Konoha might technically have been a village, but its actual size was far from small.
The Uchiha clan district lay at the outermost edge of Konoha’s inner ring, squeezed into the southwestern corner by the Hyūga clan and situated right next to the village barrier.
Training Ground Four, where Tōru and the other two were headed, was located due north of Konoha, on the high ground behind the Hokage Rock, outside the village’s barrier.
This meant that for the three of them to get there from the Uchiha district, they first had to go around the Hyūga compound, follow the Konoha River to Ichiraku Avenue, pass the Military Police Force headquarters, the Hokage Building, and the Sarutobi clan’s residential compounds in succession, and then climb the slope behind the ANBU headquarters for nearly half the length of Konoha before reaching the Training Ground.
Even without counting the uphill climb, the winding route was four or five kilometers long.
For Uchiha Itachi, it was a journey of less than ten minutes.
He could easily channel chakra into the soles of his feet and “cross mountains and rivers” in a straight line.
But for Sasuke, who had only just begun learning ninjutsu, and Tōru, who couldn’t extract chakra, there was nothing they could do but trudge along the roads.
Or rather, only Sasuke was trudging.
He carried the lighter of the two lunch boxes, yet by the time they reached the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters, he was already panting like a dying mammoth.
But with the prospect of being carried home by Itachi afterward, coupled with the Uchiha’s famously formidable pride, he showed no intention of giving up.
He kept his eyes fixed on Uchiha Itachi ahead of him, imitating his brother’s shinobi running posture— Upper body lowered and leaning forward, both arms stretched backward like a bird’s wings.
His strides were not particularly large, but his feet moved rapidly, propelling his body forward like an arrow.
It was said that shinobi ran this way for two reasons.
First, it reduced air resistance against the person moving forward.
Second, the lowered posture made one’s profile smaller during pursuits and escapes, reducing the target one presented and making it harder for enemies to detect them.
Of course, the posture also made it convenient for a shinobi to draw things like Explosive Tags or kunai.
And, conveniently enough, it meant an artist didn’t have to worry about complicated hand movements while drawing someone moving at high speed.
But then there was Tōru beside him.
He ran exactly like an ordinary person rushing to the market before everything sold out— His upper body leaned forward slightly, almost perfectly upright.
His strides were long, and rather than using the ground to propel himself with every step, he simply kept moving forward with steady strides.
If not for the lunch box held securely in his hands, the way he ran would have looked rather imposing.
But no matter how Sasuke looked at it, there was absolutely nothing shinobi-like about it.
What Sasuke found most incomprehensible was that although he was already using what his brother had described as the most standard running posture, he simply couldn’t widen the distance between himself and Tōru.
No matter how fast he ran, Tōru always maintained exactly the same relative position to him and Itachi.
From the moment they left until now, his position hadn’t changed in the slightest, as though Sasuke and Itachi were the ones carrying him along!
Even more speechless was the fact that unlike Sasuke, whose face had already turned red, Tōru’s complexion remained completely normal despite carrying the heavier lunch box.
When Tōru noticed Sasuke looking at him, he actually turned his head while running at full speed and asked, “You’re tired, aren’t you?
Do you want me to carry it?” Naturally, he was referring to the lunch box in Sasuke’s hands, and he was asking purely out of concern.
Using the Transparent World, Tōru could observe that Sasuke’s heart rate had already climbed to more than three times its normal level after repeatedly accelerating along the way.
Although he knew that the humans of the shinobi world possessed excellent physical capabilities, a heart rate that high was already somewhat dangerous.
And Sasuke was still a child, so Tōru couldn’t help worrying about him.
Unfortunately, no matter how concerned the words were, when spoken with Tōru’s expressionless face, they somehow sounded like mockery.
Even though Sasuke knew Tōru probably meant no harm, he still gritted his teeth hard.
The humiliation of “Did you learn all this just to light candles?” surged through him once again.
Then he noticed several people ahead wearing the Uchiha clan crest on their clothes.
We’re getting close to where Dad works…
If he handed his lunch box to Tōru and happened to be seen by his father while he was working— “Mind your own business!” He shouted at Tōru and accelerated again as though his life depended on it.
Itachi didn’t say anything.
He simply accelerated with Sasuke.
Tōru, naturally, had no trouble keeping up.
