"Introduce yourselves."
Sasuke sat casually on a small stone in the courtyard. He propped himself up with his hands behind him, watching the three before him with a calm expression. And his casual posture seemed to put the three of them somewhat at ease.
"Don't you already know our names?" Sarada pouted slightly.
Sasuke chuckled. "The point of introductions isn't just about learning names!"
"What would you like us to introduce, Lord Sasuke?" Mitsuki's way of addressing Sasuke had already changed. According to Sasuke, Orochimaru was his master, so it didn't seem out of place for Mitsuki to call Sasuke 'Lord'.
"Hobbies! Interests! Dreams!" Sasuke stated his requirements simply and clearly.
Boruto immediately stood up. "Alright, I'll start!"
"My name is Uzumaki Boruto, I'm 12 years old. My hobbies are video games and stuff like that, and my interest is..."
"Pranks!" Sarada, standing beside him, chimed in to finish his sentence.
Boruto instantly got flustered. "No, it's not! My interest is learning ninjutsu!" He glanced guiltily at Sasuke, who still showed no change in expression, merely watching him calmly. "My dream is to become... a really cool ninja!"
He had originally wanted to say 'a ninja like Sasuke', but facing Sasuke himself, he found himself unable to say it. After all, judging by appearances, Sasuke didn't seem that much older than them.
"I'm Mitsuki, 12 years old. My hobby is carrying out missions, my interest is watching Boruto strive to be a ninja, and my dream is to someday become a free person!"
A child raised by Orochimaru... why does he feel somewhat dark, even though Mitsuki seems quite bright right now? But Sasuke wouldn't mistake this feeling.
"My name is Uchiha Sarada, I'm 12. My hobby is learning and mastering more ninja knowledge, my interest is practicing ninjutsu with my dad, and my dream is to become the Hokage of Konoha!"
An Uchiha child inheriting the Will of Fire... Interesting! Sasuke nodded. "Alright, my turn now, I suppose."
The three hadn't expected Sasuke to introduce himself too, and their interest was immediately piqued.
"Uchiha Sasuke. As for my age... I don't know if I should count my body's age or my soul's age. Anyway, Naruto and I are from the same year. You figure it out. Hobby: training. Interest: training. Dream: to become an existence capable of anything!"
After speaking, Sasuke looked up at the three of them.
Someone whose hobby and interest are both training... Mitsuki now seemed to understand a little better why the man before them was called the greatest genius. Not only possessing unparalleled talent but also a diligence beyond ordinary people's reach. No wonder such a person could rival the strongest Hokage using his own power.
"Through that conversation, you and I should now have a rough understanding of each other's personalities and temperaments," Sasuke said. "Alright, get ready. We leave this afternoon for a mission in Kirigakure!"
The three nodded. Meanwhile, Naruto, watching this scene from somewhere... found himself vaguely recalling the time when their Team 7 first met Kakashi. It was the same process.
'Sasuke, I'm leaving Boruto to you.' Naruto withdrew his gaze.
In the afternoon, Sasuke found the old set of clothes he used to wear the Orochimaru-style outfit. Perhaps because he had worn this outfit for so long, Sasuke felt accustomed to it; it was the most comfortable.
Arriving at the Konoha village gate, there wasn't much that needed to be said. After all, Sasuke was the greatest genius; even Naruto probably didn't have much advice to give him. The group left Konoha smoothly.
On the road.
Sasuke glanced back at the three, burdened with large and small bags. He raised his hand and tossed each of them a gauntlet.
"Put these on. Store your luggage inside!" he instructed. "These have storage space within them. You can put your things inside instead of carrying them around so inconveniently!"
Looking at the items in their hands, the three were astonished. He just casually gave them something so valuable? An excited Boruto could barely contain his emotions, almost shouting out loud. However, seeing Sasuke watching them calmly exerted an unspoken pressure on the three, so they didn't get too carried away.
The group proceeded slowly, not intentionally speeding up their pace. Maintaining a normal pace was fine; there was no need to rush and attract unnecessary attention. However, at this speed, even with the convenience of modern transportation, it would likely still take a day or two to reach Kirigakure. So, Sasuke thought perhaps he could find something else to pass the time during the journey.
During a break, Sarada wanted to take the opportunity to ask Sasuke about the secrets of the Lightning Release ninjutsu he had previously taught. However, after hearing Sarada's question, Sasuke called all three of them over.
"We still have a lot of travel time. During this period, would you like to try learning some new ninjutsu?"
Upon hearing this, all three of their eyes lit up. Mitsuki, however, was merely curious; his desire for ninjutsu wasn't as intense.
"Mitsuki," Sasuke addressed him, "I mentioned before that I wanted to take you as my disciple. What are your thoughts on it now?"
Hearing this, Mitsuki paused for a moment, then nodded. "Of course! If Sensei is willing to teach me, I would naturally be deeply grateful."
"Mm." Sasuke nodded.
At this moment, Boruto started to feel anxious. Sarada was Sasuke's clansman, and his older brother's daughter so whatever ninjutsu she wanted to learn, Sasuke would surely teach her. And now Mitsuki had become Sasuke's disciple. Didn't that mean he was the only one Sasuke hadn't taken an interest in? Was his own talent really that lacking?
"Sarada," Sasuke continued, turning to her, "your use of Lightning Release: Discharge previously was already quite good. You just lack experience as a beginner. That's something that comes with time and practice. Speaking of which, I prepared a gift for you. It's in your gauntlet's storage space. You can take a look yourself."
Surprised, Sarada immediately began searching inside it. The next second Poof! Accompanied by a puff of white smoke, Sarada pulled out a short sword.
"This sword is called the Kusanagi Sword," Sasuke explained. "It's forged from a very special metal. It's extremely sharp."
Sarada tested it; a light swing produced a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air. The blade's size was also perfectly suited for a female ninja.
"I'll also teach you a new technique," Sasuke added. "Consider it a gift from me, your uncle, to his niece. This technique is a nintaijutsu, not purely ninjutsu. Used in conjunction with the Kusanagi Sword in your hand, it possesses astonishing power!"
Sarada grew even more excited now. What kind of technique could it be?
"The name of this technique is... Thunder Breathing!"
"Thunder Breathing!" Sarada repeated.
What? Mitsuki froze for a second. He had heard his father mention it many times. Thunder Breathing. That was an incredibly powerful Lightning Release nintaijutsu, even more potent than Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode. But it was also a sword style.
And the man who created this nintaijutsu... was the Uchiha Sasuke standing right before him!
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