"Hello, I'm Uchiha Sasuke."
After a moment of silence, Sasuke spoke first and politely greeted the masked man.
After experiencing Maruboshi Kosuke's guidance and witnessing Lee's strength, Sasuke had begun to realize that judging by appearances was foolish. His arrogance had been tempered considerably.
In the past, he pretended to be polite no matter who he faced.
Now, he first confirmed the other's identity and made sure he had the upper hand before putting on a show.
That alone was already a notable improvement for Sasuke.
The masked man paused a few seconds before replying calmly, "People from Root don't need names. Just call me Shun-senpai."
Sasuke nodded slightly, but didn't obey.
Want him to call you senpai?
Sure. Prove your strength first. If you can convince me, I'll call you that.
The masked man clearly understood the Uchiha temperament and wasn't bothered by Sasuke's cold attitude. He got straight to the point.
"Yami-sama assigned me to be your instructor for a reason."
He spoke calmly. "I specialize in Fire Release, Body Flicker Technique, taijutsu, battlefield control… and countering the Uchiha Sharingan."
Sasuke looked up sharply, a hint of hostility flashing in his eyes.
"No need to look at me like that."
The masked man took a few steps back. "I have a deep grudge with Uchiha Itachi. To kill him, I've studied Sharingan thoroughly. Know yourself and your enemy, right?"
"Yami-sama's goal for you is to master full use of your two-tomoe Sharingan within a month. If possible, awaken the third tomoe."
"There's no time to waste. Let's begin."
Sasuke didn't move. He stared at the masked man. "You know Uchiha Itachi?"
"I know him. We were friends. But later, I realized I was wrong about him."
The masked man—no, Uchiha Shisui—revealed a flash of pain in his eyes, though Sasuke didn't notice.
Shisui continued softly, "I know you want revenge against Itachi, but your strength is far from enough."
"Only by following my and Yami-sama's instructions will you have a real chance."
"Then show me how well you've studied Sharingan!"
Sasuke's eyes turned scarlet as he activated his Sharingan and rushed forward.
Shisui parried his attack with only a kunai, and Sasuke instantly felt immense pressure.
It felt like when he had faced Orochimaru.
There was no way to win. Every movement was predicted. The Sharingan's foresight was useless, or rather, it was used against him.
The opponent truly understood the Sharingan, just as he claimed.
Many of Sasuke's predicted attacks had been turned into traps. Any attempt to improvise just made things worse.
Close combat was impossible.
Sasuke used recoil to retreat and quickly formed hand seals midair.
Shisui's expression briefly softened with nostalgia. It reminded him of sparring with Itachi, who also often used this move.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Shisui's fireball launched first. It was bigger, rounder, and completely overpowered Sasuke's within two seconds.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Sasuke was still shocked.
How could someone under Yami be this much stronger than him?
It was bad enough with Yuichi… now there was another even stronger one?
Chirp!
The sound of Chidori pierced through the training ground. Sasuke grabbed his right wrist with his left, launching forward. The fireball was only a distraction—this was the real kill move!
Thanks to the lightning chakra activation, Sasuke's speed surged several times over. Not even afterimages remained. It was nearly on par with Lee after opening a Gate.
But Shisui also disappeared. The moment Sasuke reached full speed, Shisui reappeared right beside him.
Sasuke stared in horror as Shisui's hand clamped onto his wrist. A slight squeeze disrupted his chakra flow, instantly halting Chidori.
Shisui nodded, showing approval. "The speed isn't bad. But your control is lacking. Your dash direction was off, and you lost too much chakra in transit."
Sasuke was fully convinced.
He hadn't even seen Shisui's movement path. The man had just appeared beside him and grabbed him precisely at top speed.
No wonder his codename was "Shun." He really lived up to it.
Sasuke calmed down and began earnestly listening to Shisui's guidance.
---
Meanwhile, at the hot springs district.
"Ah… this feels great."
Jiraiya stretched his arms and relaxed against the pool edge, soaking in the warm water.
Through the rising mist, he could see a boy with spiky blond hair practicing water-walking not far away. That bright color made Jiraiya feel nostalgic but also warmed his heart.
Minato, your son has grown up.
"I heard from the old man that you fought Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya turned and looked at Yami, who was resting with a towel over his head.
"It was just a brief exchange."
The boy didn't open his eyes. "He didn't use his trump cards, and I didn't go all out. So there's no real value in analyzing it."
"If we joined forces, could we take him down for good?" Jiraiya stroked his chin, considering how to land a heavy blow on his former teammate.
"Keep dreaming. You'll never know if the Orochimaru you're facing is even his real body."
Yami rejected him outright.
Unless it was a Six Paths-level technique like Infinite Tsukuyomi, Orochimaru's survivability was absurd.
"Yeah…"
Jiraiya sighed. He knew that truth well.
After leaving Konoha, Orochimaru's research had grown more taboo. His methods were strange and hardly even resembled ninjutsu anymore.
Otherwise, Jiraiya wouldn't have chased him for over a decade without even catching a glimpse of his tail.
Seeing Naruto fall into the water again, Jiraiya smiled knowingly.