And so the three brothers maintained their dynamic balance, passing through Konoha’s main streets like three black gusts of wind.
Coming toward them was a man in a green jumpsuit with a bowl-shaped haircut, clapping wildly and beating out a rhythm for them.
“Go for it!
This is the blazing fire of youth!
That’s right!
You have to give it your all and sweat like your lives depend on it!” Itachi nodded in greeting to him.
Sasuke was already on the verge of collapsing, yet he still shamefully covered half his face with one hand.
Tōru, meanwhile, glanced sideways and felt that if Kyojuro Rengoku were ever resurrected, he would probably get along extremely well with this man.
After all, they were both the type to strike up conversations with complete strangers without the slightest hesitation, and both had incredibly loud voices.
Tōru couldn’t help but envy that kind of courage.
If Rengoku were the one carrying out the mission to resurrect everyone, it would probably be easier.
The bowl-cut man watched the three leave without looking back and continued shouting encouragement, causing the vendors along the street to cover their ears and roll their eyes.
“Keep it down!
Some of us are trying to do business!” Kakashi dropped down from above, yawned, and jabbed the green-clad man’s lower back.
“Oh, Kakashi!
Falling asleep this early isn’t youthful at all!” Might Guy flashed a smile that was literally radiant.
“If I didn’t still have a mission, I’d definitely challenge you to see who can climb the Hokage Rock using only their hands!” “Come to think of it, those three kids from earlier look remarkably alike.
And I could swear I’ve seen that ping-pong-paddle-shaped symbol on their backs somewhere before—” The three Military Police Force officers on patrol suddenly turned around, glaring at him menacingly.
But then they noticed that Kakashi, the Sharingan Kakashi, was standing beside him.
They snorted coldly and turned back around.
He was one of the Third Hokage’s lapdogs.
The clan head had instructed them not to provoke him.
The vendors and pedestrians along the road stepped aside, watching the Military Police Force officers leave with complicated expressions.
“That’s the Uchiha clan crest.
Please, don’t loudly advertise your terrible memory right outside the Military Police Force headquarters!” Kakashi rubbed his forehead helplessly.
“When a jōnin of the village says something like that, people are going to think you’re deliberately mocking them!” If Guy becomes the spark that sets off the conflict between the village and the Uchiha, I really won’t know what to say.
“My head was filled with this mission, so I cleared out everything I didn’t need.” Guy raised his head and smiled brilliantly.
“But we’re all passionate young people!
No one would misunderstand me over something so trivial!” “If everyone thought the way you did, I wouldn’t be nearly this exhausted.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow and changed the subject.
“By the way, what do you think of those two kids we just passed?” After a full night on duty, Kakashi had once again encountered Tōru.
He had already been curious yesterday whether the boy’s strength might be a little too great.
Today, he had seen him again—running at that ordinary pace, yet moving so quickly without even the slightest sign of labored breathing.
And Kakashi was certain that Tōru had no chakra.
There was no way he could have mistaken that.
A civilian body rivaling that of a shinobi?
Among the people he knew, perhaps only the young Guy had possessed such a physique.
“They’re both pretty good.
Especially the boy on the right…” Might Guy stroked his chin.
“His physical condition is extremely well suited for taijutsu training.
It’s just that there’s not much life in his eyes.
Doesn’t seem like a very passionate kid.” As he spoke, he turned toward the visible eye of Kakashi’s perpetually bored face.
“Unlike you.
His eyes are completely devoid of light.
But then again, he gives me a very dependable feeling.
I don’t know why.” Kakashi nodded.
For Might Guy, who had no room left in his head for anything except the mission once one began, intuition was his most reliable decision-making tool.
It was even more trustworthy than the exaggerated instincts of a Ninken.
After all, for a Ninken with limited strength, most things involving humans were dangerous.
That was probably why they sometimes made such statements.
Last night, Kakashi had considered reporting the boy’s unusual nature to the Third Hokage.
After all, “gloomy and aloof personality” + “Uchiha” + “exceptional talent” was difficult to ignore.
But if Danzō found out, something unpleasant was bound to happen.
Since even Might Guy had reached such a conclusion, however, Kakashi couldn’t be bothered to involve himself in the matter.
He would simply consider it repayment for Shisui’s favor.
From now on, his mission was to monitor and protect Naruto.
