As the bell rang, the morning theoretical class came to an end. One by one, the students left the classroom, chatting and laughing. Shinji declined Bai's invitation and, carrying his lunchbox, slipped into a secluded grove within the ninja academy. Taking yesterday's lesson to heart, he decided not to casually use ninjutsu in the academy but instead to practice the breathing technique known as "Water Breathing." The practice of breathing techniques was very discreet; unless someone with the Byakugan was watching him constantly, it would be nearly impossible to detect.

So, while eating his lunch, he searched through the fragments of memories in his mind belonging to the swordsmen who practiced "Water Breathing." Just then, a figure suddenly approached him from the forest. "Who?" Shinji looked over. The person stood in the shadows of the trees. "Good vigilance," they said. Upon seeing the person's appearance, Shinji's expression remained unchanged, but he was secretly shocked inside. The person was none other than Danzo Shimura, who had played a key role in the Uchiha clan's massacre!

Danzo stared at Shinji, not hiding the aggressiveness in his gaze. "Your talent is good, but you can't take revenge just with talent!" "Who are you?" Shinji showed a hint of hostility. Danzo stepped forward, revealing his sinister face in the sunlight. "I am the elder advisor of the village. Becoming my subordinate is your only chance for revenge!"

"Hah... he wants to use my desire for revenge against Itachi to lure me into Root?" Shinji found it absurd. This Danzo really had no shame; he had orchestrated the Uchiha massacre and now had the audacity to trick the victim into serving him. First, he used Itachi to wipe out the Uchiha clan, and now he wanted to use the remnants of Uchiha against Itachi. What a beautiful thought! Suppressing his disgust for Danzo, Shinji said, "I don't need anyone's help; I will kill that person myself!"

"Those who refuse me will not have a good end." Danzo sneered disdainfully, then turned to leave. Watching Danzo depart with an expressionless face, Shinji thought, "Being targeted by a guy like him is really disgusting! But he probably wouldn't dare to act openly against me now."

Shinji was well aware of the delicate relationship between Danzo and the Third Hokage. From a certain perspective, Danzo was a crucial part of the power structure of the Third Hokage, an important support for controlling the village of Konoha. So, not only Shinji, but even Uchiha Shisui, Itachi, and strong figures like Orochimaru and Kakashi couldn't compete with Danzo in the village.

Retracting his gaze, Shinji continued eating his lunch. While Danzo might not be able to do anything to him openly, it was hard to say what could happen in the shadows, so he needed to quickly improve his strength. After finishing his lunch, he calmed his thoughts and began attempting to practice "Water Breathing."

Breathing techniques are a means of developing one's physical potential. "Water Breathing" is one of the five basic breathing techniques. Although it is not as powerful as "Sun Breathing" or "Moon Breathing," it still significantly enhances the body. In "Demon Slayer," the swordsmen, being mere mortals, rely on these basic breathing techniques to fight against demons that can recover endlessly.

Since Shinji had fragments of memories from more than a dozen swordsmen who practiced "Water Breathing," he felt a natural affinity for it. After simply trying out several breathing rhythms based on the memory fragments, he gradually began to sense something.

Huff... Feeling the rhythm of the airflow escaping his mouth, he vaguely realized that his heart and lungs seemed to respond to a certain rhythm. However, this felt different from regular breathing. In just a moment, he felt his lungs start to feel stuffy, and his heartbeat and breathing grew rapid, shattering the rhythmic flow in an instant.

Stopping the breathing technique, Shinji felt glad inside. According to the memories of those swordsmen, it generally took a month of arduous practice to barely sense the rhythm and flow of the breathing technique. Even the outstanding ones like Kanroji Mitsuri took several days to feel the rhythm. Yet he had entered the rhythm after just one attempt!

Of course, this was mainly because he had gained insights from more than a dozen swordsmen, as if he had simulated the entry-level of "Water Breathing" in his mind dozens of times. However, mastering the rhythm was just the first step. The key to the breathing technique still lay in the deep development of physical functions; skills could only reduce the difficulty of entry and could not eliminate the need for practice.

If the heart and lungs couldn't keep up with the rhythm of the breathing technique, as he experienced just now, one would feel unbearable chest tightness in just a moment, making it impossible to continue. "It seems that mastering the initial level of total concentration requires continuous practice over time to allow all parts of the body to keep up with the rhythm of the breathing technique!" Shinji now had a goal.

...

Time flew by, and two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, the strange invasions did not occur again, which made Shinji breathe a little easier, but he did not dare to let his guard down and continued to improve his strength with all his might. After refusing Danzo's invitation last time, he weighed his options and ultimately accepted Bai as a training partner.

Because when it came to physical techniques, having a good sparring partner was essential! Bai was both his classmate and neighbor, so practicing with Bai wouldn’t raise any suspicions among others. Of course, this was provided he didn’t create any flashy incidents like the one that almost burned down the ninja academy last time!

With Bai's help, Shinji made rapid progress in his physical training, reaching the average level of his peers after just two weeks of hard practice. At least he wouldn’t be easily exposed by those with ulterior motives. Bai, being understanding, not only did not probe too deeply into why his physical technique was so poor, but also thoughtfully devised various training plans for him.

In physical training, fundamentals are the most important. The stronger the foundation, the higher the potential ceiling, so Shinji was very humble in this regard and worked hard to solidify his weak foundation.

On the other hand, after more than twenty days in a coma, Sasuke finally woke up in the hospital. At first, he was unwilling to accept the fact that the Uchiha had been exterminated and stumbled alone into the empty Uchiha clan grounds. He then walked out, lost and dazed, in the light rain.

“Why…” He walked like a puppet, his expression vacant and aimless. His world had collapsed in a single night. In that brief night, he went from being the son of the head of Konoha’s most powerful clan to this now helpless orphan. What was even harder for him to accept was that the culprit behind all this was his closest brother.

This fact was something he could not accept. Thus, the lively and cheerful person he was before the massacre turned into the current gloomy, reclusive, and despondent figure. Shinji also kept a close eye on Sasuke. However, when he discovered that the village had not placed Sasuke in the same apartment building as him, but instead had him stay in an apartment not far from the Anbu building, his attention towards Sasuke became even more discreet.

It was evident that Sasuke was still under the village’s surveillance. This was actually understandable. Before fleeing, Uchiha Itachi had warned the Third Hokage and Danzo in person that if anything happened to Sasuke in the village, he would spread Konoha’s top-secret information to other ninja villages.

No one in the village dared to underestimate the lone Uchiha who had exterminated his clan, not even the Third Hokage. Therefore, whether to appease Uchiha Itachi or to restrain him, the village had to strengthen its monitoring and protection of Sasuke. Understanding this, Shinji not only did not approach Sasuke but also deliberately acted as if he despised him, keeping his distance to avoid raising any suspicions.