Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly recognized the boy's identity.
Obito Uchiha—the only Uchiha among this group of children, and someone who got along very well with Feng Bai.
"Obito, then I'll be waiting for the day you become Hokage." Hiruzen extended his right hand, reeking of tobacco smoke, and affectionately ruffled Obito's hair with a smile.
Who would have thought there'd be someone in the Uchiha clan who truly embraces the Will of Fire? At this rate, maybe the problems between the Uchiha and Konoha could be resolved completely before long.
If only more and more people would embrace the Will of Fire...
If Feng Bai knew what Hiruzen was thinking right now, he'd definitely applaud and chime in: Absolutely right! This kid really did solve the Uchiha problem in record time—though perhaps not quite in the way you're imagining.
Seeing Obito praised, Ebisu quickly joined in: "Third Hokage-sama, I will also uphold the Will of Fire to the very end!"
"Good, very good." Hiruzen's smile grew even brighter.
"If you want to become Hokage, you'll need to enroll in the Ninja Academy first and become shinobi. I'll be waiting for you there." After encouraging the children with a few words, Hiruzen left the street in high spirits.
"Speaking of which, it really is almost time for Ninja Academy enrollment." Ebisu, experiencing his first close conversation with the Hokage, was practically vibrating with excitement—even his sunglasses couldn't contain the gleam in his eyes.
"It really is. Kurenai, Anko, are you two planning to apply?" Rin nodded in agreement, then looked at the other two girls.
"Of course I'm applying! I can't think of anything else I'd do besides becoming a ninja." Anko clasped her hands behind her head, flashing a brilliant smile.
"I've been practicing the Three Basic Techniques pretty well—I should be able to pass the assessment." Kurenai counted on her fingers, tallying up her recent efforts.
"Three Basic Techniques? That's so unfair, Kurenai! I only just figured out how chakra circulation works!" Hearing that Kurenai had already begun training in the Three Basic Techniques, Anko threw an arm around her and complained.
"Eh, I thought everyone was already..." Kurenai, being squeezed uncomfortably by Anko, struggled to speak.
"Eh, Three Basic Techniques?" Ebisu instantly lost all motivation.
"Tch, you think everyone's a genius like Kakashi?" Anko rolled her eyes, released Kurenai, and pointed at Kakashi, who had remained silent throughout.
"Hmph, the Three Basic Techniques are nothing to me—piece of cake!" Obito looked at Kakashi defiantly, boasting words even he didn't believe.
"Just accept being dead last, idiot." Kakashi couldn't be bothered to look at Obito, who kept circling around him expressing his indignation.
"You bastard!" Obito completely lost it.
Only Feng Bai remained completely out of the loop.
Right, the most fundamental ninja coursework is the Three Basic Techniques, isn't it? Aburame Ryōma never taught me any of this stuff. Don't tell me those guys really are just taking out their frustrations from Danzō on me?!
"Geniuses always inspire jealousy, don't they?"
Just as Feng Bai was wondering whether those guys were engaging in personal vendettas, Asuma's voice suddenly came from beside him.
Hearing the voice, Feng Bai turned to look at Asuma, who was watching Kakashi in the distance with a complex expression.
"That's true, but..." Feng Bai also shifted his gaze to Kakashi and smiled slightly: "Don't you think dismissing someone's efforts with just the word 'genius' is a bit too one-sided?"
"You're right." Hearing Feng Bai's words, Asuma also smiled and patted Feng Bai's shoulder: "Exactly. It's really frustrating—he's clearly a genius, yet he works harder than any of us. Looks like I need to get serious too."
"When the time comes, let's challenge that smug Kakashi together." Feng Bai pumped his fist.
"Right, and we'll bring Obito along—let him charge ahead while we provide backup!" Seeing Obito getting more and more worked up, Asuma walked over to pull him away while speaking.
"Alright, enough fooling around. Let's go to the pastry shop for cake—my treat today!" To appease Obito, Asuma felt his thin wallet and made a painful decision.
Why does it feel like knowing too many people isn't always a good thing?
Next time, maybe we shouldn't all go out together.
"Great! Everyone, let's go—today's expenses are on Prince Asuma!" Seeing Asuma take on the responsibility of paying, Feng Bai quickly rallied the troops and was the first to charge toward the pastry shop.
"That's so sneaky, Feng Bai! Wait for me!" Anko launched the second charge.
...
"It's almost time for Ninja Academy enrollment, isn't it?" At the dinner table, Danzō suddenly spoke, catching Feng Bai completely off guard.
How the hell would I know the date? I'm not even from around here.
After several months of interaction, Feng Bai was no longer as reserved as he'd been initially, and spoke much more casually with Danzō: "Should be, I guess. When I ran into the Hokage today, he mentioned it."
Hearing that Feng Bai had encountered Hiruzen, Danzō showed no surprise, clearly already aware of this.
"Taijutsu training ultimately requires time accumulation and can't be rushed. What truly reveals a ninja's talent is ninjutsu." Danzō set down his chopsticks: "Tomorrow morning, you're coming with me somewhere."
Going somewhere?
Please don't tell me it's Root.
Having a vague idea of the answer, Feng Bai still asked curiously: "Where are we going?"
"You'll know when we get there." Danzō maintained his inscrutable demeanor.
The next morning, before dawn had broken, Feng Bai was roused by Danzō. Right before his eyes, Danzō pulled open a hidden trapdoor beneath his tatami, revealing a dark tunnel.
Holy shit, old-school Konoha tunnel warfare?
Feng Bai's guess was correct—Danzō was indeed taking him to the Root base. What he hadn't expected was that Danzō had actually excavated a tunnel connecting his home directly to the base.
After traversing the lengthy tunnel, Feng Bai arrived at the most mysterious place in all of Konoha—Root.
"What is this place?" Though he'd already guessed the answer, Feng Bai feigned ignorance to avoid arousing Danzō's suspicion.
"This is where Konoha's true guardians gather." Danzō wasn't inclined to introduce Root in detail, speaking only with proud brevity: "This is also where I work. When you have free time, you can come here to practice ninjutsu."
Under Danzō's guidance, they arrived at a training ground.
The spacious area was lined with humanoid targets, and training marks were everywhere—clearly the work of veteran Root members.
"This is a fundamental Wind Release technique. Unlike nature-less jutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique, this one requires utilizing wind's nature transformation." As Danzō spoke, he began forming hand seals at an extremely slow pace.
Rat—Dog
"Wind Release: Breakthrough!"
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