Chapter 31: 30: Hatake Sakumo
Within the Uchiha clan, there was a training ground surrounded by trees and rivers. The elderly Uchiha Sora, with his white hair, stood outside the arena, leaning on a cane, and watched the intense battle unfolding within.
Ten-year-old Uchiha Ruri, her black hair fluttering, swiftly threw her shuriken at the opposing Uchiha Jōnin, Uchiha Rindo, with lightning speed.
Uchiha Rindo, who was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, bore a scar on his face, which added a touch of fierceness to his appearance. Activating his three-tomoe Sharingan, he quickly spotted the incoming shuriken and skillfully deflected it with a wave of his hand.
However, the shuriken possessed tremendous power. Upon being deflected, the force acted upon Rindo's body, momentarily freezing him.
"What power!" Rindo's eyes filled with gravity.
Rindo sensed that there was a hidden technique imbued within Ruri's shuriken. If blocked by a weapon, this dark energy would bypass the weapon and affect the enemy's body, causing temporary rigidity.
The duration of this stiffness depended on the physical prowess of the individual.
If this had happened to a Jōnin, they would have been immobilized for several seconds. By the time the next round of shuriken came flying, they would surely be left riddled with holes.
Even Rindo, a strong Jōnin, experienced stiffness, although it was negligible. Taking advantage of this brief opening, Ruri swiftly performed hand seals:
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu!"
A colossal dragon-shaped entity, measuring four to five meters in length, materialized. Composed of scorching flames, it possessed a terrifying impact and could reduce enemies to ashes.
Boom!
The ground erupted as the dragon exploded, leaving behind a massive crater.
Rindo with his Shangren managed to evade the attack, but his hair was singed, and his appearance was slightly disheveled. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun, and he swiftly retaliated by waving a Kunai.
Ding!
Despite Ruri's smaller stature compared to Rindo, he intercepted the Kunai attack and blocked it.
In that moment, their Sharingan locked onto each other, releasing their ocular powers simultaneously.
Upon releasing their ocular powers, Rindo experienced a sharp pain and momentary fatigue in his eyes, prompting him to quickly retreat.
Gasping for breath, he gazed at Ruri, his opponent. Ruri's Sharingan level was still at the two-tomoe stage. Although Ruri also panted, their breaths were significantly less labored than Rindo's.
What baffled him the most was that Ruri, being only ten years old and possessing two-tomoe Sharingan , fearlessly challenged his three-tomoe Sharingan head-on.
It was truly inconceivable that his illusions failed to gain control over the young girl.
The combined elements of speed, neural responses, dynamic vision, strength, ninjutsu usage, and ocular powers made it extremely challenging, even for a Jōnin like himself.
His sole advantage lay in his greater chakra reserves compared to Ruri. If Ruri's chakra were depleted, victory would be his.
With a faint sigh, Rindo couldn't help but feel that winning against a young girl seemed impossible.
But being defeated by her would be even more humiliating.
Therefore, the next step was to continue fighting, gradually draining Ruri's chakra.
Recognizing Rindos' intentions, Ruri reached into her ninja pouch and retrieved Shiraishi's special military ration pill. Just as she was about to consume it, Uchiha Sora, who had been observing the battle, intervened and shouted:
"Alright, stop, Ruri."
Ruri returned the pill to her ninja bag and performed a reconciliation seal towards Rindo. In response, Rindo also made a sign of reconciliation towards Ruri.
"Truly remarkable, Ruri. Even an average Jōnin would struggle against your current strength."
After completing the Seal of Reconciliation, Rindo stepped forward and praised Ruri without hesitation.
The appearance of such a powerful and excellent genius within the clan was truly gratifying.
As expected of a genius from the Uchiha clan.
Ruri nodded. The strength she possessed at the moment was a result of her efforts and talent, but she couldn't ignore Shiraishi's contribution.
If it weren't for the new medicine he developed, which improved physical abilities using natural energy, she wouldn't have grown so quickly.
