When Haku was finally sent home, he walked to the doorway and saw Hikari waiting for him at the entrance.

  Seeing his sister, he cheered and ran toward her.

  He had made good use of the resting teique Masashi had taught him, and now he had enough energy to run.

  Hikari quickly bent down to catch Haku, whose steps were still a little unsteady.

  He dove into her embrace, shaking his head and ag spoiled, feeling very proud of his performaoday. His head bobbed as he moved, and Hikari's ample figure swayed in response, causing Masashi to momentarily sider the effects of gravity on physical objects.

  He couldn't help it—he had always been fasated by sce. In his inal world, he was a devoted fan rams like Quarks.

  However, in the world of Naruto, chakra had been added to the mix, leaving the sce here somewhere between actual sd pseudosce. It felt a little off.

  So he had to turn to fields like human biomeics, which he was more familiar with, to rekindle his old is.

  "Masashi," Hikari said softly, stroking Haku's head. "Dinner is ready. Would you like to eat now or take a bath first?"

  Her sense of iedness grew heavier.

  From Haku's ats, Hikari could tell that Masashi was treating him like a disciple. Every detail he shared showed the careful attention his teacher paid to his development.

  Moreover, Haku truly had the potential to bee a ninja, which meant the Yuki was inct after all.

  With the White Ghost as his mentor, as long as Haku avoided making grave mistakes or the Uchiha didn't experiene disaster, the Yuki could be reborn in Konoha as a ninja .

  Hikari thought long and hard, cluding that there was only one way she could repay such kindness.

  She couldn't offer business expertise, could she? That would be absurd. Even in the Land of Water, she khe kind of reputation the White Ghost held among merts in the Land of Fire.

  To tribute to the Uchiha 's enterprises, she would have to start as an apprentice.

  "Let's eat now," Masashi said, gng at Haku. "Eating at this time is just right."

  The other three children in his care had top-tier ninja families bag them, so he didn't o supervise them as closely.

  But for Haku, he o keep an eye on things until the boy learned proper routines on his own.

  "Alright," Hikari said, immediately uanding that Masashi's "lesson" wasn't over yet. She had begun the subtle shifts in his teag methods.

  The three of them ehe house.

  Haku obediently tried to help i, but Masashi stopped him.

  "Sit down and tinue," he said.

  Training someone was a skillful task.

  Positive training pushed the body to adapt to molding more chakra, enhang physical capabilities without causing damage.

  ive training, oher hand, depleted the body's potential, leading to irreversible damage and a vicious cycle.

  During the Warring States Period, ninjas had no choice but to subject their bodies to extreme stress.

  The sequences varied depending on the degree ahod of stress. Each pushed their limits, often breaking them permaly.

  Even Hashirama was not exempt from this.

  His self-healing jutsu, praised by Madara, came at the cost of his lifespan, trading it for powerful regeive abilities.

  He did die a natural death, but not of old age—his body never even showed signs of aging before his death.

  If even the God of Shinobi was not immu showed the toll on other ninjas.

  If not for the peaceful era he lived in, Masashi wouldn't have achieved his current strength.

  Having accepted four students, he hoped they could folloath of steady growth in their ninja careers.

  He also po secure this peace for them as soon as possible.

  From the Third Great Ninja War to the present, he was already tired of stant fighting.

  Activating his Sharingan, Masashi sat across from Haku, the ges in his body.

  The remaining chakra in the boy's body was deposing, verting bato physical energy.

  Molding and building chakra, as well as learning how to accelerate its recovery into physical energy, were the key lessons for today.

  Chakra, though an energy form, couldn't be effectively quantified due to the plexities of ninja battles. Therefore, ensuring physical stamina and mastering rapid chakra molding and recovery were paramount.

  On that foundation, one could raise physical limits and maintain high effi chakra molding and recovery. The body would adapt, and grow stronger.

  That was how tailed-beast levels of chakra were achieved.

  O that level, with proper trol, one could essentially have "unlimited" chakra in regur battles.

  Finally, the st remnants of chakra in Haku's body were fully deposed, leaving him visibly more eic than before.

