The next morning, before the thin layer of mist had fully dispersed, Heavenly Dao hummed a little tune as he headed toward the Third Training Ground.
At the moment, he was extremely satisfied with the mentally challenged System he possessed. It was actually quite good for it to remain at its current level of intelligence.
System, you really are different from the others.
Sasuke was also an honest child—someone who could genuinely sense Heavenly Dao's selfless kindness. That, too, was very good.
Of course, Heavenly Dao hadn't lied to him. He truly had no ulterior motives toward Sasuke.
…Well, aside from completing a System mission, that is.
After successfully finishing the mission to gain Sasuke's initial approval, the System immediately refreshed with a new task.
[Latest Mission: Increase Uchiha Sasuke's level of approval and absorb him into the Uchiha Clan.]
[Mission Reward: Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.]
Who said you were mentally challenged, System?
Looking at the mission description, Heavenly Dao could only tearfully give a thumbs-up to the System's intelligence module.
Then, under Sasuke's gaze—one that clearly looked at him as if he were an idiot—Heavenly Dao suddenly turned around and asked:
"Sasuke, do you think you belong to the Uchiha Clan?"
The mission was completed just like that.
Although Great Fire Annihilation was only a B-Rank Ninjutsu, everyone knew that a Ninjutsu's rank merely reflected its learning difficulty. In the original series, Uchiha Madara's use of this technique had left an extremely deep impression on Heavenly Dao.
While Heavenly Dao's current chakra reserves were nowhere near Madara's level, the technique's power was still formidable. It was more than enough to serve as a powerful area-of-effect supplement to his arsenal.
Although no new missions related to Sasuke appeared for the time being, the guidance he had promised still needed to continue. After all, Heavenly Dao wasn't some scumbag who abandoned people after squeezing out their value.
Besides, Sasuke still had a great deal of untapped potential.
…Of course, that was definitely not the primary reason Heavenly Dao chose to continue guiding him.
He arrived at the Third Training Ground.
A young boy was curled up against the roots of a tree, fast asleep. Morning dew had dampened his black hair and clothes, and faint traces of dried sweat remained on his face.
Heavenly Dao stood a few steps away, silently watching Sasuke.
It had to be said—there was a reason Sasuke consistently ranked high in popularity polls in the original series. The character truly did possess a certain charm.
At the very least, Heavenly Dao now regarded him with a bit more respect.
No way… you actually trained all night.
He squatted down and gently patted Sasuke on the shoulder.
"Hey. Don't sleep here. You'll catch a cold."
Sasuke jolted awake. After recognizing Heavenly Dao, he slowly relaxed, rubbing his sore legs.
"I succeeded," he said hoarsely, yet there was a subtle hint of pride in his voice. "I successfully climbed to the top of the tree last night."
Heavenly Dao smiled and reached out to help him up.
"Was it last night, or early this morning?" he teased. "Genius of the Uchiha Clan, can you even tell time anymore?"
Sasuke frowned and actually began thinking about it seriously.
Heavenly Dao laughed. "Alright, alright. I admit it—I underestimated you."
"Since you finished the training early, take today to rest. I'll teach you something else later."
"I don't need rest," Sasuke insisted, trying to force himself to move.
However, the Uchiha bloodline wasn't the Uzumaki bloodline, and he certainly didn't have a Nine-Tails inside him boosting his chakra. The moment he took a step, intense soreness surged through his legs.
"…Fine," Sasuke said reluctantly, finally accepting Heavenly Dao's advice.
But just as he was about to leave, he paused. His gaze landed on Heavenly Dao's face, and with visible awkwardness, he said:
"You said yesterday that you needed thirty million yen. I… I might not be able to pay that."
"Can't pay?" Heavenly Dao was genuinely surprised.
Given Sasuke's personality, this clearly wasn't an attempt to dodge the debt. If he said he couldn't pay, then he truly couldn't.
But the Uchiha Clan had possessed an enormous estate. Now that only Uchiha Sasuke remained, logic dictated that even a fraction of that wealth should have been more than enough.
After listening to Sasuke's explanation, Heavenly Dao finally understood just how black-hearted the Konoha higher-ups truly were.
Their actions could easily fill an entire book titled "A Thousand Ways to Seize an Orphan's Inheritance."
