Konoha Village,
Hokage Office;
"Physique?"
"Oh!!! What a pity!!!"
In the Hokage's office, Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen, the man once hailed as the Professor of Ninjutsu, who had mastered all five chakra natures and was proficient in nearly every ninjutsu recorded in Konoha—slowly frowned.
His aged yet sharp eyes were fixed on the crystal ball placed atop the wooden desk before him. After staring at it for several seconds, he could not help but let out a long, involuntary sigh.
Inside the crystal sphere,
The scene reflected was none other than the back of Uchiha Ryujin, moving swiftly as he headed toward the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters.
Yes,
At this very moment, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen was using the Telescope Technique (Enenra no Jutsu) to secretly observe Uchiha Ryujin's movements.
"With his talent, practicing ninjutsu and developing his dōjutsu would have been the wisest path," Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered softly. "Yet instead, he chooses to devote himself to taijutsu… what a waste. It's far too reckless."
Slowly, the Third Hokage picked up his familiar smoking pipe, brought it to his lips, and took a gentle puff. His eyes narrowed slightly as thin white smoke drifted through the office.
All along,
Sarutobi Hiruzen had paid close attention to Uchiha Ryujin, this rare genius born of the Uchiha clan. To be precise, it wasn't only Ryujin—Hiruzen had always kept a close watch on every talented member of the Uchiha clan.
Deep down, he hoped to guide these geniuses under the Will of Fire, draw them closer to the village leadership, and prevent the Uchiha clan from drifting further away from Konoha's core.
But the result?
After completing the Chūnin Exams, Uchiha Ryujin chose to join the Konoha Military Police Force, an organization firmly under Uchiha control.
On the surface, Sarutobi Hiruzen showed no reaction to this decision. He neither objected nor praised it. However… deep in his heart, a sense of unease quietly surfaced.
Because the history between the Uchiha clan and Konoha Village had always been complicated.
Time and time again, the Uchiha had proven to be a double-edged sword—bringing strength to the village, yet also harboring instability.
Now, with a genius like Uchiha Ryujin entering the Military Police Force, once he truly matured, the power of the Uchiha clan would inevitably grow even stronger.
From that moment onward,
After Uchiha Ryujin officially joined the Konoha garrison, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen began to observe him in secret whenever time allowed. He wanted to grasp Ryujin's growth, his direction, and his potential future threat—or value.
At the same time,
Hiruzen tacitly permitted Root and certain ANBU operatives to maintain covert surveillance on Uchiha Ryujin as well.
However—
What Sarutobi Hiruzen never expected was this.
After joining the Military Police Force, Uchiha Ryujin became unusually low-key. His performance was mediocre, almost dull. He rarely practiced any advanced ninjutsu, showed little interest in developing his Sharingan, and even after awakening it, he almost never used it.
Instead, he displayed an abnormal obsession with taijutsu and physical conditioning.
"The limits of physical training are obvious…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled slowly, releasing a stream of white smoke as a faint glimmer of judgment flashed in his eyes.
"This Uchiha Ryujin… is likely already ruined."
He shook his head imperceptibly.
Almost all shinobi specialized in chakra manipulation and ninjutsu. Even taijutsu experts relied on chakra as their foundation.
But Uchiha Ryujin had chosen the opposite path.
On the surface, his physical strength was indeed impressive—but in front of a true Kage-level powerhouse, such brute strength would amount to nothing more than fragile eggs striking stone.
It had been years since then…
Had Kakashi already grown into a reliable jōnin by now?
Compared to that, Uchiha Ryujin's cultivation path was clearly misguided at first glance.
"Another Uchiha genius has fallen…" Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured. "One day, the Uchiha clan will follow the same fate as the Senju clan—gradually fading into history."
"Forget it," he sighed. "There's no need to continue monitoring a 'wasted man' who only refines his body. The Third Shinobi World War is nearing its end. I should focus my energy on more important matters."
Several seconds later,
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened a drawer and removed a thick folder. He flipped through it, then used a pen to cross out a name on one of the pages.
After a moment of hesitation, he added a question mark beside the name—deciding to let someone test it out one last time.
If anyone else had been present,
They would have noticed that this folder contained detailed records of Uchiha clan ninjas.
At the very top was Uchiha Fugaku, the current clan head, his name written in red, marked with the Uchiha clan emblem.
Second was Uchiha Shisui, who was still fighting for Konoha on the battlefield, his name written in black, accompanied by the symbol of Konoha Village.
...
At the same time,
As the faint sense of being watched suddenly vanished, Uchiha Ryujin—who was moving through the streets—finally curled his lips into a subtle, mocking smile.
Being a genius was troublesome.
Being an Uchiha genius was even more troublesome.
Especially after choosing to join the Konoha Military Police Force—
Within minutes, he had drawn the attention of Root, ANBU, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, and even Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin.
Had it not been for his sign-in reward—Observation Haki, granting him an extraordinarily sharp perception—he would have been exposed long ago.
Of course,
Low-key did not mean doing nothing.
Over the years, Uchiha Ryujin deliberately exposed only one thing: his persistence in physical training and his obsession with taijutsu. Everything else remained hidden.
All of it was a smokescreen—to deceive Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, and the others, allowing them to gradually lower their guard.
Thinking of this,
A trace of unrestrained joy flashed through Uchiha Ryujin's eyes.
A few years ago,
During the Chūnin Exams, his God-Level Sign-In System awakened.
Without hesitation, he designated Konoha Village as his permanent sign-in area and began signing in discreetly.
Signing in at system-refreshed locations granted higher-value rewards. Continuous sign-ins were possible, though repeated locations yielded diminishing returns.
"System, display my property panel," Uchiha Ryujin commanded silently.
"Ding… Generating host property panel!"
"Ding… Property panel generated!"
—————
Host: Uchiha Ryujin
Age: —
Permanent Sign-In Area: Konoha Village
Accumulated Valuable Rewards:
• Whitebeard Template (One of the Four Emperors) [Unlocked 40%]
• Marine Six Styles (Proficient)
• Fire Style: Fire Extinguishment
• Observation Haki (Advanced)
Next Sign-In Location Refresh: 1 day
(Note: Signing in at refreshed locations grants high-value rewards.)
—————
"The system's next special sign-in location refreshes in one day…"
Uchiha Ryujin glanced around, then nodded in satisfaction.
In theory,
He could sign in anywhere within Konoha indefinitely. However, the rewards were mediocre—hardly worth much.
But system-designated locations were different.
The last refresh point had been the Uchiha Clan Compound, where he obtained the Whitebeard template.
Ordinary sign-ins only gave him trivial items—some ryo and useless odds and ends.
As for Whitebeard's template,
Originally, he wanted to fuse with it completely.
But reality was cruel—his body simply couldn't handle it.
If he forced full fusion, his body would likely explode on the spot.
Thus, he could only integrate it gradually by unlocking it bit by bit.
Even at just 40%,
Uchiha Ryujin's physique had already undergone a qualitative transformation. Defeating a jōnin with a single punch was no longer an exaggeration.
The only thing that made him uncomfortable…
Was that due to the limited fusion level, he still could not use the true power of Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi.
For now,
He would wait.
And when the time came—
The entire ninja world would tremble.