Uchiha Yashiro's meaning was clear: he hoped to see him awaken the Sharingan as soon as possible and truly enter the core of the Uchiha Clan. Within the clan, whether the Sharingan was awakened and the number of tomoe it possessed were directly tied to status, benefits, and power.
"That day will come, Yashiro-san."
Uchiha Gen nodded toward Yashiro.
In truth, he didn't know when he would awaken the Sharingan either. The talent of this body wasn't top-tier, but it certainly wasn't bad. His ability to enter the elite class at the Ninja Academy wasn't solely dependent on the system's card draws; he definitely possessed the aptitude to awaken those eyes.
However, Uchiha Gen felt that his emotions were often far too stable, which would undoubtedly pose an obstacle to awakening the Sharingan. Nevertheless, he believed that in the future, he would surely be able to draw Uchiha character cards that possessed the Sharingan.
After all, as everyone knew, the story of the shinobi world was practically a "Legend of the Eyes." The various members of the Uchiha Clan occupied a massive portion of the narrative, and the different forms derived from each character at various stages were numerous. Whether they were high-popularity icons or just filler, his past-life colleagues in game planning had stuffed them all into the system indiscriminately. As long as his leveling speed didn't slow down, he would eventually draw the relevant character cards.
"Well, in that case, I'll take my leave. The commotion you guys caused just now wasn't small; I still need to head back and report to the Police Force."
Uchiha Yashiro patted Uchiha Gen on the shoulder, gave a brief word to Orochimaru, and then vanished with his squad using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Let's go as well. You can clean yourselves up first, then we'll find someone to treat your injuries. Tonight, I'll take you out to celebrate the formation of the squad. From tomorrow on, you won't have a life as easy as the one you had at the Academy."
Orochimaru turned around, surveyed the messy forest, and reached out to release the summon, sending the snakes back to Ryūchi Cave.
Although the injuries were just superficial, Orochimaru had training plans to follow and didn't want to waste time. While he could treat these wounds himself, if he wanted them healed quickly, Orochimaru had another option. Most importantly, he wanted that person to perform a detailed check on these three students' physical data and development to formulate a more scientific and reasonable training plan.
Half an hour later.
The three Genin of the Orochimaru Squad, after returning home to wash up and change, reconvened with Orochimaru and arrived at what was truly the central location of Konoha Village.
"Those things on the ground... are they Sealing Formulas?"
Uzuki Ruri looked at the long red incantations drawn along the side of the road and asked curiously.
"Those are barrier seals set up by Lady Mito. Even though your abilities aren't enough to cause any damage to these seals, you must maintain a distance of at least one meter."
Orochimaru nodded slightly toward an Anbu ninja who had popped his head up on a distant rooftop, then led the three of them further inside.
The further forward they went, the more lush the surrounding vegetation became. From time to time, they could see emblems on the mottled walls the clan crest of the Uchiha's old rivals, the Senju Clan. At the end of the road stood a grand and ancient mansion, its design carrying the heavy atmosphere of the Warring States period.
Two people were standing in front of the gate: a man and a woman.
The woman was beautiful with long pale-blonde hair and amber eyes, radiating a youthful sense of vitality and vigor. The man had white, spiky hair and a tall build, but he exuded a somewhat lecherous aura.
"Ahaha, Orochimaru, you're finally here. Tsunade and I have been waiting for you for quite a while."
Jiraiya stood with his hands on his hips, speaking to Orochimaru.
"Why are you here?"
"Cough, cough, this great me just happened to be strolling by."
Jiraiya put his hands behind his head and hurriedly shifted his gaze to Uchiha Gen and the other two, changing the subject:
"So, these are the new disciples you took in, right? Hmm, not bad, they look very energetic. This great me is also considering finding a few apprentices to lead in the next couple of years."
"Heh, then your future disciples will be truly pitiful. If they don't have some self-learning ability, I'm afraid it will be hard for them to grow at all."
Orochimaru rolled his eyes at Jiraiya.
"Alright, you three must be Orochimaru's new students. Everyone, come inside first."
Tsunade looked over Gen and the others, her eyes showing a hint of complexity.
Now that Nawaki has left this world, Orochimaru has taken on disciples again...
Inside the old mansion, an old woman with graying hair through which a few strands of Uzumaki red could still be seen was leaning back in a lounge chair, basking in the sun.
"Oh, little Jiraiya and little Orochimaru are here again. And these little sprouts hmm, they look quite spirited."
The old woman had a smile on her face as she watched the group enter. Her kind eyes continuously scanned them, and when she saw the Uchiha crest on Gen's clothes, she was slightly surprised, but the smile in her eyes deepened. She loved seeing children from different clans acting like one family, because this was the value her late husband had fought for his entire life.
"Lady Mito."
"Lady Mito, it's been a long time."
Jiraiya and Orochimaru stepped forward to greet her and led Uchiha Gen and the others to pay their respects.
Uzumaki Mito or rather, she should be called Senju Mito actually held the highest status in Konoha. As a founding member of the village and the widow of the First Hokage, her status surpassed even that of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. To many old retainers of the Senju faction, this elderly lady's words carried more weight than those of the Hokage.
"Yes, go on and do what you need to do. This old lady will just watch. Come visit me more often when you're free; I'm just an old woman with not much time left."
"Oh, Grandma, don't say such unlucky things. With your health, you'll surely live to be a hundred!"
Tsunade hugged Mito's arm, acting spoiled.
"Alright, you know Grandma's situation. You kids should come here more often lately. These little ones are close in age to Kushina, so they can interact more."
Mito patted the back of Tsunade's hand and shook her head gently.
"When they leave, remember to give each of them a Sealing Technique Collection, just like when your two teammates first arrived. Consider it a gift from me and Hashirama to these juniors."
"I understand, Grandma. You three, follow me in first. I'll treat you and give you a physical check-up."
Tsunade nodded gently and then motioned for Uchiha Gen and the others to follow. Following Tsunade's lead, the group soon arrived at a clean room with several examination beds.