As evening fell, Sasuke, having finished another day at the Ninja Academy, slowly entered the deserted Uchiha Clan Compound.
Just as he stepped through the compound gate, Sasuke sensed a gaze from the rooftop to the east.
Following the line of sight, he spotted a cat wearing blue clothes, a small scroll strapped to its back, pointed ears, raccoon-like fur, and the character "忍" (nin) written on its forehead.
"Lord Sasuke!"
Upon realizing Sasuke had spotted it, the cat spoke in a human voice. With a few nimble leaps, it appeared beside Sasuke in a blur of motion.
"Lord Sasuke, your custom Chakra weapon is ready."
"Mm. Thank you, Tahi," Sasuke nodded, taking the scroll from the Ninja Cat's back and handing it a bottle of Matatabi beverage.
The moment the cat received the drink, it eagerly tore it open, sniffing deeply with an expression of pure feline bliss—like a cat inhaling catnip.
The Ninja Cat Clan served as the Uchiha Clan's intelligence network.
Raised by Granny Cat, who specialized in crafting tools for cats, these Ninja Cats cherished Matatabi beverages above all else.
They resided in the Empty District, a ruined city several dozen kilometers outside Konoha.
For decades, Granny Cat and the Ninja Cat Clan had collaborated with the Uchiha, serving as their intelligence network and crafting custom ninja tools and weapons on commission.
Sasuke's earlier request for a katana forged entirely from chakra-conductive metal had been relayed to Granny Cat through a Ninja Cat.
Given Sasuke's current status and power, obtaining a chakra-metal weapon through legitimate channels in Konoha would have been exceedingly difficult, even with ample funds.
Moreover, few people remained whom Sasuke could truly trust, and Granny Cat was one of the rare exceptions.
However, even with Granny Cat's assistance, acquiring chakra metal proved challenging. As a precious resource, it took over two months after the initial request for the weapon to finally arrive.
Sasuke unsealed the storage scroll. With a puff of smoke, a katana and a dagger-sized knife materialized in his hands.
The katana was entirely white, its blade gleaming with an otherworldly luster. A tachi, with a blade length of approximately 80 centimeters, its extremely sharp edge ran along a slender, thin blade.
The hilt was wrapped with a red-and-white guard cord.
"A fine blade!"
After examining it for a moment, Sasuke sheathed the katana and asked, "Does this sword have a name?"
Hearing this, Tahi reluctantly tore his gaze from his Matatabi drink and replied, "No, Lord Sasuke. Granny Cat said you're the master of both weapons, so you can name them yourself, meow!"
"Very well."
Sasuke nodded and drew the other weapon—a short dagger—to examine it as well.
As the saying goes: "An inch longer, an inch stronger; an inch shorter, an inch more dangerous."
Considering his profession and combat style, Sasuke anticipated frequent close-quarters engagements with enemies. In addition to the katana, he had commissioned Granny Cat to forge this short dagger.
Besides its close-combat utility, the dagger could also be used as a kunai or shuriken in conjunction with his throwing techniques.
Of course, after his conversation with Sakura earlier, Sasuke now had other plans for this dagger.
"By the way, Tahi, there's another matter I'd like to ask Granny Cat for help with."
"Lord Sasuke, please speak, meow!"
"Granny Cat, could you help me collect some Lightning Release techniques?"
Sasuke paused, then added, "I want Ninjutsu scrolls for all five elements. The rank doesn't matter—the higher, the better, of course."
Although he already possessed Uchiha-style Fire Release Ninjutsu and Uchiha Shisui's Fire Release sword techniques, Sasuke knew his original body's Lightning Release affinity was exceptionally high.
He couldn't afford to let such a powerful talent go to waste. For now, Fire Release would remain his primary focus, but he intended to master both elements equally in the future.
As for the other three elements, he only wanted them for reference, with no immediate plans to train in them.
"Lord Sasuke wants scrolls for all five elements?"
Tahi licked his paw thoughtfully. After a moment, he said, "Granny Cat mentioned we have some scrolls for the Five Elements, but most are D- or C-rank. Anything above C-rank will be difficult to obtain, meow!"
"That's fine. Even the basics will do," Sasuke nodded gravely.
"Alright!" Tahi bobbed his little head.
"Lord Sasuke, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now, meow!"
"Hmm!"
As soon as the word left his lips, Tahi vanished in a puff of smoke.
Sasuke expertly familiarized himself with his two new weapons before resuming his daily training regimen.
The next day, at the Uchiha Clan Compound:
After breakfast, Sasuke completed his usual physical training and then grabbed his newly acquired daggers to head to the Back Mountain of Konoha Village.
It was the weekend, so there was no school. Sasuke wasn't planning his usual day of grueling training but instead intended to begin a new phase of his regimen.
As he walked along the path to the Back Mountain, he had noticeably grown taller compared to two months prior.
His regular sleep schedule, nutrient-rich diet, and over two months of consistent physical training and yoga stretching had made him appear leaner and more muscular than his peers.
"That's Senior Sasuke! He's the genius from the class above ours at the Ninja Academy!"
A chorus of girlish voices drifted over.
Sasuke glanced in their direction and saw two girls, about two or three years younger than him, whispering to each other while stealing glances at him.
When Sasuke looked over, the two girls showed no embarrassment. Instead, they waved and giggled softly, covering their mouths.
'I guess I'm kind of a celebrity at the Ninja Academy now,' Sasuke thought to himself.
In the week since starting school, Sasuke had often overheard younger students discussing him.
The boys naturally talked about his talent and strength, their voices tinged with envy, jealousy, and resentment. The bolder girls, on the other hand, made no secret of their infatuation with his looks, a fact Sasuke recognized immediately.
Finding it amusing, Sasuke unconsciously walked to the foot of Back Mountain. As soon as he arrived, he sensed at least five or six pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows.
Maintaining his composure, Sasuke continued to stroll calmly into the mountain's depths. The gazes lingered for only a dozen seconds before vanishing.
Konoha's Back Mountain fell within the village's boundaries and was not restricted to villagers or ninja. Some ninja even had their residences on the mountain, such as Might Guy and his father in the original story.
However, due to the mountain's dense forests and hilly terrain providing excellent cover, Anbu ninja teams patrolled the area day and night to prevent unidentified individuals from infiltrating and to protect villagers from accidental encounters with wild beasts.
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Power stone please!