Konoha Notes

Chapter 335 Another Candidate

The second son suffered a setback far greater than the beatings he endured at the Ninja Academy, all of which was witnessed by Fugaku, and this time it was an even heavier blow than before.

But he didn't participate; every Uchiha goes through this process.
Whether now or in the future, the path that talented Uchiha clan members must take is one that Sasuke must also walk.

But Sasuke recovered faster than expected. He reorganized his mindset and adjusted his state, becoming even stronger even without awakening his Sharingan.

At this stage, Fugaku believed he was able to speak.

"How's the training going?"

“I will win, Father.”

Sasuke's gaze brought Fugaku a sense of relief.

Even if he's not as good as Itachi, he's still worthy of being my son.

"Father, I want to graduate early."

When Sasuke spoke again, Fugaku's eyes darkened slightly.

"This is decided by your teacher, as well as the ninja academy and the village."

Sasuke knelt before Fugaku: "Shuji arranged for Gaara and me to train, and my brother has been tutoring us since we got back. In comparison, the current curriculum at the Ninja Academy... is no longer having any real effect."

“I have wasted too much time, Father.”

Having experienced the current intensity, he no longer finds the playful games at school appealing.

Fugaku was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "That Sand Village boy named Gaara is still studying at the Ninja Academy."

Sasuke expressed his insistence: "At least ask my father to help me apply for a leave of absence from school for a while."

Sasuke's idea stemmed from his desire to capitalize on his opponent's wasted time and make up for his own shortcomings. His brother Itachi, as a squad leader in the Anbu, had heavy responsibilities and couldn't afford to take extended leave to train at home. Sasuke needed to seize every opportunity for focused training.

Fugaku closed his eyes, weighing his options.

Taking a leave of absence for training is feasible. In the past, Fugaku would have simply sent a message to the Ninja Academy or asked Iruka to come and explain the situation.

just now……

“You can suggest taking a leave of absence. But, Sasuke, you’ll need to get the other person’s consent.”

Shuji has plans for Sasuke, and getting involved might influence Sasuke or cause him to have a different opinion of Sasuke.

Another one? Sasuke paused for a moment, "Iruka-sensei?"

"It's not Iruka, it's Shuji."

Sasuke said confidently, "There's a training session this afternoon, and I'll get Mr. Shuji's approval in person."

In his view, this was almost a no-brainer. Mr. Shuji himself had said that he "expected to become Hokage," so how could he object to his own eagerness to use every moment to become stronger, catch up with, and even surpass his current opponents? This should be something the other party would be happy to see.

So Sasuke went to the Ninja Academy as usual, ignoring the gossip that mocked his crushing defeat to Gaara.

He waited for training time to arrive, ignoring Naruto's wandering around in front of him and his talk about learning a new technique.

Time passed in anticipation, and when today's theoretical lessons ended, Sasuke immediately grabbed his things and set off.

The Ninja Academy already knew that the three of them had been given extra training, so there was no need for Shuji to pick them up in person; they could simply go to the training ground outside the academy on their own.

In order to express his thoughts, Sasuke quickened his pace, leaving Naruto behind, as well as Gaara who was following Naruto.

But when he arrived, the training ground was empty; Shuji had not yet arrived.

He found a shady spot under a tree, put down his small bag, and while stretching his wrists and ankles, he repeatedly considered what he was going to say.

Although he gave his father an affirmative answer, when the moment of facing Shuji finally arrived, a trace of uncertain anxiety still crept into his heart.

What will Mr. Shuji think? Will he think I'm being too hasty? Or...?

"Hey—Gaara! Over here! Let me tell you, this new technique is really different! It will definitely help you practice controlling sand much better!"

A familiar loud voice came from the entrance of the training ground, interrupting Sasuke's thoughts.

Naruto and Gaara walked in one after the other.

“Idiot,” Sasuke stood up and walked over, “That kind of low-level transformation technique, no matter how you change it, is useless against a real ninja.” Naruto wasn’t embarrassed or angry this time, because unlike before, he had truly learned a powerful ninjutsu.

He said, "Whether it's a trick or not, Sasuke, you can see for yourself with your own eyes in a moment."

“Wasting time is pointless,” Sasuke said calmly. “In fact, Naruto, you shouldn’t be here. At your current level, you can’t really help Gaara’s control training. Your presence is just slowing down the progress of effective training.”

"What...what did you say?!" Naruto's smile froze, his blue eyes widening.

"I'm just stating the facts." Sasuke's gaze swept over Naruto. "What you should be doing right now is going back to the classroom and catching up on the most basic lessons you've missed. What you've already learned—"

"It's just something I've already mastered and even surpassed."

He said these things not out of malice, but as a point of view based on the actual situation.

And they believed that this was what Naruto should really do.

Naruto was taken aback for a moment, then a surge of hot blood rushed to his cheeks.

"Since that's the case," Naruto said, forming hand seals, "then let Sasuke experience it for himself! It's a new technique I've learned that you definitely don't know!"

Sasuke gave a soft hum and slightly shifted his feet.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared between the two.

Gaara had his back to Naruto and was facing Sasuke.

"The one who needs to fight you is me."

His words brought the tense atmosphere in the training field to a standstill.

Naruto lowered his fingers, and Sasuke relaxed his stance.

Just then, Shuji walked over with steady steps.

Sasuke's attention was immediately drawn to it. He turned around, walked quickly to Shuji, bowed, and said, "Mr. Shuji, I have a request regarding my training. I wish to temporarily suspend my studies at the Ninja Academy so that I can devote all my time to more intensive special training."

He spoke in one breath what he had been preparing all day, his dark eyes fixed on Xiu Si, expecting a positive, or even appreciative, reply.

Shuji stopped in his tracks.

His gaze first fell on Sasuke's face, then calmly swept across the scene—pausing over Naruto, whose expression was still somewhat tense, and over Gaara, who stood silently between the two, before finally returning to Sasuke.

"Take a break from school...?"

Sasuke's heart leaped into his throat.

"can."

The second young master of the Uchiha clan smiled: "Very..."

Shuji interrupted his unspoken gratitude: "Let's take defeating Naruto as the standard."

Sasuke almost doubted that he had heard correctly.

Defeating Naruto? He can knock him down five times in a minute. Defeating him?

Does this count as outright agreement? If so, why impose such conditions...?

It's completely unnecessary.

Shuji ignored Sasuke's momentarily blank expression and simply pointed to the empty space beside him. Gaara quietly walked over and stood beside him.

Shuji said softly, "I do have expectations of you, Sasuke, so you're here."

"So, why do you think Naruto stayed even after you joined the training?"