As this thought crossed her mind, a hint of tenderness appeared in her usually indifferent eyes, and a faint smile graced her lips.
In Rindo's eyes, the smile on Ruri's face stemmed from the genuine praise of a fellow Junin.
At that moment, Elder Sora entered the training ground.
In his sixties, he was already a senior ninja. Even in retirement, he would give his all for the family and cultivate a Uchiha ninja who could rival the Senju family.
"Elder Sora."
Ruri slightly bowed, as this elder had taught her about karma in the past.
Ruri had already paved her own path and no longer required the teachings of the Sora elders, but she still held respect and gratitude for the old man who had worked tirelessly for the family.
"Ruri, while you train diligently, don't forget to relax. Training should be done in a relaxed manner."
In Elder Sora's eyes, Ruri must have dedicated most of her time to training, allowing her to quickly reach a near tie with Rindo.
He hoped that Ruri would find time to relax during her training. He didn't want the genius within Ruri to be prematurely exhausted.
Ruri's importance exceeded that of the other Uchiha successor, Uchiha Fugaku.
If anyone within the Uchiha clan could recreate the glory of the Mangekyou Sharingan, Elder Sora believed it would be Ruri.
"I understand, Elder Sora. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Wait a moment. This scroll contains the B-level Fire Release Jutsu. Take it with you and study it. With your current strength, you can already learn high-level Fire Release Jutsus. It was left behind by that individual."
Elder Sora spoke with meaningful intent.
Ruri was taken aback.
"That individual" referred to Madara Uchiha, the ghost of the Uchiha clan.
The ninja who had departed from his family and village.
Within the Uchiha clan today, very few would directly mention Uchiha Madara's name. Instead, they would use "that individual" as a proxy.
Ruri accepted the Fire Release scroll given by Elder Sora, expressed her gratitude once more, and quickly made her way back home.
"Ruri keeps getting stronger. I used to be able to easily outperform her two years ago. The power of her two-tomoe Sharingan puts pressure on my three-tomoe Sharingan. It's incredible. What did you do? How did you make her so strong?"
After Ruri left, Rindo couldn't help but praise the guidance of the Elder Sora.
Elder Sora shook his head and smiled, saying, "Rindo, don't you understand? The power of the Sharingan varies from person to person. The number of tomoe can serve as a reference but cannot solely determine the strength of the eyes. Besides, Ruri worked hard to achieve what she has. My role was merely to enhance her abilities."
Rindo held back a sigh. Why couldn't he understand this?
Merely thinking that a ten-year-old girl could surpass him completely within a few years was an unpleasant feeling.
After all, he was young and hailed as Uchiha's genius ninja.
"Rindo, you are also an elite Jōnin nurtured by your family. Have confidence in yourself."
"Elder, it's not that I lack confidence in myself. It's just that the younger generation these days is so capable. But I'm really curious about which Jōnin will lead Ruri's team when she graduates, and how the Hokage will arrange things."
Rindo didn't believe that there wouldn't be backup plans for a genius Uchiha like Ruri. He was very interested in the kind of team leader the third Hokageq would assign to Ruri.
If the strength of the team leader was low, it was highly likely that Ruri would rebel and the Jōnin will become a laughingstock among Jōnins.
As for a powerful Jōnin, to Rindo's knowledge, even the Sannin would fall a bit short.
"Hatake Sakumo."
Elder Sora uttered the name.
Rindo trembled, cold sweat forming on his face, as he looked at Elder Sora in disbelief.
That name seemed to possess an immense and terrifying power, even causing the experienced Jōnin Rindo to feel a deep sense of reverence.
"Hey, Elder, are you joking? That man is..."
"Only in this way can the third Hokage and I trust each other."
The third Hokage needed the Uchiha clan to contribute their fighting power in the ongoing war.
And the Uchiha clan needed a strong Jōnin to lead them, not only to convince Ruri but also to nurture her extraordinary talent.
That was the message conveyed by Elder Sora.
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