Everything else had nothing to do with him.
Meanwhile, the three Military Police Force officers who had just passed by returned to their workplace.
After the jōnin bid farewell to his two subordinates, he made his way to the top floor of the Military Police Force headquarters, where the commander’s office was located.
When the jōnin opened the door, Uchiha Fugaku was standing by the window with a cup of tea in his hand, his cold eyes fixed on the scene below.
Only after Kakashi and Guy’s figures disappeared around the corner by Ichiraku Ramen did he take a sip of tea and turn around.
“What is it?” Fugaku walked to his desk and sat down, asking in an even tone.
“Clan Head, have you heard the news about Shisui becoming the temporary captain of the Hokage’s personal ANBU?” A trace of anger appeared on the jōnin’s face.
“That bastard!
He’s already openly chosen to stand on the village’s side.” “How many times have I told you?
When you’re at the Military Police Force, don’t call me Clan Head, and don’t discuss clan affairs.” Fugaku glanced at him.
“That’s merely your assumption.
It hasn’t been verified.
Besides, you heard it yourself.
Shisui is only the ‘temporary captain.'” “Don’t you suspect him at all?” The jōnin frowned.
“And what would suspicion accomplish?
Doesn’t he occasionally give us information about the village’s higher-ups?” Fugaku shook his head and picked up a document from the desk.
“Besides, as long as Itachi and…
as long as Itachi are given enough time, Shisui’s strength won’t be as important as it once was.
Look.
I had barely arrived this morning when I received a notice from the Third Hokage requesting that Itachi participate in the Chūnin Exams.” “A-a ten-year-old Chūnin?” A glimmer appeared in the jōnin’s eyes.
“That boy Itachi really is remarkable.” Fugaku concealed the slight curve at the corner of his mouth behind his teacup.
“Actually, he was qualified to participate two years ago.
But becoming a Chūnin means undertaking missions outside the village.
He wouldn’t have had time to stay with Sasuke and Tōru, so he kept declining.
But next March, Sasuke and Tōru will be entering the Academy as well.
This time, he has no reason to refuse…” “Still, given Itachi’s pride, he probably won’t choose to form a team with anyone.
Participating in the Chūnin Exams alone would be extremely dangerous.
We’d better determine his current level first.” “You mean…?” The jōnin pressed him for an answer.
“I remember…” Fugaku adopted a thoughtful expression.
“That junior who nearly got into a confrontation with Itachi at the clan’s Training Ground before.
His name was Uchiha Enka, wasn’t it?
Quite a few people have come to me about him recently.
That boy is rather unruly.” “That’s right.” The jōnin nodded.
“He recently participated in the jōnin qualification examination organized by the village.
He got into a conflict with another candidate and was singled out because of it, so Mito Kado En didn’t let him pass.
He’s been rather frustrated lately, eager to prove himself by accomplishing something.
But among his peers within the clan, he can’t find Shisui, while Itachi deliberately avoids him…” “Fifteen years old and already at jōnin level.
That’s a genius by any measure.” Fugaku pondered for a moment, then tapped his knuckles against the desk.
“He’s the one.” “What do you mean?” “Doesn’t he want to find Itachi?” Fugaku looked at the jōnin and instructed him, “Find him around noon.
Hint at it—or deliberately let him overhear you, either will do—and tell him that Itachi will be training at Konoha’s Training Ground Four today.
Given his current state of mind, he’ll definitely go looking for him.
I’ll observe from the shadows and determine exactly how strong Itachi has become.” “Understood.” The jōnin didn’t hesitate.
The Uchiha were a clan that yearned for power, and they were equally eager to test that power.
Fighting was in their nature, and battle was how they proved themselves.
“I’ll take care of it.” After the jōnin left, Fugaku picked up his fountain pen and pointed toward the family portrait on his desk, gently tapping Tōru’s forehead in the photograph.
“Tōru…
after today, you’ll understand that simply knowing how to do housework isn’t enough to take good care of Sasuke.
“In this world, only strength can give people a peaceful life.” There was one thing Uchiha Fugaku hadn’t told that jōnin.
From noon until the afternoon, Itachi also had a C-rank mission to complete, which would take roughly one to two hours.
By then, only Sasuke and Tōru would remain at Training Ground Four.
