Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully watched as Tanya executed the Academy’s Three Techniques one after another.
Transformation Technique.
Clone Technique.
Substitution Technique.
Each was performed with exceptional precision.
For a moment, even the Third Hokage found himself impressed.
After the final technique dispersed, he nodded slowly.
“Tanya.”
His voice was gentle, carrying the warmth of a kindly elder.
“Would you be willing to accompany this old man for a walk?”
Tanya’s eyelid twitched slightly.
Old man?
The Third Hokage standing before her was still in the prime of his life.
His posture was steady.
His chakra was vast.
His presence alone was enough to make experienced shinobi cautious.
Calling himself an old man was a bit excessive.
Naturally, Tanya kept that opinion to herself.
No matter what, the person standing before her was the Hokage.
Refusing wasn’t an option.
“Of course, Hokage-sama.”
She bowed slightly.
“It would be my honor.”
For a brief moment, Hiruzen froze.
Then he chuckled.
The child was remarkably articulate.
Compared to certain disciples he had raised…
The difference was rather obvious.
Calm.
Polite.
Mature beyond her years.
Morino Hinako had clearly educated her well.
“Then let’s go.”
Hiruzen smiled and gestured forward.
The two left the orphanage together.
Behind them, Hinako hurried over carrying a bowl of porridge and freshly baked bread.
Only after arriving did she realize that Hiruzen had already left.
Looking at the untouched breakfast in her hands, she sighed helplessly.
“Hokage-sama truly never gets a moment of rest.”
Shaking her head, she returned to distribute the food among the children.
Outside, Konoha was already bustling with activity.
Vendors lined the streets.
Shopkeepers greeted customers.
Children ran through the roads laughing.
The sounds of commerce and conversation filled the air.
For many villagers, this peaceful scene was ordinary.
For Hiruzen, it represented something precious.
Something worth protecting.
The Third Hokage deliberately slowed his pace.
His eyes swept across the village.
A trace of nostalgia appeared within them.
After a while, he looked down at Tanya.
“You’ve lived in Konoha your entire life.”
“What do you think of our village?”
Tanya glanced around.
Merchants.
Civilians.
Shinobi.
Families.
Everything functioned because Konoha existed.
After only a brief pause, she answered.
“Konoha is my home.”
Her tone was firm.
The answer wasn’t entirely emotional.
It was practical.
As long as Konoha remained stable, she could continue developing peacefully.
She had no desire to become a wandering refugee or spend her life struggling to survive.
Hiruzen’s smile widened.
The answer pleased him greatly.
“What a good child.”
His hand rose instinctively.
He intended to pat her head.
Then—
A sharp commotion erupted nearby.
The peaceful atmosphere shattered instantly.
Hiruzen’s hand stopped midway.
His expression stiffened.
A trace of displeasure flashed across his eyes.
“Hahaha!”
A mocking voice echoed through the street.
“You eternal genin!
No matter how hard you try, you’ll always be a loser!” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Another voice immediately responded.
Young.
Angry.
Filled with stubborn determination.
“Don’t talk about my father like that!”
“My father is the strongest!”
The moment Tanya heard the voice, she recognized it.
Might Guy.
Both she and Hiruzen turned toward the source.
Not far away, a crowd had already formed.
Standing in the middle was a chunin wearing Konoha’s standard flak jacket.
His expression was arrogant.
Facing him were Might Dai and his son.
Guy’s fists were clenched tightly.
His face was red with anger.
Meanwhile, Dai stood quietly beside him.
Although his expression remained calm, the tension in his muscles was obvious.
Tanya frowned.
Something felt strange.
In her understanding, shinobi occupied a privileged position within society.
Yet this man was openly insulting another ninja in public.
The situation was unexpected.
Beside her, Hiruzen’s expression darkened slightly.
He recognized the chunin immediately.
Takuya.
An average chunin with an unfortunate tendency to look down on others.
The Hokage’s eyes narrowed.
This was hardly the kind of scene he wanted Tanya witnessing.
Civilian-born talent was already scarce.
The great clans possessed strength, but they also possessed their own interests.
For Konoha to remain strong, civilian ninja had always been indispensable.
Unfortunately, Takuya remained completely unaware of the danger approaching.
He grabbed Guy by the hair and shook him roughly.
The sneer on his face widened.
“The strongest?”
“Him?”
He pointed directly at Dai.
“He’s a joke!”
“A genin who spent his entire life as a genin!”
