Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

After returning home, Xia Zuo specifically found a blank sheet of paper.

The paper had words like "coincidence," "fate," "arrangement," and "trap" written on it. He drew two heavy lines under the word "fate."

Xia Zuo just carefully checked the surrounding environment and confirmed that there were no other ninjas lurking or any signs of any arrangements.

In other words, his encounter with Uchiha Shisui was a coincidence, not something orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.

But too many coincidences are definitely not normal; there must be other forces at play.

Although it's incredible, after ruling out other possibilities, it can only be the pull of fate.

Xia Zuo believed that the increase in strength he gained on his own was too great, like the mass of an asteroid suddenly expanding several times.

Without the asteroid doing anything, the laws of gravity will disrupt everything around it, attracting celestial bodies that were originally unrelated to it to collide or become entangled.

Xia Zuo's strength suddenly increased without any buffer, and fate attracted people he originally did not intend to come into contact with, creating an entanglement of fate between them.

That makes sense.

But the fact that the first person to have a fateful encounter with Xia Zuo was Uchiha Shisui was still too sudden.

"I only thought of Shisui because of the incident of saving Uchiha Izumi. I only thought about it for a moment and did not take any action. Yet, the series of coincidences happened."

"Has the power of destiny in the ninja world become this strong?"

"Tomorrow, I'll try leaving early and see what happens."

On the sixth night, Xia Zuo deliberately ended his practice 15 minutes early, quickly cleaned up the traces, and went home along a path away from the stream.

In the end, he was still blocked by Uchiha Shisui.

Shisui called him by name directly: "Xia Zuo, genin, can I talk to you?"

Xia Zuo stopped and replied, "Of course."

He looked at Uchiha Shisui: "Uchiha Shisui, Jonin, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Shisui said, "I checked Xia Zuo's information today. In the eight months from Konoha 54 to now, you have done three C-rank missions, but completed 83 D-rank missions."

He activated his Sharingan, staring at Xia Zuo with a scrutinizing gaze, and asked, "Why do you do so many D-rank missions?"

Xia Zuo answered frankly, "Because I like farming."

Uchiha Shisui was bewildered: "Huh? Farming?"

Xia Zuo nodded: "It's farming!"

"Planting the seeds yourself, watering, fertilizing, and removing pests, and watching the crops grow to the final harvest, the sense of satisfaction is irresistible."

"That's why I did so many D-rank missions."

Uchiha Shisui's mouth gaped open, completely unsure of what to say next.

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Shisui rallied his spirits and asked, "Why are you still a genin?"

Xia Zuo was baffled and retorted, "As a ninja who graduated less than a year ago, isn't it right that I'm a genin?"

Uchiha Shisui was taken aback: "Huh? You just graduated?"

Xia Zuo asked curiously, "Uchiha Shisui, you said you checked my information, how come you don't know I graduated from Konoha in 54?"

Uchiha Shisui was a little confused, but after looking at Xia Zuo, who was much taller than him, he knew why he had made a mistake.

How could he have imagined that a burly man nearly two meters tall was actually a newly graduated genin?

Whose child is this? Growing to two meters tall at only 14 years old!

Xia Zuo thought back to the past three days, the painful experience of suddenly growing 30 centimeters taller in just three days.

I remember being woken up by leg cramps every morning, and the trouble caused by sudden changes in my height.

His two-meter height made him very conspicuous, and he had no idea how to explain it to people he knew, so he stayed at home until now, only going out at night.

Fortunately, he hadn't joined a team in the past and always carried out D-rank missions alone, so he had very few acquaintances to deal with in Konoha.

Moreover, he is only 14 years old, which is the time when his body is growing rapidly. As long as he can maintain this for six months without causing a sensation, nothing will happen.

"Okay, let's put this matter aside for now."

Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all his chaotic thoughts, and narrowed his eyes to stare at Xia Zuo.

He asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Your strength has reached the level of a Jonin. Is this normal?"

Xia Zuo was stumped by the question.

He truly hadn't expected that he would discover Uchiha Shisui's true strength after only two near misses.

Xia Zuo feigned bewilderment at having his secret exposed, while his mind raced, devising a reason to defend himself...

Pshaw, I mean explanation!

He needed to come up with a perfect reason that would not only gain Uchiha Shisui's trust but also perfectly match his long-term public image, without having to constantly patch things up in the future.

That approach is too risky and could easily backfire.

Uchiha Shisui saw Xia Zuo's surprise and hesitation. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he knew he couldn't give Xia Zuo time to think.

Shisui then raised his voice and sternly pressed, "What is your purpose in concealing your strength and identity? Which village are you a spy from?"

Xia Zuo not only gained immense strength and height through his own efforts, but also achieved an enhancement of his soul essence, and his mind became extremely sharp.

But even with his keen insight, he couldn't possibly come up with a perfect reason in the blink of an eye.

Just as Xia Zuo was in a dilemma, he heard Zhi Shui's stern question.

Then he realized that there was no need to explain today; he only needed to refute the question that idiot Uchiha Shisui had just raised.

Xia Zuo then adopted an angry stance and loudly retorted, "I didn't hide my identity!"

"I don't have any ulterior motives!"

"I'm not a spy, I'm a Konoha ninja!"

"No matter how strong I am, I earned it all through my own efforts! It has nothing to do with you!"

Xia Zuo was telling the truth.

Using the Sharingan's observational abilities, Uchiha Shisui confirmed this.

He pressed further, "Then why are you hiding your strength? Why aren't you advancing your ninja rank?"

Xia Zuo gave him a strange look and replied, "What's so strange about me hiding my strength? Most Konoha ninjas hide their strength, right?"

"Uchiha Shisui, Jonin, are you hiding your true strength?"

Shisui was taken aback: "Ah, this..."

Uchiha Shisui realized that his accusation of concealing his strength against Xia Zuo was completely untenable.

Yes, he revealed the secret of awakening his Mangekyou Sharingan.

But he kept it a secret for six years before making it public.

Moreover, after the announcement, the number of people in the know was limited to a few, such as Fugaku Uchiha, the Third Hokage, and Danzo Shimura.

Seeing Shisui's expression, Xia Zuo curled his lip in disdain: "Besides, I haven't stopped trying to advance my ninja rank; I've already signed up for the Chunin Exams in a few months."

Uchiha Shisui's momentum had already waned, and out of unwillingness, he asked again, "That's not right. Your strength is so great, and you graduated normally after completing six years of schooling. You could have easily participated in the Chunin Exams three months after graduation."

Xia Zuo snorted coldly: "I didn't join a ninja team, nor did I mentor any Jonin."

"According to the Konoha Ninja Code, Genin are not allowed to participate in the Chunin Exams without the recommendation of a Jonin within one year of graduation."