Seiryu led Sasuke to the backyard where he usually practiced archery and turned on the corridor lights.
"What can you do?" Seiryu asked.
"My brother taught me the Three Body Techniques, and I just learned Lightning Release: Thunder Ball a few days ago." Sasuke perked up at the mention of ninjutsu.
"Thunder Ball, huh? Show me," Seiryu said.
"Yes!" Sasuke quickly formed hand seals. Soon, a golden lightning ball over a meter in diameter appeared before them, flying forward seven or eight meters before exploding. The dim backyard was briefly lit up by a dazzling white light.
Afterward, little Sasuke looked at Seiryu with expectant eyes, hoping for praise.
However, Seiryu slapped him hard on the back of the head, leaving Sasuke utterly bewildered.
"What are you doing, kid? I asked you to use a jutsu, and you blew up my lawn?"
"Sorry…" Sasuke mumbled.
"Watch closely. This is how you use Thunder Ball." Seiryu snapped his fingers, and a ten-centimeter-wide, deep blue ball of lightning appeared out of thin air.
Although this ball was smaller than Sasuke's, Sasuke could clearly sense that its energy was much more condensed.
Then, Seiryu twirled his finger, and the ball began orbiting around them in his direction. Sasuke was transfixed.
After a few laps, Seiryu snapped his fingers again, sending the blue lightning ball shooting into the sky, where it exploded like fireworks.
"Amazing," Sasuke exclaimed in awe.
"See? Practice until you can do this. When you can, I'll teach you something new," Seiryu said.
"Yes!" Sasuke replied confidently.
Seeing Sasuke's confident smile, Seiryu also smiled. This kid wouldn't be pestering him for new jutsu for a while, since what he just demonstrated required extremely fine chakra control—something even many Chunin good at Lightning Release couldn't do. For a beginner like Sasuke, it would take a lot of hard work.
However, once he mastered this level of control, he'd find learning new jutsu much easier in the future.
Also, the process of honing precise chakra control would help shape Sasuke's personality. Seiryu couldn't tolerate Sasuke turning out like Naruto, who would rush out to fight on a whim.
After Sasuke left, Seiryu changed clothes, preparing to head to the training ground for his daily workout.
Before leaving, he instructed:
"Keiko, help me send invitation cards to the Inuzuka and Aburame clans."
"Now?" Keiko asked, "It's so late."
"It's fine. I don't think they'll mind," Seiryu replied.
"In what capacity should I send them?" Keiko asked.
"For the Inuzuka clan, use the Police Force's name. For the Aburame clan, use my personal name," Seiryu said.
"Understood," Keiko nodded.
...
That night, the two clans who received Seiryu's invitation cards were anything but calm.
The Inuzuka clan immediately convened a clan meeting upon receiving the invitation.
Unlike the Uchiha clan's meetings, which devolved into shouting matches and sometimes even brawls, the Inuzuka clan's meetings were efficient.
In a not-so-large room inside the family shrine, the current head Inuzuka Ago, along with two Jonin and the clan elder, sat around a table. At the center of the table was the invitation card Keiko had just delivered.
Inuzuka Ago glanced at everyone present and said, "Let's hear it. What do you think about this invitation?"
"The Uchiha clan showing us goodwill? That's rare," said the 75-year-old elder, Inuzuka Hone.
"This new Uchiha head seems very different from the previous ones," Ago said. "Kaze, you've done missions with him before. What's your impression?"
The youngest, Inuzuka Kaze, stroked his chin and thought for a while before answering, "This new Uchiha head… I can't read him at all."
Everyone frowned at his words.
"But, cooperating with him shouldn't be a loss for us," Kaze said, then briefly recounted what had happened at Orochimaru's base.
"So he's quite the character, this new Uchiha head," Hone commented.
"So, should we fully ally with the Uchiha?" asked the third Jonin, Inuzuka Retsu.
"Not quite," Ago said, picking up the invitation. "He sent this in the name of the Police Force, giving us a choice. Retsu, pick the twenty best new adult ninja dogs as a gift to the Police Force."
"That's not enough," Hone suddenly interjected. "Besides that, select a few dog trainers and talented ninja dog handlers to join the Police Force. If possible, negotiate for a few official slots for our people each year."
Ago was surprised. "Elder, if we do that, people will see us as fully siding with the Uchiha."
"So be it," Hone replied. "Since the new head is showing such sincerity, we should reciprocate."
"Isn't that too hasty?" Ago hesitated. He was confused by the elder's uncharacteristically bold suggestion.
"Ago, do you know why I've always urged you to be cautious?" Hone looked at Ago. "Because though our clan has a long history, we're still just a small family with a dog-taming secret technique. We're not like the bloodline clans with innate strength. Only caution allows us to build a foundation so that when the opportunity comes, we can afford to take a gamble."
"381 years ago, when the Senju invited us, our ancestors joined them, and that's why we have what we have today. Now, a new opportunity is before us," Hone said.
"You trust this new Uchiha head that much?" Retsu asked.
"Call it an old man's intuition from living since the Warring States era," Hone laughed, then turned to Kaze, "What about you?"
"Following Seiryu? Not a bad thing. We've been on the margins of the village long enough. If the Ino-Shika-Cho can have their status, why can't we strive for more?" Kaze grinned.