"Meow!"

  A cat's cries echoed itently.

  Kurenai Yuhi, with her sharp sensory abilities, could easily locate the cat's position. But in the dense forest, the thick trees and tangled underbrush slowed her down. Often, just as she was about to catch up, the cat would dart into a thicket and vanish again.

  "Your speed is fine, but your efficy is terrible," Kyoichi remarked, shaking his head.

  No matter—this ractice sessio Kurenai run a few rounds first and realize her shortings on her own. Only then would his guidance have the greatest impact.

  Perched on a tree branch, Kyoichi wasn't idle either. He was deep in thought about sword teiques.

  Yesterday, he had used the Leaf-Style Willow in bat for the first time and was now even more vihat it could be fused with the Iaido Ssh. Prolonged illusions weren't necessary at all—just a fleeting moment of distra was enough to end the fight.

  Creating inal teiques wasn’t something achieved ht. The system hadn't handed him a ready-made solution, so Kyoichi had only vague ideas for now. To make further progress, he o accumute more knowledge.

  "Sensei, I... take a short break?"

  Kurenai panted heavily, utterly exhausted. Dust and leaves g to her hair and clothes, a stark trast to her usual graceful posure.

  Yet the cat still eluded her grasp. In fact, it seemed to have grown faster; the gap between them only widened.

  "You rest for a moment. In the meantime, let me ask you this: do you know what your problem is?"

  "Um..."

  Kurenai hesitated.

  Lack of stamina? Too slow?

  "Speed isn't the issue—you catch up if you use Body Flicker Teique. The problem is your ck of agility and inability to trol your speed."

  Kyoichi paused before adding, "Also, what about yenjutsu? You're not specializing in taijutsu, so why aren't y to immobilize the cat once you catch up?"

  "Huh? I use genjutsu?"

  Kurenai froze in realization.

  She thought she'd uood, but clearly, she hadn't.

  Genjutsu...

  Of course!

  She wasn't relying orengths. Why hadn't she sidered usisu once she got close?

  The realization dawned on her, and a bright light flickered in her eyes.

  "Sensei, I get it now! I'll catch that cat right away!"

  ---

  At the Hokage's Office

  "Chasing a cat as training?"

  The Third Hokage held a near-burnt pipe, his expression one of disbelief.

  Most of these cats beloo hey weren’t particurly fast or challenging, and missions involving them were usually treated as basic team exercises finners.

  But Kyoichi had put a unique spin on it, using the task to train Kurenai's speed and adaptability.

  Initially surprised, the Third quickly found the idea rather ingenious.

  "And what about the other two? Chopping wood and carrying water?"

  The Third first observed his son, Asuma.

  Asuma was hauling twe buckets of water, bang them on a shoulder pole. The route stretched from a distant river to a water tank nearby. If any water spilled, he had to go bad start over.

  A taijutsu exercise, perhaps?

  Switg to another se, the Third used his telescope jutsu to che Shisui.

  Shisui was chopping firewood—but with a twist. He was using various kenjutsu teiques, seemingly experimenting with ways to split the logs using minimal effort.

  "This kid has far too many tricks up his sleeve."

  The Third Hokage sighed and took a puff from his pipe—only to realize it had already burned out. His heart sank. He hadn't even taken a single drag.

  After m the wasted tobacco, his thoughts returo Kyoichi's methods.

  Though effective, they couldn’t be widely implemented. Every team had unique dynamics, and a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t work.

  Still, the Third felt inspired. Maybe the cept could be adapted for elite squads.

  With that in mind, he shifted his focus back to Shisui.

  "Could Uchiha Shisui bee the Kagami Uchiha?"

  The Third pondered.

  "One only hope. If not..."

  He let out a long sigh and dismissed the jutsu.

  ---

  Late Afternoon

  Exhausted but victorious, Kurenai finally caught the cat and delivered it back to its owner, earning her share of the day’s mission rewards.

  Ba Konoha, Kyoichi and his team ran into the newly-graduated Seventh Squad at a barbecue restaurant.

  "Asuma! Shisui!"

  Obito waved enthusiastically, as if he were the one footing the bill.

  Standing nearby, Minato Namikaze greeted Kyoichi warmly aured toward the empty seats at their table.

  "Kyoichi-san, care to join us?"

  "Sure, but we’ll order a bit more food."

  Kyoichi didn’t hesitate. His team had only had ration bars for lunch; they were probably starving by now.

  Kakashi, however, turned his head aside, his expression cold.

  But his eyes...

  They couldn’t stop gng at Kyoichi's sword.

  Minato noticed and couldn’t help but smile. Kakashi was usually so posed, far more mature than his peers. Yet in front of Kyoichi, he showed a rare curiosity.

  Minato himself couldn’t help sneaking a look at the sword.

  "Kyoichi-san, could it be... is that the Sed Hokage's sword?"

  "A temporary loan from the Hokage. What I say? I’m broke," Kyoichi replied with a dramatic sigh.

  "If I had the wealth of the Sarutobi , I’d have fed my own chakra bde by now. But as, here I am, borrowing ons to make ends meet."

  At first, the younger ninja didn’t reize the on, but after a moment of thought, their eyes widened in realization.

  "The Sword of the Thunder God?"

  "That’s the one."

  Kyoichi drew the bde.

  It was long and thin, its edge razor-sharp yet fragile. Without chakra to reinforce it, the bde would shatter after just a few strikes. Like the famed White Light Sabre, it was a chakra on that required skillful handling.

  Shisui, with his i isu, reized its potential immediately. His miuro their ret training session.

  Sensei hadn’t everying.

  "If just one person like Kyoichi-sensei is this powerful, how the still think so highly of itself? Those fools sitting in the police force, growing arrogant by the day—they’re utterly blind!"

  Shisui’s thoughts ed.

  He had begun to uand the ’s ambitions: porestige. They believed the Uchiha, as one of the founding s, deserved greater reition and rewards.

  But times had ged.

  Could anyone in the Uchiha match Kyoichi? Or Minato Namikaze?

  The more Shisui observed, the more vinced he became of his choices.

  The couldn’t rely on outdated thinking. Its future would depend on individuals like him—and perhaps even Obito.

  Gcell