Training

After Kushina entered the house, she immediately spotted Sasuke and recognized his identity at once.

Upon recognizing Sasuke, Kushina smiled at him.

"Are you Mikoto's son? I'm a friend of your mother's. Just call me Aunt Kushina!"

Seeing her warm smile, Sasuke suddenly felt his eyes become a bit moist. He couldn't help but nod, "Yes, Aunt Kushina!"

"So obedient!"

Upon hearing Sasuke's address, Kushina smiled slightly and reached out to pat his head.

"Alright, just treat Aunt Kushina's place as your own home, okay?"

"Yes!" As soon as Kushina finished speaking, Sasuke obediently nodded again.

Seeing Sasuke, who used to be like a "little hedgehog" but now appeared as an obedient puppy, Zhang Miao smiled at Kushina.

"Haha, Big Sis Kushina, I actually wanted to talk to you about something. Starting today, I plan for Sasuke to live in our house. It just so happens that he's in the same class as Naruto, so they can accompany each other to and from school."

Zhang Miao's reason sounded far-fetched, but Kushina nodded without hesitation upon hearing his words.

"Yes, Ryunosuke is right. Naruto is too lazy, always late for school. If Sasuke can help supervise him, that would be great. What do you say, Sasuke?"

Upon hearing Kushina's question, Sasuke immediately nodded, "Aunt Kushina, don't worry. I'll make sure Naruto keeps to the schedule!"

Seeing his serious expression, both Kushina and Zhang Miao glanced at each other and chuckled.

From that moment on, Sasuke was officially staying there. After lunch, Zhang Miao took him to the yard to start teaching him the "Thousand Years of Death" technique.

"Sasuke, the Thousand Years of Death is a taijutsu. Its principle is to use the Body Flicker Jutsu to appear behind the enemy and attack their weak spot, aiming for a single strike. So, tell me, what's the prerequisite to learn this move?"

"It's the Body Flicker Jutsu!" Facing Zhang Miao's question, Sasuke answered without hesitation.

Satisfied with his answer, Zhang Miao nodded, "Yes, that's correct. It's the Body Flicker Jutsu, to be precise. Therefore, to learn the Thousand Years of Death, you must first master the Body Flicker!"

"I understand!" As soon as Zhang Miao finished speaking, Sasuke nodded immediately. "So, how should I start learning the Body Flicker Jutsu?"

Seeing Sasuke earnestly seeking advice, Zhang Miao's smile became even brighter. He snapped his fingers.

"Learning the Body Flicker is simple. First, start by exercising your body. Begin with 500 deep squats, 500 push-ups, and run 500 laps around this yard!"

"Yes, Master!"

Upon hearing Zhang Miao's request, Sasuke nodded without hesitation and began to act.

However, he was just a seven-year-old child and it was his first time undergoing such an intense physical training. He didn't even reach one-third of what Zhang Miao demanded and collapsed from exhaustion.

Seeing Sasuke lying on the ground, visibly unwilling to yield, Zhang Miao sighed helplessly.

"Ah, Sasuke, the Thousand Years of Death is a very powerful taijutsu. If you can't even handle this training intensity, how can you possibly learn it? Let's stop here for today. We'll continue tomorrow!"

"No!" After hearing Zhang Miao's words, Sasuke struggled to get up, shaking his head. "I... I can still endure it. I must complete today's physical training!"

Seeing his resolute expression, Zhang Miao could only nod.

"Alright, since you say so, then continue. Remember to tell me when you complete it!"

With that, Zhang Miao turned and left, while Sasuke's voice echoed behind him.

"Yes, I will definitely complete it, Master!"

Hearing the voice behind him, Zhang Miao's expression changed slightly, but he didn't say anything. He just went back inside.

After entering the house, Zhang Miao had some snacks in the kitchen and then went to his room to take a nap.

When he woke up, the sun was already tilting westward. Getting out of bed, he walked to the window and saw Sasuke doing push-ups in the yard.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhang Miao couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"This kid didn't slack off?"

In fact, Zhang Miao didn't set up such an intense physical training for Sasuke hoping for him to complete it, but rather to catch him slacking off!

Zhang Miao was well aware of Sasuke's urgent desire to become stronger to seek revenge against Itachi. It was because of this ambition that in the original plot, after joining Kakashi's Team 7, Sasuke's slow progress led him to desert the village and join Orochimaru.

Therefore, Zhang Miao knew that if Sasuke didn't show significant improvement after following him for a while, he would definitely leave. When that happened, collecting his ninja fragments would become troublesome!

Knowing this, Zhang Miao intentionally set up a rigorous physical training for Sasuke. If Sasuke couldn't choose to slack off, then the problem of not getting stronger quickly would lie with Sasuke himself.

In this way, Sasuke wouldn't easily leave, and Zhang Miao could effortlessly collect his ninja fragments every day.

However, what Zhang Miao didn't expect was that despite the high-intensity training, Sasuke didn't slack off at all. Instead, he gritted his teeth and continued, his sweat even wetting a large patch of the ground.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Miao's brows furrowed even deeper.

"If it continues like this, Sasuke will exhaust himself. It seems I need to adjust the plan!"

With this thought in mind, Zhang Miao immediately opened the door and walked out. He then went to Sasuke in the yard and spoke to him.

"Alright, Sasuke, today's training stops here!"

"But..."

Sasuke seemed to want to refuse, but before he could say anything, Zhang Miao directly interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"No buts. Your body is too weak, and you haven't experienced such intense training before. If you continue to force yourself, your body won't bear it. You should understand that haste makes waste!"

At this point, Zhang Miao's voice became very stern. Hearing this, Sasuke immediately lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, Master. I'm too weak!"

Seeing him like this, Zhang Miao shook his head, then reached out to help him up and gently patted his shoulder.

"Don't belittle yourself. Your potential is very significant. What you need to do is progress step by step to become stronger. Understand?"

"I understand, Master!"

Upon hearing Zhang Miao's words, Sasuke nodded again. Seeing his humble acceptance, Zhang Miao smiled with satisfaction.

"A good apprentice indeed!"

At this moment, Zhang Miao's attitude toward Sasuke had changed from merely using him to genuinely intending to help him become stronger.

After the laughter, Zhang Miao pondered for a moment and then spoke to Sasuke again.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll attend the Ninja Academy. After returning from school, we'll continue the physical training, but the numbers will change. Squats and push-ups will be reduced to 200 each, and running around the yard will be reduced to 150 laps. All these must be completed. Understand?"

"Yes, Master!" Seeing Zhang Miao's seriousness, Sasuke's response became resolute.

Possibly due to their intense focus, neither Zhang Miao nor Sasuke noticed a black crow that had appeared on the central tree in the yard. It stared at them with wide eyes. When both of them returned to the house, the crow flapped its wings and flew away, disappearing into the distant sky.