After extracting the information through interrogation, the old man was deemed useless and quietly disposed of by the Anbu.
Hanare, however, was kept by Tsunade, allowed to move freely within a designated area—but forbidden to leave—and was housed at Kakashi's place.
Kakashi was utterly helpless about it. He'd wanted to refuse, but the moment he saw Hanare's smile, he couldn't bring himself to say no and ended up agreeing.
Once that matter was settled, Kakashi had a spar with Kiyosuke. If it hadn't been for this guy, things wouldn't have turned into such a hassle!
The result was that after going toe-to-toe for a while, Kakashi eventually lost due to running out of chakra.
"No wonder you're Hatake Kakashi—you actually managed to fight me evenly," Kiyosuke said with a note of admiration.
"You're the real monster here."
Kakashi snorted but, in the end, accepted the reality of Hanare living in his home.
...
A few days later, Jiraiya returned to Konoha, announcing that he would be taking Naruto on a journey to personally train him.
After some thought, Naruto decided to follow Jiraiya and train under him.
That, of course, made Sasuke's eyes burn—not because he minded parting from Naruto, but because Naruto would be training under one of the Legendary Sannin. When he came back, his strength would surely skyrocket, surpassing Sasuke's.
How could he stand that?
He'd always seen Naruto as his lifelong rival. They had been competing since they were kids, and there was no way he could let Naruto outpace him.
So, he immediately ran over to Kiyosuke's place to ask for training.
"I'm just saying… hasn't your father already taught you the Uchiha clan's secret techniques?"
Kiyosuke set down his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and said,
"Isn't the Uchiha clan's secret arts enough to keep you busy?"
"But I want to become stronger! Learning those techniques takes too long! With Jiraiya guiding Naruto, his training speed will definitely outstrip mine. I don't want that!"
Sasuke spoke from the heart—he simply didn't want to be left behind, not even a little.
"I see…"
Kiyosuke thought for a moment.
"I still have three subordinates to train, so I can recommend someone else for you. But first—let me ask, are you afraid of dying?"
"I'm not afraid!"
Sasuke looked straight into Kiyosuke's eyes without a hint of fear.
"In that case, I'll recommend someone you should already know. His teaching ability surpasses mine, and his strength isn't far from Jiraiya's."
"Who is it?" Sasuke asked, puzzled.
"My teacher—Orochimaru."
"What? But he's a rogue ninja! And…"
Sasuke touched the curse mark on his neck, which still throbbed faintly.
Kiyosuke smiled.
"Don't think of Orochimaru only as disgusting or as Konoha's enemy. He's the one who trained me. Before I could fully use my abilities, it was thanks to his teachings that I survived on the battlefield. I wouldn't have been able to kill the Third Mizukage without him."
If Orochimaru hadn't taken him to Ryūchi Cave, Kiyosuke probably wouldn't have learned senjutsu—let alone survived the Kirigakure battlefield against a rampaging Three-Tails.
"As one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru's strength is beyond doubt. He's mastered an enormous number of ninjutsu and forbidden techniques—more than enough for you to learn. He can tailor a specialized training plan for you and guarantee rapid growth. If Naruto doesn't train in Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode, you should be able to surpass him."
"Mount Myōboku… Sage Mode?" Sasuke frowned at the unfamiliar terms.
Kiyosuke explained the status of Mount Myōboku and what Sage Mode was. The more Sasuke heard, the more restless he became.
"I want to go to Ryūchi Cave."
"I'd advise against it," Kiyosuke said sincerely. Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave wasn't something just anyone could master. Back then, he'd almost died. Sasuke might survive, but there was no real need for him to try.
"Your path forward isn't Sage Mode—it's the Sharingan. You know about the Mangekyō Sharingan, right?"
You're an Indra reincarnation—forget Sage Mode and focus on those fancy contact lenses, that's the real path.
"I know a little. My brother seems to have it."
Sasuke remembered how, when his brother defected, his eyes revealed an unusual pattern. Later, his father had explained that it was the evolved form of the Sharingan—the Mangekyō Sharingan—immensely powerful, but with dangerous side effects.
"That's right. Once an Uchiha awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan, their power grows explosively, becoming overwhelming. For your clan, getting stronger is both incredibly easy… and incredibly painful. But for now, you don't need to think about that."
Right now, what Sasuke needed most was to solidify his foundation—even though it was already quite solid.
With Uchiha Fugaku's guidance, Sasuke's strength was far higher than it would have been without his parents. He had already learned many of the clan's secret techniques. But it wasn't enough—he wanted more.
"So, what should I do? Are you really saying I should seek out Orochimaru?"
Honestly, Sasuke didn't want to, but if it meant not falling behind Naruto, he was willing to try.
"It's the fastest option. I'm not suited to train you—at most, I could help you with taijutsu, but not ninjutsu. Most of my abilities come from my body's constitution, not from ninjutsu."
Kiyosuke shook his head, helpless.
"But my teacher Orochimaru is different. Whatever his motives, he's a responsible teacher who will tailor your training to your strengths. And until you've fully matured, he won't make a move on you."
Orochimaru had his eyes on Sasuke as his next vessel, hoping to obtain the Sharingan and, with its copying ability, learn every ninjutsu in the world. Only an Uchiha body could unleash the Sharingan's full potential.
His first target had been the Uchiha prodigy, Itachi—but that ended with Orochimaru losing an arm.
So he set his sights on Sasuke instead. Even if Sasuke wasn't Itachi, as a genius, he could still perfectly wield the Sharingan's power. Orochimaru infiltrated Konoha, branded Sasuke with the Heaven Curse Mark, and planned to take him away to train him into the perfect vessel to house his soul.
"When I get stronger, what will he do?" Sasuke asked.
"He'll take over your body. Literally."
Sasuke shuddered in disgust.
"No way! I'm not learning from that creep!"
"Is that so? Well, he's the only one I know of who can fully draw out your potential. His research on the Sharingan even surpasses that of your own clan. If you don't want to go, that's fine—I'm not going to force you."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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