Sakumo paused briefly before continuing, “It’s still too early for you to discuss these matters. There are differences in strength even among the Kage. At present, Konoha’s Third Hokage is probably the strongest of the Five Kage, which is why he is hailed as the strongest Hokage.”
Rin felt that she had learned a great deal today.
At the same time, judging by Uncle Sakumo’s explanation, the strength of the young man with the Mangekyō Sharingan was now obvious.
He was at least among the strongest of the elite jōnin, possibly possessing strength comparable to a village’s Kage.
Rin hadn’t expected him to be so powerful.
No wonder the rewards she received from him were exceptionally generous.
Kakashi remained silent for a while, with both longing and disappointment visible in his eyes.
Finally, he merely said, “Dinner is ready.”
Sakumo smiled, and his imposing aura immediately faded.
He walked over to Kakashi and patted him on the shoulder.
“I’m really looking forward to eating the food my son prepared.”
After a brief pause, he became serious again and earnestly said, “Kakashi, you must understand that there will always be someone better. You may be my pride, but that doesn’t mean no one possesses greater talent than you.”
“However, you don’t need to feel discouraged. You’re still young, and the road ahead of you is long. How far you progress will depend on your perseverance.”
Kakashi understood that his father was comforting him after the shock of witnessing Rin’s talent.
He relaxed and said, “I understand, Father.”
Sakumo smiled at Rin.
“Don’t call me Lord Sakumo anymore. It sounds too distant. Just call me Uncle Sakumo. You’ve been practicing for so long, so you must be tired. Come, let’s eat together.”
Feeling the warmth in Sakumo’s words, Rin brightly replied, “All right, Uncle Sakumo.”
The three entered the house and enjoyed the pleasant meal Kakashi had prepared.
Of all the dishes, Rin’s favorite was the fish.
Kakashi’s fish was truly excellent…
After dinner, Rin said goodbye to Kakashi and Sakumo.
She had originally intended to return home, but after remembering something, she headed toward the small forest near the Ninja Academy.
Sure enough, she spotted a familiar, hardworking figure in the same place.
Obito was still practicing his shurikenjutsu.
His expression was completely serious as he threw his shuriken again and again, retrieving them each time.
Rin didn’t interrupt him and merely watched in silence.
Only after Obito became breathless and stopped to rest did she jog over with a smile.
“Obito, you’re working very hard.”
Obito was startled and stammered, “Rin, weren’t you visiting Kakashi’s house?”
Rin smiled.
“I’ve already eaten dinner. I was worried about you, so I came to check on you.”
Obito’s eyes stung, and he struggled to hold back the tears gathering in them.
Rin smiled.
“Your movements still aren’t quite right. Let me continue teaching you.”
With that, Rin took a shuriken from Obito’s hand and threw it toward the target drawn on the large tree ahead.
The shuriken struck the bull’s-eye.
Obito exclaimed, “That was so cool.”
After speaking, he lowered his head self-consciously.
“Rin, you’re amazing. Not only are you skilled with shuriken, but your taijutsu is also incredibly strong. I…”
Obito was afraid that he would never be able to keep up with Rin.
Rin, however, said, “Obito, have you forgotten? You’re the man who will become Hokage.”
Obito immediately regained his energy.
“That’s right. I’ll definitely become Hokage one day.”
Thus, the two children continued practicing in the forest until late before finally parting ways…
That night, Rin returned home.
Exhausted from the day’s extensive training, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the first thing Rin did after waking up was open her notebook.
[A new day, a new beginning. I have become stronger again, but the wild boars that frequently appear around Konoha could still toss me through the air.]
The notebook never had anything encouraging to say.
Rin was already used to its attitude and said expressionlessly, “I want to reset.”
The same three options appeared in the notebook.
Rin had originally planned to continue searching for the young man with the Mangekyō Sharingan and obtain more abilities from him.
However, she hesitated.
Before learning that he possessed Kage-level strength, she had been full of confidence, believing that she could eventually defeat him as long as she continued improving.
Now, however, she began reevaluating the strength of the enemies connected to each option.
Perhaps…
that young Uchiha was actually the strongest of them.
Should she first test herself against the terrifying figure inside the Military Police Force headquarters instead?
As for escaping from the Uchiha clan compound, even if she succeeded, she would miss too many important events.
Rin didn’t want to choose that path.
Therefore, she said, “This time, I choose option two. I’ll go directly to the Military Police Force headquarters.”
The text in the notebook began moving. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
[I hurried forward and arrived at the Military Police Force headquarters.]
[Just as before, the lights inside the building went out, and the terrifying figure could be faintly seen through a window on the second floor. Muffled groans and screams drifted from inside.]
[I now have two choices.]
[1. Go inside and investigate.]
[2. What else can I do besides turn around and run?]
Rin gritted her teeth and said, “I choose option one. At least let me see who that person is.”
More text began appearing in the notebook.
[I walked forward. As soon as I reached the main entrance, I encountered a young Uchiha girl with a three-tomoe Sharingan.]
[She was holding a kunai and facing the Military Police Force building.]
[She suddenly noticed me and urgently said, “Little girl, you shouldn’t be here. Hurry and leave.”]
[A figure slowly emerged from the dark depths of the Uchiha Military Police Force headquarters.]
[Seeing this, the young Uchiha girl used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of me, blocking the way as she assumed a fighting stance.]
[My view was briefly obstructed, so I couldn’t clearly see the dark figure emerging from the building.]
[At this point, I have two options.]
[1. Join the young Uchiha girl’s battle and help her fight the dark figure.]
[2. She possesses a three-tomoe Sharingan, while I’m far weaker. If I join the battle, I might only distract her, so I shouldn’t cause trouble.]
Rin’s small cheeks immediately puffed up in anger.
Although she already knew that the notebook was mischievous, this time, it had truly infuriated her.
Someone was kindly protecting her, and Rin genuinely wanted to help her fight.
Yet according to the notebook, her involvement would only cause trouble.
More importantly, that statement was probably true.
Sakumo had already confirmed that an Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan possessed jōnin-level combat ability.
Meanwhile, Rin couldn’t even defeat an ordinary chūnin.
The difference in strength was simply too great.
If she recklessly joined the battle, she really would cause problems for the young girl.
Left with no other choice, Rin reluctantly said, “I… I choose option two.”
Rin was extremely unwilling to accept this.
At the same time, she gained a deeper understanding of the Uchiha clan’s strength—or at least its strength within the notebook’s scenario.
Even a young girl she encountered by chance possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Just how powerful was the Uchiha clan as a whole?
Yet such a powerful clan had been annihilated in a single night.
Just how terrifying had that event been?