"Clan Head, I feel like your conversation with Oni-chan is very strange."
Although Sasuke was still young, he could tell that there seemed to be some things between Bai Ye and his older brother that he didn't quite understand.
"Nothing, it's just that our understanding of some matters is different."
Bai Ye smiled and didn't say anything at this moment.
Then, he no longer dwelled on the issue, stood up, pointed to the Uchiha training ground, and asked, "Let me see how strong you are now, Sasuke?"
At this stage, Sasuke should only know the Great Fireball Jutsu, besides some compulsory lessons at the Ninja Academy.
"Okay, Clan Head!"
Sasuke said, his tone filled with excitement.
He had actually gone to bed very late yesterday, fantasizing that with Bai Ye's guidance, he might be able to graduate early.
"Clan Head, I heard that you, like my Oni-chan, also graduated early from the Ninja Academy?"
Sasuke had learned about Bai Ye, a genius no less than his own brother, which was why he was so looking forward to today's training.
"Hmm, yes, I graduated early. It seems Sasuke really wants to leave the Ninja Academy early, doesn't he?"
From Sasuke's expression and his undisguised tone, it was clear that Sasuke really wanted to graduate early.
Speaking of which, graduating early in this era was not a simple matter, as it wasn't a time of war.
"Of course, I don't want to play house with them at the Ninja Academy!"
Sasuke always believed that he couldn't learn anything more at the Ninja Academy and would only waste his time there.
Similarly, he also wanted to prove to his father and his brother that he was not inferior.
Once he graduated, he would be a true Ninja, and others wouldn't be able to treat him like a child anymore.
"Graduating early requires having a team, otherwise you can only form a team by yourself, and I doubt your father would agree to that."
Ultimately, graduating early also depended on the timing.
Firstly, it was during wartime, and secondly, it depended on whether there was a team to join you. Otherwise, would a Jonin lead a single Ninja? A Jonin probably wouldn't even consider it.
And letting Sasuke go on missions alone, Uchiha Fugaku probably wouldn't agree to that either.
"Then if I graduate early, can't I just take on missions and complete them myself?"
Sasuke hadn't really thought of this; he just thought that if he graduated early, he could then take on missions himself, which would allow him to gain experience, much better than wasting time in the Ninja Academy.
"Of course, you can. In fact, the so-called Jonin leading Genin isn't a strict requirement. If you want to graduate early and do missions yourself, that's also possible. However, in the early stages, all the missions you'll take on will be things like weeding or finding pets. The reason Jonin lead teams is because later on, you'll have some out-of-Village missions. The first time doing such missions, accidents are inevitable, and a Jonin can ensure safety."
Actually, if it's just doing D-rank missions within the Village, it's not impossible, but looking at Sasuke, he probably doesn't want to do those kinds of missions.
"Then how can I graduate early?"
"Graduation exam. As long as you pass the exam, you can. But for you, it's actually relatively simple."
In fact, logically speaking, if the Uchiha Clan had not been annihilated, given Sasuke's talent and personality, he would have graduated early. However, because the Uchiha were later annihilated, Sasuke was essentially held back in the Ninja Academy, wasting several years.
Moreover, Konoha actually had no one who could truly teach Sasuke. Kakashi was half a teacher, but Kakashi himself knew nothing about the Uchiha Clan's secret techniques, and his Sharingan usage was very crude in the early stages, so he naturally couldn't teach Sasuke anything. Sasuke's true growth occurred under Orochimaru; Konoha was too gentle.
If Sasuke had grown up normally, it would have been fine, but Sasuke had always carried hatred. Konoha's actions were more about smoothing out Sasuke's edges and making him produce more Uchiha in the Village.
The disobedient Uchiha before were all dead, but the Uchiha Kekkei Genkai were useful. It's impossible that the Third Hokage didn't want more Uchiha.
"Then Clan Head, please train me according to the graduation standards!"
Sasuke looked at Bai Ye solemnly. Although Bai Ye had just analyzed the pros and cons, Sasuke still believed he wanted to graduate early.
And he wasn't just messing around by training with Bai Ye; he truly wanted to become stronger.
"Alright, if you're ready, I'll talk to the school and arrange your graduation exam."
It seems like letting Sasuke graduate early might be a good idea.
