Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

Inside the room, Aozora delivered his final verdict.

"The conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha leadership didn't truly originate from suspicions following the Nine-Tails' Invasion or the Uchiha's arrogance. Its real root lies in Konoha's inability to offer power and interests matching the Uchiha's strength."

Itachi remained silent for a long time before lifting his head hopefully to look at Aozora.

"Do we Uchiha still have a chance?"

Aozora felt an inexplicable chill and quickly replied, "Of course we do! Aren't you and the clan head working on this right now?"

"But we Uchiha cannot match Konoha's strength. Escaping Konoha would mean certain death..."

As he spoke, Itachi's voice dropped, just like the gradually fading flame of hope in his heart.

Aozora let out a soft chuckle.

After drawing Itachi's attention, he continued, "You and the clan head share the same judgment, but after speaking with me, he changed his mind."

Itachi's eyes lit up as he asked, "Brother Aozora, what did you say to Father?"

Shaking his head, Aozora whispered, "That's confidential!"

"Then tell me," Itachi pressed, "What can I do?"

"Study diligently and make progress every day," Aozora sighed. "Right now, you are still too weak."

Itachi's face fell momentarily, but soon he rallied. "I'll work hard to grow stronger!"

Aozora patted his head gently, saying, "Itachi, it's good that you want to take action, but you need to trust the other clan members too. You're still a young sapling—you should focus on growing strong. The rest of us will hold up the Uchiha."

Looking up at the gentle Aozora, Itachi saw striking similarities with Shisui.

He thought about the Will of Fire.

Compared to the Third Hokage, who spoke endlessly about the Will of Fire yet took no action, perhaps it was quiet individuals like Shisui and Aozora who truly inherited this will.

Suddenly standing, Itachi then knelt respectfully on the floor beside him, bowing deeply to Aozora.

"Uchiha Itachi humbly seeks your guidance, Master."

By the time Itachi stood again, Aozora had already guessed his intention—but this time, he made no move to stop him.

The student chooses the teacher, and the teacher also chooses the student. These three teachings Aozora had given Itachi were also three opportunities to test him.

Had Itachi proven stubborn beyond redemption, Aozora would've severed all ties with him after today.

But Itachi's behavior proved that he was indeed someone worthy of teaching.

No matter who Itachi would grow up to be, at that moment, he was just a six-year-old prodigy.

And Aozora believed he could correct Itachi's misconceptions through gradual instruction.

If teaching failed, well, Aozora had confidence in his ability to discipline even family when necessary.

Straightening his posture, Aozora accepted Itachi's formal bow of respect and helped him rise.

With genuine sincerity, Itachi called out, "Master!"

Aozora gave a quiet nod and helped Itachi up.

Following this, Aozora offered several words of warning before taking Itachi out into the courtyard for training.

During the session, Aozora observed Itachi carefully.

Out of nowhere, the boy lived up to his reputation. His chakra control and taijutsu were already far beyond those of most kids his age—on par with a full-fledged genin.

Aozora clapped his hands once, and Itachi immediately came running over.

Aozora shook his head and sighed regretfully, "Itachi, your talent is decent. I don't think there's anything left for you to learn at the Ninja School anymore."

Aozora meant it as a compliment, but Itachi detected an undertone of pity in his words.

He felt puzzled because everyone else had always praised his talent highly.

Itachi asked, "Teacher, is my talent really not good enough?"

"Not exactly bad," Aozora replied. "Your chakra control and taijutsu are both exceptional. However, your chakra reserves are just too small."

As he spoke, Aozora released his own chakra.

Powerful waves of chakra surged out from Aozora's body like solidified energy, causing his hair and beard to flutter wildly and his robe to flap dramatically in the wind.

Itachi felt as if the Aozora before him had transformed into a hurricane and instinctively took several steps back.

"I've been skipping class and sleeping all through February until I started refining my chakra (harnessing spiritual energy)," Aozora explained.

