Konoha, Uchiha Clan Compound, Sasuke's home.
Inside the Room, only Fugaku and Itachi were present.
"Itachi, you've worked hard lately. Sasuke's taijutsu has improved significantly."
"It has nothing to do with me. His new teacher is very responsible; he's an excellent taijutsu teacher."
Itachi replied.
Fugaku was silent for a few seconds before remembering: "The teacher named Yagyu Masahiko?"
"Yes. Although he isn't strong, his foundation is very good."
Itachi replied.
Fugaku hesitated but finally spoke: "That child named Uzumaki Naruto..."
"There won't be any problems. Sasuke shouldn't have been involved in this in the first place."
Itachi replied.
Fugaku stared at Itachi.
From his son's face, he saw hidden exhaustion and confusion, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
After a moment, Fugaku said softly, "Perhaps you're right. Go pick up Sasuke; he's always hoping you can pick him up after class."
"Alright, then I'll take my leave."
Itachi nodded and stood up to leave.
Just as he pulled open the door, Fugaku almost instinctively shouted, "Wait!"
Itachi turned his head to look back.
Fugaku's lips moved, but he didn't speak. After a few seconds, he said, "Don't overwork yourself. If the Anbu work is too much, just let it go."
"I'll consider it."
...At the school gate.
As the bell rang, a swarm of students poured out from the school entrance, with a few occasionally jumping over the walls, drawing a round of scolding.
The school gate was also crowded with people.
Sasuke walked out of the school and saw Uchiha Itachi at the edge of the crowd. His eyes lit up instantly, and he waved while jumping: "Big brother!"
He sprinted all the way.
The corner of Itachi's mouth twitched slightly into a smile as he caught the rushing Sasuke in his arms.
Then, he felt a gaze staring at him and looked over following his intuition—
It was that taijutsu teacher.
Itachi lowered his head slightly as a sign of respect, then led Sasuke away from the school.
Not far away, Masahiko withdrew his gaze.
Judging by the silhouette... that day, the person secretly observing his practice of the Dance of the Crescent Moon was indeed Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi is stubborn; there's no value in trying to win him over.
But the other one... In Masahiko's mind, the image from the anime surfaced.
Uchiha Shisui.
The other guy was about his age and in the same year at the Ninja Academy. Unfortunately, Shisui was a genius who graduated at the age of six or seven.
As a commoner with average talent, his predecessor basically had no deep interactions with Shisui at the academy.
On the surface, it was impossible to make friends, and his relationship with Danzo didn't allow Masahiko to seek out Shisui openly... "Masahiko-kun?"
"Hmm?"
Masahiko snapped back to reality and saw Kurenai Yuhi coming out of the school with Yakumo.
He gave a gentle smile and then asked, "Yakumo, how was your first day of class?"
"Everyone is very nice, and the teacher's lecture was great."
Kurama Yakumo's smile was sweet and genuine, "For the first time, I feel that coming to school for classes can be this happy!"
"Some things in daily life are within reach, and you only realize their value after losing them. So for yourself and your parents, you must protect yourself well."
Masahiko said.
"Yes, I understand!"
Kurama Yakumo nodded heavily.
Kurenai Yuhi waved goodbye to him and disappeared at the end of the street... "They call it an exchange, but in reality, she mostly wants to teach me Genjutsu techniques."
"Although I haven't learned any proper Genjutsu, I've learned quite a few techniques for dispelling Genjutsu, so it's not without gain."
Masahiko used a pen to record today's findings.
Without the Sharingan, the ceiling for Genjutsu is too low, so his interest in researching and learning it wasn't very high.
But.
It's never wrong to record more knowledge.
After taking his notes, he scanned them, tucked them into his ninja tool pouch, took his Aota sword, and ran toward the outskirts of the Village.
He still had to practice the Dance of the Crescent Moon—
Konoha-Style Kenjutsu is not taijutsu or a single Ninjutsu; it cannot be practiced in the taijutsu or Ninjutsu training spaces... In the woods.
Whoosh!
Three figures flickered through the trees, sword shadows interlacing, making it hard to distinguish real from fake.
The blades slashed through, and leaves were cut down one after another.
At the moment the two figures crossed paths, a person flickered out from the side of a tree, the blade drawing an arc in the air like lightning.
Crack!
A tree branch fell from the air.
Masahiko stood up and glanced at his status panel:
[Konoha-Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon: Proficient]
It's done!
Although it was only 'Proficient', it was enough to prove he had completely mastered this sword technique, only needing actual combat to hone and verify it.
However.
The effect of combining Water Clones with the Dance of the Crescent Moon was also confirmed to be viable, though it wasn't as fast as the Clone Jutsu in terms of hand signs and execution.
To apply it in real combat, he might need to experiment and optimize it further.
Furthermore—
[Clone Jutsu: Perfect]
After mastering the Perfect-grade Water Clone Jutsu, the ordinary Clone Jutsu was also optimized and upgraded to Perfect while he was practicing the Dance of the Crescent Moon.
Masahiko looked at the panel, feeling a bit more confident:
"It should be about enough."
...The next day, after finishing taijutsu class, Masahiko went straight to the outskirts of Konoha Village, to the place where he often encountered 'Thorn', to continue practicing his Dance of the Crescent Moon.
Near noon, he quietly left a note before leaving the woods.
Back at home.
Masahiko saw a note pinned to his desk.
It read—
"The Lord has agreed to your application for Special Jonin. Burn after reading."
Masahiko breathed a sigh of relief.
Special Jonin is different from a true Jonin.
As long as one has outstanding ability in a certain field, they can try to apply to become a Special Jonin. Kurenai Yuhi and Anko Mitarashi are both of this type.
Gekkō Hayate is more unique; due to his Transparent Release, he has outstanding abilities in the fields of reconnaissance and assassination.
If not for a congenital illness that limited his physical growth and performance, he might have gone even further.
Comparing horizontally, Masahiko believed the gap between him and a Special Jonin wasn't that large, and it was worth a try.
At the same time, he also knew Danzo was a suspicious person with a strong desire for control. Applying for 'Special Jonin' definitely required the other's consent before proceeding with the subsequent plan... Inside the Third Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the application form in his hand and looked at Masahiko with a gentle gaze: "Are you sure you want to apply for this year's assessment?"
"Yes."
Masahiko's tone was sincere, "Thanks to your guidance, my taijutsu, Clone Jutsu, and kenjutsu have all improved significantly recently, so I want to give it a try."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled upon hearing this, "The Village is very happy to see talented young people rising up. Applying for the assessment is of course no problem."
He took out another document and scanned it.
A few seconds later, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up: "In three days, then. I will select suitable people to examine your abilities. Once the examination is passed, we will proceed with the written test and comprehensive evaluation."
"Yes!"
Masahiko breathed a sigh of relief upon getting the answer.
Afterward, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Lord Hokage, if I become a Special Jonin, will there be any changes to my position?"
"The Ninja World is relatively stable right now, so there won't be any changes to your duties for the time being. Don't worry."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a gentle smile.
Then, he leaned back in his chair and said, "However, if you become a Special Jonin, you will certainly have more responsibilities at the Ninja Academy than before."
"With great power comes great responsibility. I understand this principle."
"Prepare well. I believe you can pass."
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