Yao knew he was destined to have insomnia tonight. There was no helping it; he was simply too excited to sleep. Since he couldn't sleep, he decided not to try.
Yao got up and put on his casual clothes, glanced at his still-sleeping younger brother (Otouto), and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Swish!
Yao vanished into thin air, leaving not a trace behind.
At the same time, in the forest behind Konoha Village.
Like a phantom, Yao quietly appeared beneath a tree. On the trunk was an inconspicuous Taiji diagram. This was one of the Flying Thunder God formulas Yao had marked in advance.
In fact, ever since mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique a year ago, Yao had left formulas in many corners. He did this for two reasons: convenience and safety.
Yao had never forgotten his situation—as a survivor of the "Evil Uchiha Clan." On the surface, he and Sasuke seemed safe, but a sword was always hanging over their heads.
Setting aside whatever the Third Hokage might be thinking, just the presence of Danzo—that old schemer with a pathological obsession with the Sharingan—was enough for Yao to remain vigilant at all times. These scattered Flying Thunder God formulas were Yao's escape routes.
Once he sensed any danger, he would immediately teleport thousands of miles away to a safe place.
"With the massive chakra provided by the Sage Body, continuous use of Flying Thunder God and long-distance teleportation should no longer be a problem!"
Yao turned around and looked into the dense forest shrouded in night, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"Now then... let's see exactly how much chakra this new body has brought!"
The first test: Distance!
Yao sensed an extremely hidden marker on a distant cliff.
Swish!
Yao vanished abruptly. In almost the same instant, he appeared out of thin air on a cliff ten kilometers away.
"Success!"
Yao felt invigorated. For such a distance, he previously would have needed at least three consecutive teleports to cross it. Now, it was a success in one go!
The second test: Continuous Flying Thunder God!
Yao began performing irregular, continuous teleports through the forest.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Yao flickered constantly between treetops, the ground, and behind rocks. One moment he would appear in the east, the next he'd be in the west; one moment leaping high, the next racing along the ground.
"The consumption from this continuous teleporting is completely acceptable!"
"Before, I would feel strained after three consecutive uses at most. Now..."
Yao calculated silently. He teleported dozens of times through the woods before he felt his chakra drop slightly. However, the recovery speed was incredibly fast; it was replenished within a few breaths. The recovery speed being far greater than the consumption speed was simply ridiculous!
The third test: Flying Thunder God Slash!
Yao found an open space where several wooden posts he usually used for kunai practice were located.
Swish!
Yao fiercely threw a kunai toward one of the posts. The moment the kunai touched the post, Yao appeared right behind it, thrusting a shuriken directly into the target.
Swish!
Yao vanished and reappeared behind another post, delivering a horizontal slash with the shuriken in his hand.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Yao appeared and disappeared repeatedly. His attacks had no trajectory and were completely unpredictable. The Flying Thunder God Slash allowed him to break free from the constraints of conventional Taijutsu momentum. He could launch a fatal strike from any angle.
"This is true assassination. This must be how the Fourth Hokage struck terror into his enemies' hearts back then, right?"
"The sun is about to rise! Let's try out some Fire Style Ninjutsu!"
Unknowingly, the horizon began to turn pale.
Yao stopped his movements, breathing slightly, but his eyes were incredibly bright. After half a night of high-intensity testing, his understanding of the Sage Body had reached a new level.
The chakra really is massive! The recovery really is fast! The vitality really is strong! And the energy is truly boundless!
"The current me has combat power at least comparable to a peak Kage-level ninja!"
Yao clenched his fist. "From now on, I don't have to live with my tail between my legs anymore!"
In the past, he needed to keep a low profile to stay alive and avoid being targeted by an old fox like Danzo.
But now? What even is "low profile"?
I'm already this powerful, why on earth should I stay low-key?
If Danzo still has any schemes in mind, let him come!
...
The Hokage Building.
The office was shrouded in a haze of smoke.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, puffing on his pipe while frowning at the data sheets before him. At this moment, the old Hokage, who had governed Konoha the longest, was suffering from a headache over the graduation class assignments.
Every year at this time, he, as the Hokage, had to make the final call on dividing the graduates into squads and assigning them to the appropriate Jōnin instructors. This was directly related to the cultivation of Konoha's new generation and could not be handled carelessly.
Most students were easy to deal with—for example, the traditional "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio followed long-standing precedents. The real trouble lay with a few specific children this year:
Naruto Uzumaki. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. His status was unique and crucial; he was the village's most important weapon that needed stability above all else.
Sasuke Uchiha. One of the last survivors of the Uchiha clan. He possessed extraordinary talent, but his heart was filled with hatred, and his personality was extreme.
Yao Uchiha. Sasuke's twin brother and another Uchiha survivor. Unlike his cold brother, Yao appeared cheerful and sociable. His Taijutsu and theoretical scores were both outstanding. He was highly popular among his peers and was the top honors student of this year's class.