Itachi murmured in response, "Two months?"

Aozora shifted his gaze toward Itachi. "Itachi, how long have you been refining your chakra?"

Snapping back to reality, Itachi answered hesitantly, "I started refining my chakra two years ago."

When comparing himself to Aozora, Itachi realized he truly lacked talent.

Internally amused, Aozora still maintained a regretful expression on his face.

"Compared to regular people, your talent isn't too bad, but your future development will be worrisome!"

After saying this, Aozora quickly patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Maybe it's just because you're young. Don't worry about it!"

His attempt at reassurance only made Itachi sadder, but he tried to smile anyway.

Pausing as if in thought, Aozora continued, "Back when I was bored during class aside from napping, I also researched some Secret Jutsus. One of them is a Secret Jutsu that strengthens tendons and bones and improves one's aptitude. Unfortunately, since my natural talent was too good, it wasn't useful for me. Now, I'll teach it to you. Would you like to learn it?"

Itachi felt doubtful since such a technique had never been heard of in the ninja world before.

However, as a newly accepted student, he couldn't refuse easily, so he replied, "I want to learn!"

Noticing his reluctant expression, Aozora internally chuckled and then taught Dao Yin Lian Qi to Itachi.

Itachi was very smart; after hearing it explained twice, he understood the technique and immediately began practicing.

Soon, he felt his chakra disappear from his body.

Stopping his practice, he asked curiously, "Brother Aozora, where did my chakra go?"

Lifting his eyebrows slightly, Aozora thought to himself, What strong innate talent!

Yet outwardly, he remained calm and said indifferently, "Hmm, not bad! Although your physical aptitude is somewhat lacking, at least your mind is quick. The disappearance of chakra means you've already mastered [Dao Yin Lian Qi]. Practice [Dao Yin Lian Qi] two more times and see what happens."

Despite reluctance, Itachi could only continue training reluctantly. After completing two more rounds, he noticed his chakra became even less than before.

Nevertheless, he noticed his body felt unexpectedly stronger.

Just as he was about to ask Aozora another question, Aozora interjected first, "That's all for today. Go back and keep cultivating diligently with [Dao Yin Lian Qi]. I will check on you next week!"

Faced with Aozora's obvious gesture of dismissal, Itachi had no choice but to take his leave.

After sending off Itachi, Aozora looked at his retreating figure and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Having reached the Jonin level, Aozora felt his power hitting a plateau. He knew that within the foreseeable future, his strength probably wouldn't improve further.

His original plan had been to learn some life-saving Secret Jutsu and then quietly survive this development phase by taking a low-profile route until reaching Kage-level before making a comeback.

But the Uchiha were now facing an inexplicable crisis—members of the clan were disappearing one after another.

This period wasn't elaborated on much in the original narrative, so Aozora couldn't tell whether this hidden enemy had emerged due to his arrival or had existed all along.

If they had already existed, things would be better—at least the Uchiha managed to survive.

However, if the enemy appeared specifically because he came here, would the Uchiha massacre occur earlier than expected?

Aozora had no way of knowing.

Aozora couldn't just sit around waiting to die. With his own strength unable to grow, he decided it was time to start building his own influence.

He had no selfish attachment to his knowledge and was willing to share the Techniques he had learned with others.

But first, he needed to build up his prodigy persona.

His earlier victories had already established his genius reputation. Now, he planned to plant the idea in Fugaku's mind via Itachi—that he enjoyed developing new Secret Jutsu.

After that, producing various Techniques wouldn't seem unusual anymore.

Still, [the teachings shouldn't be shared lightly; the Dao must not be passed on recklessly].

Most clan members were part of the radical faction. Sharing mystical Techniques could boost their power—but also feed their arrogance and pride even more.

Would those already proud souls truly remain level-headed with Mystical Techniques at their disposal?

Looks like I'll need to choose carefully who gets access. That way, I can also begin building my own loyal circle and growing my influence.

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