“Working like dogs till we’re half-dead, yet when they curse us, we’re not allowed to bark!”
The setting sun bathed Konoha in golden light.
Shouting the slogan Arashi had invented, the group finally completed their hundred laps around the village.
“Hah…
Hah!”
Inabi and Tekka collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
They did not even have the strength to wipe the dirt from the Uchiha crests they treasured so dearly.
Arashi was in even worse condition.
As a transmigrator, physical ability had always been his weakness.
Even after fighting in the Third Shinobi World War and training for years, he still could not match the natives.
Nevertheless, he endured through sheer willpower.
Before transmigrating, he had survived working from morning to night like a corporate slave.
How could he give up now when he was training to become stronger?
Compared with the three of them, Itachi was in surprisingly good condition.
Even so, he had clearly pushed himself to the limit.
After all, he was only six years old, and his body was still developing.
The Might father and son, meanwhile, looked completely relaxed.
Seeing the four exhausted trainees, Duy smiled considerately.
“Let’s stop here for today.
Training must be done gradually.
Forcing yourselves too hard will only damage your bodies.”
“Dad, that isn’t what you say when you train me—Ow!”
Guy barely finished speaking before Duy kicked him in the shin, making him crouch down in pain.
“Anyway, once your bodies adapt to this intensity, we can begin the next stage.”
Arashi was the Hokage’s advisor and Duy’s benefactor.
He could hardly train him as mercilessly as his own son.
“There’s a next stage?!”
Inabi and Tekka’s vision went dark.
They dropped flat onto the ground, abandoning any thought of standing again.
“Yes.
Thank you for your guidance.”
Arashi gritted his teeth and nodded.
“Our slow pace delayed both your training schedules today.
To apologize, dinner is on me.
Afterward, we can visit the hot springs.”
Arashi had observed the father and son before.
One hundred laps around Konoha was only the first half of their routine.
In fact, it was closer to a third of their total daily training.
They could usually finish it within a few hours.
Because of Arashi’s group, however, it had taken the entire day.
This situation would continue for quite some time, so he naturally needed to maintain a good relationship with them.
“There’s no need.
You’re making it sound far too serious…”
Duy waved his hands repeatedly.
Guy, however, jumped up in excitement.
Inabi and Tekka also raised their arms and cheered.
“Long live Advisor Kaeda!”
They might be proud Uchiha, but they were still young men without much restraint.
Naturally, they were delighted when someone offered them barbecue and a trip to the hot springs.
Itachi alone remained composed.
“What do you think, Shisui?”
Arashi turned his head slightly with a smile.
Shisui stepped out of the shadows, wearing a complicated expression.
“How did you know Shisui-niisan was there?”
Even Itachi looked surprised.
“I couldn’t detect his concealment technique even once.”
“Because I’m the Hokage’s advisor.”
Arashi shrugged without offering a real explanation.
As the saying went, everyone possessed at least one useful talent.
Arashi had not arrived in this world completely worthless.
Minato had helped him thoroughly evaluate his abilities as a shinobi.
Although most of his talents were mediocre, he possessed two notable advantages.
First, he had affinities for all five basic chakra natures: lightning, wind, water, fire, and earth.
Second, Arashi possessed sensory talent.
A shinobi’s sensory ability was largely innate.
Famous examples included the Yamanaka clan, Karin, and Cee of Kumogakure.
Such talent could not simply be gained through ordinary training.
Sensory ability was also essential for mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Senju Tobirama and Namikaze Minato, the two shinobi renowned for using it, were both exceptional sensory ninja.
This also explained why Arashi had fought throughout the Third Shinobi World War yet appeared to have gained so little strength.
He only knew the Shadow Clone Technique, remained stuck while learning the Rasengan, and still possessed poor stamina.
The reason was simple.
He had spent most of those years developing his sensory abilities and studying the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Detecting Shisui proved that his efforts had not been wasted.
Shisui had not deliberately hidden his presence, but he was still Shisui of the Body Flicker, one of the five strongest shinobi in Konoha at this time.
“How are things at the office?”
Arashi did not want to reveal his hidden abilities, so he quickly changed the subject.
Shisui bowed slightly.
“Everything is normal.
Just as you said, the shadow clone was sufficient to handle the work, so it sent me here.”
“Good.
Judging by the time, the workday is already over.”
Arashi stretched and dispelled his clone.
A full day of memories and exhaustion flooded into him at once, making him groan.
“Advisor Kaeda!”
Shisui immediately stepped forward and caught Arashi as he staggered.
“I’m fine.”
Arashi naturally grabbed Shisui’s wrist for support.
“Since you’re already here, join us.
We should reward ourselves with something good to eat.”
“No, I should probably—”
Shisui tried to decline, but Arashi held onto him and refused to let him escape.
“We’re already off duty.
There’s no need to act so formal.”
“Look, Itachi wants to go as well.”
Itachi flinched when the conversation suddenly turned toward him.
He might possess the mind of a Hokage, but he was still only a six-year-old child.
Naturally, he enjoyed delicious food and entertainment.
He was simply better at hiding it.
Shisui immediately noticed the longing in the eyes of the boy he treated like a younger brother.
He could only nod helplessly.
“I’ll follow your arrangements, Advisor-sama.”
Such a large and unusual group naturally attracted attention as they walked through the streets.
Before long, irritating voices reached Arashi’s ears.
“Look, isn’t that Might Duy, the eternal genin?”