"This kid's nothing like Minato… but a lot like Kushina."
Minato had been the textbook perfect shinobi. Jiraiya loved bragging about him in front of Orochimaru and Tsunade.
Naruto, by comparison, was a total goofball.
"My students are all geniuses. Yami, why don't you teach him yourself?"
"Your techniques are more than enough for him to spend a lifetime on."
Yami removed his towel and wiped his face. "You think I don't want to? But you're the one underestimating Naruto. How can you claim to be Minato's teacher?"
"But…" Jiraiya hesitated. He had returned to Konoha to pursue Orochimaru. Even if he did take Naruto as a student, it wouldn't be until after the Chūnin Exams.
Yami wasn't surprised.
Originally, Jiraiya hadn't planned to teach Naruto at this point either. It was only after the Sexy Jutsu broke through his defenses that he agreed.
Yami had already prepared a proper reward.
"Ten-year VIP card for Golden Foot Impression Massage Chain."
"Leave Naruto to me. Don't worry!"
Jiraiya's attitude changed instantly. Orochimaru who? Foot massage was king.
He cheerfully pocketed the card, face glowing.
"Yami, you've got some real goodies. I spent a million ryō there last year and ran out in six months. If I'd had this card…"
Yami smiled. "Golden Foot Impression is mine. Just some pocket money."
"HUH?!"
Jiraiya's jaw dropped.
Golden Foot Impression had dozens of stores across the Land of Fire. It was the ultimate stress relief spot for men. And it was Yami's business?
Jiraiya now looked at Yami differently—with deep admiration.
Not for his money-making skills, but for how deeply he understood men.
"..."
"Yami-nii!"
"Eh? Who's this white-haired old guy?"
Naruto walked over and broke the silence, ruining Jiraiya's plan to learn from Yami.
"This is the part-time teacher I found for you," Yami said. "You'll train with him for the next month."
The boy stood and stretched. His bathrobe flew from the shelf and landed on him.
"The rest is on you, Jiraiya. If Naruto can't learn Rasengan and the Mount Myōboku Summoning Technique in one month, I'll revoke your VIP card and blacklist you from all branches."
"Naruto, hit him with a full set of Sexy Jutsu. Consider it your tuition."
"What?! Yami, don't do this!"
Jiraiya panicked when he heard the threat. But the boy didn't give him a chance to protest. He activated Flying Thunder God and disappeared.
Naruto followed instructions and unleashed his jutsu without hesitation.
Dozens of beautiful women surrounded Jiraiya. In that moment, he forgot all about foot massage.
What a great apprentice!
---
With his students settled, Yami began his own training.
At this stage, he no longer pursued individual jutsu, but the essence of chakra itself—especially the integration of multiple attributes.
Yami possessed seven chakra natures and had a level of mastery far beyond ordinary shinobi. Yet, fusing more than three attributes remained extremely difficult.
Three-attribute fusion formed a Kekkei Tōta. Beyond that, the mutual contradiction and reinforcement among chakra types made stable fusion nearly impossible.
The next level was the Yin-Yang-based "Kekkei Mōra," which integrated all five elements.
In the shinobi world, only the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had ever mastered this.
Abilities like Rinnegan, Amenominaka, and Yomotsu Hirasaka—these terrifying techniques were all Kekkei Mōra-level.
Yami was now mainly studying Yin and Yang chakra.
Yin, the source of spiritual energy, governed illusions and creation from nothing. Yang, the source of physical energy, gave life to form.
Unlike the Five Elements, which had generations of clear research and development, there was far too little information on Yin-Yang chakra in the shinobi world.
It was only vaguely understood that bodily powers fell under Yang, while spiritual abilities were Yin.
The Uchiha clan's scrolls on Yin chakra had fallen into Yami's hands. But the Senju clan's Yang chakra techniques remained in Hiruzen's possession.
He didn't know where it was hidden.
Without that knowledge, he couldn't learn True Several Thousand Hands. He had to rely on his own efforts.
The most effective method now was to improve Sage Mode proficiency and use its heightened perception to explore the body's mysteries.
---
Outside Konoha, in a quiet canyon.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
With a cold shout, Yami summoned a massive water dragon over dozens of meters long. It surged toward Senju Tobirama.
Tobirama used Flying Thunder God to dodge, but the dragon's tail swung around, as if predicting his movement, and slammed into him.
Tobirama quickly formed hand seals and spat out several fire dragons to counter the water. The resulting steam covered the entire area.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
Yami's voice echoed from within the fog.
The rocks on the ground twisted like pythons. Tobirama tried multiple Body Flicker escapes but eventually had to land.
The entire ground felt alive. Everywhere was a trap.
In the end, two stone pythons latched onto Tobirama's legs, immobilizing him.
Of course, he could've cut off his legs and regenerated using the Edo Tensei body, but since this wasn't a life-and-death duel, he stopped resisting.
Yami, now cloaked in green, dragon-shaped chakra energy, walked over, deep in thought.
"The condensation speed is faster now, but the amount of senjutsu chakra is still pitiful."
"So… the problem isn't with me. It's the Ryūchi Cave Sage training method itself."
(To be continued.)
***
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