Sudden IOUs demanding repayment. Claims that certain assets were actually Village property and needed to be reclaimed. Statements like, "Since you're still young, the Village will manage it for you."
Even worse, many of these actions weren't officially issued by the top leadership. They were merely vague suggestions passed downward.
But once they reached the lower departments, those "suggestions" turned into ruthless execution.
As a result, although Sasuke—the legal heir to the Uchiha Clan—never lacked food or clothing, he was being slowly and systematically separated from the wealth that rightfully belonged to him.
The methods were endless.
Truly eye-opening.
In that case, why Uchiha Sasuke and his wife lived so frugally in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and even had to pay off a mortgage, suddenly made sense.
They "managed" it for you while you were young. Then, when you grew up… didn't you defect?
Reclaiming your property after that would seem perfectly justified.
Sasuke would never go asking for it himself. And without someone reminding him, Uzumaki Naruto would never think to proactively return it either.
But now, things were different.
"That's all MY money!" Heavenly Dao roared internally, his eyes blazing with anger.
He was now the System-appointed last descendant of the Uchiha Clan, a legitimate possessor of the Sharingan.
He had a responsibility to protect the Uchiha legacy.
[Latest Mission: Reclaim the Uchiha Clan's heritage.]
[Mission Reward: Tsukuyomi.]
Tsukuyomi?
A direct reward of a Mangekyō Sharingan technique?
Looking at the reward, Heavenly Dao's heart pounded violently.
Tsukuyomi was a legendary god-tier skill—an absolute crusher of weaklings. As long as the opponent's stats were lower, it was an instant kill with a single glance. Even in high-level battles, it functioned as a terrifying control technique.
But the most crucial point was simple.
It was cool.
A true hero kills with his eyes.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the right time to reclaim the property. He needed to endure.
Endurance meant keeping a clear mind and waiting patiently.
Seeing Heavenly Dao's expression shift between anger and calm, Sasuke became anxious, afraid he might be regretting his decision.
He hurriedly added, "But the clan still has Ninjutsu scrolls. I can bring them to you for study."
Heavenly Dao's eyes instantly lit up.
Ninjutsu scrolls? Perfect.
After receiving Great Fire Annihilation, Heavenly Dao had been worried about how to "launder" the technique so he could use it openly in the future.
Now that Sasuke had opened access to the Uchiha Clan's Ninjutsu collection, any elemental techniques rewarded by the System could be reasonably attributed to the Uchiha.
"Deal," Heavenly Dao said without hesitation, nodding firmly.
Sasuke returned home to rest, while Heavenly Dao remained behind to continue training.
He had essentially grasped three Ninjutsu so far: Shadow Clone Jutsu, Water Release: Water Severing Wave, and Lightning Release: Lightning Strike.
However, techniques learned bit by bit through practice could never compare to the "thousand-fold tempering" directly granted by the System.
Heavenly Dao was still only at the introductory stage with these techniques and needed more training.
Now that he had a way to launder techniques through Sasuke, he decided to test the gap between his own Great Fire Annihilation and Madara's legendary version.
Standing in an open clearing, Heavenly Dao formed the Horse seal.
The chakra within his body surged, transforming into scorching flames that burst from his mouth in a single breath. What began as a narrow stream of fire rapidly expanded upon meeting the wind, instantly transforming into a raging firestorm.
Fortunately, he had chosen his position carefully. Otherwise, the sea of flames crashing into the forest would have caused quite a disturbance.
"About a quarter of my chakra," Heavenly Dao estimated.
After receiving the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, his chakra reserves had increased significantly—enough to comfortably support this technique.
"The power is impressive. Worthy of its reputation as a god-tier area-of-effect skill."
"There's still a gap compared to Lord Madara," he concluded objectively.
If he invested more chakra, the technique's power could be further enhanced.
Madara's performance during the Fourth Shinobi World War was truly something to aspire to.
"Yo, isn't this our liberal arts graduate student, Heavenly Dao? Since when did you start playing with fire?"
A teasing voice suddenly came from the side.
Heavenly Dao was startled and turned around.
Yūgao Uzuki stood there with a faint smile, looking at him affectionately. Beside her, Kurenai Yuhi crossed her arms, her eyes filled with mild amusement.
The one who had spoken was Anko Mitarashi, a blade of grass dangling from her mouth as she raised an eyebrow at him.
For more chapters
patreon.com/Albert213