Early morning.
Genshin came back from his run, dragging a half-dead, worn-out Naruto behind him.
Before he’d even wiped his face clean, a soft knock came at the door.
He opened it, and sure enough it was the beast-masked ANBU, Zō—still the same silent, taciturn figure as ever, who simply made a gesture for Genshin to follow him.
There was no time to make breakfast, so Genshin told Naruto to make do with cup noodles and milk for himself, then followed Zō toward the Hokage’s office building.
On the way, Genshin spotted a familiar-looking ninja heading in the same direction—a bulbous nose, a wakizashi slung diagonally across his back, and a fan embroidered on the sleeve of his uniform, red on top and white on the bottom.
That look…
the more he stared, the more the guy resembled Uchiha Shisui!
Networking never hurt, so Genshin fired up his master-of-socializing charm and flashed him a grin.
He could tell the guy froze for a split second before catching on, returning a smile and a nod.
Hmm, that goofy little smile—an ordinary aloof, deadpan Uchiha could never manage a grin like that.
This kid was almost certainly Shisui, no doubt about it.
Just as Genshin was thinking this, they arrived at the Hokage Tower.
Following Zō through the corridor of the office area, he stepped into the Third Hokage’s office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was seated behind his desk, marking documents.
Seeing Genshin enter, he set down his pen and asked with a smile, “It’s been half a month—how’s little Genshin’s Chakra Refinement coming along?”
“In answer, Lord Hokage—I can already refine Chakra stably, and I’ve learned all the basic Three Bodies Techniques,” Genshin replied properly and respectfully.
Hiruzen nodded at this, picked up his pipe and tapped it against the ashtray, signaling that Genshin could begin.
“Then let’s have a demonstration.
Show me your progress.”
Genshin didn’t dawdle.
He walked to the center of the office and planted himself firmly, first channeling ordinary Chakra and rapidly forming the three seals—Clone, Transformation, and Substitution.
The Three Bodies Technique flowed out smoothly without the slightest hitch.
Hiruzen’s eyes brightened faintly.
To have honed the Three Bodies Technique to this level in half a month—even with the foundation of the Uzumaki Clan, such talent was truly astonishing.
With the Three Bodies Technique tested, by rights it was time to test Basic Taijutsu next.
Yet Genshin stood there without moving.
“Lord Hokage, there’s a technique I’d like you to critique for me.”
“Oh?” Hiruzen’s interest was piqued.
“Calling it a technique isn’t quite right, I suppose.
I should say my Chakra is a little different from what the training scrolls describe.
When I use this Chakra, my physical abilities grow stronger.”
Genshin chose his words carefully as he described the effect of Hamon Chakra.
Yes—he had no intention of hiding it at all.
What Genshin wanted now was to secure more training resources and safeguard his own security.
The simplest, most direct way was to display his talent so the upper echelons of Konoha would value him—to make the Third Hokage prize him so highly that he’d consider Genshin a talent he couldn’t afford to lose.
After all, Genshin was utterly alone now, with no backer to support him.
If he kept things hidden, he might get snatched away to the Root by Danzo at any moment without even knowing it.
Maintaining the Breathing Method, Genshin drew in a deep breath and set the Hamon Chakra within him in motion.
Pale golden Chakra flowed along his Chakra Pathway System throughout his body, and a faint halo of light shimmered subtly across the surface of his skin.
Tiny currents of air spread out around him in concentric ripples.
He could clearly feel his strength and reaction speed surge to a whole new level.
Genshin raised his arm and hurled a punch off to the side of the office.
That small fist tore out a sharp whistling sound, and everyone in the Hokage’s office felt a fierce gust of wind scrape across their faces.
Hiruzen abruptly sat bolt upright, his grip on the pipe tightening, and even his usually narrowed eyes opened wide.
“This surge of Chakra…”
Though the magnitude was still far, far inferior, the aura of this Chakra brought a certain person to Hiruzen’s mind—the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.
Back then, Hashirama’s Chakra had also brimmed with life force, and the Wood Release he wielded could effortlessly suppress the tailed beasts and flatten any enemy who dared stand in his path.
He’d heard the First Hokage and Lady Mito mention it before—that the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan sprang from a single common ancestor.
Now, this similar Chakra appearing in an orphan of the Uzumaki seemed to corroborate that very point.
So did this mean Konoha was about to birth another God of Shinobi?
Hiruzen couldn’t suppress the delight creeping across his face, tugging at his facial muscles so that the deep wrinkles sank in one after another.
He praised the boy without pause: “Little Genshin, you’ve done very well.
Truly worthy of being a genius of the Uzumaki Clan.
In this old man’s eyes, talent like this is already drawing close to Lord Hashirama.”
Zō, who had been standing silently to the side all this while, now spoke up as well.
“Lord Hokage, the power of that punch just now is likely no less than the desperate, life-or-death strike of an ordinary Genin.
And Genshin has only trained for half a month.”
I only intended to cultivate him into Kage-level combat strength—but he turns out to be a top-tier genius rivaling the First?
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, his gaze falling upon Genshin, full of admiration.
“Little Genshin, I have a rough grasp of the nature of your Chakra now.
There’s no need to test your Basic Taijutsu for the moment.
Konoha will never let a child of exceptional talent go to waste.
From today onward, your stipend is doubled, and Zō will give you targeted instruction every day.”
Genshin hastily bowed in thanks, a weight in his chest finally settling.
