The cultivation method given by Shisui had quite stringent requirements—one needed a water-attribute Spirit Root to practice it.

Leaving aside whether the Uchiha clan could be considered to possess fire Spirit Roots, this elemental restriction alone made it difficult for them to cultivate.

Not to mention that the Uchiha clan's physique didn't even qualify as having fire Spirit Root aptitude.

Maybe I should see if Nagato can practice this.

Regardless of whether Nagato's talent was sufficient, just based on his personality that meshed so well with mine, Kaito was certain Nagato's aptitude for Cultivation of Immortality would far surpass that of his own great-grandmother.

After some consideration, Kaito temporarily stored the item away. After discussing some precautions with Shisui, he handed Sasuke over to him.

Unlike before entering the Secret Realm, Sasuke didn't cry or make a fuss this time. He just glanced pitifully at Kaito a few times before leaving with Shisui to find his father and mother.

At this moment, the young Sasuke already had his answer in heart.

No matter how much he tried to avoid it, he couldn't escape the fact that Uchiha Itachi intended to massacre their clan.

After seeing the two off, Kaito found a quiet spot to close his eyes and enjoy a moment of peace.

Hikari had been struggling with her curiosity for a long time. Eventually unable to resist, she nudged the boy and asked with feigned indifference.

"So..."

"That thing you were holding just now—was it a cultivation method?"

"Is it the same as shurikenjutsu?"

She remembered this kid talking about some Sword Control Technique before, waving kunai around and dragging her into his madness for a whole week.

But in the end...

The shurikenjutsu Kaito learned wasn't anything like what she knew. At first she thought the boy was genuinely not right in the head, but now it seemed...

Perhaps it was her own understanding that was wrong?

Thinking of Pain—the only person who could communicate with Kaito without barriers—Hikari's expression suddenly twisted slightly.

Don't tell me...

You have to become as crazy as them to learn these special abilities??

"It's Sword Control Technique!" Kaito loudly corrected Hikari's mistaken terminology, launching into another explanation.

"Controlling shuriken was just because my abilities were insufficient back then!"

Hearing this, Hikari seemed to understand. She leaned back slightly, giving the boy a thorough once-over before saying uncertainly after a long pause.

"Oh..."

"So it's you who's the problem."

Kaito: "..."

Kaito felt there was definitely some insult hidden in his great-grandmother's words. Seeing her curiosity, he simply tossed the parchment scroll to Hikari.

"If you're so curious, read it yourself."

"The power within is different from the chakra of the Shinobi World."

To prove he wasn't actually the problem, Kaito emphasized at the end:

"I'm really not the problem here!"

Taking the scroll, Hikari glanced at the text recorded inside but could only recognize a handful of characters. As she read, she kept having to ask her closed-door disciple questions.

"What's a water Spirit Root...?""What does Golden Core mean? Is it something like a healing medicine?"

Hikari was very studious, always humbly seeking answers when encountering things she didn't understand.

However, considering her limited sense of shame, her so-called "seeking guidance" was just incessantly muttering beside someone.

Because she knew that if she did this, Kaito would eventually take the initiative to explain.

"Forget it..." Kaito sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Rarely had the ancestor not called him crazy, and she was even putting on such a studious attitude. Might as well take the opportunity to educate her about the world of Cultivation of Immortality.

Over the next few hours, Kaito began telling his great-grandmother the story of how mortals could ascend to become Tribulation Transcendence experts after stepping onto the path of cultivation.

Hikari listened very seriously, never interrupting Kaito throughout the entire explanation. Only after he finished did she begin asking about the points that confused her.

"But..."

Her gaze was full of doubt and confusion. When she looked at Kaito, her eyes flickered slightly before she continued in a small voice.

"Why do you have to go to a brothel to cultivate?"

"Isn't cultivation supposed to be about seated meditation and drawing in spiritual energy?"

"?"

Kaito, who had been wearing a serious expression, froze the moment the ancestor posed this question. The atmosphere instantly grew increasingly awkward.

He really wanted to say something.

But his system mission didn't exactly sound convincing.

Left with no choice, Kaito simply muttered that his method was "special" before continuing to teach Hikari how to read, striving to make the ancestor as... unique—no, as powerful—as himself.

By the time Sasuke returned, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

He came back alone, his eyes swollen as if he'd been beaten up, his face streaked with dirty tear stains.

After a night of revelations, Sasuke had finally learned the truth behind the Uchiha clan's massacre.

He also knew that the reason he could see his clan members today...

Was entirely due to Kaito's efforts. Otherwise, his kind older brother would have truly killed everyone.

But this outcome was far too cruel for him.

Even though his clan wasn't truly dead, everything Itachi had done...

Was unforgivable!

Sasuke walked over to Kaito in a daze, standing silently for a long moment before finally speaking.

"Let's go home."

Hearing this, both Kaito and Hikari turned to look at the boy, their eyes filled with surprise.

"You're not staying here?"

If possible, Kaito would have preferred Sasuke to remain with his clan. Though doing so might cost Sasuke the Six Paths Sage's power-ups, at least it would give him a slightly happier childhood.

"No. I'm going back to the village."

"I need to confront that guy..."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his voice laced with killing intent as he spoke word by word.

"I need to ask him why he did all this!"

In his memories, his older brother had always been gentle and kind. Sasuke couldn't understand how Itachi had become like this.

Of course, there was another reason for returning to Konoha...

He still had an idiot friend in the village—one who had promised to give him a gift for his birthday.

Though he pretended not to care, deep down, he was still curious about what that fool Uzumaki Naruto would give him.

"Fine."

Kaito didn't interfere much with Sasuke's decision. As long as the kid was happy, that was enough.

"But before that..."

"Let's train your resistance to Tsukuyomi first."

As he said this, he glanced at Hikari beside him. After a brief exchange of looks, she immediately understood his intent and activated her Kaleidoscope Sharingan, hitting Sasuke with Tsukuyomi on the spot.

"Wait!!!"Sasuke, who had just endured Tsukuyomi earlier, was well aware of the ancestor's intention upon seeing the Mangekyō Sharingan activate. He opened his mouth in a hurry, wanting to shout that he wasn't ready.

After all, just a few hours ago, he had suffered Tsukuyomi, and his head had felt like it was about to explode.

And in that Genjutsu world, he had watched helplessly as Kaito smashed his kitty piggy bank over and over again…

Thud—

Hikari had no patience for Sasuke. The Tsukuyomi was delivered swiftly, and Sasuke collapsed just as stiffly.

Once everything was settled, Kaito hoisted the boy onto his back and left the Secret Realm with Hikari…

As for the exploration work here, it would be temporarily left to his father and the others.

It would also serve to temper the Uchiha clan's notoriously stubborn pride.

"Runtu, I'll have to trouble you to look after Sasuke from now on."

Runtu, who had been eating in the corner, lifted his head, chewed the remaining Kunai in his mouth, and responded.

"Leave it to me!"

Kaito wasn't sure how long his upcoming seclusion would last, but having Runtu by Sasuke's side would give him some peace of mind.

But before that…

He still needed to find Pain and see if he could earn the man's complete trust. That way, he could use sunflowers to restore Nagato's emaciated body to health.

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