Hearing Fugaku say that, the corners of Ning Feng's mouth lifted slightly, but his heart gave a small jolt.
Judging by Uchiha Itachi's age, he was only eight or nine years old—yet he had already joined the ANBU?
Based on the original storyline, that meant there were only three to four years left before the Uchiha Clan would face the Night of the Massacre.
He had to grow at lightning speed within those few years!
With that thought, Ning Feng hurriedly said,
"Brother Itachi, don't waste time—take me to train already!"
The baby being held in Mikoto's arms seemed to sense something as well, suddenly wriggling restlessly, as if he too wanted to cultivate ninjutsu.
"Sasuke, don't fuss…"
Uchiha Mikoto's face flushed red as she glanced apologetically at Itachi and Fugaku.
The scene immediately sent everyone into laughter. Even Ning Feng himself couldn't help but smile broadly.
In his previous life, Ning Feng had been an orphan. He had never experienced such a warm, family-like atmosphere.
"Silly Sasuke. Once I finish teaching your Brother Feng, we'll teach you ninjutsu too, alright?"
As Itachi spoke, he gently tapped baby Sasuke's tiny nose. Then he grabbed Ning Feng and led him toward the back courtyard of the Uchiha compound.
From beginning to end, Uchiha Fugaku quietly observed Ning Feng.
For some reason, Fugaku suddenly had the feeling that the entire future of the Uchiha Clan rested on Ning Feng's shoulders.
Upon reaching the back courtyard, Ning Feng noticed that the players who had descended into the Uchiha Clan along with him were currently busy wiping tables and sweeping the grounds.
An Uchiha steward stood at the front, urging them along.
"Although you've all reached the age to begin cultivating ninjutsu, as Uchiha clansmen, cultivation is not that easy."
"You must first endure intense physical labor. Cleaning and sweeping are all part of improving your physical condition…"
As he spoke, the steward gestured for the players to thoroughly clean the entire area.
At that moment, the players who were stuck cleaning could see Ning Feng walking behind the esteemed Uchiha Itachi—clearly about to receive direct instruction in ninjutsu. Their eyes were filled with envy and jealousy.
Ignoring those pitiful players, Ning Feng followed Itachi onward.
Although the original story didn't explicitly describe internal clan conflicts, in reality, within the Naruto world, internal struggles and suppression among clans were extremely severe.
Especially for branch families—if they wanted to learn truly powerful ninjutsu or core clan techniques, they had to pay an unimaginable price.
This was precisely why among the Uchiha, those who awakened the Sharingan—whether three-tomoe or Mangekyō—were almost always from the main branch.
The main family firmly controlled the clan's resources. For branch families, gaining access was painfully difficult.
Just look at the neighboring Hyuga Clan—even something as cruel as the Caged Bird Seal existed, yet the other clans acted as if it were completely normal.
"Feng, we're here."
As Ning Feng was thinking, Itachi's voice sounded softly.
Before them now was a massive hot spring, steam rising thickly from its surface.
The hot spring looked exceptional, and Ning Feng could even smell a faint medicinal fragrance in the air.
"This is our Uchiha Clan's secret medicinal hot spring. Only clan members with talent are allowed to soak in it. Feng—feel it for yourself."
Itachi smiled.
Ning Feng didn't hesitate. He stripped off his clothes and jumped straight into the hot spring with a splash.
The surging heat instantly felt as if it were melting into his limbs, spreading through all 180 meridians and acupoints in his body.
"Congratulations! Your overall attributes have increased by 2%! Your chakra cap has increased by 34 points!"
"Congratulations! Your overall attributes have increased by 2%! Your chakra cap has increased by 45 points!"
...
Suddenly, several crisp notifications rang out in succession.
Ning Feng was shocked to discover that after soaking for just a few minutes, his chakra cap had already risen to 2,200 points!
His physical constitution had also strengthened dramatically compared to before.
"So this really contains the Uchiha Clan's secret medicine!"
Ning Feng couldn't help but exclaim.
Now he finally understood why ninja clans in Naruto were able to maintain such perfect inheritance.
Just secret medicines like this alone were enough to ensure that a clan's legacy never broke.
With a systematic set of training methods, a clan could easily guarantee that its ninjutsu would never be lost or interrupted.
This was probably also one of the reasons why, in the original story, Jiraiya often took Naruto to soak in hot springs during training.
Those hot springs must have contained many clan secret medicines, capable of thoroughly transforming Naruto's physique and strength.
As he continued soaking, Ning Feng suddenly felt an itchy sensation in his eyes, as if his vision had become much sharper.
Uchiha Itachi didn't say a word, only silently observing Ning Feng.
With his keen Sharingan perception, Itachi was shocked to see the medicinal effects being absorbed into Ning Feng's body at a frenzied rate, rapidly strengthening him.
In the past, both he and Sasuke had soaked in the clan's secret medicine many times, but their absorption efficiency was nowhere near Ning Feng's.
This Ning Feng's talent was far beyond their imagination.
Suddenly, at that very moment, a powerful surge of chakra exploded outward from Ning Feng as the center, violently rippling through the surroundings. Even the hot spring trembled faintly.
"T-This chakra density!?"
"Feng… you've already reached genin-level chakra so quickly?"