Inside the Hokage’s Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly placed the Hokage hat upon his head.
Standing before the large window, he looked out over Konoha.
Morning sunlight bathed the village in a warm glow.
From a distance, everything appeared peaceful.
Children played.
Merchants opened their stores.
Shinobi moved through the streets carrying out missions.
Yet Hiruzen knew better than anyone that peace was fragile.
The scars left behind by the Second Shinobi World War had not fully healed.
The balance between the great nations remained unstable.
Every village was recovering.
Every village was watching the others.
Beneath the calm surface, dangerous currents still flowed.
In times like these, talent became more valuable than ever.
Particularly the kind of talent that could one day support the village.
Thinking of the report Hinako had delivered earlier, Hiruzen’s gaze deepened slightly.
Five minutes to extract chakra.
One night to master the Academy’s Three Techniques.
Even for him, such talent was rare.
Very rare.
If the report was accurate, then this child was worth seeing personally.
With that thought, Hiruzen turned and left the office.
Meanwhile, inside the orphanage.
Tanya sat quietly at a wooden table eating breakfast.
The surrounding children were still discussing her performance from earlier, but she paid them little attention.
Instead, her mind was already occupied with future plans.
During the day, she would continue refining her mastery over the Three Academy Techniques.
She would also continue training alongside Might Dai and Might Guy.
The father and son possessed an absurd level of dedication to taijutsu, and observing them would undoubtedly prove useful.
At the same time, she intended to carefully study any ninjutsu demonstrations she could witness.
Every piece of information had value.
At night, she would focus on a different goal.
Recreating the defensive techniques she had once utilized during her time in the Empire.
Her offensive capabilities could be improved later.
Survivability came first.
At the same time, she needed to increase her chakra reserves as quickly as possible.
No matter how refined her control became, insufficient chakra would eventually become a fatal weakness.
Tanya took another bite of breakfast.
Her expression remained calm.
To her, opportunities were merely tools.
No matter how many advantages appeared before her, true security could only come from strength she personally possessed.
Unbeknownst to her, Konoha’s highest authority was already on his way to the orphanage.
Not long afterward, the orphanage doors opened.
Morino Hinako entered first.
Behind her walked an elderly man wearing the Hokage hat.
His posture was relaxed.
His expression was gentle.
Yet even without speaking, he naturally drew everyone’s attention.
The Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The children immediately noticed Hinako.
“Good morning, Director!”
“Director Hinako!”
Several voices called out enthusiastically.
Then their gazes shifted toward the old man accompanying her.
The dining hall suddenly became much quieter.
Something about him felt different.
Even children could instinctively sense the presence of someone important.
Dozens of curious eyes turned toward Hiruzen.
Tanya also looked up.
The moment her gaze landed on the Hokage hat, she immediately recognized him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The leader of Konoha.
A flicker of surprise passed through her mind.
She had expected her talent to attract attention eventually.
She simply hadn’t expected the Hokage himself to appear this quickly.
Tanya calmly put down her chopsticks.
Her thoughts immediately began moving.
She needed to display enough talent to secure resources and support.
But not so much that she became the center of excessive scrutiny.
Being valued was useful.
Being watched constantly was dangerous.
Finding the proper balance would be important moving forward.
Before she could think further, one of the older children suddenly jumped to his feet.
His eyes widened.
His finger pointed directly at Hiruzen.
“Oh my god!”
His voice trembled with excitement.
“That’s the Hokage!”
“Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi!”
“The Hokage came to visit us!”
The dining hall instantly erupted.
Several younger children practically bounced out of their seats.
“Hokage-sama!”
“I know who you are!”
“I saw your face on the Hokage Monument!”
“Hokage-sama, can you use really amazing ninjutsu?”
“Are all Hokage super strong?”
The children crowded around him.
Faces full of admiration.
Eyes sparkling with excitement.
Hiruzen smiled warmly.
There wasn’t even a trace of impatience on his face.
Slowly kneeling down, he gently patted the head of the child standing closest to him.
“Good children.”
His voice was kind and grandfatherly.
“You must all grow up well.”
“One day, you’ll become the people who protect Konoha.”
The little boy who received the head pat immediately blushed.
His face turned bright red.
Pride practically radiated from him.
The surrounding children instantly became jealous.
“That’s not fair!”
“The Hokage patted your head!”
“I want a head pat too!”
“Me too!”
Watching the increasingly chaotic scene, Hinako sighed helplessly.
Then her expression became serious.
“Children.”
Her voice immediately cut through the noise.
“Back to your seats.”
The room instantly quieted.
“Don’t disturb Hokage-sama.”
The children reluctantly obeyed.
Although many of them continued glancing back at Hiruzen, they slowly returned to their seats.
Several still wore expressions of obvious excitement.
Hiruzen watched the scene with amusement.
Then he looked around the room.
Steam rose from the breakfast bowls.
The children had clearly been in the middle of their meal.
A slightly apologetic smile appeared on his face.
“It seems I’ve arrived at an unfortunate time.”
His eyes softened.
“I interrupted breakfast.”
As he spoke, he walked forward and sat down in the empty seat beside Tanya.
Turning toward Hinako, he smiled.
“Hinako.” This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
“Could I trouble you for a bowl as well?”
“I’ve been busy since early morning and haven’t had breakfast yet.”
“Of course, Hokage-sama.”
Before Hinako could move, however, a small hand shot into the air.
“Hokage-sama!”
The little boy whose head had been patted earlier stood up immediately.
“My porridge hasn’t been touched yet!”
He eagerly held up his bowl.
“You can eat mine!”
His eyes were filled with hope.
Clearly, he wanted another opportunity to gain the Hokage’s attention.
Unfortunately for him—
Hinako’s stern gaze immediately locked onto him.
The boy froze.
“Sit down.”
“Y-Yes, Director…”
The boy quickly shrank back into his seat.
Hiruzen chuckled softly.
“Thank you for the offer.”
Then he turned toward Hinako.
“Sorry for the trouble.”
“There is no trouble at all, Hokage-sama.”
Hinako bowed slightly before heading toward the kitchen.
Once she left, Hiruzen’s attention shifted.
His gaze settled upon the small blonde girl sitting beside him.
The very reason for his visit.
“Tanya, was it?”
His voice was gentle.
“What is your full name?”
Tanya calmly met his gaze.
Unlike the other children, she showed no visible nervousness.
“Replying to Hokage-sama.”
“My name is Tanya.”
Hiruzen observed her quietly.
Ever since entering the room, this child had stood out.
The others had either been excited, nervous, or overwhelmed.
Tanya alone had remained composed.
Even after recognizing him, her emotions barely fluctuated.
Most notably—
She met his eyes directly.
Not arrogantly.
Not fearfully.
Simply calmly.
The sight reminded him of someone.
A former student.
Orochimaru.
When Orochimaru was young, he had possessed a similar composure.
A similar intelligence.
A similar tendency to quietly observe everything around him.
A trace of concern flashed through Hiruzen’s eyes.
The losses suffered during the war had affected Orochimaru deeply.
Nawaki’s death.
The departure of Tsunade.
Changes were occurring within his student, and Hiruzen found himself increasingly worried.
The thought vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Returning his focus to Tanya, his expression softened.
“You are Tanya?”
His tone became even more gentle.
“I heard from Hinako that you mastered the Three Academy Techniques in a single night.”
Tanya slowly stood up and replied earnestly,
“Yes, Hokage-sama.”