Naruto: This Uchiha is too innocent.

As the sun sets, golden threads spread across the streets and alleys, like a romantic poem.

The shadow of the boy with his hands in his pockets was stretched infinitely long, adding a touch of inexplicable desolation to his solitary figure.

All the pedestrians around him were deterred by the "table tennis handle" on his back, as if getting close to him would bring bad luck.

Uchiha Sora remained calm, ignoring the strange looks from passersby, his eyes glancing slightly behind him out of the corner of his eye...

He regretted not having white eyes, otherwise he could have seen at least 359 degrees of field of vision.

He walked at a steady pace, a little faster than the average person, and after crossing the street, he turned and entered an empty alley.

The warm-colored lights did not make the alleyway cozy; instead, they added an inexplicable eeriness to it.

Uchiha Sora chuckled, thinking to himself that this was probably a case of "the darkest place is under the lamp." From a distance, a dark figure standing under the lamplight would look terrifying no matter how you looked at it.

As they ventured deeper into the alley, the light dimmed, and the falling shadows seemed poised to engulf Uchiha Sora.

"Come out."

He stopped, turned around, put his hands in his pockets, and looked down at the empty alley in front of him.

His response was a whistling, cold wind that squeezed in from the alley, blowing his sideburns and gently brushing against his cheeks, making them tickle.

He was a little troubled, wondering if he should find some time to get a haircut.

The alleyway in front of him was completely silent. Uchiha Sora chuckled softly.

"You've been following me since this morning. What? You're not planning to come out and see me? I even specially chose a secluded corner for you."

After a long pause, still no one answered. He sighed softly, "Since I said that, then I must have found you."

As he spoke, a shuriken suddenly appeared in his hand, transforming into a streak of cold light that shot into the darkness!

This time, there was finally some movement. The yellowish-brown wall in the darkness suddenly moved, and the next moment, a figure flashed out, leaving behind only a tattered cloth that was the same color as the wall.

Upon seeing the tattered cloth, Uchiha Sora's lips twitched involuntarily.

E-rank ninjutsu, Concealment Technique, involves blending into the surrounding environment with cloth and using secret methods to reduce one's presence.

To be honest, this guy's concealment technique was quite impressive. If he hadn't noticed something was off earlier, he really wouldn't have been able to find out.

The follower appeared under the streetlight. Because it was dark under the light, Uchiha Sora squinted slightly and couldn't see the details very clearly.

What you can tell is that this person is wearing a cat-face mask.

However, the mask is enough, since only one organization in Konoha wears this kind of cat-face mask.

Dark areas? Root areas? It doesn't matter.

"What do you want?" he asked casually, one hand in his pocket.

"As expected of a genius from the Uchiha clan, your sensory perception is indeed sharp." A hoarse voice came from beneath the mask, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female.

Uchiha Sora knew that this was a special way of producing sound, using a small amount of chakra held in the throat to avoid revealing one's vocal timbre.

"If that's all you're going to say, then it's no fun," Uchiha Sora said calmly.

The tracker choked for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I originally wanted to test your strength with a sneak attack, but since you've been discovered, there's no way around it—"

His words came to an abrupt end.

Using the shadow cast by the eaves, a kunai drew a sharp, cold arc as it hurtled towards him.

The tracker's pupils contracted slightly, and with a single strike of his short blade, he knocked the kunai away.

"Secret Scroll - Lightning Strike"

A bolt of lightning, incredibly fast, arrived before him the instant he knocked away the kunai.

There's no way to dodge it! This brat doesn't even need to use hand seals!!!

This was his last thought. The lightning strike was so fast that he felt that no one below the level of a Jonin could possibly dodge it.

A bolt of lightning, as bright as day, struck him directly in front of him, but his endurance was remarkable; even while paralyzed by the electric current, he quickly formed hand seals.

"Earth Release·Earth Flow Wall."

In an instant, the stalker spat out a clump of dirt, which covered him completely to block the electricity.

Woof! Woof woof!!

Just as he caught his breath, a ferocious roar came from not far away!

Looking up, he saw several ninja dogs pounce on him, knocking him to the ground and frantically rubbing against him.

Spirit Summoning - Ninja Dog.

Press the summoning scrolls together, and my rank barrier will be high.

As Uchiha Sora thought this, he inexplicably felt an urge to burst into laughter.

The battle ended quickly, mainly because Uchiha Sora used a secret technique that required no hand seals, leaving the pursuers no time to react.

He was directly struck by lightning and paralyzed; otherwise, he would have had a chance to dodge the ninja dog.

In short, the secret scroll is used to create a stun effect, allowing the user to take the next move.

He walked up to the unconscious follower, removed his mask, and revealed a face that looked like that of a man in his twenties or thirties, a face that was unfamiliar to him.

After memorizing the man's appearance, he stood up and said calmly, "Whether you're from the Anbu or Root, I don't care. If you need anything, please contact me through the Uchiha clan."

Having said that, he turned and left without waiting to see if the person could hear him.

For him, this was just a warm-up exercise after dinner.

Moreover, he could roughly guess the purpose of testing his strength; it was nothing more than recruiting him to "test the goods" first.

Tomorrow? Or the day after? Someone will probably come to his house looking for him.

……

Night, roots

Shan Zhongshui knelt on one knee, head bowed, one hand clasped against the ground, trembling, his heart filled with unease.

Before him stood Danzo Shimura, who remained expressionless.

Yamanaka Mizu is the one who followed Uchiha Sora today. He was ordered to follow Uchiha Sora and test the latter's strength.

"You were instantly killed?" Danzo repeated coldly.

"Yes, yes." Yamanaka Mizu sensed the displeasure in the adult's tone, and felt helpless.

To test Uchiha Sora's strength?

He was instantly defeated by the secret scroll and summoning technique, and nothing was detected. He was defeated by a boy who had just passed the Chunin Exams. He was too embarrassed to say that he was a member of Root.

Danzo stared at him intently for a long while. The water pressure in the mountains was immense, comparable to training against the current under a waterfall.

"You don't even know what kind of ninjutsu he used?"

"Yes..." It's an instantaneous ninjutsu, requiring no hand seals. He didn't recognize lightning at all. "I only know it's a lightning-type ninjutsu, and it also summons a few dogs."

Even Danzo was starting to lose his composure. He had known that Yamanaka Mizu's strength was in the second tier of Chunin, yet he was instantly defeated by a mere teenager.

Uchiha Sora was more complex than he had imagined.

"Go down." After staring at him for a long time, Danzo said calmly.

"Yes!" Shan Zhongshui breathed a sigh of relief.

"Also, remember to go and collect your punishment."

Shan Zhongshui's face turned pale, and he lowered his head and silently replied, "Yes."

After the water in the mountains receded,

Ryoma Aburame pushed up his sunglasses and slowly said, "It seems that Uchiha Sora is even more terrifying than we thought. I do know of one type of instantaneous lightning-style ninjutsu that resembles lightning."

"Which one?" Danzo asked in a deep voice.

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Ryoma Aburame's sunglasses.

"One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist knows Lightning Release: Lightning Strike, which seems to be very similar to what Yamanaka Mizu described."