Konoha — Uchiha Clan Compound, Sasuke's home
Inside the room, only Fugaku and Itachi were present.
"You've been working hard lately," Fugaku said quietly. "Sasuke's taijutsu has improved a great deal."
"It has little to do with me," Itachi replied evenly. "His new teacher is very conscientious. He's an excellent taijutsu instructor."
Fugaku fell silent for a few seconds, then seemed to recall something.
"The teacher named Yagyū Masahiko?"
"Yes," Itachi said. "He isn't particularly strong, but his fundamentals are solid."
Fugaku hesitated before speaking again.
"That child… Uzumaki Naruto—"
"There won't be any problems," Itachi interrupted calmly. "Sasuke shouldn't have been involved in that matter in the first place."
Fugaku studied Itachi's face.
Behind his son's calm expression, he saw exhaustion—and faint confusion.
He sighed inwardly.
After a moment, Fugaku spoke softly."Perhaps you're right. Go pick up Sasuke. He's always hoping you'll come for him after class."
"All right."
Itachi stood and turned to leave.
Just as he opened the door, Fugaku spoke almost instinctively.
"Wait."
Itachi looked back.
Fugaku's lips moved, but no words came. After a few seconds, he finally said,"Don't push yourself too hard. If the ANBU work becomes overwhelming… let it go."
"I'll consider it."
At the Academy gate
As the dismissal bell rang, students flooded out of the school grounds. A few leapt over the walls, earning sharp scoldings from staff.
The gate was crowded with parents and ninja alike.
Sasuke stepped outside and immediately spotted Itachi standing at the edge of the crowd.
His eyes lit up.
"Big brother!"
He waved enthusiastically and ran over.
The corner of Itachi's mouth lifted slightly as he caught Sasuke in his arms.
Then—
He felt a gaze.
Following his instinct, Itachi looked over.
It was the taijutsu instructor.
Itachi inclined his head in a small gesture of acknowledgment, then led Sasuke away.
Not far off, Masahiko withdrew his gaze.
Judging by the silhouette… the one who had been secretly observing his sword practice that day was indeed Uchiha Itachi.
Stubborn. Unmovable.
There was no value in trying to win him over.
But the other one—
An image surfaced in Masahiko's mind.
Uchiha Shisui.
Around the same age. Same Academy year.
A prodigy who had graduated at six or seven.
As a civilian-born ninja with average talent, Masahiko's predecessor had never truly crossed paths with him.
On the surface, friendship was impossible.
And with Danzo in the picture, approaching Shisui openly was out of the question.
"Masahiko-kun?"
"Hm?"
Masahiko snapped back to reality.
Kurenai Yuhi was exiting the academy with Yakumo.
He smiled gently.
"Yakumo, how was your first day?"
"Everyone was really kind," Yakumo said brightly. "And the lessons were great."
Her smile was pure and genuine.
"For the first time, I feel like going to school can actually be this happy."
"Some ordinary things only feel precious after you've lost them," Masahiko said softly."So—for yourself and for your parents—make sure you take good care of yourself."
"Yes. I understand!"
Yakumo nodded firmly.
Kurenai waved goodbye and disappeared down the street.
"They call it an exchange," Masahiko muttered inwardly, "but she mostly wants to teach me genjutsu."
He recorded the day's observations with his pen.
"I may not be skilled in genjutsu, but I've learned quite a few methods for dispelling it. Not a bad trade."
Without the Sharingan, genjutsu had a low ceiling anyway.
Still—
Knowledge was never wasted.
After organizing his notes, Masahiko tucked them into his pouch, took up his Aota blade, and headed toward the outskirts of the village.
He still needed to practice the Dance of the Crescent Moon.
Konoha-style kenjutsu wasn't pure taijutsu or ninjutsu—it couldn't be trained in specialized spaces.
In the forest
Whoosh!
Three figures flickered between the trees, sword images overlapping until real and false were indistinguishable.
Blades slashed.
Leaves fell.
As two figures crossed paths, a third emerged from behind a tree, sword arcing like lightning—
Crack!
A branch snapped and fell.
Masahiko straightened and checked his status panel.
[Konoha-Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon — Proficient]
Done.
Though only Proficient, it meant full mastery of the technique's foundation.
All that remained was refinement through real combat.
Additionally—
The combination of Water Clones and the Dance of the Crescent Moon was viable, though slower than standard Clone Jutsu.
It would need further optimization.
And—
[Clone Jutsu — Perfect]
After mastering Perfect-grade Water Clone, his ordinary Clone Jutsu had also evolved to Perfect during training.
Masahiko exhaled, confidence settling in.
"This should be enough."
The following day
After finishing his taijutsu class, Masahiko returned to the outskirts where he often encountered "Thorn" and continued his sword practice.
Before leaving the woods near noon, he quietly left behind a note.
At home
A slip of paper was pinned to his desk.
The Lord has approved your application for Special Jonin. Burn after reading.
Masahiko finally relaxed.
Special Jonin differed from full Jonin—one only needed exceptional ability in a specific field.
Kurenai Yuhi and Anko Mitarashi were both examples.
Gekkō Hayate was another—his abilities in reconnaissance and assassination were outstanding, despite physical limitations.
Comparatively, Masahiko believed the gap between himself and Special Jonin wasn't large.
More importantly—
Danzo was cautious and controlling.
Applying without his approval would've been impossible.
Inside the Hokage's office
Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the application and looked at Masahiko kindly.
"You're certain you want to take this year's assessment?"
"Yes," Masahiko replied sincerely."Thanks to your guidance, my taijutsu, kenjutsu, and clone techniques have all improved. I want to try."
Hiruzen smiled."The village welcomes capable young ninja. There's no issue with applying."
He glanced through another document.
"Three days from now. I'll select appropriate examiners. Once you pass, we'll proceed with the written and comprehensive evaluations."
"Yes!"
Masahiko exhaled quietly.
After a moment's hesitation, he asked,"If I become a Special Jonin, will my duties change?"
"The ninja world is relatively stable right now," Hiruzen replied warmly."Your position will remain the same—for now."
Then he added with a smile,"However, you will shoulder more responsibility at the Academy."
"With great power comes great responsibility," Masahiko said calmly. "I understand."
"Prepare well," Hiruzen said. "I believe you'll pass."