"Did you hear...?"
"The Uchiha clan head's two sons got chased all over the village by dogs?"
"HAHAHAHAHA, that's hilarious!"
"The genius clan of Konoha actually produced these two kids!""They've completely tarnished the Uchiha clan's honor."
"Exactly! And they're the clan leader's sons too. Compared to Itachi Uchiha, those two are far inferior."
Recently, rumors had been circulating throughout Konoha about Fugaku Uchiha's twin sons being chased around the village by dogs daily.
They'd become the village laughingstock.
Tap tap tap... tap tap tap...
At this moment, two small figures flashed through Konoha's streets at speeds barely visible to the naked eye.
They darted across rooftops one moment, then leaped between walls and utility poles the next.
Despite their disheveled appearance, they still moved with the Uchiha clan's characteristic grace under pressure.
If not for the massive ninja dogs chasing them, villagers might not have recognized them as the Uchiha clan's shameful pair.
Only Might Guy, who happened to be training normally, witnessed this scene with tears and snot streaming down his face as he bit his upper lip.
"This is the essence of youth!"
"Young men! Who would have thought members of the Uchiha clan could be so passionate!"
"Oh ho! Today I must run 100 laps around the village!!"
His bizarre outburst immediately made everyone nearby uncomfortable, causing them to distance themselves from this strange-looking man.
They feared his influence might ruin their children's futures.
Meanwhile, the two being chased raced past the villagers and the green-haired oddball, continuing their desperate sprint.
Sasuke pumped his arms furiously, his legs moving so fast they nearly left afterimages.
Woof woof—
Whoosh!
From a rooftop to Sasuke's side, two large ninja dogs suddenly pounced, attacking from both flanks.
Sasuke planted one foot to brake sharply, twisted his torso mid-air, and delivered simultaneous kicks to both dogs' faces, sending them flying.
The entire evasion and counterattack seemed almost instinctive.
At the same time, he shouted angrily at Kaito not far away:
"Kaito Uchiha!!"
"I hate you!!"
Gasping for breath, Kaito pushed off the ground with one hand, springing up like a coil to dodge four attacking dogs. While twisting mid-air, he flung four stones with perfect accuracy—each accompanied by a sharp whistling sound—directly hitting the dogs' mouths.
"Stop yelling!"
"Just tell me—has your taijutsu improved these past few days or not?"
There was no denying the incredible gains they'd made in taijutsu under such life-threatening conditions, especially with his additional 200% training bonus.
Now he could run 20 laps around the entire village with only slight breathlessness.
Even Sasuke had shown rapid taijutsu improvement under this intense pressure.
Kaito roughly calculated that these three days of life-or-death training had yielded results equivalent to half a year of Sasuke's normal training.
Throughout their ordeal, they'd not only faced packs of pursuing dogs but also had to dodge each attack while completely exhausted.
From being covered in wounds on the first day to handling the situation with ease now, their progress was remarkable.
Of course...
If not forced by circumstances, he wouldn't have chosen this method to improve their taijutsu!
He'd much rather have used that 200% training bonus for ninjutsu and chakra cultivation.
But the moment he equipped the [Sky-Rending Demon Hound's Enemy] title, every dog in the village seemed to be under a taunt effect, charging at them with bloodshot eyes...
It was downright infuriating.
Sasuke fell silent at Kaito's words. He wanted to vent all his frustrations, but the rapid taijutsu improvement truly surpassed anything he could achieve through solitary training.
Yet...This wasn't the way he wanted to get stronger at all!
"You... I..."
"When will this end?! If we keep running, we'll reach home soon!!"
Having such a brother who insisted on this dog-hunting training really made him feel like he was about to break down.
"Soon!"
"Just hang in there a little longer!"
As Kaito spoke, his movements didn't stop. He dashed into the pack of ninja dogs, grabbed one by the scruff of its neck, and flipped it over his shoulder with a judo throw.
He then tilted his head back to dodge attacks from several other ninja dogs before knocking them away with a flying knee.
Awooo... awooo...
In just a few moves, the ninja dogs around Kaito yelped and fled the scene.
The dogs behind him, seeing how terrifyingly strong this guy was, all stopped in their tracks, baring their teeth aggressively but clearly already thinking of retreat.
[Ding—]
[Congratulations, Host, for unlocking a new achievement!]
[Sky-Rending Demon Hound Public Enemy → Sky-Rending Demon Hound Terror]
[Sky-Rending Demon Hound Terror: You have beaten up every Sky-Rending Demon Hound near the village, and now you have become the most lingering nightmare in their hearts.]
[Equipping this title allows you to swap positions with any Sky-Rending Demon Hound within a 500-meter range by shouting, "What the hell are you barking at?"]
Kaito stared at the effects of his new achievement title, rubbing his temples hard and taking several deep breaths to suppress the urge to curse.
Alright, alright...
Not only was this damn system abstract, but now even the achievement titles were this ridiculous?
Looking at the "swap positions with a dog" effect, Kaito couldn't help but think of the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God.
Which raised the question...
What should he even name this ability?
Dog Thunder God? Or Flying Thunder Dog???
And before a fight, he'd have to shout at his enemy...
"What the hell are you barking at??"
Wouldn't doing that just stack the enemy with rage buffs, no-retreat buffs, and pain immunity buffs??
For a brief moment, Kaito felt like this title was worse than the cultivation boost it had before evolving.
Whatever...
It was better than nothing. Even if the 500-meter range required the presence of a Sky-Rending... dog, at least it was a life-saving ability.
After the title evolved, all the ninja dogs stopped chasing and fled the scene.
Kaito and Sasuke tidied up their disheveled appearances outside their home before quietly pushing open the door and carefully sneaking toward their rooms.
After spending so much time around dogs, they reeked of dog smell these days, so they had to make sure to get rid of the stench before coming home.
The two tiptoed inside, their movements overly cautious, but before they could reach their rooms, they spotted Fugaku Uchiha sitting in the living room.
The stern father sat cross-legged in front of the tea table, arms crossed over his chest, his face so rigid it could scare someone to death. The wrinkles on his forehead seemed to ooze killing intent.
It was obvious their father had been waiting for them for a while, and his severe expression made it clear they were about to get an earful.
Sasuke was utterly terrified. The moment he saw Fugaku, he shrank like a little quail, burying his head in his chest and nervously wringing his hands.
He looked extremely uneasy.
"F-Father..."
Fugaku nodded without saying a word. He glanced at the two children before him, frowned, and took a sip of hot tea from the table.
Though he did nothing, the air in the entire room grew heavy with tension.Kaito stood to the side, tilting his head slightly with an air of seasoned composure, facing Fugaku without a trace of nervousness.
Fugaku set down his teacup, took a deep breath, and looked up. "A few days ago, didn't I tell you two…"
"Not to provoke those ninja dogs anymore?"
At these words, Sasuke's face instantly paled. Under his father's gaze, he didn't dare lift his head, his body unconsciously leaning toward Kaito.
BANG—
Sasuke's reaction disappointed Fugaku to the extreme. He slammed the coffee table with a deafening sound, his voice sharp as he roared at the two of them.
"Speak!"
"Tell me why you did this!"
...