Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

The once prosperous Uchiha clan compound now appeared desolate and rundown. Among the dust-covered, cobweb-ridden houses, a large mansion stood out, seeming oddly out of place.

Though not brand new, the mansion was clean and well-maintained, undoubtedly cared for by someone.

This was the former residence of the Uchiha clan leader, and the identity of the person keeping it clean was self-evident.

At this moment, Sasuke sat solemnly within, his gaze complex as he looked at two uniforms and a mask before him.

He reached out and ran his hand over the green flak jacket, a symbol of a chunin.

Yes, Sasuke had officially become a chunin.

Originally, he had gone to Tsunade to request approval to join the Anbu. Instead, he was met with a surprising announcement.

Sasuke vividly recalled entering the Hokage's office. Tsunade had looked startled to see him but then smiled and told him he was just in time. The daimyo's orders had arrived, and due to his outstanding performance during the chunin exams, he had been promoted to chunin.

Sasuke was surprised. The chunin exams had been interrupted and never fully completed, so he hadn't expected anyone to be promoted.

Yet, here he was, unexpectedly informed that he had passed the chunin evaluation. The surprise was mixed with delight.

Curious, Sasuke had asked who else had passed the evaluation. The answer caught him off guard, only one other person had been promoted: Shikamaru.

Sasuke remembered watching Shikamaru's battles. While his Shadow Imitation Jutsu was unique, his raw combat strength was average at best.

Thinking back on the requirements for chunin promotion, however, Sasuke quickly understood why Shikamaru qualified.

Combat strength was only one aspect of the evaluation. Candidates also needed qualities that would make them capable squad leaders—something Shikamaru undoubtedly possessed.

When Sasuke asked about the others, Tsunade's answers confirmed his suspicions.

Naruto, despite winning his battles, was only deemed combat-capable. He failed in every other aspect, so his application was rejected outright.

As for Neji, while he was strong enough to qualify, losing to Naruto disqualified him.

Shino and Ino didn't even participate in the third round and were naturally disqualified.

As for the Sand trio, while they mostly met the qualifications, the daimyo harbored a poor impression of the Sand due to their involvement in the earlier attack on the chunin exams. As a result, all three were rejected.

Clearly, relying solely on combat strength wasn't enough to pass the chunin exams. To succeed without the other qualities, one likely needed to emerge as the overall top contender, it was a high bar to clear.

In the end, only two candidates passed this year's evaluation: Sasuke and Shikamaru.

Looking at the chunin vest before him, Sasuke allowed a small smile to creep onto his face. This promotion was a step forward.

While becoming a chunin didn't directly enhance his strength, it validated his efforts and reassured him that his hard work hadn't been in vain.

"Thirteen years old, and already a chunin?" Sasuke muttered, his expression tinged with complexity.

After all, at thirteen, Itachi had already become a jonin, and Natsuro had reached jonin status at twelve.

By comparison, Sasuke's achievements seemed less impressive, even mediocre.

But Sasuke wasn't discouraged. He now understood the price Itachi had paid for his power at such a young age.

Itachi's body had suffered due to the overuse of chakra and cellular overexertion from an early age, leaving him unfit to handle the strain of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Even as an Uchiha, Itachi's body couldn't sustain his power.

The use of his abilities inevitably worsened his condition, which explained why Sasuke had found him so frail and sickly during their encounters.

Itachi's strength had essentially reached its peak, and over time, his declining health would only weaken him further.

Looking down at his own hands, Sasuke smiled faintly. Itachi's fate wouldn't be his own—not now, at least.

This was thanks to being born during a time of peace. He hadn't been forced to overexert himself or extract chakra prematurely, sparing his body from such consequences. If circumstances had been different, he might have ended up in a similar condition, even as the clan leader's son.

Now, Sasuke fully appreciated the benefits of having a healthy body. Every day, he could feel himself growing stronger.

This must be what Natsuro had meant when he said Sasuke was in a period of rapid growth.

This realization filled Sasuke with confidence. At this rate, he would one day surpass even Itachi—not just defeat him, but kill him with his own hands.

Only then could he answer to his past self, to his fallen clan members, and fulfill his desire for ultimate revenge.

After that, he could start a new chapter of his life.

The thought of Natsuro crossed his mind, and Sasuke smiled wryly.

If Itachi had paid a heavy price for his power, Natsuro was an enigma. Sasuke couldn't comprehend how he had grown so strong.

There was no visible cost, no sacrifice. Hard work? All strong shinobi worked hard, Natsuro wasn't unique in that regard.

Was this what a true genius looked like?

Even now, Sasuke couldn't see himself catching up to Natsuro, not even with the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Natsuro had defeated Itachi, a wielder of the Mangekyo, right in front of Sasuke. Even if Itachi had been in poor condition, the sheer decisiveness of Natsuro's victory spoke volumes.