Completely changing Sasuke's fate line also seems to be a chance for a draw.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Clan Head!"
Although he felt a bit embarrassed that Bai Ye had always taken such good care of him, Sasuke's desire to graduate was clearly more urgent.
"It's fine, Sasuke. Let's see your strength."
After Bai Ye finished speaking, he signaled Sasuke to start.
"Then I won't hold back."
Sasuke didn't use a kunai, intending to fight Bai Ye with Taijutsu. The moves were also those commonly used in Ninja Academy battles. Every punch, in Bai Ye's eyes, was full of flaws.
It seems the Ninja Academy doesn't teach any techniques at all. It's truly like playing house.
During Bai Ye's time, because it was wartime, they would teach some combat techniques, but in this peaceful era, even what the Ninja Academy taught seemed to be more gentle.
"Got you!"
Raising his hand, Bai Ye directly controlled Sasuke's left hand, then placed a kunai horizontally against Sasuke's neck. The cold sharpness made Sasuke instinctively swallow. If that had been an enemy, he would have been dead.
"Too naive, Sasuke. There's no need to test further. Let's go straight to training." Saying that, he glanced at Sasuke's disappointed face, Bai Ye patted Sasuke's shoulder and comforted him, "You're still young. The future belongs to you young people."
"But I was defeated so easily by you, Clan Head..."
Isn't that normal?
Bai Ye inwardly scoffed. If he couldn't quickly deal with a student who had just entered the Ninja Academy, then he shouldn't be the Uchiha Clan Head.
Sasuke's dilemma was simply that he was the top student in the Ninja Academy, always smooth sailing and never losing to anyone. Although he had thought he would definitely lose to Bai Ye, he hadn't expected to be defeated by Bai Ye without even a chance to use Ninjutsu or the Three Body Technique.
He heard that Bai Ye had also awakened the Three Tomoe. If he had used his Sharingan just now, Sasuke wouldn't even have had a chance to move.
"So Sasuke, you should know all the Three Body Technique, right?"
Actually, graduating in this era was relatively simple. As long as the teacher believed you could graduate, it was fine. If you mastered the simple Three Body Technique and passed the cultural classes, then it basically depended on whether the teacher would let you pass.
Since Sasuke had even mastered the Great Fireball Jutsu, there was no reason he wouldn't know the Three Body Technique. He wasn't Naruto, with the Nine-Tailed interfering with his Chakra.
"Yes, Clan Head! Are you going to teach me more powerful Ninjutsu?"
A glimmer of hope flashed in Sasuke's eyes. He wanted to learn Ninjutsu from Bai Ye. Bai Ye surely knew many, many powerful Ninjutsu. When he learned them, he would definitely make Itachi look at him with new eyes.
"Before learning Ninjutsu, you should lay a solid foundation, like a house. If the foundation isn't stable, then collapse is only a matter of time. Before that, let's start with tree climbing."
Actually, things like tree climbing and water walking, if the Uchiha hadn't been annihilated in the anime, Sasuke would have learned them within the clan long ago, instead of needing Kakashi to teach him.
The reason clan Ninja are superior to civilian Ninja is not just because of Kekkei Genkai, but more because of resources. It's very difficult for civilian Ninja to stand out without resources. Jiraiya was because he was the Third Hokage's disciple. Minato Namikaze had strong natural talent, plus his teacher was Jiraiya.
But how many genius civilian Ninja like Minato Namikaze are there in this world?
Ultimately, without Kekkei Genkai and resources, you can't go very far.
"Clan Head, are you sure it's tree climbing?"
"Yes, attach Chakra to your feet, and then walk up like me. This can improve your control over Chakra, preventing waste later, and it's also the foundation for some future abilities."
After listening to Bai Ye, Sasuke didn't doubt him. After seeing Bai Ye walk up the tree like that, he was also eager to try.
Tree climbing and water walking were already the most basic of basics.
Although there wasn't much to teach, Bai Ye wouldn't be irresponsible like Kakashi, saying nothing after telling Sasuke this. When Sasuke made mistakes, Bai Ye would also remind him where he had gone wrong.
"Clan Head, I think I can do it!"
Sasuke stood on the treetop, waving to Bai Ye below.
I have to say, Sasuke at this age was really cute. He hadn't experienced the Night of the Annihilation and was quite lively. But is this guy not trying to act cool in front of me anymore?
