Escape from Konoha.

In his sixties, he was already an elderly ninja. Even after retirement, he would dedicate his last bit of passion to the clan and train Uchiha ninjas who could earn the Hokage position from the Senju lineage.

"Elders of the Four Directions".

Liuli bowed slightly, as the other party had taught her in the past.

Having already clearly defined her own path, Liuli no longer needed the teachings of the Four Elders, but she still held respect and gratitude for this old man who had worked diligently for the family.

"Liuli, when you are working hard to cultivate, don't forget to relax. Cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation."

In the eyes of the four elders, Liuli was able to achieve a near-stalemate with Li Huo so quickly because she must have devoted all her time to cultivation.

Therefore, he hoped that Liuli could relax a bit during her cultivation, as he didn't want this genius to exhaust her potential too early.

The importance attached to Ruri was even greater than that attached to another Uchiha successor, Uchiha Fugaku.

If there is anyone in the Uchiha clan who can recreate the glory of the Mangekyou Sharingan, I believe that person must be Ruri.

"I understand. Elder Sifang, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

"Wait a minute, this is a scroll recording B-rank Fire Release techniques. Take it back and study it. With your strength, you are already capable of learning high-level Fire Release techniques. This was left behind by that person."

Uchiha Yomo said meaningfully.

Liuli was taken aback.

'That person' refers to Madara Uchiha, the former head of the Uchiha clan.

That ninja who had already betrayed his family and village.

In the Uchiha clan today, few people would call Madara Uchiha by his full name; when they do talk about him, they would use "that person" as a substitute.

Liuli accepted the Fire Release scroll from the Four Directions Elders, thanked them again, and hurried back home.

"Ruri is getting stronger and stronger. Just two years ago, I could easily toy with her. The power of her two-tomoe Sharingan is actually putting pressure on my three-tomoe Sharingan. It's unbelievable. What method did you use to make her so strong?"

After Ruri left, the Fire Ninja couldn't help but praise the Four Directions Elder's educational standards.

The Four Elders shook their heads and laughed, "Li Huo, don't you understand yet? The Sharingan's power varies from person to person. The number of tomoe can only be used as a lower limit reference, but it cannot be the only standard to measure the strength of the power. Besides, this is something that Liuli obtained through her own efforts. My role was just to add icing on the cake."

Li Huo Shangren sighed; he understood this perfectly well.

The thought that a ten-year-old girl could completely surpass me in a few years makes me feel uneasy.

He had his moment of glory in his youth, and was known as a genius ninja of the Uchiha clan.

"Li Huo, you are also an elite Jonin trained by the clan, so have a little more confidence in yourself."

"Elder, it's not that I lack confidence in myself, but these young people these days are too discouraging. However, I'm very curious to know, when Ruri graduates, who will be her team leader, and how will the Third Hokage arrange things?"

Li Huo didn't believe that the Third Hokage wouldn't have a backup of Ruri's information, so he was very interested in what kind of Jonin the Third Hokage would assign to Ruri.

If your strength is too low, you might be overtaken by Ruri and become a laughing stock among the Jonin.

As far as Li Huo knows, even the most powerful Jonin, including the legendary Sannin, are still a little bit lacking.

"Sakumo Hatake".

The four elders uttered this name.

Li Huo trembled, cold sweat poured down his face, and he looked at the four elders in disbelief.

The name seemed to possess a terrifying magic, and even a seasoned Jonin like Li Huo was filled with awe in his eyes.

"Hey, Elder, are you kidding? That man is..."

"Only in this way can the Third Hokage and I trust each other."

The Third Hokage needed the Uchiha clan to contribute their fighting strength in this war.

The Uchiha clan needs a strong Jonin to lead the team, someone who can both win Ruri's respect and protect this genius.

The Four Elders were expressing exactly this meaning.

Chapter Thirty-One: Internship and Secret Money

Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.

Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song.

These are the two high-level Fire Release ninjutsu that Uchiha Yomotsu taught to Ruri, reaching Rank B.

This is something only Jonin can access, and even then, they may not be able to use Fire Release ninjutsu skillfully.

After reading it, Ruri realized that each of these two B-rank fire-style ninjutsu required a large amount of chakra to practice in order to release them smoothly and ensure their power.

Moreover, since these are high-level ninjutsu, even Ruri, who is proficient in fire-style chakra nature transformation, cannot master these three fire-style ninjutsu in a short period of time.

Fortunately, she is still a fifth-year student and has a little over a year before graduating from sixth grade. Mastering two high-level fire-style ninjutsu within that year will not be a problem.

The most crucial point is how to increase one's chakra reserves. Without sufficient chakra, even if one learns these two high-level fire-style ninjutsu, one can only use them in critical moments.

So, Ruri went directly to Shiraishi and told her about her desire to increase her chakra levels.

Shiraishi, who was sitting in a chair in the laboratory drinking tea, looked troubled after hearing Ruri's request.

Increasing chakra involves more difficulties than improving physical fitness. Shiraishi's control over chakra is basically perfect, with little waste. Even with a moderate amount of chakra, it is more than enough for his own use.

A ninja is made of flesh and blood; a shuriken or a kunai can easily kill him. Shiraishi does not deliberately pursue the power of ninjutsu.

