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"Konoha really is peaceful..."
Under the silver moonlight, Shigenari Shuuzawa and Yuugao walked side by side through the streets of Konoha, heading toward a residential area.
The gathering had ended, and Shuuzawa, upholding his so-called "gentlemanly manners," insisted on escorting Yuugao home.
This left Yuugao both amused and exasperated—after all, even if she was a woman, she was still a shinobi!
However, she didn't refuse, and the two set off together. Looking at the peaceful scene before her, she couldn't help but sigh.
Compared to the time spent in Sunagakure, this was paradise. Not only had they been hunted there, but the environment itself had been unbearably harsh.
"By the way, Shuuzawa, what's your dream for the future?" Yuugao blinked and tilted her head toward Shuuzawa. After thinking for a moment, curiosity got the better of her.
"Me?" Shuuzawa gave her a puzzled look.
After pretending to think deeply, he smiled and said, "I want to become a powerful shinobi like Lord Jiraiya. And if possible, I hope to be a man who one day becomes Hokage!"
Yuugao didn't know how to respond for a moment. Something about that statement seemed... off.
Jiraiya was undoubtedly strong, but hadn't they just been talking about how he disregarded the Three Prohibitions for shinobi?
Was Shuuzawa planning to follow in his footsteps? While aspiring to be Hokage wasn't wrong, Shuuzawa's phrasing felt strange to her.
"Good luck. I believe in you." After a long pause, Yuugao finally spoke, though her tone carried a hint of helplessness. Shuuzawa simply nodded.
"Thank you, senpai. I'll do my best." Shuuzawa had no idea what Yuugao was thinking, but if he did, he would've nodded and given her a thumbs-up.
As a transmigrator, suddenly finding himself in a world of extraordinary abilities, he didn't see age as a problem! The real issue was—did he look good enough?
What was wrong with driving a big car? Big cars had great headlights!
"Just call me Yuugao," Yuugao muttered, pursing her lips. She felt like this junior wasn't as obedient as she had expected.
But before dwelling on it, she suddenly stopped and grabbed Shuuzawa's sleeve.
"Shuuzawa, look over there. Isn't that Naruto?"
"Huh?" Shuuzawa looked up in confusion.
Sure enough, he spotted the little troublemaker lingering in front of some store entrances, looking rather dejected.
If he had to guess, Naruto was probably hungry again. Seeing this, Shuuzawa thought for a moment and decided to walk over.
Nothing had happened last time, so he doubted anything would go wrong this time, either.
Especially since he was never alone when meeting Naruto—someone else was always around.
"Kid, what's wrong this time?"
Dragging Yuugao along, they quickly reached Naruto's side. The moment Shuuzawa spoke, Naruto jolted.
"Big bro! Big sis! It's you guys!"
Turning around and seeing them, Naruto instantly lit up with excitement.
He had never forgotten how these two had treated him to ramen last time, though he never got to ask their names.
Now that they had run into each other again, how could he not be happy?
But just as he opened his mouth, his stomach let out a loud growl, making him feel embarrassed.
"Skipped a meal again?" Shuuzawa raised an eyebrow, feeling that this kid was living a bit too rough.
"I overslept... Ichiraku was already closed..." Naruto muttered, gazing at the now-shuttered ramen stand with frustration.
Shuuzawa and Yuugao exchanged glances. At this hour, how many places were still open?
"Why didn't you come out earlier?" Yuugao frowned, her tone filled with exasperation. She started to think this kid wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
"Because I feel like everyone doesn't like me, so I usually wait until there aren't many people around before coming out..."
Naruto's words made Yuugao freeze. The boy smiled awkwardly, continuing, "Only old man Ichiraku, Grandpa Hokage, and you two don't dislike me."
"Too bad Ichiraku's closed, or I would've treated you guys to ramen!"
Naruto's stipend had just come in, and since he had once said he would treat them next time, he meant it. Unfortunately, the timing just didn't work out.
"You little..." Yuugao sighed. After a moment of thought, she spoke up.
"Shuuzawa, stay here with him. At this hour, there aren't many open shops left. I'll go to the convenience store and get him something."
"Wait, big sis—"
Seeing Yuugao walk away without a second glance, Naruto hurriedly called out to her, only to be stopped by Shuuzawa.
"Relax and wait. You can always make yourself some instant ramen when you get home."
"But..."
Naruto wanted to say more, but Shuuzawa didn't indulge him.
"Instant ramen is already a luxury. Back when I was on missions, I had to eat cockroaches and rats just to survive."
Wait, was that the point? Naruto's mind blanked. He had planned to say he wanted to pay for it himself, but somehow, the conversation had taken a horrifying turn.
