Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed.
Konoha Village.
Uchiha Clan.
"Mom, I passed my early graduation exam. The Hokage himself tied the forehead protector on me..."
When Sasuke successfully graduated from the academy and became a new genin, he rushed home immediately to share the good news with his mother.
"Congratulations, Sasuke..." Mikoto's smile was not entirely natural, because she knew what her younger son would say next.
"Mom, you said that if I graduated successfully from the academy, you would write a letter to that Uncle Ryun, begging him to teach me..." Sasuke's face was full of excitement. He had been waiting for this day for a long time!
The Uncle Ryun that Sasuke spoke of was universally acknowledged as the strongest ninja in the world. If such a person was willing to teach him, then he could quickly go to the battlefield in the Land of Rain to get revenge on that beast of an older brother!
Two years ago, Mikoto saw her younger son, who wanted to avenge his father, becoming obsessed. Unable to bear watching him push himself too hard every day, training his body until it was covered in scars, she took the initiative to make a deal with Sasuke.
The prerequisite for her writing the letter was that Sasuke had to eat and sleep properly, study hard, and listen to his mother until he successfully graduated and became a ninja.
When she heard Sasuke mention the name Ryun, Mikoto's mind involuntarily conjured up an image of that man.
In her impression, he was a perfect, almost unreal, extraordinary man. Whether it was his strength, his character and magnanimity, or even that handsome face which had caused her to lose her composure multiple times... that man was exceptional in every aspect.
There was almost no flaw to be found on him, to the extent that Mikoto, who knew him, subconsciously regarded him as a 'god'!
It was because he possessed a special divine radiance. Any prodigy of the same age would seem dull in comparison before him, and few people from his generation did not admire him. This was especially true for women, who naturally admire strength.
"Mom???"
Sasuke gently shook Mikoto's arm, pulling her thoughts back to reality.
"Ah... Ryun-kun... But I cannot guarantee he will teach you. I am more familiar with his wife, your Aunt Kushina. I can write a letter to try, but I cannot guarantee success..."
Mikoto repeated these words once more.
"I know. Someone of Uncle Ryun's status... it's possible he might really think I'm not worth it... But I won't give up easily..."
In this life, Uchiha Sasuke, taught by his mother, was more sensible than his counterpart in the original story at the same period. Although his personality was still somewhat arrogant and gloomy, he also had a good sense of self-awareness.
He knew that no matter how the jonin within the clan taught him, it would be difficult to surpass his brother. To achieve this ambition in the shortest time possible, the only way was to find a way to get to Otogakure!
"Even if I have to kneel and kowtow to him, I will beg him to teach me. With the favor Grandpa owed him back then, plus your letter, and my sincerity, I believe Uncle Ryun will definitely agree to my request..."
Because of his brother, Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke had been spat on and even beaten by some radical clan members over the past few years. He grew through repeated setbacks and hardships, and his heart had become much more resilient because of it.
"Silly child..."
Mikoto gently stroked his head.
"Getting to Otogakure isn't that easy... First, you need to get permission from the Fourth Hokage to leave the village. Also, the Land of Rice is currently at war with the Land of Rain. I've heard the area around Otogakure is heavily guarded. So, you also need the protection of an excellent jonin to use his name to smoothly enter Otogakure and meet Ryun-kun..."
After Fugaku's death, Mikoto was no longer a simple housewife. She began to actively engage with clan members who were still willing to be loyal to her faction. She had even proactively revealed her Mangekyō Sharingan to resolve many troubles and reclaim some authority.
Because of this, she had access to some important intelligence, among which the intelligence about the 'Souten' of Amegakure was what she paid the most attention to.
When he heard his mother's words, Sasuke fell into a long period of thought and silence. After a long while, he finally asked for the name of that excellent jonin.
"That jonin's name is Might Guy. He is Ryun-kun's nephew, and also the member of the younger generation in all of Konoha who is closest to Ryun-kun..."
Guy almost got to see Ryun every year. Either he and his father would visit Ryun in Otogakure, or Ryun and Kushina would secretly return to the village to visit his old friend.
Almost every jonin in Konoha knew about the relationship between Ryun and the Might Dai family. The existence of this family was probably the only remaining emotional link between Konoha Village and the Dragon Lord!
"Might Guy... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere..." Sasuke frowned slightly, thinking hard, but he couldn't recall what the other person looked like at the moment.
"Don't rush. First, go see if the Fourth Hokage will even allow you to go to Otogakure. If he agrees, then I will take you to visit them..."
Hearing Mikoto's words, Sasuke's frown deepened. "The Fourth Hokage has no reason to deny me leaving the village, right? After all, villagers have the right to leave Konoha freely..."
Mikoto shook her head gently upon hearing this and said something meaningful. "Villagers and ninja are different. And you are different from ordinary ninja... even more so!"
"If you directly say you want to go to Otogakure to learn from Ryun-kun, then the Hokage will absolutely not let you go. You need to say you are going to Otogakure to deliver a birthday gift for me..."
Uchiha Mikoto's words couldn't help but confuse Sasuke. "Why wouldn't the Hokage allow me to go to Otogakure? And whose birthday is it? Uncle Ryun's? Or Aunt Kushina's..."
"Neither... It's your clan sister, Ryun-kun's daughter. Her name is Nanaise. I found out; her birthday is in half a month..."
After saying this, Uchiha Mikoto immediately adopted a serious expression and warned him. "It's said that many Konoha ninja have joined Otogakure. If your stated purpose is to learn skills, the Hokage will inevitably think you want to defect to that village..."
She did not voice the deeper reasons, but these words were enough to alert Uchiha Sasuke.
"Mom, according to what you're saying... if I go to Otogakure to deliver a birthday gift for you, will the Fourth Hokage agree then..." Sasuke asked, his face full of worry.
"Wait a moment..."
Mikoto said as she walked into her bedroom and retrieved a letter from a certain box.
"With this letter, the Fourth Hokage will most likely agree to let you go to Otogakure."
Sasuke looked slightly surprised upon hearing this. He took the letter from Mikoto's hand and saw that the sender was Aunt Kushina.
The content of the letter wasn't particularly special, but Sasuke could detect a hint of calculation in the correspondence.
His mother seemed to have deliberately guided Aunt Kushina's words, probably for the sake of ensuring he could smoothly go to Otogakure!