“People say he should perform in theaters instead of being a ninja!”
“Always talking about youth while wearing ridiculous green clothes.”
“He’s an embarrassment to Konoha!”
Several civilians nearby exchanged whispers.
“I’ve heard of those two.”
“The father never became a chunin.”
“They train all day long.”
“What a waste.”
Every word struck Guy like a knife.
His eyes reddened.
Yet he refused to lower his head.
Instead, he shouted even louder.
“My father isn’t a loser!”
“He’s the strongest!”
Dai’s fingers slowly tightened.
The veins on the back of his hands bulged.
For years, he had endured ridicule.
He could tolerate insults directed at himself.
But insults aimed at his son—
That was different.
A dangerous light appeared deep within his eyes.
The Eight Gates Formation wasn’t something he could freely use yet.
Forcing it open carried tremendous risks.
But at this moment, that hardly mattered.
A father could not stand idle while his son was humiliated.
Tanya watched everything carefully.
Her mind immediately began calculating.
Should she intervene?
A moment later, her gaze landed on Hiruzen.
The Hokage’s expression had already become extremely cold.
Instantly, Tanya understood.
This was an opportunity.
She could demonstrate both ability and character.
She could earn goodwill from Dai and Guy.
And she could leave a favorable impression on the Hokage.
Multiple objectives.
One action.
A worthwhile investment.
Without hesitation, Tanya quietly gathered chakra.
The chakra compressed at her fingertips.
Drawing upon her previous experience manipulating magical energy, she refined it further.
Denser.
Sharper.
A thin ray of light formed.
Takuya remained completely distracted.
He never noticed.
Tanya flicked her finger.
A beam of light shot forward.
Instantly.
Precisely.
It pierced Takuya’s shoulder.
“AAAAH!”
A scream erupted.
Takuya stumbled backward.
Blood stained his sleeve.
He instinctively clutched the wound.
“Who did that?!”
His face twisted with fury.
“Which idiot dared attack Takuya-sama?!”
Then he turned around.
And froze.
The world seemed to stop.
Standing nearby was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Hokage.
Takuya’s face instantly turned white.
The arrogance vanished.
His legs trembled.
Cold sweat appeared across his forehead.
His brain nearly stopped functioning.
Why was the Hokage here?
Meanwhile, Hiruzen was staring at Tanya’s fingertips.
Surprise flickered across his eyes.
The attack had been executed using chakra.
Yet it wasn’t a technique he recognized.
Not from the Academy.
Not from any standard curriculum.
A thought emerged.
Bloodline Limit?
The possibility caused his interest in Tanya to rise even further.
However, he suppressed his curiosity for the moment.
His gaze shifted toward Takuya.
The temperature in his voice dropped noticeably.
“Takuya.”
The chunin nearly collapsed.
“Y-Yes, Hokage-sama!”
“Report yourself to the Konoha Military Police Force.”
Hiruzen’s expression remained stern.
“You will receive disciplinary punishment and reflect on your behavior.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Immediately!”
Takuya didn’t dare offer a single excuse.
Clutching his shoulder, he turned and fled.
At a speed far exceeding anything he had displayed earlier.
The surrounding civilians also dispersed quickly.
No one wished to remain under the Hokage’s scrutiny.
Silence gradually returned.
Guy rubbed his messy hair.
Then his eyes locked onto Tanya.
They immediately began shining.
“Tanya!”
His voice was filled with excitement.
“You’re amazing!”
“You defeated a chunin with one attack!”
To Guy, the scene was unbelievable.
Just yesterday, Tanya had only begun learning chakra extraction.
Now she had already performed a powerful chakra technique capable of injuring a chunin.
The gap was staggering.
Admiration filled his eyes.
But there was something else as well.
Yearning.
A deep desire to become stronger.
Guy remembered his own struggle.
Two months.
Two entire months just to refine chakra.
Even now, he couldn’t perform even the simplest ninjutsu properly.
The helplessness he had felt while watching Takuya insult his father still lingered inside him.
He never wanted to experience that feeling again.
He wanted strength.
The strength to protect the people important to him.
The strength to stand proudly beside his father.
And looking at Tanya’s astonishing progress, even someone as optimistic as Guy couldn’t help feeling a trace of envy.
Although he knew there were no shortcuts on the road of cultivation, he couldn’t help but feel envious seeing Tanya’s progress.
He didn’t want to experience the scene of being powerless to protect his father and being wantonly humiliated again; he wanted to become stronger as soon as possible.