Naruto: Mikoto and Tsunade, don't let either of them go.

These wealthy people value their lives highly and definitely have hired rogue ninja masters and numerous henchmen around them.

To completely resolve the situation in the Land of Waves, one will inevitably have to confront Gato and face his subordinates directly.

With your abilities, you could hold your own against him, but don't forget, you're the team leader now.

You can deal with them, but what about your students? With their skills and experience, they're still a bit outmatched by those veterans.

If Lord Qiushan were to take action, he could simply crush all of Kado's forces, which would be the safest approach.

Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Kakashi realized that he had oversimplified the matter.

That's true. He's not alone anymore; he has to take Naruto and the others with him. And given Naruto's sensitive position, if something were to happen to him, even if he committed seppuku, he wouldn't be able to undo the mistakes he's made.

Having figured this out, Kakashi felt somewhat ashamed and immediately apologized to Uchiha Kakuzan:

"Lord Qiushan, I'm sorry, I was rash. Please forgive me."

Uchiha Kakuzan shook his head, looked at Kakashi, and smiled:

"Kakashi, actually, with your current strength, you wouldn't have any problem carrying out this mission."

However, you should be clear about your own situation. If you want to win, you need to remove the seal from your eyes.

This is still putting too much strain on your body.

You still need to cultivate yourself more; only then will you be able to bear the burden of that eye.

Kakashi, upon hearing Uchiha Kakuzan's words, was completely convinced and lowered his head in slight embarrassment, saying:

"Yes, Lord Qiu is right. I will definitely cultivate diligently."

"Then, I'll leave this task to Lord Qiu Shan."

Uchiha Kakuzan nodded and replied:

"Perfect timing. My team was also clamoring to leave the village, so I'll take them to see what's going on."

"Furthermore, Kakashi, you should know that the cut taken by the Land of Waves doesn't place much burden on them or affect their lives. In some ways, it's even a form of protection for them."

In this rather chaotic ninja world, the withdrawal of Konoha Village serves as protection for smaller villages, preventing most crises from occurring.

With that matter settled, as Kakashi was about to lead Naruto and the others out, Naruto finally realized what was happening.

It seems their mission to leave the village was abandoned and handed over to the small team led by the old man, for Shikamaru and his group to carry out.

Naruto, realizing what was happening, immediately became unwilling. Ignoring Kakashi's invitation to return together, he ran to Uchiha Kagakuyama and shouted:

"Kind uncle, you can't do this! We finally got a mission that allowed us to leave the village, and you took it from Shikamaru and the others. I... I don't agree to this."

Naruto had a good impression of Uchiha Kagami; the kind old man had been very good to him when he was little.

Moreover, both his aunt, Uzumaki Kaoru, and his sister, Karin, were rescued from the village by Uncle Qiushan.

Therefore, even though Uncle Qiushan took away his mission to leave the village, Naruto couldn't bear to say a harsh word to him.

Chapter 373 Sasuke’s current situation

Chapter 373 Sasuke's Recent Situation

Originally, Uchiha Kakuzan took on Kakashi's mission to see who Gato would bring after he had captured Zabuza and Haku. After all, there weren't many ninjas in the ninja world who could truly make a name for themselves.

That's why Uchiha Kakuyama wanted to go and see if there would be any unexpected surprises.

However, when Naruto mustered up the courage to complain to him, Uchiha Kakuyama was also a bit of a headache. After all, this mission was an important starting point for Naruto and his friends' growth.

Uchiha Kakuyama glanced at Naruto beside him, then at Sasuke and Karin, whose expressions were gloomy. Karin lowered her head slightly when he looked at her.

No matter what, the members of Team 7, whether it's Naruto, Sasuke, or Karin, are all people closely related to him, so Uchiha Kakuyama couldn't just forcibly take this mission away from him.

Kakashi understood the relationship between Uchiha Kakuyama and the kids in his class, so he remained silent and waited for Kakuyama's decision.

Uchiha Kakuyama rubbed his head helplessly and conceded:

"Alright, alright, let's say this mission is a joint operation between Team 7 and Team 10. The mission level is A. The mission content has been changed from escorting Tazuna back to the Land of Waves to eliminating all of Gato's influence in the Land of Waves until Tazuna completes the construction of the bridge."

I won't be participating in this mission; I'll just act as a regular Jonin instructor. Perfect timing, I should take a vacation anyway, a sort of island getaway.

Upon hearing Uncle Qiushan's words, Naruto's eyes immediately lit up with unspeakable joy. He ran straight to Sasuke's side, hugged him tightly, and cheered, "You stinky Sasuke, did you hear that? Uncle gave us the mission! We can leave the village! Yay!!"

Ever since his brother's defection, Sasuke has maintained a cold and aloof attitude towards everything around him, which is why Naruto calls him "Stinky Sasuke."

However, when Naruto hugged him and cheered, Sasuke's originally cold expression softened a little, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Meanwhile, Karin, who was watching their interaction, secretly glanced at Qiushan-kun. As if afraid of being discovered, she looked away as if she had been burned.