…
“Hah…
hah…
hah!” By the time the three brothers were about to begin the final third of their climb, Uchiha Sasuke was already panting like a bellows.
It felt as though a Fireball Jutsu were lodged in his chest, unable to be expelled, while his free hand clutched tightly at his side.
In order to show off in front of his Schrödinger’s father, he had just sprinted continuously for more than five hundred meters, exceeding the limits of what someone his age could endure.
Now, the consequences of overexertion had caught up with his young body.
Yet Sasuke continued forward in silence, enduring the pain.
He didn’t want Tōru’s first time accompanying him to training to end with Tōru seeing him in such a weak and miserable state.
“Stop.” Tōru called out to Itachi, who was running ahead, and casually grabbed Sasuke, who was still trying to force himself onward.
Before either of them could react, he struck Sasuke directly in the spot where he was suffering from a stitch.
It startled Sasuke—and shocked Itachi as well.
They had never seen Tōru hit anyone before, much less Sasuke.
“What…
are you doing…?” Sasuke stared at him innocently, clutching his stomach as he took two steps backward.
But the next moment, he noticed that the pain that had been stabbing at his abdomen had actually disappeared within a few seconds.
“Huh?” He suddenly found it much easier to breathe and asked in surprise, “Tōru, what did you just do to me?” It was the same question as before, but his tone and intention were completely different.
“Your breathing was too chaotic.” Tōru didn’t explain.
He simply took the lunch box from Sasuke’s hands as well.
“And inefficient.” “Inefficient?” Itachi seemed to ponder the word.
He looked at Tōru’s steady chest, and his eyes turned red.
After silently observing for a while, he was surprised to discover that Tōru’s breathing rhythm really was completely different from theirs.
Each inhalation and exhalation lasted more than ten seconds.
After exhaling, there was an even longer period of breath retention, lasting more than thirty seconds.
Wait!
Uchiha Itachi’s eyes widened.
That meant Tōru was breathing only about— Once a minute?!
The reason Itachi had never noticed before was that Tōru was simply too quiet.
He had never made any obvious sound while breathing.
And the family had grown accustomed to it.
Thinking about it now, had he really been using this kind of “tortoise breathing” rhythm all these years?
What kind of lung capacity would someone need to do that?
While listening to Tōru teach Sasuke a completely new breathing method, Itachi carefully observed Tōru’s fingers as they precisely pointed to Sasuke’s lungs, trachea, and heart while explaining their functions.
It demonstrated that Tōru possessed an extraordinarily detailed understanding of human anatomy, far beyond the average Academy Student.
In reality, through Tōru’s eyes, Sasuke was no longer a cute young boy.
He had become an anatomical model composed entirely of bones, blood vessels, muscles, fat, fascia, and skin.
Within the Transparent World, activities such as breathing—which visibly caused the lungs to expand—were obvious to him.
Even the direction of blood flow and every contraction and stretch of the muscles were clearly visible.
Furthermore, when the Transparent World was activated, all the movements captured by his eyes appeared to slow by roughly half, giving Tōru enough time to precisely observe every dynamic change occurring within Sasuke’s body.
“That’s correct.” Seeing that Sasuke had grasped the most basic breathing rhythm, Tōru nodded calmly.
Then he looked toward Uchiha Itachi.
“Now we can go.” There were no demons in this world, nor was there a Demon Slayer Corps.
But as the Water Hashira and someone who had received the full transmission of the Breathing Style, there should be no problem with Tōru teaching his family the basic Breathing techniques, which had no inherent lethality.
Whenever he thought about Sasuke yearning to become a shinobi like Itachi, Tōru felt somewhat displeased.
He only hoped that Sasuke could learn more practical knowledge and useful skills.
On this point, Tōru and Uchiha Itachi actually shared the same idea.
They simply intended to accomplish it in different ways.
After this little interruption, the remainder of the journey to Training Ground Four went relatively smoothly.
Once Sasuke mastered the new breathing technique, the increase in physical endurance it provided left him pleasantly surprised despite the uphill climb.
He ran with considerably more enthusiasm.
“This is Training Ground Four.” Uchiha Itachi pointed toward the spacious training area, where hundreds of earthen walls stood upright.
A moderately sized lake could be seen deeper within, making the place resemble the Uchiha Training Ground.
