"Iruka," the Third Hokage said, mildly startled. "What brings you here again?"
Iruka had come a bit too often lately. The old man almost packed away the crystal ball in reflex.
"It's about Ryuuto," Iruka replied. "I'd like to apply for a library access permit for him."
This was not a normal library. Both of them understood that. This was the shinobi archive.
"Oh?" The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow. "That's sudden. What made you decide this?"
With a long sigh, Iruka explained everything. Shadow Clones. Training schedules. Split routines. The sheer gap between what he could teach and what Ryuuto was already doing.
"To be honest," Iruka admitted, rubbing his temple, "his talent is already beyond what I can guide. A library permit would help him far more than my lectures."
"Shadow Clones…" The Hokage frowned. "You're certain there are no aftereffects?"
"As far as I can tell, none," Iruka said firmly. "He's been using them for days. His condition has been consistently excellent."
"…I see."
The Third Hokage leaned back, pipe in hand.
Learning Shadow Clones alone wasn't shocking. Jutsu could be learned. But using them efficiently for study and training? That spoke of something rarer.
Talent.
True, adaptable, frighteningly practical talent.
And what made it more remarkable was Ryuuto's background. No special lineage. No hidden clan ties. No Uzumaki chakra reserves to fall back on.
"Very well," the Hokage said after a pause. "We'll grant him access to non-jutsu materials."
Clean background. Exceptional ability. Mature mindset. Tireless effort.
Any village worth its name would invest in someone like that.
Moments later, Iruka accepted the authorization slip from the Hokage with both hands.
"Take him for a photo later and attach it," the old man added calmly.
"Yes!"
Iruka was both thrilled and shaken. The permission level was far higher than he'd expected. Even knowledge had clearance tiers, and this was generous.
Once Iruka left, the Third Hokage took a slow drag from his pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
He had already sent word to Jiraiya once. No response.
Now, seeing Ryuuto's growth firsthand, the Hokage decided to write again.
Talent needed guidance. Strength needed bonds. Jiraiya, or Tsunade—either would be ideal.
If only they would answer.
With a resigned sigh, he handed the letter to a toad messenger.
The next day, the crystal ball flickered again.
This time, it showed Ryuuto training. Sweat, precision, repetition.
A flick of the Hokage's fingers, and the image shifted—to the Ninja Academy. Once again, Ryuuto stood at the center of the scene.
But now, Naruto was beside him.
They seemed… close.
The Hokage paused, thoughtful.
That pairing wasn't bad at all.
If Ryuuto grew strong enough, he could anchor Naruto. Help restrain him. Maybe even pull him back when the beast stirred.
Bonds saved people. The old man knew that better than anyone.
Ryuuto, of course, had no idea he was being observed. Even if he did, he wouldn't care. He had nothing to hide.
Later that day, Iruka handed him the library permit.
Security was tight. The archives were deep. But the result was worth it.
Ryuuto could access materials up to B-rank knowledge.
Not techniques—but theory, history, chakra principles.
For now, that was more than enough.
With his current chakra reserves, learning new jutsu wasn't the priority anyway.
It didn't take long for Ryuuto to realize the truth. This level of access wasn't something a chūnin could authorize.
The Third Hokage had noticed him.
And had chosen to invest.
That alone was worth more than gold.
He never once entertained the fantasy that this meant he'd be handed the Flying Thunder God Technique on a silver platter. That was delusion-tier wishful thinking.
Still…
Flying Thunder God ranked extremely high in his long-term plans.
Minato Namikaze had turned that technique into a legend. More importantly, it wasn't chakra-hungry. Minato wasn't from a special bloodline either. If Minato could sustain it, so could he—eventually.
The real hurdle was talent.
Space-time perception. Reaction speed. Combat instinct.
Without overwhelming skill, Flying Thunder God was unstoppable. With enough skill to counter it, it became merely terrifying.
The Third Raikage, for example, wouldn't fear it nearly as much.
Ryuuto clicked his tongue.
Both were monsters among ordinary men. Minato… gone too soon.
If he'd lived longer, he could've refined his offense. Maybe even created something on par with the Rasenshuriken.
And with Flying Thunder God?
The recoil wouldn't matter.
Instant relocation. Zero self-damage. Near-perfect accuracy.
Add Sage Mode into the mix—even briefly—and ambushing something like a Ten-Tails jinchūriki wouldn't be a joke.
"…That would've been disgusting," Ryuuto muttered with a grin.
Fine.
If Minato didn't finish the job, then he would.
Whether he even had the talent for Flying Thunder God remained uncertain. Plenty of people possessed space-based abilities and still failed to grasp it.
Bloodline abilities weren't talent.
Talent was talent.
Still, Ryuuto's eyes burned with resolve.
There was only one answer.
Work harder.
Read more.
Grow stronger.
The new books were waiting.
And every day, his chakra was increasing.
Proof that he was moving forward.