  "Well done," Masashi said. "Among the four of you, you sted the lo. That's a strength you should maintain."

  "It's because I'm older thahers," Haku replied modestly, dug his head slightly.

  He truly believed this. Among the four students, he was the oldest, and it mattered to him. Every advantage seemed important when starting so te.

  Even though Masashi had praised him multiple times in front of everyooday, Haku wasn't the least bit ceited.

  "Three years old and five years old—there's no real difference," Masashi said with a shake of his head. "You haven't gained any advantage. I'm telling you this not to make yant, but so you figure out the path that suits you best."

  In the inal timelihe boy followed the assassin route, trained in Zabuza's fighting style. However, Haku didn't have a ninja sword, and the Demon's methods were based on his impression of the Yuki .

  From today's training, Masashi felt Haku had more potential.

  The boy was versatile, and his talent wasn't inferior to that of Naruto or Sasuke, though his aptitude in taijutsu wasn't as high as theirs. In other areas, however, he excelled.

  For example, he had the fastest chakra molding speed and could build it for the loime, but his chakra-to-physical-energy recovery rate and his body's natural recovery rate gged behind the others.

  Masashi suspected that the fighting style of the White Fang might suit the boy best, but he needed more observation to be certain.

  "Alright, Haku, get ready for dinner," he said, satisfied with the day's progress.

  As soon as he spoke, Hikari, who had been keeping an ear on their versation from the kit, promptly brought out the dishes she had prepared.

  In no time, the table was filled with food.

  The dishes were typical of the Land of Water's cuisine.

  Haku quickly got up, served a bowl of rice, and respectfully prese to Masashi.

  "Teacher, your rice." Am I doing this right. The others mentioned proper etiquette matters in Konoha.

  "Good," Masashi said with a smile, taking the bowl. "Sit down a. Just eat as you normally would."

  "Yes," Haku replied, beaming at the praise.

  He then served a bowl for Hikari and finally a rge bowl for himself—he couldn't help it, he was starving. The day's training had depleted his reserves pletely.

  At first, he tried to eat in moderation, but within a few bites, he pletely let loose. His chopsticks moved with increasing speed.

  Having a big appetite was also a basija trait.

  Hikari ate delicately, pleased that Haku's performaisfied Masashi. Her heart raced as she kept sneaking g him.

  Should she a her feelings? Would it seem too forward and make him think she was an improper woman?

  Men in the Land of Fire seemed to value this sort of thing. Their traditions around courtship were more formal than in the Land of Water.

  Several times, she gathered her ce to speak, but after gng at Haku, she held back.

  ---

  After finishing dinner, Hikari started tidying up the dishes, while Haku obediently went to bathe and sleep uhe "pressure" of his devil-like teacher.

  Structure is what separates a genius from a prodigy, Masashi thought as he id out the schedule. "Wake up at 5 a.m., go for a run, and no using chakra."

  He would e to pick him up at 8 a.m.

  ing out of Haku's room, he couldn't help but stretch his arms. Pying the role of teacher for a day was no easy task.

  The main issue was that Haku's guardians were unreliable, leaving him to oversee everything personally.

  "Masashi," Hikari approached and softly said, "Let me give you a massage."

  "No need." Masashi waved his hand, signalio follow him. "Let your brother rest properly. We'll talk in the living room."

  ---

  In the living room, he sat down on the sofa and asked Hikari for some paper and a pen. Pg the paper on the coffee table, he began writing.

  Hikari didn't dare disturb him, even trying to keep her breathing as quiet as possible.

  What Masashi wrote were notes on things to pay attention t training.

  "That's about it for now," he said, putting down the pen and handing the nearly full sheet of paper to her. "Iure, when Haku is at home, try te his rest and training acc to this. As for meals, follow the dietary suggestions written here."

  Seeing how carefully Hikari treated the paper, as if it were a treasure, Masashi couldn't help but say, "There's o be so cautious. It's just a diet pn, nothing more than something that's good for the body."

  "I uand." Hikari looked at him with deep gratitude in her eyes. "The Yuki has simir diet pns that are sidered top secret."