Hesitantly, he asked, "Do all shinobi have to eat stuff like that?"
"Of course. On missions, you eat whatever you can find!"
Shuuzawa launched into an exaggerated monologue. He had seen others eat those things before but had never been desperate enough to try it himself.
Still, that didn't stop him from teasing the gullible little Naruto.
"Ahem!"
Just then, a deliberate cough interrupted their conversation.
"Grandpa Hokage!"
Naruto saw the Third Hokage approaching, his signature pipe in hand. Naruto's face immediately lit up with excitement.
"Yo, Naruto. Skipped another meal?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a ring of smoke before shifting his gaze to Shuuzawa. After a moment of thought, he spoke. "Shuuzawa, you're here too? Did the gathering go well tonight?"
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage. Everything went smoothly tonight."
Shuuzawa nodded. With Shisui, Yamato, and Kakashi all present—an Anbu trio featuring the Sharingan and Wood Release—there was no way the Third Hokage wouldn't know about their activities.
"Good to hear."
Hiruzen smiled and nodded, but soon, he shook his head. "Still, after such a good gathering, why tell stories like that? Not all shinobi live that way. You'll scare the child."
He truly felt Shuuzawa's words were unnecessary. Was Konoha's logistics department failing that badly? Or was Konoha so poor that Shinobi couldn't afford to eat?
Cockroaches and rats—those were Danzo's methods! They had nothing to do with normal Konoha shinobi. Even in the Anbu, such situations were rare.
Shuuzawa let out a dry laugh and didn't argue. After all, the Hokage was the Hokage—whatever he said was final.
"Speaking of which, you've completed so many missions, but I don't think I've given you a reward yet, have I?"
With these words, Hiruzen suddenly changed the subject and smiled.
"Huh? A reward?"
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up. As someone aspiring to be Hokage, he was naturally curious about everything related to shinobi.
"That's right, a reward." Hiruzen patted Naruto's head kindly before continuing.
"Shuuzawa is a genius. He's completed many incredible missions. Naturally, he deserves a reward."
"I've been thinking about what to give him, and now, I've made up my mind. I want you to try this." As he spoke, he pulled a scroll and handed it to Shuuzawa.
Taking it, Shuuzawa had a hunch about what it was.
If he wasn't mistaken, this had to be the Flying Thunder God Technique. Seeing Naruto practically vibrating with excitement beside him, Shuuzawa sighed internally.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
"This wasn't just a coincidence. There's an eighty percent chance it was intentional!"
Sitting in his home, Shigenari Shuuzawa looked at the scroll in his hands, recalling the appearances of Naruto and Yuugao.
He shook his head and muttered to himself. Running into that old man tonight had been rather strange.
He felt that Naruto's appearance might have been accidental, but the Third Hokage had come to deliver something.
He just happened to run into Naruto and decided to turn him into a spectator for the show.
While there was nothing inherently wrong with that, and Shuuzawa had no grounds to criticize, it still felt absurd to him.
"Well, being an extra is fine as long as I get my fair share of the benefits." He glanced at the scroll in his hands and then at where he stayed.
Ultimately, he nodded in satisfaction. The ANBU differed from Root—Root had no 'employee benefits,' and all members lived and trained within its underground base.
In contrast, ANBU operatives could leave when not on duty, though they also had the option to reside within ANBU facilities.
The place Shuuzawa was living in was technically ANBU-issued housing, making it a form of 'employee benefit.'
It was small, sure, but it was still better than sleeping on the floor of a Root dormitory. Besides, ANBU's pay seemed quite decent.
Yuugao treated them to dinner tonight and bought many things for Naruto. She probably would've felt the sting if the benefits weren't good.
"For now, I should take a look at the Flying Thunder God Technique." With that thought in mind, Shuuzawa unrolled the scroll.
He knew that once opened, such scrolls typically had a time limit before self-destruction, so he had to move fast.
Moreover, he was especially interested in the Flying Thunder God—
It was one of the rarest space-time jutsu in the original world! Shuuzawa recalled that space-time techniques were mostly associated with the Otsutsuki clan.
Among humans, only Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan had achieved true spatial traversal.
Other techniques, like the 'Heavenly Transfer Jutsu' from the Hidden Cloud and summoning techniques, did exist, but they weren't particularly useful in battle.
The Flying Thunder God was different—it was the only jutsu that perfectly merged space-time manipulation with combat.
"So this is how the Flying Thunder God works..." An hour later, Shuuzawa stared at the burning remnants of the scroll,
rubbing his chin in deep thought. The technique wasn't as overwhelmingly complex as he had initially imagined.