Anyone who is close to Uchiha Kakuzan knows that because he possesses space-time ninjutsu, he has a very secluded place where he brings any woman he is close to to live.

The place was very secluded; no one except him and his woman knew where it was, and it had never been discovered before.

Karin knew perfectly well that her mother had separated from her and moved away from Konoha when she became a ninja and was able to support herself, only occasionally coming back to visit her.

Karin, who is very clear about the relationship between her mother and Uncle Qiushan, naturally knows where her mother, Uzumaki Karin, has moved to. Coupled with her own little thoughts, she has a strange feeling when she looks at Uncle Qiushan.

Uchiha Kakuzan didn't care about Karin's little schemes; in the end, what was meant to be his would always be his.

Because of Naruto's intervention, the mission was downgraded from S-rank to A-rank, which pleased Tazuna. In the end, it was decided that the mission would be completed jointly by Team 7 and Team 10, with Kakashi as the team leader, while Uchiha Kakuzan would only be an instructor and would not participate in the mission.

Of course, if the situation develops to the point where Uchiha Kagami needs to intervene, then this mission will automatically be upgraded to an S-rank mission.

Since it was the first time for all the children to travel far from home, they all needed to prepare some things. Moreover, Shikamaru and the others from Team 10 were unaware of their mission and needed time to inform and prepare. Therefore, Kakashi set the start time of the mission for the morning of the next day.

Despite some setbacks, the mission to the Land of Waves was launched as scheduled.

Just as Kakashi was about to leave with the members of Team 7, Uchiha Kakuzan suddenly said in a calm tone:

"Sasuke, stay here for a moment."

Sasuke, who had been expressionless and following Kakashi, trembled upon hearing his master's words and then replied:

"Yes, Master."

After overhearing the conversation between Uchiha Kakuzan and Sasuke, Kakashi merely glanced at Sasuke, patted him on the shoulder, and urged the somewhat hesitant Naruto to leave the Hokage's office.

After Kakashi's team and Tazuna left, Uchiha Kakuzan nodded to Tsunade, then put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the top of the Hokage Rock.

Sasuke was already used to his master's space-time ninjutsu. After seeing his master bring him here, he just stared blankly at the scenery in the distance. After waiting for a while, Sasuke still hesitated before speaking:

"master···"

Uchiha Kakuzan didn't look at him, but instead gazed at the bustling Konoha Village in the distance, and asked:

"How have you been lately? Are you feeling better?"

Upon hearing his master's words, Sasuke felt a lump in his throat, as if he had so much to say to his master but didn't know how to begin.

After Itachi Uchiha defected, the person closest to him in this world was his master who had been with him since childhood, and he was also his last support.

However, Sasuke also knew that his master was not only his master, but also the head of the Uchiha clan and the leader of the Konoha ANBU. He was usually very busy and naturally could not spare much time to take care of him, which he understood.

However, despite understanding and knowing the situation clearly, Sasuke still felt somewhat aggrieved in front of his master.

Sasuke struggled to suppress the bitterness in his heart and said:

"It's alright, but Kakashi-sensei has already taught me all the knowledge about Lightning Release. There's nothing more he can teach me. All that's left is for me to train on my own. As for anything else, my master has already taught me everything."

Uchiha Kakuzan understood Sasuke's meaning: Kakashi had nothing more to teach him, and he needed to become stronger, so he could no longer stay with Kakashi.

Uchiha Kakuzan nodded and asked, "What about the Lightning Release Armor? How far have you progressed in your training?"

Upon hearing his master's words, Sasuke immediately unleashed his power, forming a dazzling, crackling armor of lightning around his body, and respectfully said:

"I have completed the second level of cultivation, but the third stage is too difficult, and I haven't even started yet."

Chapter 374 Sasuke's Development

Chapter 374 Sasuke's Development

Uchiha Kakuzan was well aware of the difficulty of the third stage of the Lightning Release Armor. In the entire Hidden Cloud Village, only the Third and Fourth Raikage had been able to successfully master it.

If Uchiha Kakuzan hadn't possessed the overpowered Mangekyou Sharingan, which he directly copied from the Raikage, it's unknown when he would have been able to successfully master it.

For example, Tsunade only mastered the Lightning Release Armor to the second level. Although this was partly due to childbirth, it also shows how difficult her training was.

Uchiha Kakuzan waved his hand, signaling him to put away the Lightning Release Armor, and then said:

"After this incident, your Sharingan should have awakened to the third tomoe, right?"

As soon as Qiu Shan-jun finished speaking, Sasuke activated his Sharingan. However, after activating his Sharingan, Sasuke's eyes were filled with pain and struggle. His expression also became full of ferocity and hatred. Clearly, activating his Sharingan reminded him of painful memories.

Before Uchiha Kagami could speak, Sasuke spoke first, his voice hoarse and self-deprecating:

"That man is right. The power of our Uchiha clan inherently represents bloodshed and misfortune. The more pain and struggle we experience, the stronger our power will become."

