Sasuke suddenly changed his mind and agreed to leave with Zhang Miao, not for any other reason, but because Zhang Miao's voice had suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Sasuke, do you think it's better for you to defeat Itachi alone or to follow me? Hm?"
Only after hearing Zhang Miao's familiar voice did Sasuke turn to look at him, confirming he hadn't misheard.
Zhang Miao guessed Sasuke's thoughts and winked at him, conveying a message—yes, it was indeed him who spoke just now!
For Sasuke, the only motivation keeping him going now was to seek revenge against Itachi, so Zhang Miao's words struck a chord precisely!
In Sasuke's memory, Zhang Miao was a frequent visitor to his home. Even his father, whom he held in the highest regard, treated Zhang Miao with great respect.
Moreover, Sasuke vividly remembered Zhang Miao often sparring with Itachi in their home's courtyard, and each time, the matches ended with Itachi's defeat.
When Zhang Miao's title as the "Konoha's Top Genius" resonated throughout Konoha, Sasuke had felt aggrieved for his brother. But now, it became his hope for revenge!
"Only by following him can I defeat Itachi!"
At that moment, Sasuke had only one thought in his mind.
With this thought in mind, Sasuke suddenly changed his mind and, in front of Hiruzen, agreed to go back with Zhang Miao.
Sasuke's response clearly surprised Hiruzen. Although he didn't know the exact reason, since the concerned party had agreed, Hiruzen could only nod towards Zhang Miao.
"Well, since this is Sasuke's decision, when he feels a bit better, let him move in with you!"
"No need to wait!" Sasuke immediately got up from the hospital bed as Hiruzen spoke. "I'm already fine, and I can go now!"
Watching Sasuke's impatient demeanor, Hiruzen frowned, but before he could speak, Zhang Miao grinned.
"Haha, such a stubborn kid. In that case, let's go!"
Saying this, Zhang Miao turned to Hiruzen and winked at him.
"I'll take Sasuke with me. Don't worry, I'll take good care of him, and this doesn't conflict with your agreement with someone, right?"
After saying this, Zhang Miao turned away from Hiruzen's astonished gaze, took hold of the displeased Sasuke, and quickly disappeared from his sight.
Seeing this scene, Hiruzen's brow furrowed again.
"How does he know about my agreement with Itachi?"
As it turned out, Itachi's defection from Konoha to join the "Akatsuki" organization wasn't his intention but an order from the Third Hokage Hiruzen to gather intelligence on the "Akatsuki" organization.
Before Itachi left Konoha, he had made an agreement with Hiruzen that Konoha Village couldn't harm Sasuke, or else he would sell Leaf Village's secrets to its enemies.
Itachi did this to protect Sasuke, ensuring that as long as Sasuke was alive, Konoha wouldn't harm him.
Because this matter was highly confidential, Hiruzen believed no one else knew about it. However, from Zhang Miao's words earlier, Hiruzen could tell that Zhang Miao seemed to know about it.
So Hiruzen felt extremely puzzled.
"How does he know about this? Did Itachi tell him? Hmm... given their relationship, that's also a possibility..."
Hiruzen couldn't fathom that Zhang Miao knew about this not because Itachi told him, but because he was a huge fan of Naruto!
As someone who had finished watching "Naruto," many of the hidden truths in the ninja world weren't secrets to Zhang Miao!
After leaving Konoha Hospital with Sasuke, Zhang Miao wore a smug smile on his face.
"After taking Sasuke back this time, it will be much easier for me to collect his ninja fragments. Plus, having such a competitor by Naruto's side will force that guy to work hard. It's like hitting two birds with one stone. I am a genius, damn it, hahaha..."
Sasuke didn't know Zhang Miao's thoughts. Seeing Zhang Miao's smug face, he immediately frowned. "When will you teach me how to kill that man?"
"Hmm?" Hearing Sasuke's question, Zhang Miao, who had a smile on his face, raised an eyebrow. "You mean killing Itachi? Well, it's simple. You need to start from the root!"
"Start from the root?" Sasuke's brow furrowed even more upon hearing Zhang Miao's answer. "What do you mean by this so-called 'root'? The Sharingan?"
"Of course not!" Facing Sasuke's puzzled expression, Zhang Miao shook his head. "While the power of the Sharingan is strong, it's still lacking for what I call the root. When I say 'root,' I'm referring to the surname!"
"The surname?" Sasuke became even more confused upon hearing this. "What does the surname have to do with defeating that man?"
"It has everything to do with it!"
Looking at Sasuke's confused expression, Zhang Miao immediately patted his own chest.
"Because I have repeatedly defeated Itachi, leaving an indelible shadow in his heart. As soon as he hears my name, he'll lose his composure, unable to exert more than ten percent of his actual strength!"
Saying this, Zhang Miao placed a hand on Sasuke's head, looking at him seriously.
"So, if you want to defeat him, you first need a resounding surname. Don't use Uchiha for now; change it to Uzumaki. From now on, your name will be Uzumaki Sasuke!"
Sasuke: "(⊙o⊙)..."
Damn, what a terrible name!
Hearing this new name, Sasuke was completely dumbfounded. At this moment, the system prompt also echoed in Zhang Miao's mind.
"Ding! Congratulations to His Holiness for making Sasuke feel the fear of being dominated by 'Uzumaki Sasuke' name, Obtained 9-star Sage of Six Paths-level, Uchiha Sasuke Ninja Fragment x5! Whenever His Holiness calls out the name 'Uzumaki Sasuke,' you will receive the maximum amount of fragments corresponding to the current phase of the ninja."
According to the system's rules, the number of collected ninja fragments was tied to the current ninja's strength. One to four-star ninjas could yield a maximum of five fragments each time, five to seven stars could yield a maximum of ten, and eight to ten stars could yield a maximum of twenty.
In other words, even if the ninja had the potential for 9-star, if their current strength was at one star, Zhang Miao could only collect fragments equivalent to that level.
This was the case for Sasuke. If he currently had a 9-star level of strength, Zhang Miao could collect twenty fragments each time. Unfortunately, at present, he was only at the level of a two-star Genin, so Zhang Miao could only collect five fragments per day.
"With five fragments per day, it will take approximately one thousand eight hundred fragments in a year. The recruitment condition for a 9-star ninja is 6400 fragments. It seems it will take more than three years to recruit Naruto and Sasuke, similar to recruiting Hashirama and Madara."
Thinking this through, Zhang Miao took a deep breath and gently patted the still-dazed Sasuke.
"From today, let's work together, Uzumaki Sasuke!"
Sasuke: "Σ(°°|||)︴"