Structurally, it wasn't composed of an excessive number of elements.
However, mastering it was another story—so many intricate aspects had to be combined and executed seamlessly.
"The first requirement is physical fitness, the second is mastery of sealing techniques, and the last is summoning jutsu."
Physical fitness needed no explanation—after all, travelling through space was an immense strain on the body's balance.
The overwhelming dizziness alone was something an average person couldn't endure. Then there was sealing jutsu—
At its core, the Flying Thunder God's formula varied sealing techniques.
The most basic version involved pre-inscribing the formula onto kunai, but advanced usage required inscribing the marks spontaneously during combat.
As for summoning jutsu, it served as a crucial mechanism for space-time transportation.
Beyond that, chakra control and chakra reserves were also essential. The overall difficulty was incredibly high.
However—"Aside from summoning jutsu, I already meet all the requirements!"
Shuuzawa's eyes lit up instantly. He had excellent physical conditioning, precise control, and a vast chakra reserve. Furthermore,
he had deliberately maxed out his sealing jutsu skills to Level 5 as a precaution against Danzo! This technique was practically made for him.
Although summoning jutsu was a hurdle, he had—
[New jutsu detected: Theoretical structure is complete and logical.]
[Ability activated: Scholar of the Shinobi World. Activate now?]
...
"You worthless fools! Train properly!" Danzo glared at his subordinates with barely contained fury inside the Root base.
The Root operatives were drenched in sweat as they pushed through their rigorous training.
Today had been a serious blow to Danzo.
Not only had his base been surrounded by ANBU, but his carefully trained operative had also been utterly humiliated by Shuuzawa.
The disgrace and frustration left him unable to sleep, so he wasted no time intensifying Root's training regimen.
Watching his subordinates train diligently offered him slight comfort. With that, he turned and walked into his office.
Noticing his superior's foul mood, Aburame Ryoma kept silent. However, he still dutifully presented the day's report.
"Lord Danzo, here is today's briefing."
"Mm." Danzo accepted the scroll absentmindedly but didn't open it right away. He had more pressing matters on his mind.
"Shigenari Shuuzawa..." While there was no direct evidence, the sheer level of disruption Shuuzawa caused during his mission was too great!
Moreover, based on his report, Shuuzawa had deliberately omitted crucial details about his conversation with Ebizō.
Yet, on the surface, his actions had weakened the Hidden Sand while solidifying Konoha's alliance—an outcome that demanded attention!
Danzo couldn't shake the concern that his old 'friend' might be trying to take Shuuzawa under his wing.
After all, today's events had essentially served as a demonstration to him. Sarutobi Hiruzen's implicit message was clear: 'Even Root follows my orders. So who should you really be listening to?'
"Damn it, why am I not the Hokage..." The very thought made Danzo's head throb with frustration.
But after a moment, he calmed himself down. In hindsight, today's events had been terrifyingly close to disaster.
Despite always criticizing his old friend for being soft-hearted, Danzo now realized that a little leniency wasn't such a bad thing—
Otherwise, it wouldn't have just been an ANBU blockade today.
"Sigh..." Letting out a heavy breath, Danzo contemplated his next move.
He needed to strike back, but it had to be subtle enough that Hiruzen wouldn't retaliate.
If he could somehow make Hiruzen view Shuuzawa unfavourably, perhaps his old friend would lose interest in recruiting him. That would be ideal.
Shaking his head in resignation, Danzo decided to immerse himself in work. After all, controlling life and death in the shadows was still within his grasp.
"Hmm?" As he opened the scroll, a particular report caught his attention.
"Uchiha Itachi?" As Konoha's biggest 'unstable factor,' that name had long been marked in Danzo's records.
There was also a history between Itachi and Root—his elite operatives had once been humiliated by the boy.
To put it simply, an eight-year-old Itachi had defeated Root's finest! It wasn't just an embarrassment to the operative who lost but a direct slap to Danzo's face.
"That brat is participating in the Chunin Exams?" Danzo knew that Hiruzen held afavourablee opinion of Itachi.
The boy had awakened the Sharingan at an early age, and Danzo had overheard Hiruzen once saying that Itachi 'possessed the mindset of a Hokage.'
"And considering how close he is to Uchiha Shisui, in the future—" Just thinking about it made Danzo's mood even worse. One Shisui was already troublesome enough.
Now, another one might be emerging. "Wait... He may be only ten, but his strength is undeniable. However, Shuuzawa is no slouch either. If I have Shuuzawa deal with him..."
A scheme quickly formed in Danzo's mind. Meanwhile, in a separate dimension, a masked Obito nodded to himself. It seemed he, too, had just come up with a plan.
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