“He’s already in his thirties and still completely useless.
How can he shamelessly run around smiling every day?”
“And there’s his son.
He has the same ridiculous thick eyebrows as his worthless father.”
“How hilarious.”
“Those red-eyed Uchiha only know how to boss people around.”
“Even the other great clans look down on them.”
“…”
They spoke quietly, but loudly enough for the entire group to hear.
They were clearly saying it for their benefit.
Duy was accustomed to such mockery and ignored it.
Guy, however, was already becoming angry.
Itachi lowered his eyes and clenched his small fists.
Inabi and Tekka were so furious that their Sharingan activated.
Had Fugaku not ordered them to avoid trouble during this sensitive period, they might already have attacked.
These were Konoha’s famous unruly villagers.
They feared neither authority nor death, displaying the Will of Fire by bullying everyone equally, regardless of their strength, status, or parents.
An old joke online described a typical day in the life of a Konoha villager.
They woke up and insulted Naruto to refresh themselves.
At breakfast, they compared bacon to Choji and mocked his weight to improve their appetite.
While shopping, they cursed the White Fang and wondered why he had not killed himself yet.
At lunch, the tomatoes reminded them of Kushina, giving them another target to insult.
During afternoon tea, they mocked Sakura’s forehead and gave her lifelong insecurity about her appearance.
In the evening, they watched Duy and Guy running and laughed at the eternal genin.
At dinner, they mocked Hinata for being weak despite being the Hyuga heiress, while also insulting her pale eyes.
Before bed, they remembered the Uchiha massacre and made a few sarcastic remarks about Sasuke.
Almost none of the Konoha Twelve had experienced a normal childhood without being bullied.
The entire village acted like people raised in an online flame war, waking up each morning and wondering who they should torment next.
In comparison, A Silent Voice could practically serve as a public service announcement in the Naruto world.
Arashi had once assumed this was merely a fandom joke.
Perhaps Kishimoto had become overly reliant on childhood trauma whenever he needed to develop a character.
But after transmigrating, Arashi discovered the truth.
‘What the fuck?
These Konoha bastards are really like this!’
‘Have all of you been corrupted by some cosmic force?’
They frequently mocked Kushina, despite her being both the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki and the Fourth Hokage’s wife.
Of course, they would not spare an outsider like Arashi either.
After all, bullying a jinchuriki might get them killed, but if they stopped bullying people merely because they feared death, how was that any different from being dead?
Even in vegetation-starved Sunagakure, people had thrown vegetables at Gaara despite knowing he might murder them in a fit of anger.
Show some spirit!
Do not disgrace the profession of being a reckless idiot!
“And look at that Kaeda Arashi.”
“He’s just a refugee, yet he struts around like he owns the place.
What a joke.”
“No wonder he only associates with the Uchiha and an eternal genin.”
“He became chief advisor and immediately forgot his place.”
“A petty man drunk on power.”
“…”
Even the good-natured Duy became angry.
Insulting him was one thing, but how dare they insult his benefactor, Advisor Kaeda?
Just as he prepared to confront them, Arashi raised a hand and stopped him.
“Inabi.
Tekka.”
“Advisor-sama!”
The two immediately straightened.
Arashi casually pointed toward the loudest villagers.
“Arrest those people and throw them in prison.”
“Twenty-day sentences.
One meal per day, with no possibility of bail, release, or reduction.”
When Arashi had first entered Konoha as a refugee, these villagers had bullied him countless times.
Now that he held power, he had no intention of tolerating them.
Inabi and Tekka were overjoyed.
“Yes, sir!”
“Wait!”
Shisui could not help interrupting.
“Advisor Kaeda, arresting civilians merely because of a few insults may be somewhat—”
“They weren’t merely insults.”
Arashi scratched his ear.
“I am the Hokage’s chief advisor, and I just finished intense physical training.
My blood is still surging.”
“If their deliberate slander caused me to suffer a stroke or a cerebral hemorrhage, who would accept responsibility?”
“Well…”
Shisui was momentarily speechless before such shameless reasoning.
Arashi pushed even further.
“Therefore, I suspect they are spies from another village who intended to assassinate Konoha’s newly appointed chief advisor.”
“This involves village security.
We cannot afford to be careless.”
“Inabi, Tekka, make sure they are thoroughly interrogated in prison.”
“We must identify the mastermind behind this conspiracy!”
“Yes!”
Inabi and Tekka felt completely vindicated.
They had long despised these villagers but could never act because of their positions.
Now, with Arashi supporting them, they could finally deal with the offenders.
Their opinion of him immediately improved.
“Advisor-sama, this is still—”
Shisui tried to object again.
Without warning, one of the people Inabi had seized raised his hand.
A brilliant blade flashed through the air.
Swish!
Caught off guard, Inabi should still have been able to react.
However, his body suddenly froze without warning.
The blade nearly severed half his arm.
Fortunately, Duy intervened in time and kicked the attacker away.
The weapon only carved a deep wound across Inabi’s arm.
“Itachi, take Inabi to the medical ward!”
“Tekka, restrain the others!”
Arashi shouted sharply.
“Shisui, capture him!”
“Yes!”
Shisui moved immediately.
Shock filled his heart.
One of the people Arashi had ordered arrested truly was a hostile shinobi.
‘Did I misunderstand Advisor Kaeda?’
‘Was I simply unable to see how far ahead he had planned?’
…