Therefore, Shiraishi currently doesn't have a great need for chakra; he focuses on cultivating his physical abilities.

He has been spending most of his time these days researching the application of natural energy, putting it into medical use, and creating new types of medicines.

"I'll try my best, but it will take some time, as I have other work to do right now."

Liuli nodded upon hearing Baishi's assurance, without urging him.

It would be great if we could finish it, but there's nothing to be disappointed about if we couldn't.

Her body hasn't entered its rapid development phase yet. Once she reaches a certain age, she certainly won't lack chakra, but she wants as much as possible.

"So, you're saying your strength is already on par with the Jonin of the clan?"

Bai Shi held a reagent bottle containing solidified, slightly translucent white granules. He opened the lid, used tweezers to remove a piece of solid granule, and placed it on a small iron stand.

These solid particles also incorporate natural energy, but the amount is so small as to be negligible.

"My chakra is insufficient to engage in prolonged battles with Jonin, so my chances of winning are less than 20%."

Liuli recalled the previous battle and made a fair summary.

"That's already quite remarkable. After all, the chakra reserves of Jonin from the Uchiha clan are naturally much higher than those of ordinary Jonin. The reason you lost to him is due to your physical limitations and age."

Therefore, Shiraishi has reason to believe that Ruri's current strength is no less than that of an average Jonin.

At least when chakra is plentiful, the difference between him and a Jonin is not significant.

By the time they graduate from sixth grade, reaching the level of Jonin is a certainty.

The reason why glass can become so powerful is inseparable from natural energy.

Thus it is evident that natural energy, including the more advanced Sage Chakra, does indeed have a significant role in promoting the growth of ninjas.

Although there are side effects... Shiraishi thought about it and realized that there are too many things with side effects. The food we usually eat contains trace amounts of toxins, and there are also many bacteria when we drink cold water.

We should not overestimate the human immune system, but we should not underestimate it either.

Side effects are not the kind of dangerous things that people are terrified of.

After chatting for a while, Liuli went upstairs, perhaps to cultivate or to take a bath.

I forgot to mention that there's a small open-air bathhouse in Liuli's backyard, but unfortunately, it's blocked by a partition in the middle.

Shiraishi believed that it was the original sin that prevented humanity from being honest with each other and taking root in the world.

Putting aside all the distracting thoughts in his mind, Bai Shi calmed down and focused on his research. He wasn't in a hurry to improve his cultivation. No matter how much he improved his strength, his body and age were still limiting factors, and there was always a limit to how strong he could become.

Studying natural energy is different. If one day he can fully master natural energy and perfectly refine Sage Chakra, his strength will experience an explosive growth.

He only infused a small portion of the truth of natural energy, yet it gave Ruri the strength to fight a Jonin at her age. While Ruri's talent and Sharingan contributed to this, the role of natural energy cannot be denied.

By then, even if I leave Konoha, I will be able to live a good life in the ninja world.

Therefore, many of Shiraishi's plans are already in place, and he has been planning his future life for much longer.

He's not just developing physical enhancement drugs now; he also develops cold medicine, hemostatic drugs, and stamina-restoring drugs, among others.

In short, the medicines developed using natural energy are incredibly diverse, but in terms of effectiveness, they are far superior to similar drugs on the market, and some are even powerful and effective drugs that simply do not exist on the market.

If these drugs were put on the market now, it would definitely cause a huge uproar and bring a lot of unnecessary trouble.

When he left Konoha, Shiraishi planned to leave some of the drug formulas behind as a way of repaying Konoha for the years of nurturing and teaching him.

Konoha can use these medicines to treat patients in the village more conveniently and effectively, and can also sell them to other countries to earn huge profits.

Pharmaceutical profits have always been very high, especially since these drugs can be used by the military.

Then it will be up to Konoha to make their own choice.

Whether it's for commercial use, or kept for personal use, invested in the village's medical and military fields, or involved in all three fields, Shiraishi will not interfere.

That way, when I leave, I won't feel guilty and can part ways with Konoha more easily.

To be honest, Shiraishi doesn't dislike the Will of Fire, but—

If two people have completely different ideas and ideologies, forcing them together will only lead to mutual destruction sooner or later.

For me, Konoha will only be a past event in my life, not the place where my heart truly resides.

Therefore, it's true that Shiraishi doesn't dislike the Will of Fire, and it's also true that he dislikes the nihilistic concept of the Will of Fire.

◎

In Konoha Village, there is no sense of oppression from war. The adults choose to bear the pressure themselves, creating a seemingly peaceful paradise for the young children and protecting them as they grow up.

During his years in Konoha, the things Shiraishi saw also changed over time.

I have gained a deeper and more intuitive understanding of the people, systems, values, ideals, and political landscape here.

Despite its many imperfections and what could be called bad habits, it is generally a relatively peaceful village.

Especially when standing on the Hokage Rock and looking out over the entire Hidden Leaf Village, one is awestruck by its prosperity and vastness.

Bai Shi couldn't believe that this was the appearance of a village.

Life at school remained as peaceful and quiet as ever. If it weren't for the frequent arrival of wounded soldiers from the front lines, one might have the illusion that the war had not broken out.