Planting trees is a boring task.
Even more so when you're not allowed to use chakra.
But honestly, even if chakra was allowed, neither Uchiha Kaien nor Namikaze Minato knew Earth Release.
Minato was a little better off—he had learned Earth-Style Wall, but he had only learned it. It was nowhere near ready for combat use. In practical terms, he was better off relying on his speed and using the Body Flicker Technique to avoid attacks.
What Uchiha Kagami hadn't expected, however, was just how much Kaien's body had improved. Thanks to enhancements from the [System], his physique had received a massive boost.
At this point, using Minato as a benchmark for strength was no longer accurate. Kaien was confident he could break Jiraiya's ribs with a single punch—just like Tsunade with her monstrous strength.
Kagami had already anticipated Kaien might try to slack off by relying on Minato, so he assigned them separate trees to plant—one each.
That's when Kagami truly saw how ridiculous Kaien's physical strength was, even without chakra.
Kaien didn't know the proper technique for using farming tools, but he didn't care. He just brute-forced it.
Gripping the shovel's handle with both hands, he slammed it into the ground. The blade plunged deep into the soil. With another swing, he dug up a massive chunk of earth.
Kaien kept repeating the process, and before long, he had dug a decent-sized hole.
Meanwhile, Minato was keeping pace purely with speed!
They finished digging at almost the same time. But while Kaien looked fresh as ever, Minato was already drenched in sweat.
Soon, the saplings Grandma Zamura had bought were planted.
Bury the roots. Fill in the soil. Use Water Release to water the trees. Smooth and efficient.
During this, they learned why Grandma Zamura wanted to plant two peach trees.
It was a romantic promise she had made with her late husband when they were young. He had wooed her under a peach tree, and now that he was gone, she wanted to plant two of them as a way to remember their youth.
Kaien scratched his head. Listening to a grandma talk about her love life in the middle of the ninja world? Something about that just didn't feel right.
...
After completing the two tasks, Kagami treated them to grilled meat as promised. Thus ended Kaien's first day as a Genin.
Kagami took Kaien back to the Uchiha compound. Minato headed home to rest and prepare for tomorrow's mission.
"So, Kaien—how was your first mission?"
It was after hours now. Kagami was no longer acting as a Jonin instructor—just a caring uncle.
"Not bad! Way more fun than the Academy," Kaien replied brightly.
He bounced on his toes, practically skipping in circles around Kagami, as if he couldn't sit still for a second.
Kagami smiled, glad to see Kaien looking so healthy and energetic.
Ever since his inherited illness had been cured, Kaien's energy had skyrocketed, and his personality had gotten a lot livelier too.
Aside from Uchiha Madara wanting him to graduate early and gain battlefield experience, the other reason Kaien had pushed to graduate was simple—he just couldn't sit still.
If he didn't have something to do, all that energy made it hard for him to sleep. So finding things to do was his way of managing that.
But with his boundless energy came a resurgence of his mischievous streak. Combined with the [System]'s unique traits, Kaien felt it was time to start "messing with" some ninja outside the village.
By now, Old Madara's Rinnegan had already been transplanted into Nagato, after Kaien had spent two years adjusting to the idea.
That made Kaien even more shameless in front of Madara. Sometimes, he'd even stick a couple of little flowers on Madara's head.
Sure, it pissed Madara off occasionally—but oddly enough, his [affection] for Kaien only kept going up.
Which just went to show—even Old Man Madara craved connection, deep down.
Kaien had stacked so many [traits] by now that whenever Madara tried to discipline him, Kaien would just crank his aura to the max—and Madara would back off.
Their relationship had become more like grandfather and grandson.
No matter how much trouble a grandson causes, the grandpa won't really get mad—especially when that grandson just wants to get close to him.
A lonely old man can't say no to genuine affection from the younger generation.
The more you act out, the more he feels like you really see him as family—and the more tolerant he becomes.
He even managed to pull some [affection] points out of Black Zetsu.
...
"We're here—Konoha Police Department."
The Police Department was located about two kilometers from the Uchiha compound.
Back then, the Uchiha still lived in the heart of the village. Kagami led Kaien through the compound and out to the outer perimeter where the police station was located.
"You still need to register your Genin status here," Kagami explained. "It's part of the clan's records."
"Huh? I have to register here too?"
Kaien blinked, confused. Why would he need to file paperwork at the Police Department? Wasn't everything connected? That sounded incredibly inefficient.
"Once you register here, you'll also have the option to intern at the Police Department instead of going out on missions," Kagami continued.
"The world outside the village is getting a bit unstable. If I suddenly get assigned an S-rank mission, and I'm not around to guide you, you can bring your friends and intern here for a few days. You'll even get paid."
Kaien's eyes lit up. Getting paid to slack off at the Police Department? Sign him up!
He didn't need the money, but just the idea of earning a paycheck while loafing around sounded like a dream job.
Then it hit him.
Didn't Uchiha Fugaku say something before? That once he became a ninja, his 50,000 ryo monthly stipend would be cut off?
Suddenly losing free money… now that hurt. Kaien finally understood the pain.
And just then, who else but Uchiha Fugaku came into view.
"Evening, Fugaku," Kaien mumbled, voice a bit gloomy.
"Evening, Kaien. You don't look too happy today," Fugaku noted. With his recently awakened Three Tomoe Sharingan, his dynamic vision had become even sharper—he could easily sense Kaien's drop in mood.
"It's nothing," Kagami chuckled. "Little Kaien just graduated and remembered that his family stipend ends now that he's a Genin."
Kaien pouted.
Still a kid at heart, huh?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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