Kawasaki followed Sasuke into the house: "Teacher?"
Sasuke was bewildered, as Kawasaki had never mentioned asking him to become his student.
Fugaku frowned and asked: "Kawasaki, haven't you told Sasuke yet?"
Kawasaki chuckled: "It's getting late. Let's get Sasuke back first. We can talk about the apprenticeship tomorrow. I'll be off then."
After leaving Sasuke with Fugaku, Kawasaki strolled out leisurely.
After becoming familiar with Fugaku, he was becoming more casual and unrestrained in his behavior. He understood.
Fugaku's sternness in daily life was only due to his work. He was actually a pragmatist.
"Father, why did brother and Shizui leave Konoha? Some people say they betrayed the village?"
"Why was our clan's land destroyed? Why did you resign as Captain of the Police Force?"
As soon as Sasuke sat down, he bombarded his father with a series of questions like a rapid-fire cannon.
He had been away for half a month and returned to find that everything in the Uchiha clan had changed.
Fugaku, as usual, kept a cold face, trying to maintain his authority in front of his son.
But Kawasaki had reminded him that this attitude would only alienate Itachi and Sasuke even further.
Thinking of this, his face softened slightly: "Your brother and Shizui went out to seek opportunities for our Uchiha clan's future. Don't listen to gossip."
"If Itachi and Shizui really betrayed the village, why wouldn't Konoha arrest us?"
"The clan's land can be rebuilt. As long as the Uchiha clan remains, we can build as many clan lands as we want."
Watching Sasuke nod, seeming to understand, Fugaku smiled.
"As for the position of Police Captain, it was too demanding. You often said there was no one to practice ninjutsu with you, right?"
"Now that your brother won't be back for a while, I will practice with you."
Sasuke was surprised. In the past, his father was taciturn and stern. He had suffered greatly to gain his father's approval.
Now his father was saying he wanted to practice ninjutsu with him. He pinched himself, making sure this wasn't a genjutsu.
"Ouch!"
Sasuke pinched himself hard, making Fugaku laugh.
This was the first time Sasuke had seen his father so approachable. A smile bloomed on his face involuntarily: "Father, when will brother and Shizui-san come back?"
"Your brother will return when you graduate from the Ninja Academy."
"Ah? That long?"
Sasuke looked dissatisfied. The Ninja Academy took six years to graduate. This meant he wouldn't see his brother for six years. It was too long.
Seeing his son's disappointment, Fugaku said, "You are a member of the Uchiha. Do you lose confidence over a small matter? It's not like you will never see him again."
"Hmm!"
Sasuke regained his spirits. "Father, what did you mean by apprenticeship?"
Fugaku explained: "I want you to become Kawasaki's student."
"Become a student?"
Sasuke tilted his head, thinking. He didn't dislike Kawasaki: "Is Kawasaki-sensei very strong?"
"Strong?"
Fugaku savored the word: "Very strong!"
He nodded firmly.
"Is he stronger than brother? Stronger than Shizui-san?"
In Sasuke's eyes, Itachi and Shizui were the strongest members of the Uchiha.
"Kawasaki is the current strongest Uchiha."
Fugaku believed that Kawasaki was already the strongest Uchiha in terms of intellect, and in terms of martial arts.
Kawasaki, after awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, would enter a period of rapid growth.
Even Shizui had the Mangekyō, but the age gap was too large. He would definitely be no match for Kawasaki.
"Number one Uchiha?"
The image of Kawasaki suddenly glowed in Sasuke's mind.
"I think Kawasaki-sensei should be the second strongest Uchiha."
"Oh?"
Fugaku asked curiously: "Who is the first?"
Sasuke said matter-of-factly: "Of course it's father. Otherwise, why is father the clan head and Kawasaki-sensei the deputy clan head?"
Fugaku was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. His laughter echoed far and wide.
Naruto, who had been busy doing housework all night, finally fell asleep exhausted as dawn broke.
In his hazy sleep, he had a dream.
In his dream, he had a father and a mother, and also Kawasaki-sensei. They all turned into bowls of Ichiraku ramen.
Naruto reached out to grab them.
"Ouch!"
Naruto tumbled out of bed.
Naruto rubbed his sleepy eyes, ready to get up and wash.
He saw a figure standing in his house with half-open eyes.
Whoa!
Naruto was startled and cried out.
Looking closely, he saw it was the Third Hokage.
"Third Hokage-jiji, why are you here?"
"Naruto, I came to see you. I heard you made a new friend yesterday?"
The Third Hokage said with a smile.
"Hehe, I guess so. Third Hokage-jiji, you mean Kawasaki-sensei, right?"
"He is Sasuke's family. I hope you can play with Sasuke more."
"He's as nice as Third Hokage-jiji. He took me to eat Ichiraku ramen and Sasuke bought me a lot of clothes."
Naruto couldn't wait to share his joy with his close Third Hokage-jiji. The Third Hokage listened patiently.
The Third Hokage smiled kindly and said, "So what did your Kawasaki-sensei say to you?"
"Oh! Kawasaki-sensei told me to get along with Sasuke and not be naughty or cause trouble."
Naruto slapped his forehead: "Third Hokage-jiji, look at this."
He took out the clothes Sasuke helped him choose yesterday.
He held it in front of him.
"How does it look? Is it nice?"
"Mm, it's nice, it's nice."
The Third Hokage was relieved that Kawasaki hadn't indoctrinated Naruto with anything. He then chatted with Naruto for a while.
Then, the Third Hokage took out five thousand ryō and gave it to Naruto.
"Naruto, you've grown a lot. You're going to school tomorrow. Remember to listen to your teachers. Keep this five thousand ryō for your daily expenses."
Naruto was a bit confused, holding the money: "Third Hokage-jiji, why are you giving me so much money?"
The Third Hokage smiled warmly: "You'll need to buy various ninja tools at the Ninja Academy. Don't spend it recklessly."
Naruto was very moved: "Thank you, Third Hokage-jiji. When I grow up, I will definitely repay you!"
"Hahaha, remember what you said. Go to registration early tomorrow. I should go now."
"Okay! Hehe!"
Life suddenly seemed brighter.
Naruto couldn't help but grin foolishly.
At the Uchiha clan's land.
"Offer tea to your teacher."
Sasuke didn't have much concept of apprenticeship, but he didn't dislike Kawasaki.
So, at Fugaku's urging, he officially became Kawasaki's student today.
Fugaku originally wanted to invite a few friends, but Kawasaki, who disliked formalities, refused.
In Kawasaki's words, a cup of tea was enough for an apprenticeship ceremony.
How much Sasuke could learn depended entirely on himself.
After Kawasaki finished his tea, Fugaku left soon after.
Although he no longer had to worry about the police force, the reconstruction of the Uchiha clan was a huge task.
Fugaku spent most of his time arranging reconstruction affairs.
Of course, this was all on the surface.
Secretly, Fugaku was looking for business talent, paving the way for future planning.
【Ding! Congratulations, Host, for significantly altering Uchiha Sasuke's life path.】
Congratulations, Host, for obtaining: Spatial Teleportation × 1