The earthen walls were products of Earth Release.
They varied in thickness and size and were used to test the power of offensive ninjutsu.
Even if they were destroyed, shinobi practicing Earth Release would come to repair them, allowing the facilities to be reused.
“Let’s rest for a while first.” Using his ninja blade, Itachi cut one of the earthen walls into blocks of various sizes, turning them into makeshift tables and chairs.
A shinobi’s chakra was produced by converting physical energy extracted from the body’s cells.
After running for so long, having Sasuke immediately practice ninjutsu would probably be dangerous.
But by the time Itachi turned around, Tōru had already taken a picnic cloth from the top layer of the lunch box and spread out all the pastries they had made that morning, along with three large covered bowls of fish soup.
Although the dishes had been made from leftovers from the previous night, they still gave off an aroma that made one’s mouth water.
“…” Uchiha Itachi, who normally brought nothing more than rice balls for lunch, blinked.
Hopefully none of the shinobi he knew would see him here taking advantage of Tōru’s hospitality.
After glancing at Sasuke secretly grabbing a few fried shrimp, Itachi sat down beside Tōru.
“While Sasuke eats, I’ll teach you how to extract chakra first.” Before Tōru could finish refusing, Itachi quickly added, “Tōru, I know you don’t want to become a shinobi, but your Sharingan may activate automatically when your emotions fluctuate.
Without chakra, you’ll faint again next time.
You don’t want Mother, Sasuke, and me to worry about you, do you?” Tōru’s expression changed slightly.
Itachi knew his words had gotten through to him.
“Besides, chakra isn’t exclusive to shinobi.
Having chakra doesn’t mean you have to become a shinobi.
The samurai of the Land of Iron, for example, also use chakra to enhance their swordsmanship.
And if you don’t like fighting, chakra can be used for other things.
“For example, once you’ve learned the Summoning Technique, you could summon a cat to go buy groceries for you, then dismiss the summon and save yourself the trip.
Once you’ve learned even basic Sealing Techniques, you could seal all this food into a scroll to save space and reduce the burden you’re carrying.
And if you become skilled enough, you could even learn to walk on water.
Wouldn’t that make catching fish much easier?” Itachi knew very well that whether Tōru learned or not, their father would eventually find a way to force Tōru to become a shinobi capable of standing on his own.
The Uchiha had been yearning to display their fangs to Konoha through overwhelming combat strength for far too long.
But Itachi couldn’t concern himself with something that far ahead right now.
He first had to resolve the danger posed by Tōru’s Sharingan.
For the moment, he could only tell Tōru the things he thought the boy would actually like.
Tōru remained silent for a long while before finally nodding.
Just as Itachi had said, accidentally activating the Sharingan and fainting could waste a great deal of time and cause Mother to worry about him.
That wasn’t something Tōru wanted.
More importantly, he wanted to know whether that inexplicable voice might be able to analyze something from his own chakra.
Unlike yesterday, Tōru now had a clear objective.
He had to resurrect his comrades.
“All right.” Seeing that Tōru had agreed, Itachi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tōru was difficult to communicate with, but at least he was reasonable.
There was a major difference between him and the stubbornness of an ordinary child.
“Before I teach you how to convert chakra, I need to explain what chakra is.” Using his ninja blade, Itachi drew the shape of a person on the nearest earthen wall, then drew two circles inside the figure—one in the abdomen and another in the brain.
“Tōru, chakra is a form of energy created by converting a person’s physical energy.
Physical energy is extracted from the body’s roughly 130 trillion cells, while spiritual energy comes from training and experience.
The two are combined evenly to produce chakra.
“When you use taijutsu, you directly consume physical energy.
But if you want to use ninjutsu or the Sharingan, you have to process that physical energy and convert it into chakra.” As he spoke, Itachi formed the Tiger Seal and exhaled a mass of red-hot flames.
Tōru once again gained 0.02% proficiency in Flame Breathing.
“Through hand seals, the chakra you’ve converted from physical energy, which initially has no nature, is further transformed into the form and nature required for ninjutsu.
“That’s what Father was talking about at home—the changes in chakra nature and form, in other words, elemental ninjutsu.
“But we don’t need to think that far today.
What you need to understand first is how to extract chakra and transform it into the ocular power required by the Sharingan.
“Let’s begin.”