Lately, Hatake Kusuo's days were spent either practicing his sword or meditating.
Grasping the Transparent World was not merely a change in vision. To be more precise, it was the "Mind's Eye." This concept, in a broad sense, was related to the "Tao." In a narrower sense, it was simply a "feeling."
The normal way to awaken the Transparent World was to endure extreme pain under a state of utter exhaustion, breaking through both the mental and physical limits. This would allow the real world to become transparent in one's mind. From this perspective, the Transparent World was, at its core, a special kind of power.
The Sharingan was the same. When an Uchiha experiences a strong emotional shock, a powerful surge of chakra flows from their brain into their eyes. Thus, meditation was the best way to train and strengthen one's spiritual power.
...
Meanwhile, in the dim, dark base of Root, Danzo sat on the main seat, his entire being shrouded in darkness. Several Root ninja knelt below him.
"Well? What about the children on that list?" a sinister voice drifted down from above.
The Root ninja below lowered his head a little further. "Reporting to Lord Danzo, all targets are under surveillance. Among them, Sasuke is training the hardest, and Hatake Kusuo is the most... special."
"Mm," Danzo said, his expression calm. He had an agreement with Hiruzen. He was not to touch any of the children from the academy. Therefore, he had been biding his time.
"Elaborate."
"According to our reports, Sasuke has been undergoing special training under Kakashi. We've heard his Sharingan has evolved again. The other children are ordinary, nothing special."
"It's just..."
"Just what?" Danzo's tone rose slightly.
"It's just Hatake Kakashi's cousin, that child, Hatake Kusuo. He acts alone every day, and he is also quite close with the princess of the Hyuga clan."
Hearing his subordinate's report, Danzo's eyelid twitched a few times.
"I asked about their STRENGTH! Their POTENTIAL! Not these children's emotional games!" Danzo's icy gaze shot down, his roar making the ninja below tremble. The agent quickly added:
"My lord! It's this Hatake Kusuo. According to our observations, he does not practice ninjutsu. He only does two things every day: practice his sword and meditate!"
"On one occasion, our men personally witnessed Hatake Kusuo unleash a sword aura over ten meters long! The aura kicked up a terrifying shockwave and shattered a small mountain peak! And... and the sword aura even had an elemental property change!"
Hearing this, Danzo finally became interested. It was no surprise that Sasuke was working hard, driven by the hatred from his clan's tragedy. Besides, during the night of the massacre, Danzo had sent men to collect a large number of Sharingan, making him quite wealthy in that regard. As long as Sasuke hadn't reached the level of Mangekyo Sharingan, he wasn't worth mentioning.
"A sword aura over ten meters long? From a newly graduated genin?" He stood up from his seat and began to pace back and forth, lost in thought.
"My lord, there's more," the ninja below seemed to have more to say.
"Speak!"
"My lord... our... our men... it seems he discovered them long ago. Hatake Kusuo simply didn't expose them."
"That feeling..." The man carefully recalled the scene. "It was as if Hatake Kusuo saw a mouse peeking from the shadows, a presence so insignificant that it wasn't even worthy of his attention. It was complete disdain."
Interesting. Another White Fang of Konoha? A light glinted in Danzo's exposed eye.
It wasn't the first time he had encountered such an arrogant child. Whether it was the Itachi of the past or Kakashi, it mattered not. So what if he was part of the Hokage's faction? Forget the fact that Kusuo hadn't fully matured yet; even the original White Fang had been played in the palm of his hand by him, Danzo. No one could escape his influence. This Hatake Kusuo would be no different.
Thinking of this, Danzo flicked his sleeve. "Very good. From now on, place this child under strict surveillance. I want a report on every detail of his life, twenty-four hours a day. I want to know everything about this child, no matter how trivial!"
"Yes!" the Root ninja below clasped his fist and responded in a deep voice. Seeing Danzo's departing back, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
...
Kusuo had known he was being watched by unknown ninja for more than a day or two. After his extreme training and meditation to awaken the Transparent World, their presences were as obvious to him as a bright lantern in the daytime. In fact, they couldn't be more conspicuous. The only reason he trained as usual and paid them no mind was because there was no need to.
In a place like Konoha, a genius could not escape Danzo's prying eyes. Rather than getting worked up about it, it was better to just ignore them like rats hiding in their dirty holes. Besides, he was certain that the Third Hokage wouldn't just sit by and let Danzo do as he pleased. His previous actions had already sufficiently demonstrated his potential and value. Whether to compensate the Hatake clan or for the sake of the village, the Third would temporarily protect him. This was also the reason why Kusuo had taken the initiative to display his strength in front of Asuma.
He certainly wasn't afraid of any underhanded tactics, but having a peaceful training environment was what he truly desired.
"Heh." The thought of Danzo's sinister face, surely coveting his talent even in his dreams, made Kusuo laugh. He caressed the sword in his hand, his movements gentle.
"Come then, you demons and monsters. With this sword in my hand," he whispered, "I will make sure you never return!"
BOOM!
A crimson sword aura shot out a hundred meters, flying into the distance. With a tremendous roar, all the large trees in the depths of the forest ahead exploded, shattering into a rain of wood chips that glittered like starlight as they burned in the flames.
Several almost inaudible, muffled groans could be heard. Then, the figures in the shadows forced themselves to remain silent.
Kusuo sheathed his sword, looking as if nothing had happened. Only a playful smile touched the corners of his lips.
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