Uchiha Kakuzan shook his head helplessly upon hearing Sasuke's words, and casually tapped him on the head. The sudden pain snapped Sasuke out of his negative emotions, and he looked at his master in confusion.

After waking Sasuke, Qiushan-jun continued:

"Actually, Itachi's statement is not entirely wrong. The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan evolves successfully only when it is in sync with the great ups and downs of its master's emotions."

However, he misunderstood the reason. The Sharingan only evolves as your mental strength increases, and the dramatic ups and downs of emotions are merely one way to improve mental strength.

After finishing speaking, Uchiha Kakuyama glanced at Sasuke and continued:

"Otherwise, according to what you and Itachi said, my Sharingan has evolved to its current level, so even if I didn't slaughter the entire Hidden Leaf Village, I could have wiped out the Uchiha clan. Is that even possible?"

After saying this, Uchiha Kakuyama looked at Sasuke, who seemed to be deep in thought, and continued:

"Actually, with your current strength, you're considered top-tier among people your age. Your strength is only limited by your age."

When you reach sixteen or seventeen years old and your body has fully developed, you can be considered truly grown up. Of course, if you can master the Lightning Release Armor to the third level or awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, then you might actually have a chance to defeat Itachi.

Sasuke's eyes dimmed upon hearing his master's words. He bit his lip and said with some resentment:

"Master, is there no other way? I want to quickly gain the strength to defeat Itachi."

Uchiha Kakuyama shook his head helplessly and said:

"Your current physical condition limits your strength. Moreover, you haven't awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan yet. As someone who has already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, you should know that the differences between each stage of the Sharingan are truly vast. I can tell you definitively that the difference between the Mangekyou Sharingan and the three-tomoe Sharingan is greater than the difference between the three-tomoe Sharingan and no Sharingan at all."

Uchiha Kakuzan reached out and ruffled Sasuke's slightly disheveled hair, comforting him:

"Don't worry, Sasuke. After the Chunin Exams are over, I will take you back to the clan for more rigorous training. Before that, you need to get yourself in the right mindset. That's about three or four years."

Your master waited silently for several years before finally stepping forward at the age of sixteen or seventeen, when the Uchiha clan was driven to the brink of desperation, and wiped out Danzo in one fell swoop.

Now, pulling your fist in doesn't signify weakness; it's a preparation for defeating the enemy in one fell swoop next time.

Uchiha Kakuzan paused here, as if remembering something, and patted his head, saying:

"For the sake of your life, I'll teach you this ninjutsu first. I originally wanted to teach it to Naruto first, since it's his father's most prized ninjutsu."

As Qiu Shanjun spoke, he gently touched Sasuke's forehead and transmitted his insights on the simplified version of the Flying Thunder God Technique to him.

Before Sasuke could speak, he was drawn to the massive amount of information that suddenly appeared in his mind. He quickly held his breath and focused his attention, slowly absorbing it.

After a long while, Sasuke finished processing the information in his mind. Now he understood the value of the Flying Thunder God Technique and looked at Uchiha Kakuyama, asking:

"Master, this is the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique, right? Then, Naruto..."

Uchiha Kakuzan, of course, understood Sasuke's meaning, waved his hand, and said:

"Don't worry, this Flying Thunder God Technique isn't exclusive to the Fourth Hokage. It was invented by the Second Hokage, but the Fourth Hokage popularized it. Besides, Naruto is practically my student, so how could I forget him? I'll teach him this ninjutsu when we go on the mission tomorrow."

Uchiha Kakuyama glanced at the setting sun about to sink below the horizon, patted Sasuke on the shoulder, and said:

"Alright, focus on your work. When you grow up, I'll need your help."

Sasuke, hearing his master's words, knew their conversation was coming to an end, and quickly said respectfully:

"Don't worry, Master, I will definitely do my best."

Uchiha Kakuyama nodded. Although Sasuke was still filled with hatred for Itachi, under Kakuyama's influence, his personality had not become extreme, which was a fitting reward for Kakuyama's guidance over the years.

Then, under Sasuke's watchful eye, Uchiha Kakuyama left the spot.

However, contrary to Sasuke's expectations, after leaving the Hokage Rock, Qiu Shan-jun did not continue to attend to clan or Konoha affairs, but went straight back to the villa in the space.

After carefully sensing the surroundings, Uchiha Kakuzan raised an eyebrow in surprise, then went directly to Mikoto's door, knocked, and said:

"Misaka-nee, I'm coming in."

Immediately afterwards, Mikoto's gentle voice came from inside.

"Yes, Mr. Qiu, come in."

Then, Uchiha Kakuyama opened the door, and what came into his view were two pretty faces that could be both charming and adorable, one gentle as water and the other playful and cute. Although they had different styles, they were both the type he liked.

The only thing they had in common was that the owners of both faces showed joy when they saw him.