  "Then they must be out of their minds." Masashi found it baffling. "Are they taki medies every day? Don't stress about it too much. Just use something simir, if you 't find the exagredients. As long as the structure is simir, it's fine. If eating could make you stronger, what's the point of training?"

  Suddenly, he realized that his words wereirely accurate.

  There were indeed ways to get stronger just by eating—but that had nothing to do with food itself.

  "Isn't it a very precious diet pn?" Hikari asked, puzzled by Masashi's casual attitude.

  "There's no such thing as a precious diet pn," he said. "Even ordinary ninja families know this stuff. The reason you don't see it often is because only ninjas care about it. It's no different from you womeing diet meals."

  Seeiill fused, he expined further: "Some ingredients help enhance bodily funs, and a healthier body produce chakra more effitly. So, kids be from eating this kind of food while growing up, but the real progress es from training. This is just supplementary. Haku hasn't had proper training before, so this is just to help him catch up."

  Hikari finally uood—it was her owhinking. She blushed deeply with embarrassment.

  Masashi decided to have a proper talk with her. He didn't like seeing Hikari always ag as though she owed him something—it wasn't healthy.

  Gratitude should be appropriate; too much could turn into rese.

  What he wanted were partners, not servants.

  "We didn't have much time yesterday, but now that I'm here..." he said, patting the sofa beside him.

  Hikari obediently sat down, maintaining a respectful distance.

  "You're from a ninja , so I'll be straightforward. I hope you see your owy clearly. First, this is Uchiha territory. Here, the head and elders are mostly symbols of prestige, so you don't have to act overly cautious around everyone. Hold o me finish..."

  Stopping her from speaking, Masashi tinued, "In Konoha, camaraderie is important. I hope you and Haku bee part of the Uchiha. This isn't some peaceful sanctuary. By bringing you to Konoha, you're now tied to the Uchiha. Taking care of you is simply my duty."

  "I uand," Hikari said early. "I've already prepared myself for this and am grateful for the opportunity."

  "Then we're on the same page." Masashi smiled. "I'm ly a saint, but I'm dependable when it es to my rades. Don't dwell on the past—everyone has their low points. O's over, there's o look back."

  After a moment's thought, he added, "Before you two, there was anirl who was also betrayed by her vilge. I like making friends, so she joihe Uchiha too. She doesn't live far from here; I'll take you to visit her someday."

  Hikari's ears perked up immediately. Anirl? And she lives nearby?

  "Masashi."

  "Yes?"

  "Perhaps... you should take a bath as well. I've already heated the water earlier."

  Her suggestion made Masashi actually sider it—he had worked up a sweat.

  "Alright, thanks," he said, standing up. "I'll grab some clothes."

  "Ah, there's no need for that. Your smen delivered many clothes yesterday, including men's clothing. The sizes are just right..."

  "Why is logistics so careless..." Masashi muttered, slightly annoyed. Haku was clearly just a kid, yet they didn't evehe sizes wheg clothes.

  To be fair, Uchiha's warehouse clothes had very standardized designs, making it easy to grab the wrong size if you weren't paying attention.

  "Fine, I'll use them for now. Have them send a few sets that actually fit Haku ter."

  "Uood..." Hikari lowered her head, hiding the strange expression on her face.

  The clothes had actually been picked up earlier that day.

  When she went to get them, she hadn't thought much of it—she simply wao make things easier for Masashi. But the member who gave her the clothes had sighed and ented, "Oorm passes, another one brews."

  It wasn't until ter, on her way home, that she uood the meaning behind those words, and her face turned beet red.

  Still, after Masashi's long talk, she uood his iions. She was also curious about the "girl" he had mentioned.

  And regarding his statement about "being part of the Uchiha ," she had her own interpretation.

  Many in Kiri khat she was a very stubborn woman once she set her mind to something.

  The sound of running water soon came from the bathroom.

  Hikari sat back down on the sofa, carefully reading the notes Masashi had written, itting them to memory.

  She would do her utmost to help Haku bee an outstanding ninja.

  Perhaps, one day, the Yuki could reemerge as a vassal of the Uchiha .

  Being a vassal of a powerful wasn't shameful.

  As for herself, she hoped her children could bear the name Uchiha.