Naruto: The Shadow Lord of the Nara Clan

A clean and clear voice came from the horizon.

Sasuke looked up at the sound and saw a figure standing on the tree trunk.

The moonlight shone on the boy's face as night fell, making him appear even more refined and noble.

His dark eyes seemed to contain stars, as deep as a still pool, captivating the soul.

Her medium-length black hair was gathered at the back of her head and tied into a slightly loose bun, with a few strands of hair falling naturally beside her cheeks. Instead of being messy, it added a touch of casual laziness.

She wore a sleeveless black undershirt on top and loose gray trousers on the bottom.

The familiar face and attire made Sasuke's eyes light up.

"Brother Lu Ying!"

While Shikakage's talent may not be on par with Itachi or Shisui, it is still enough to be called a genius.

Not to mention, Lu Ying is handsome and gentle, and he once served as a substitute teacher for the first grade.

Therefore, besides Itachi, Shikakage is one of the few people whom Sasuke truly acknowledges.

When Sasuke heard that Shikakage would not be teaching after graduation, he even felt a little lost and reluctant.

Therefore, encountering a deer at this moment is bound to bring joy.

Upon seeing this, Lu Ying first smiled back, then flipped and leaped.

As his body landed beside Sasuke, ten kunai hit their targets one after another.

Seven bullets hit the bullseye, and three bullets hit the inner ring.

While the result wasn't as good as Itachi's, it far surpassed that of seven-year-old Sasuke.

Sasuke's gaze swept over the kunai on the target, and remembering Shikakage's words, his eyes widened in surprise as he asked:

"Brother Luying, how did you do that?"

Shikakage ruffled Sasuke's hair and said with a smile:

"Want to learn? I can teach you."

"Um!"

"Don't agree yet, I have a condition."

Before Sasuke could even ask, Shikakage gave the answer:

"You should also know that knowledge is priceless, especially skills that involve life and death."

"Teaching you is like giving you one-on-one private tutoring."

"So, we have to pay more."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke pursed his lips and frowned slightly:

"I have no money."

"It's okay, just ask your parents."

Sasuke naturally didn't want to ask his parents for money, after all, he wanted to be his parents' pride!

But considering his own regression rather than progress, Sasuke hesitated for a long time before finally nodding:

"I'll give it a try."

"Don't worry, Sasuke, I won't let you down."

Patting Sasuke on the shoulder, Shikakage confidently brandished the kunai in his hand:

"Let's treat tonight as a trial lesson."

He was absolutely certain that he could satisfy Sasuke.

Logically speaking, as the second son of the Uchiha clan leader, Sasuke should not lack educational resources.

A single weasel is enough to surpass any excellent teacher.

But Itachi's heart was set on the world, and his ambitions were lofty!

They wouldn't spend all their time on Sasuke; spending time with him once or twice is already considered quite good.

As for the rest of the Uchiha clan, they may have the ability to be teachers, but none of them possess the qualities to be teachers.

Even if they were to teach a seven-year-old child, the arrogant Uchiha clan members wouldn't bother, let alone the clan leader's son.

Although Lu Ying's strength wasn't particularly high, he had been a teacher before, and since he only taught basic skills, he was naturally very confident.

Of course, he wasn't just bored out of his mind to become Sasuke's private tutor.

On the one hand, as he said, it would cost more money.

Lu Ying looked at the newly unlocked items in the system shop with burning eyes.

……

【Item: Small red bottle】

[Difficulty of Obtaining: Level E]

【Category: Consumables】

[Description: Can quickly restore 10% HP]

Price: 500g

……

【Item: Small blue bottle】

[Difficulty of Obtaining: Level E]

【Category: Consumables】

[Description: Can quickly restore 10% MP]

Price: 500g

……

The purchase rights for both types of shop items are obtained from the three 'random boxes' that are rewards for completing daily tasks.

This is why Shikakage asked Sasuke for tuition fees.

G is the system store currency, which can be converted from real-world currency at a ratio of 1:100.

Although her family had already provided some "living expenses," Lu Ying certainly wouldn't complain about having too much money since it involved system items.

Of course, Sasuke was only seven years old and couldn't possibly have a huge fortune.

So Lu Ying wasn't teaching him just for the money.

This brings us to another aspect: news!

Inside information from the Uchiha clan!

As the second son of the clan leader, Sasuke had some access to the Uchiha clan's recent plans and movements.

With a little guidance, even if we can't control the Uchiha clan's intelligence in real time, we can at least be one step ahead of others in noticing the changes in the Uchiha clan.

For example, information about stopping the water...

Lu Ying went to great lengths to obtain Shi Shui's shadow, trying anything that could increase his chances of success!

"Come on, Sasuke."

"Don't waste our time. You should know that I always strive for efficiency in class..."

……

It was the early hours of the morning, and the night was deep and quiet.

On the streets of Konoha, there were hardly any idle people lingering.

The wooden door was slowly pushed open, and a short figure peeked out, looking around furtively.

After confirming that no one was around, he cautiously walked out and headed along the streets and alleys toward the residence of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Just as planned, Naruto slipped inside without any trouble.

He tiptoed, hunched over, and moved forward stealthily like a mouse.

As Naruto passed by Hiruzen Sarutobi's bedroom, he heard snoring coming from inside, and he grinned mischievously.

—Hehe, Grandpa Hokage would never have imagined that I could sneak into his house!

Although he really wanted to scare Hiruzen Sarutobi, Naruto knew very well the purpose of his trip, so he suppressed his inner restlessness and slipped into the study without a word.

After searching for a while, he found the treasure he had been longing for—the forbidden book, the Book of Seals!

Using the faint light from the window, Naruto quietly opened the scroll and casually browsed its contents.

He couldn't understand most of it, and only barely managed to memorize the hand seals for the first technique.

The further he looked, the more confused he became.

Shaking his head, Naruto put away the scroll, slung it on his back, and tiptoed outside.

Just like when he came in, Naruto once again left Hiruzen Sarutobi's house without making a sound.

Once on the street, he took a deep breath, filled with excitement, and ran towards the Nanhe River Forest under the moonlight.

—Give this to Teacher Mizuki, and he will teach me the Three Body Technique!

—I will definitely be number one when the time comes!

……

The moment Naruto stepped out of the house, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly opened his eyes, his expression cold and serious.

"He tricked Naruto into stealing the forbidden book."

"Who dares to do this?!"

Several possible candidates came to mind.

Danzo, Orochimaru, Raikage...

He got up and went to the balcony, watching Naruto's running figure with an unfathomable look in his eyes.

A figure appeared beside him without warning, kneeling on one knee and whispering:

"Hokage-sama, should we follow him?"

"Go ahead, but don't get caught."

The "discovery" could not possibly have been made by Naruto.

Thinking about the current state of the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, his exhaustion showing.

He is old, his strength is no longer at its peak, and his spirit is not what it used to be.

He knew he had done many things wrong, that he had hesitated too much.

There might be a better solution, but he dared not try it.

The more you do, the more mistakes you make.

He just wanted to stay put and protect the village until the next Hokage appeared.

He pinned all his hopes on the next Hokage.

A Hokage who must be even more perfect than Minato!

"Teacher, Minato, please forgive me..."

"All of this is for Konoha!"

His tone was very firm, but Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were particularly confused.