"This child, Yao..."
Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe and slowly exhaled, his gaze deep. Yao's excellence was flawless, and his social interactions were beyond reproach. However, Hiruzen always felt that Yao acted far too mature—mature in a way that didn't fit his age at all!
"Is he another child like Itachi, possessing the mindset of a Hokage? If so, that would be fine."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples. Itachi Uchiha wasn't the scary one; the scary prospect was another Madara Uchiha.
"Naruto needs proper guidance and monitoring; Sasuke also requires control and direction; but as for this Yao..."
The Third Hokage lightly tapped his finger on Yao's file photo, which showed a black-haired boy with a sunny, gentle smile. He seemed to need nothing at all, which paradoxically made one even more uneasy.
So, how should these three important students be assigned? Should they be separated and placed into relatively mediocre squads? Or should they be gathered together and entrusted to a Jōnin of sufficient weight?
If they were gathered together, which Jōnin would have the ability, patience, and reliability to simultaneously handle the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Uchiha survivors?
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound of a cane striking the floor broke the silence of the office. The door was pushed open, and Danzo Shimura walked in. Half of his body was wrapped in bandages, revealing only a sharp left eye. He exuded a cold aura, like a venomous snake.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo's voice was raspy and direct, devoid of any pleasantries. "The Uchiha Yao from this class—hand him over to me for training!"
It wasn't a request. It sounded more like an announcement.
The Third Hokage's hand holding the pipe paused. Without even lifting his eyelids, he slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "No."
Danzo's brow immediately furrowed, and he struck his cane heavily against the floor. "Why? He is merely an evil Uchiha brat!"
"Yao is the most outstanding student of this class, a rare genius!" The Third finally looked up, his gaze meeting his old friend's through the smoke. "He has a bright future. He should not enter the Foundation (Root) to be trained by you into an emotionless tool!"
"A tool?" Danzo sneered, a flash of mockery in his lone eye. "Have you already forgotten the mysterious Uchiha who controlled the Nine-Tails on the night of the Nine-Tails' Rampage?"
The Third Hokage remained silent.
"The Uchiha clan is inherently evil. Their Bloodline Limit, the Sharingan, is the root of instability!" Danzo said coldly. "If we allow such a brat to grow unchecked, who can guarantee he won't become the next Madara?"
He took a step forward, his voice lowered but carrying even more pressure. "Hand him to me. Only by being guided by my Root can we ensure his absolute loyalty to Konoha!"
"Don't forget Itachi!" The Third Hokage's voice suddenly rose, emphasizing his tone. "We promised him that we would take good care of his two younger brothers! This is our promise for his sacrifice! It is also the final account we owe to the Uchiha clan!"
At the mention of Itachi, the air in the office seemed to freeze for a moment.
Itachi Uchiha! The man who severed everything with his own hands and carried all the darkness, just to trade for the village's peace.
"A promise?" Danzo dismissed it, a hint of ridicule flashing in his eye. "For the safety of the village, personal promises are insignificant!"
Having said this, Danzo's tone shifted, becoming low and grim. "Hiruzen, you probably don't know yet, do you?"
The Third Hokage's brow furrowed slightly. "Danzo, what are you trying to say?"
Danzo leaned in slightly and dropped a bombshell. "Based on the long-term observation and analysis by my subordinates in Root, this brat called Yao Uchiha... most likely possesses some form of Space-Time Ninjutsu!"
Upon hearing this, the expression on the Third's face instantly froze. Yao Uchiha... mastered Space-Time Ninjutsu? What kind of joke was this!
"And judging by the fact that he disappears and appears without any warning," Danzo continued, "it is highly probable that what he has mastered is the Flying Thunder God Technique created by the Second Lord!"
"That's impossible!" The Third Hokage looked up sharply, his tone categorical. "The Flying Thunder God is an S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu. Its learning difficulty is extremely high, and the requirements for talent are exceptionally harsh! Since Minato's sacrifice, no one in the village has been able to master it! How could a student from the Ninja Academy master it?"
"Heh!"
Danzo let out a raspy cold laugh, filled with undisguised mockery. "Impossible? Hiruzen, have you sat in that seat for so long that you've been blinded by peace?"
Danzo struck his cane heavily on the ground and said coldly, "Over these years, my Root has never, for a single day, given up on monitoring the Uchiha survivors! Initially, everything was normal; Yao was just an Uchiha brat with slightly better talent. BUT!"
"Starting from one year ago, this brat would occasionally disappear mysteriously from Root's surveillance! How did he leave? What means did he use? Where did he go? None of it could be determined! Even the sensory ninjas of my Root were completely unable to track him!"
The Root... a place filled with ninjas possessing all sorts of bizarre and unique abilities. To monitor an Uchiha brat 365 days a year should not have been a difficult task.
"There was such a thing?" The Third Hokage was stunned.