With Namikaze Minato’s talent, if he were to actively intervene now, could he accelerate Minato’s growth, using him as a means to farm Card Draw Count?
For a moment, numerous ideas suddenly surged in Uchiha Xuan’s mind.
But for now...
"Next."
...
Hokage’s Office.
Click.
A soft sound echoed as the door to the Hokage’s office opened.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up, frowning at the newcomer.
A man with bandages wrapped around his head, covering one eye, and an X-shaped scar on his chin walked in with a grim expression.
"Hiruzen, see for yourself."
Without any formal report or small talk, Danzo Shimura, who had entered the office, simply placed a scroll on the Hokage’s desk with a stern face.
"Uzushiogakure..."
Seemingly already very familiar with Danzo Shimura, Sarutobi Hiruzen paid no mind to his rude behavior. He merely reached out and picked up the scroll on the desk to read.
As he scanned the information on the scroll, Hiruzen’s brow furrowed tightly.
"From the intelligence I’ve gathered, Kumogakure and several other major villages, along with multiple smaller ones, have formed an alliance. Their target, without any attempt to conceal it, is Uzushiogakure.
Moreover, they must have received orders from those daimyos. Otherwise, given the temperament of the Third Raikage of Kumogakure, he would never share such a massive prize as Uzushiogakure with others. Hiruzen, what do you plan to do?"
Danzo Shimura spoke in a low, serious tone as he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
".....This is troublesome. This matter... let’s pretend we don’t know about it. I’ll visit Madam Mito later."
Closing the scroll, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and spoke with a hint of helplessness.
The situation in Uzushiogakure was too complicated; Konohagakure simply couldn’t intervene.
"You’ve made the right choice. However, we still need to prepare early. You should be aware of Madam Mito’s physical condition. As for the Nine-Tails..."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of satisfaction flashed in Danzo Shimura’s eyes before he continued.
"I understand. Regarding the Nine-Tails... I’ll discuss it in detail with Madam Mito. Is there anything else? If not, you should go back and rest."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at Danzo Shimura and spoke gravely.
"There’s one more thing."
"Speak."
"About the establishment of the Anbu training division I mentioned earlier—I need some personnel."
"Handle it as you see fit, but be mindful of the limits."
"Understood."
Watching Danzo Shimura leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s furrowed brow remained tense, his expression unchanged. Only the pipe clenched between his lips glowed faintly with a flickering light.
......
Uchiha Clan District, Uchiha Xuan’s Home.
Uchiha Xuan silently pushed open the door to his house. The empty dwelling was devoid of any light. Switching on the electric lamp, he walked straight into the bathroom to take a shower.
The school battle earned Uchiha Xuan three D-rank Card Draw Counts. Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Hizashi each contributed one, while the remaining one came from a child of the Aburame clan. As for the others, including this generation’s Ino-Shika-Cho and members of other Ninja Clans, their strength was not acknowledged by the Mist Space.
"Wait, what was his name again?"
Uchiha Xuan, who was taking a bath, suddenly paused.
After finishing his bath, Uchiha Xuan sat cross-legged on his bed and immersed his consciousness into his mental space.
Inside the Mist Space.
Uchiha Xuan’s figure appeared. Unlike the environment after his first Card Draw, which was filled only with gray mist, this time, countless blue, green, and white Cards danced in the sky above the Mist Space.
Among them, white Cards were the most numerous, followed by green ones.
"With new Card Draw Counts, I hope they bring me some pleasant surprises."
Looking at the countless Cards swirling around him, Uchiha Xuan raised his hand lightly and snapped his fingers.
In the next moment, all the dancing Cards froze instantly, as if paused.
Poof!
A soft sound echoed as all the Cards shattered into sparkling fragments, turning the entire Mist Space into a shimmering rain. Standing at the center of this crystalline downpour, Uchiha Xuan watched with excitement as three Cards remained suspended before him.
Two green and one white.
Three D-rank Card Draw opportunities had granted him two C-rank Cards!
"Taking a bath before drawing Cards was the right move."
Looking at the three Cards floating before him, Uchiha Xuan reached out and took them. Instantly, the information on the Cards became clear to him.
.......
The first one.
Excellent: Thunder Breathing
Source World: Anime—[Demon Slayer]
Card Category: Sword Technique Breathing Style
Description: One of the five foundational Breathing Styles, renowned for its speed and explosive power. Users must possess extremely high physical fitness. Its characteristic lies in concentrating power in the legs, achieving ultra-high-speed movement and attacks through instantaneous bursts. Its techniques are said to be as swift as lightning, capable of forcefully breaking through enemy defenses and delivering fatal strikes.
(The sword techniques in Demon Slayer are merely visual effects and do not possess any elemental properties.)
....
The second one.
Excellent: Flame Slash
Source World: Game—Rock Kingdom
Card Category: Move
Description: A skill mastered by Sparky, one of the three starter pets in the game Rock Kingdom. It involves channeling one’s energy to control flames, transforming them into tangible blades to slash and damage targets.
....
The third one.
Common: Strike
Source World: Game—Slay the Spire 2
Card Type: One-time Attack Card
Description: Contains an ordinary attack from a random character in Slay the Spire 2. Upon use, the target’s HP is reduced by 6.
.....
"Thunder Breathing and a fire-type move skill. Not bad."
Looking at the three Cards in his hand, Uchiha Xuan clenched them lightly. The Cards containing the Thunder Breathing sword technique and the Flame Slash skill instantly transformed into streams of light and merged into his body.
In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Xuan had mastered the various sword techniques of Thunder Breathing and the Flame Slash skill. All that remained was a matter of proficiency.
As for the remaining white cards, since they were one-time use and of white quality, Uchiha Xuan simply chose to ignore them.
"Now that I have swordsmanship... it seems I need to prepare a sword."
.....
Night fell, at Uchiha Xuan’s home.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed while practicing the Golden Light Mantra, Uchiha Xuan opened his eyes and looked toward the door, a faint golden glimmer flashing through his pupils.
Knock, knock, knock.
A soft knocking sound echoed in the quiet night.