Bai Ye clearly remembered their first meeting; Sasuke was still trying to act cool and aloof.
"Not bad, not bad. So next is water walking. It's much harder on flowing water than on a tree!"
Indeed, Kakashi's teaching was truly irresponsible. Now with someone reminding him on the side, Sasuke's speed was clearly much faster than before, and the current Sasuke was definitely weaker than Sasuke at that time.
And this rapid progress also showed that, at first, Kakashi truly didn't put his heart into teaching the three of them.
In one day, Sasuke quickly mastered tree climbing and water walking. He truly was Indra's reincarnation. It's just a bit of a shame that Sasuke didn't give him a gacha chance.
He still needed Indra and Ashura's Chakra. Once he got these two, he basically wouldn't need the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to reach the Rinnegan.
The Rinnegan doesn't necessarily require the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, but rather the Sage Body, Sage Eyes, and the Chakra of Indra and Ashura.
However, there's still plenty of time. Even if he doesn't get it from a gacha later, he still has a chance to obtain it.
After a day of training, Sasuke returned home and told Fugaku and Mikoto about his progress. Upon learning that Sasuke could complete water walking and tree climbing in one day, Fugaku was also a bit surprised.
He hadn't expected Bai Ye to teach Sasuke to complete tree climbing and water walking so quickly. Although it wasn't very difficult, it was impressive for Sasuke at his age to finish it so fast.
"I didn't expect Sasuke to be such a genius!"
Uchiha Mikoto covered her mouth and smiled. She didn't really care about these things; it was simply because he was Sasuke, her child.
And upon hearing her praise, Sasuke's face couldn't help but redden, and his heart beat much faster, clearly excited.
"Indeed, impressive." Fugaku echoed, his gaze shifting to Sasuke, looking at him seriously and asking, "Sasuke, do you want to apprentice yourself to Bai Ye as your teacher?"
He hadn't just thoughtlessly blurted out this sentence; he had given it deep thought.
Firstly, this could also be seen as his attitude, showing that he had no hostility towards Bai Ye.
Secondly, Bai Ye had previously suggested that Sasuke graduate early. Although he could take Sasuke on missions, he still believed that Bai Ye would definitely be much better than himself.
Judging from today's teaching, Bai Ye was clearly a better teacher than himself, and having already failed to teach one son, Fugaku dared not continue to teach Sasuke. He was afraid that Sasuke would follow a path he didn't wish to see because of his teaching.
And from Bai Ye's attitude, he clearly admired Sasuke. If Sasuke was willing to become an apprentice, it would be good news for both parties.
"Apprentice?!"
When Sasuke heard his father say this, he was startled and also fell into a dilemma.
Training with Bai Ye that afternoon, although he only taught some basics, it made Sasuke realize that a good teacher could definitely help him improve.
After finishing water walking and tree climbing, Sasuke discovered that when he used the Great Fireball Jutsu again, the Chakra consumption was much less than before, and his control was also better.
This was much better than what the teachers at the Ninja Academy taught.
"That's right, Sasuke. Actually, there's no need for you to stay in the Ninja Academy anymore. I don't think anyone in the Village is more suitable to be your teacher than Bai Ye!"
Actually, he thought Itachi could also be a teacher, but Itachi's focus wasn't here right now.
"Father, I'm willing, but Clan Head has so many things to do every day, does he really have time to teach me?!"
Sasuke was a bit hesitant. He had no objections; in fact, he felt he was getting a good deal. But as the Clan Head, didn't Bai Ye have many responsibilities every day? Would he really have time to teach him? Would it be too much trouble for him?
"That's right, Fugaku. Given the current situation in the clan, does Bai Ye really have time to teach?"
Although Mikoto felt Fugaku's suggestion was good, she also believed that Bai Ye probably didn't have time at all.
The relationship between the clan and the Village had become unprecedentedly tense.
And she also worried about Bai Ye and Sasuke's interactions. Wives always worry about their children's relationship with their teachers.
"Don't worry, I'll talk to Bai Ye first."
Fugaku wasn't sure either; he could only try.
However, if Bai Ye knew, he'd probably be grinning from ear to ear. As a teacher, imparting some of his own thoughts is quite normal, isn't it?