Sighing, Sasuke thought to himself, I'd better stop comparing myself to such a prodigy.

Suddenly, another thought struck him, his teacher Kakashi had also become a jonin at the age of twelve.

Sasuke hadn't thought much about it before, but now he realized just how incredible Kakashi's talent was.

Recently, Sasuke had been tagging along with Kakashi on S-rank missions. Only then did he truly understand how strong Kakashi was when unrestricted.

Sasuke, by contrast, was little more than dead weight, unable to contribute much. It was this realization that pushed him to apply for Anbu.

Even if the missions there weren't tougher than Kakashi's, at least Sasuke wouldn't feel like a constant burden.

Still, Kakashi's missions were clearly beyond Sasuke's current capabilities, forcing him to part ways with his temporary two-man team.

Now, Sasuke turned his attention to the other outfit, it was a standard Anbu uniform and a plain white mask without any patterns.

This was what he had received from the Hokage. Usually, such items weren't personally distributed by the Hokage, but Sasuke could sense Tsunade's regard for him.

Running his fingers over the mask, Sasuke recalled Tsunade mentioning that it was identical to the one Natsuro had worn when he first joined the Anbu.

This style of mask had only ever been worn by Natsuro. After he left the Anbu, no one else had used it until now, when Tsunade handed it to Sasuke.

A smile appeared on Sasuke's face. He knew Tsunade was likely trying to win him over, aware of his connection to Natsuro.

But so what? He liked the gesture, and as a result, he held a favorable opinion of the Fifth Hokage.

As expected of the Hokage, Natsuro recommended.

"Hokage… Konoha…"

.....

Sasuke murmured softly. As he grew older, he had long realized that Konoha's involvement in the Uchiha clan massacre was far from clean.

But even if he understood, what could he do about it?

Fight the entire village alone? That would be suicidal.

Besides, after the massacre, Konoha had treated him well. He had never been denied anything he was rightfully entitled to.

But could such treatment make up for the events of that time?

Yet, this Konoha would likely become Natsuro's Konoha in the future. Natsuro was now the prospective Sixth Hokage.

If Natsuro truly became Hokage one day, Sasuke asked himself: would he be willing to destroy Natsuro's Konoha?

Sasuke sighed. Deep down, he already knew the answer: he wouldn't.

He believed that if Natsuro were Hokage, such a tragedy would never happen. He would be willing to let go of that part of his hatred for Konoha.

However, the main culprits could not go unpunished. They had to be brought to justice. Sasuke believed that when Natsuro became Hokage, he would support him in doing so.

For now, Sasuke's priority was to make the most of his current rapid growth phase, quickly enhancing his strength, and quietly investigating the truth behind the Uchiha massacre.

Sasuke hoped the Third Hokage hadn't been involved or at least, not deeply. Otherwise...

He thought back to the kindly smile the Third Hokage had shown him after the massacre when he came to comfort him. Just imagining it made Sasuke feel sick.

But the Third Hokage had been the leader at the time. Could he really claim to be uninvolved?

Sasuke couldn't figure it out, nor could he understand it. In the end, all he could do was sigh helplessly and slowly put on the mask, covering his entire face.

Then, Sasuke donned the Anbu uniform, strapped on the standard Anbu weapons, and headed to the designated meeting point.

There, he would meet his new teammates in the Anbu. According to the Hokage, this team had once been the same team Natsuro served in during his time in the Anbu. It was unlikely to be an ordinary team.

Soon, Sasuke arrived at the agreed location and saw a figure already waiting for him. He was momentarily stunned, he had arrived early, yet the other person was already there.

This was completely different from Kakashi, and Sasuke found himself momentarily unaccustomed to it.

Tenzo looked at Sasuke as he approached. The mask on Sasuke's face and his height, which was nearly identical to Natsuro's at the time, made Tenzo's gaze falter briefly. For a moment, he felt as if he were seeing that familiar figure again.

Shaking his head, Tenzo dismissed the thought. That was impossible. Still, it felt like a passing of the torch.

Smiling, Tenzo thought, If all goes well, this one is definitely a genius too. I just wonder how his talent compares to Natsuro's.

Tenzo figured it couldn't be on par with Natsuro. Geniuses like him appeared once in decades, if at all. There was no way they could keep popping up.

"Hello, I'll be your captain from now on. Codename: Tenzo," Tenzo said, breaking the silence.

Sasuke nodded and replied, "Hello, Captain. My codename is… Hawk!"

He bowed slightly. "I look forward to working with you."

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Currently on Chapter 228 - The Meeting's Results: Taking Over as Hokage