Root moved quickly.
Just the morning after Makoto submitted his report, a Root ninja silently appeared in his courtyard.
"This is an order from Lord Danzo."
The masked ninja handed two scrolls to Makoto.
Makoto nodded and accepted them.
He opened the mission scroll first.
Just like before, the Root ninja didn't say anything more. Once the items were delivered, he disappeared immediately.
After confirming that the Root ninja's presence had completely vanished, Makoto went inside and began reading the scroll.
The content wasn't very different from previous reports.
The beginning was typical organizational rhetoric—praising Makoto for completing his mission well and for not disappointing the organization's training, while reminding him to continue working hard.
Makoto focused on the important section at the end.
Danzo had replied to his previous question about recruiting Asuma Sarutobi into Root.
The answer was simple:
Not necessary.
Danzo instructed Makoto to continue teaching Asuma normally and simply become an important teacher figure to him.
He also warned Makoto not to do anything extra or expose any suspicious behavior.
This response matched Makoto's expectations.
Trying to recruit Asuma into Root would be like Danzo walking into the Hokage's office and waiting for disaster.
Although Root was powerful, its strength largely came from secretly drawing resources from the ANBU.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi, the true Hokage, decided to crack down, controlling Root would be very easy.
The scroll also contained additional instructions:
Closely observe the Uchiha students, evaluate whether they had any anti-Konoha tendencies, and pay attention to any geniuses who might be suitable for recruitment into Root.
The second scroll contained several rare high-grade Soldier Pills—a reward for Makoto's excellent performance.
Makoto stored the medicine scroll away and burned the other one.
"In this world, even a peaceful life has become a luxury…"
He swept the ashes into a trash bin and gazed silently into the courtyard.
Waking up to find a fully armed ninja standing in his yard was not the kind of life he wanted.
But for now—
Makoto had no choice.
He had once considered revealing his strength while teaching Asuma, allowing Hiruzen to recognize his value and then transferring to the Third Hokage's faction. That way, he could remove the cursed seal placed on him.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
He could change allegiances by earning Hiruzen's appreciation—
but not by exposing his true strength.
Hiruzen didn't know Makoto's full abilities or the ninjutsu he possessed. As long as he avoided revealing techniques like Water Release: Water Severing Wave, his strength could be explained.
But Danzo was different.
The original owner of this body had been trained by Danzo.
Danzo knew far too much.
If Makoto suddenly revealed hidden strength and switched sides, Danzo might expose his secrets to the Hokage and have him treated as a spy.
In Makoto's mind, there were only three situations where revealing his strength would be acceptable:
1️⃣ If Danzo tried to use him as disposable cannon fodder.
In that case, he would reveal his power and escape.
2️⃣ If his strength reached the level of the Legendary Sannin, allowing him to help Konoha during wartime.
Even if people questioned where his power came from, he would be seen as a hero, not a traitor.
3️⃣ If he gained the power to overturn Konoha entirely.
At that point, hiding his strength wouldn't matter anymore.
Makoto adjusted his expression and headed to the Ninja Academy.
With a warm smile, he walked into the office and into the classroom.
Until he had enough strength—
It was better to remain the kind and gentle teacher everyone liked.
Saturday — Training Grounds
Obito arrived early at the training ground.
He picked up a palm-sized ice block and placed it in his hand, channeling chakra into it for Nature Transformation training.
About ten seconds later—
The ice vanished.
Only a small puddle of water on the ground remained as evidence.
Makoto nodded in approval.
Six days ago, Obito couldn't even melt ice faster than it would melt naturally.
Reaching this level in six days exceeded expectations.
Of course, Makoto hadn't expected to obtain the Cooking Skill, nor that a life skill would help so much with Fire Release Nature Transformation training.
In truth, Mapo Tofu deserved most of the credit.
"You've already grasped the basics of Nature Transformation," Makoto said.
"The next step is increasing your maximum output."
He reached into a wooden barrel and placed an ice block the size of a human head on the ground.
"Your next goal is to melt this within ten seconds."
Obito scratched his head.
"Isn't that way too big?"
"This stage focuses on pushing the limits of your instant chakra output," Makoto explained.
"Don't worry about chakra consumption. Use everything you have. Rest when you're tired, then continue training."
This stage mainly required time and repetition.
Unless someone had monstrous chakra and life force like Naruto Uzumaki, allowing them to spam Shadow Clones to accelerate training.
Compared to Naruto's ridiculous advantage, Obito couldn't compete.
But compared to normal people, he was already doing quite well.
The Teacher Skill and special cooking buffs helped a lot.
Lunchtime
Around noon, Makoto stopped the training session.
"You've been eating similar dishes every day, so you're probably tired of it."
"Today we're having hot pot."
Obito immediately jumped with excitement.
"Finally! No more super spicy tofu!"
Mapo Tofu wasn't bad—
But eating it every day made going to the bathroom extremely painful.
"I've only prepared the soup base," Makoto continued.
"As for the ingredients… that depends on what you can find."
"I want fish!" Obito shouted, running to the river with a kunai to spear one.
"I'll help!"
Might Guy sprinted forward and dove into the river with a massive splash.
Obito, who had been quietly searching for fish, was instantly soaked.
"Guy!!"
Obito clenched his fists.
A moment later, Guy surfaced holding two fish.
"Did you call me, Obito?"
"…Yeah! I was just saying you're a great friend!" Obito instantly changed his tone when he saw the fish.
Meanwhile, Shisui Uchiha gathered wild vegetables and mushrooms in the forest.
The three of them even worked together to hunt a wild boar.
Guy attracted its attention, Shisui attacked from the front, and Obito assisted from the side.
Together, they successfully took it down.
Meanwhile, Makoto prepared the hot pot base and processed the ingredients they brought back.
He created several Shadow Clones to help with the work.
The wild boar and fish required the most preparation. The vegetables and mushrooms just needed washing and cutting.
There was no need to start a fire.
Makoto simply had Obito place his hands under the pot—
turning him into a human heater as part of his training.
And so, in the middle of the forest, the teacher and his three students cooked lunch with whatever they had gathered.
The process was simple.
The ingredients were wild.
The food wasn't even as delicious as Makoto's normal cooking.
Yet Shisui ate happily.
For someone who had lost his parents at a young age—
This warm atmosphere was a rare experience.
[Disciple Shisui Uchiha — Trust Level Increased]
[Current Trust Level: Level 3]
Taking a bite of fish from the pot, Makoto smiled slightly.
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