Silence!
Except for Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Junko, who were puzzled by this sentence, the old man was greatly shocked. However, after a brief surprise, the old man burst into laughter!
"Haha, you little brat, all you know is big talk. Do you know what you mean? Do you know what a Jōnin is? Jōnin is the limit of being a shinobi. You little brat who knows nothing, haha!"
"Oh? Really?"
Uchiha Renjiro asked softly, then looked at the old man quietly.
Looking into Renjiro's eyes, the old man stopped smiling and his face became extremely serious!
Perhaps many people thought that Jōnin was the pinnacle, because the Kage of a village could only be described as an Elite Jōnin in essence. But the old man knew there was indeed something above Jōnin!
Others might not know about this existence, or subconsciously forget it, but as an elder of the Uchiha clan, how could he forget?
Twenty years ago, during the battle at the Valley of the End, Konoha could feel the intensity of the clash even though it was dozens of kilometers away.
Earthquakes were frequent, and that night, the entire Konoha Village was uneasy and unusually quiet.
Everyone was praying, praying that the First Hokage would win.
They couldn't help in that battle. No matter if one was a Jōnin or an Elite Jōnin, such a fight was not something they could interfere with. They could only pray silently in their hearts!
Uchiha Junko, an Uchiha elder, was in his prime at the time and could sense the battle from dozens of miles away. He felt extremely conflicted. He wanted the First Hokage to win, but he didn't want his former clan leader and former Idol's faith to lose.
Before Konoha was founded, the pride of the Uchiha clan, their faith, their leader, the being above Jōnin, was called:
Uchiha Madara!
With Uchiha Madara's departure, they lost their soul. With his defeat, they lost their pride. This was a clan that had lost both its soul and its pride, and its decline was inevitable!
"Uchiha Madara!"
Uchiha Junko's pupils shrank slightly, and a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan appeared unconsciously, meeting Renjiro's bright black eyes!
These eyes! This feeling? What's going on?
Uchiha Junko frowned.
"He's just a skinny five-year-old kid, but I feel like he's something special. What's so special about him? Is it because of that sentence and Madara-sama's influence?"
No, it's not!
Uchiha Junko was lost in thought, his Sharingan exuding a heavy aura. Even Uchiha Mikoto, who feared him the least, didn't dare disturb him at this moment.
After a long while, he shook his head, unwilling to dwell further, and asked directly:
"Where are your parents? What's your father's name? Who allowed you to apply for school a year early?"
"I am the only one in my family. My father's name is Uchiha Haji."
"Uchiha Haji? He was just a Chūnin… How much can his child achieve…"
Uchiha Junko thought to himself.
He knew very well that the Uchiha clan was different from others.
They valued bloodline.
It was difficult for the son of a Chūnin to become a Jōnin.
A Sharingan with one tomoe rarely passed on two or three tomoe to the next generation.
The probability was over ninety percent — it was practically a rule.
But when he looked at Renjiro again, he changed his mind.
"At your age, being able to hold my gaze under the three-tomoe Sharingan is truly remarkable. I accept your nomination for the Ninja Academy!"
Uchiha Junko and Renjiro smiled at each other, and Renjiro bowed seriously to Uchiha Junko.
"Thank you!"
He just realized that there were so many unspoken rules in the academy. There was a huge difference between being nominated by a Jōnin and not being nominated. If what Uchiha Junko said was true, such a nomination could be considered a favor of promotion!
Only as an elder of the Uchiha Junko did have the privilege to do this. In an ordinary small clan, only the clan leader could nominate two students at once.
"Haha, don't be too happy too soon. When you get to the academy, you have to help me protect Mikoto. If she is bullied in any way, I will hold you accountable..."
"I don't need anyone's protection, hmph!" Uchiha Mikoto said proudly, running out with a red face!
"Hmm? Mikoto? Uchiha Mikoto? Could it be… Itachi and Sasuke's mother? This…"
Renjiro was slightly surprised, only then noticing the girl.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you thinking, you little brat? When I say protection, I mean 'when someone wants to bully her, you stand up for her, and when she wants to bully others, you back her up.' Don't get the wrong idea…"
Renjiro replied speechlessly:
"Bodyguard and thug…"
"Haha, you're quite clever, kid. By the way, you have to pay special attention to a brat named Uchiha Fugaku. He hangs around my Mikoto like a fly all day long. If you have the chance, help me teach him a lesson."
"Grandpa, he's not even in school yet. How could he possibly be a match for Fugaku? He'd get beaten badly if he tried… Besides, if you have the ability, why don't you deal with him? Isn't sending Renjiro just harming him?"
Uchiha Ruri pointed at Renjiro's skinny body and muttered with a frown.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Junko roared in frustration:
"If he wasn't the grandson of the Great Elder, I would have killed him long ago…"
Renjiro scratched his head awkwardly.
After leaving the office, Renjiro immediately found a noodle shop, ordered a big bowl of noodles, and started slurping it down.
He was so skinny that he was extremely hungry. Even after finishing, he only felt half full, but he resisted the urge for another bowl.
It was mainly for health reasons. What he needed now was nourishment, not stuffing himself.
As for how to maintain it? Eat small meals frequently and keep a balanced diet.
After dinner, Renjiro bought a bunch of bananas and a few apples from a fruit stall, and bought two bottles of milk and some bread from a small shop, then headed straight home.
Along the way, he stayed alert, watching his surroundings carefully to guard against being followed, until he finally saw his own courtyard.
The first thing he did upon returning was gather a few small scrolls, then he closed the doors and windows and headed back out.
He climbed a tall tree a few hundred meters away from his home — one that the original Renjiro had often climbed. From here he could watch over his own yard, but it was difficult for anyone to notice him.
He sat on the tree trunk and unrolled the sealing scroll.
Occasionally, he practiced hand seals by following the diagrams. He knew hand seals were a compulsory lesson for shinobi.
The speed of hand seals was also extremely important. After all, Uchiha Itachi's hand seal speed reached six seals per second, shocking even Kakashi with over ten years of battlefield experience!
End of the chapter.