My talent is this damn broken—the village really ought to protect me and let me grow now, right?
As he walked out the door of the Hokage’s office, Genshin saw Uchiha Shisui again.
He stood with his arms folded across his chest, leaning back against the wall—clearly he’d been waiting at the door for a while.
This time Shisui greeted Genshin first.
“Congratulations.
By the way, I’m Uchiha Shisui.
Let’s get along from now on.”
“Ah, thanks.
I’m Uzumaki Genshin.
Pleased to meet you.”
So he heard everything, huh?
Well, that made sense—Shisui should have already joined the ANBU by this point.
Genshin exchanged greetings while watching him step into the Hokage’s office.
…
After hearing Shisui’s report on the situation within the Uchiha Clan, Hiruzen waved a hand, sending him back to continue his surveillance.
In the past, he would have been constantly wary of the hidden threat the Uchiha posed, fretting over the gap in the village’s combat strength.
Now, all Hiruzen could think about was how to cultivate Uzumaki Genshin and reproduce another Hashirama Senju.
In Hiruzen’s view, even Shisui and Itachi—the most outstanding talents among the Uchiha today—still had a talent ceiling far below that of Uchiha Madara.
As long as Uzumaki Genshin could become the next God of Shinobi, the hidden threat of the Uchiha Clan could be all but ignored.
First, little Genshin’s Chakra reserves were surely nothing to worry about—the Uzumaki Clan had never once fretted over that.
Second, he had no Wood Release, but that could be substituted with the Uzumaki Clan’s Adamantine Sealing Chains, which could likewise clobber a tailed beast black and blue.
Next came Fūinjutsu—the village still had plenty of sealing-technique training materials left behind by the Uzumaki Clan, so having little Genshin learn step by step was no problem either.
The issue was the most crucial part: Senjutsu.
Hiruzen himself didn’t know it, but he understood all too well just how powerful a boost Senjutsu had been for the First Hokage.
That sky-blotting Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands—recalling it even now stirred the blood.
So if he was to find little Genshin a teacher, the only choices were Jiraiya or Tsunade…
Considering that the First had learned his Senjutsu from the Shikkotsu Forest, Tsunade would probably be the better fit.
In that case, the problem became how to persuade Tsunade to come back.
Back then, the brutal war had made Tsunade lose first her younger brother and then her lover, one after another.
After developing hemophobia, she’d left Konoha outright, and for all these years there’d been no word from her—only that she was wandering and gambling out in the world.
Getting her to come back and instruct Genshin would be no easy matter.
Hiruzen twirled the stem of his pipe, already beginning to scheme in his mind how to sweet-talk Tsunade into returning.
Perhaps he should first have Jiraiya help track down her whereabouts.
As for Genshin’s side, he’d have the ANBU handle daily instruction first and lay a solid foundation.
Once the matter of the Senjutsu teacher was properly arranged, it wouldn’t be too late to have Genshin begin systematic, in-depth training…
Bang!
The office door was suddenly shoved open with violent force.
That force…
Hiruzen didn’t even need to look up to know it was that fellow Danzo again.
Danzo walked in, draped in his robe and leaning on his cane, the bandage-wrapped half of his face looking especially grim.
“Hiruzen, that brat just now, the one called Uzumaki Genshin—there’s something off about his Chakra, isn’t there?”
Taking a puff from his pipe, Hiruzen spoke in a calm tone.
“It’s the physical talent inherent to the Uzumaki Clan.
The child is a genius, and one day he’ll grow into a towering tree that guards Konoha.”
“A towering tree?” A chilling, unsettling smile forced its way onto Danzo’s sinister face.
“Don’t try to fool me, Hiruzen.
Don’t forget I conducted that experiment.
I couldn’t mistake this life force—it’s far too much like the First’s.
Talent like that is too dangerous left out in the open.
Better to hand it over to the Root—”
“Forget it, Danzo.
He is an Uzumaki of the sunlight, and I will personally arrange his training.
You needn’t concern yourself.”
Hiruzen cut him off outright, shooting Danzo a glance, his tone laced with an unquestionable firmness.
Danzo narrowed his eyes and stared at Hiruzen for a few seconds.
In the end, he said no more—leaving behind only the words “I’ll be keeping an eye on that brat” before turning and departing, trailing an aura of gloom.
Hiruzen gazed at the closed office door and let out a soft sigh.
He knew Danzo wouldn’t give up easily.
The only option was to assign more ANBU to protect the boy, while finding Genshin a teacher as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, back home, Genshin found Naruto cradling his cup noodles, sauce smeared all over his face.
The moment he saw Genshin return, Naruto asked through a mouthful, “Big Bro Genshin, how’d the test go?”
Genshin walked over and changed into his indoor slippers, saying with a smile, “No big problems.
Lord Hokage was very pleased—he even praised your big bro as a genius.
Our living allowance is going up from now on.
Let’s have a good meal tonight—we’ll go to the Akimichi BBQ restaurant.”
Naruto’s eyes lit up instantly.
He wolfed down the rest of his cup noodles in a few gulps, then scooted over and tugged at Genshin’s arm.
“Really?!
Then I’m gonna run with you again tomorrow!
I wanna get stronger fast too, and become Hokage!”
Watching Naruto brimming with drive, Genshin felt his own heart settle.
The stipend was up, and he had ANBU instruction.
From here on, all he had to do was grind his training hard and focus on leveling up, head down.
This opening move—he’d finally gotten it right.