"Clan head, this is 1 million contribution points," Kaida said, wondering if Fugaku had made a mistake.
"Hahaha, yes, I know. Do you know why I'm so pleased to give you this reward?" Fugaku asked.
"Considering how big this is, I don't think I know," Kaida replied.
"It is because your performance in the Chunin exams not only helped the village get its reputation back but also increased the Uchiha's credibility. Whenever someone gives an A-rank or S-rank mission to Konoha, they can specifically request a particular ninja or clan to take on the mission. This will not only increase the clan's revenue but also boost its reputation, so the previous situation will not happen again," Fugaku said.
A look of realization appeared on Kaida's face. He knew that, although mission revenue was not much for a large clan, they could still earn millions of Ryo from one business without taking missions for money. But that didn't mean they had no other motivations.
If they were weak, someone within the village might have gotten ideas about their bathhouse business. But with Shisui, and now Kaida, no one would even think of it. Similarly, the Uchiha clan also needed to maintain its reputation, and Kaida had helped with that. If that was the case, he had no problem taking such a large contribution point reward.
"If that is the case, then I can only thank you for the contribution points, Fugaku-sama," Kaida said.
"Good. You can learn any jutsu you want, aside from S-rank, because for that, you need permission from both me and Lord Third," Fugaku said.
"If I can get Lord Third's permission, can I learn any S-rank jutsu then?" Kaida asked.
"Technically, yes. But since you've just learned one, I wouldn't recommend learning another one so soon. Even though S-rank jutsu are powerful, they have little use if you haven't mastered them, especially since you're already going to learn another one soon," Fugaku said.
"Yes, Lord Third allowed me to learn the Flying Raijin Jutsu, so focusing on another S-rank jutsu now isn't a good idea," Kaida said, not hiding the details. Since no one had told him to, and Hiruzen himself had mentioned it in front of everyone, there was no reason for Kaida to keep it secret.
'Though having one or two hidden cards would be great, it won't matter once I learn Flying Raijin anyway. With Flying Raijin, even a kunai will become deadlier than any hidden card I could have... at least until the start of the main storyline,' Kaida thought, but pushed the thought aside.
"Fugaku-sama, can you recommend which jutsu I should learn?" Kaida asked directly. Fugaku was not just anyone; he was the head of the Uchiha clan, a clan with hundreds of jutsu thanks to the Sharingan. As such, Fugaku was likely the best person to ask this question after Hiruzen himself.
"What are your elemental affinities?" Fugaku asked.
"Fire is my main affinity, wind is secondary, and earth is third," Kaida said.
"Quite a nice combo. And what jutsu do you already know?" Fugaku asked.
"Fireball, Fire Stream, Wind Blade, Hiding in the Mole, Earth Wall, Gale Palm, Shadow Clone, and Wind Instantaneous Movement Jutsu," Kaida replied, not hiding anything since none of these jutsu were secrets. It was better not to hold back when he was receiving help.
"Hmm, interesting. First, do you know anything about supercharging your jutsu?" Fugaku asked.
"No, Fugaku-sama."
"Hmm, first ask Shisui to teach you that. Then, learn Iron Skin Jutsu, one of the best defensive jutsu. Even though you have Mitotic Regeneration, prevention is always better than cure," Fugaku advised, and Kaida nodded.
"Then focus on Fire Release. Learn at least three more attack jutsu—I'll leave it to you to decide which ones. For Wind Release, learn Great Breakthrough and Rotating Shuriken; both are C-rank but will give you more attack variety. For lethality, learn Divine Mountain Wind, which, combined with Fire Release, becomes one of the most destructive attacks. Also, learn Spiraling Wind Ball and Beast Tearing Gale Palm if you can; both are difficult but very powerful among Wind Release jutsu.
"As for Earth Release, Bottomless Swamp, Rock Shelter, and Earth Spear should be enough. And since you have the Strength of a Hundred Seal, add Fist Rock Technique to your list as well. All of these combined will make you one of the most versatile ninja—not just in the clan but in the entire village," Fugaku said.
Kaida was shocked by how easily Fugaku had identified the perfect jutsu for him to learn. Although Kaida didn't know most of them, his superficial knowledge was enough to tell him how unpredictable he'd become if he mastered them.
"Thank you, Clan Head. I will try to learn them as soon as I can," Kaida said.
"There is no need to hurry. You are still young; take your time," Fugaku said with a smile.
'Sadly, time is something I actually don't have, especially since I'll need to take some risks soon,' Kaida thought but nodded at Fugaku's advice.
"You can leave now. Give the list of jutsu to the receptionist, and he'll arrange teachers for you according to your schedule," Fugaku said.
"Thank you, Fugaku-sama," Kaida said and left the office, leaving Shisui inside, as Fugaku and Shisui had something else to discuss.
As Kaida left the Uchiha headquarters, he went to a training area and sat on top of a tree.
'A lot has happened, but my initial plan remains the same: reduce enemy strength while gaining powerful allies. It's the best plan I have. Sadly, I can't leave the village until we become Jonin, but luckily, I have things to do until then.
'I just hope nothing happens to both of them in the meantime. Orochimaru's situation is unpredictable, but Karin should still be in Kusagakure. As for Kimimaro, it would be great to find him. If not, well, there's nothing I can do about it. For now, let's focus on one thing at a time and start learning new jutsu tomorrow,' he thought.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, a discussion about Kaida's future was taking place...
"Are you sure you're not overestimating those two?" a man in an orange spiral mask asked.
"Not at all. I may have underestimated them. They're both talented enough to become S-rank in the future, strengthening the Uchiha and Konoha," the white-and-black Zetsu combo said.
"Hmm, the Uchiha are growing stronger by the day. Shisui alone was tricky; now even Fugaku is rumored to have the Mangekyo, along with these two. Capturing the Nine-Tails may become harder in the future."
"Yes, Madara-sama. So, should we eliminate them early, before they get a chance to develop?" Zetsu asked.
"No. Konoha won't take it lightly, especially since both are being protected by Hiruzen himself. I don't want Konoha poking around our activities—at least, not until we're ready to move. But keep an eye on Konoha; we'll need some way to destabilize it," 'Madara' said.
"As you wish, Madara-sama," Zetsu said as a Venus flytrap-like plant emerged, swallowed him whole, and disappeared into the ground.
'Interesting,' Madara thought.