seen many clan members immersed in training. Not just shuriken throwing techniques, but swordsmanship and ninjutsu as well.
All of it opened Sasuke's eyes wide.
Hearing Rengoku's words, Sasuke nodded repeatedly, "I understand, Master. I will watch carefully!"
Rengoku then sparred with everyone in turn.
Then, using his rich combat experience and keen insight, he guided each clan member who had the drive to improve.
"Mitama, why are you here again? I told you last time that if your arm injury isn't properly rested, there will be aftereffects. Are you deaf?"
"Shiraha, after your left leg got injured, you didn't do targeted training. Now your left and right legs are uneven in strength, leading to poor balance. Go reinforce left-leg training…"
"Arashi, your wrist is too stiff. Every time your shoulder leads the weapon movement. This way the enemy can see through your attack at a glance. Go practice wrist flips…"
"Zen, you can't even control Phoenix Sage Fire? Are you wasting chakra? Go practice on the target…"
While Rengoku was guiding the clan members, Sasuke finally understood why his master had such high prestige.
Rengoku always defeated opponents quickly.
He could always accurately identify a clan member's flaws and immediately correct them.
Getting injured during sparring was common for clan members; getting cut or bruised was even more frequent.
Sasuke also came to understand that real combat and his previous training were two completely different things.
Time flew by, and an entire afternoon passed.
As Rengoku led Sasuke out, he asked, "Did you gain anything?"
Sasuke nodded, then shook his head, "Turns out, besides my brother, there are so many experts in the clan."
"But after seeing so much, I feel kind of lost. Master, the stuff we learn in ninja school doesn't seem useful at all."
Rengoku laughed, "It's good to know how to think, but that's a bit too one-sided."
"Ninja school is mainly to lay a foundation for civilians without background, and to cultivate feelings for kids with backgrounds."
"You must understand, we Uchiha are a noble clan, so we have everything at home."
"But ordinary civilians can't even afford iron shuriken, and even chakra extraction techniques have to be taught by the school, that's the gap."
"When school starts, you still have to go. You still need to supplement your basic knowledge."
"Only then will you understand what squad combat and team operations really mean."
"You also need to make more connections so your path will be smoother in the future."
"Today, I brought you here to humble you. Even if you're number one in school, that's still just laying the foundation."
"If you want to become a strong person, you must maintain the heart of an apprentice."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y