"Sannin" (Please Recommend)

Uchiha Kiyoshi walked through Konoha's streets, taking in the village's prosperity.

The leaves on the trees lining both sides of the street had begun to fall. Late autumn had arrived. Although Konoha did not get snow, it still experienced the normal four seasons. Winter temperatures did not drop below freezing, but they still fell under ten degrees—cold, though not unbearably so.

Uchiha Kiyoshi had no intention of wasting too much time on the road. Today was the day he planned to truly begin practicing the Body Nourishment Technique, and he could hardly wait to get home and try it out.

The development of the Body Nourishment Technique had cost Uchiha Kiyoshi a great deal of effort.

Though it had only been a little over five months since Uchiha Kiyoshi began extracting Chakra, he had spent far more time than that preparing this Secret Jutsu. He had been thinking about it for the four years before turning six. Without actually coming into contact with Chakra, however, he could only remain in the theoretical stage. Still, over those four years, Uchiha Kiyoshi had considered countless possibilities. That was why he had been able to develop the Body Nourishment Technique in merely a few months.

Having poured so much effort into it, Uchiha Kiyoshi naturally looked forward to it immensely.

Putting aside extending his lifespan, simply solving the problem of Chakra's damage to his body should extend a ninja's prime by at least ten or twenty years, right? Even if he developed slowly afterward and failed to reach Super Kage-level or even Six Paths Level before the plot began, his body would at least still be in its prime by then. He would still be able to improve. Wouldn't it be great to ride the plot and reap some benefits?

Still, Uchiha Kiyoshi had confidence in himself. There were still thirty years until the plot began. If he still failed to make something of himself by then, wouldn't that disgrace all transmigrators?

As Uchiha Kiyoshi walked, he gradually stopped paying attention to the scenery around him and began considering what he should do next.

"Should I start trying Medical Ninjutsu? And I need to start preparing to improve the Substitution Technique too."

Just as Uchiha Kiyoshi lowered his head to organize his plans, a familiar voice came from nearby.

"Hey, Kiyoshi! What are you doing here? Did you just get out of school?"

Not far ahead, Nawaki was walking toward him alongside three ninjas who looked to be around eighteen.

Nawaki stared at the backpack on Uchiha Kiyoshi's back with a surprised expression.

"Ah, Nawaki. That's right, I just got out of school. Are you guys going somewhere?"

Uchiha Kiyoshi raised his head and answered Nawaki's question. At the same time, he sized up the three ninjas beside him.

A tall, white-haired "uncle," a black-haired ninja with a deathly pale face and vertical pupils that gave off an eerie feeling, and a female ninja with long blond hair tied into a ponytail, radiating a capable air. Yep, flat as a board.

So these are the future Sannin?

As Uchiha Kiyoshi thought that, he looked toward Nawaki and waited for him to introduce them.

The blunt Tsunade frowned when she saw the clan crest on Uchiha Kiyoshi's clothes. But recalling Nawaki's attitude, she recognized the identity of the little brat before her.

That was right, a little brat. No matter how mature his mind was, Uchiha Kiyoshi was still only six years old.

"This must be your classmate, Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki."

Tsunade asked Nawaki, though her tone made it clear she was already certain.

As expected of someone so scatterbrained, Nawaki only remembered to introduce both sides now.

"Ah, right, right. This is the classmate I told you about, Uchiha Kiyoshi. He's a training maniac. Every day, he's either training or reading. I really don't know what's so interesting about that. But he really knows a lot. No matter what I ask him, it feels like he can answer right away without even thinking."

Hearing Nawaki's assessment, Uchiha Kiyoshi's mouth twitched slightly. What did he mean, "it feels like"? Have some confidence and take out the "feels like." He really could answer Nawaki's questions without thinking, alright?

Tsunade, standing beside Nawaki, seemed to know the kinds of questions he might ask. She could infer the situation and sighed inwardly. My foolish little brother. With the questions you ask, he really did answer without thinking.

And no wonder Nawaki had seemed to make some progress recently. So this classmate had been "tutoring" him. Tsunade no longer felt so hostile toward Uchiha Kiyoshi. At the very least, she would not treat him badly simply because he was an Uchiha. After all, he was her younger brother's friend, and from the looks of it, he had helped Nawaki quite a bit. More importantly, she had learned about Uchiha Kiyoshi's character from her teacher. At least he was not the kind of person she disliked.

Nawaki paid no attention to his sister's thoughts and continued introducing them.

"Kiyoshi, this is my sister, Tsunade. Don't let her age fool you—she's a genuine Jonin. And this white-haired guy who looks really sleazy is Jiraiya. Don't let his uncle-like face fool you either; he's only eighteen. And this is Orochimaru. Jiraiya and Orochimaru are Jonin too, and they're both disciples of the Third Hokage along with my sister."

Nawaki's introductions revealed his attitude toward the three. He was naturally not polite toward Jiraiya. With his sister backing him up, he was not afraid of what Jiraiya might do to him. But he was not nearly so casual around Orochimaru and did not dare casually badmouth him.

Listening to Nawaki's introduction, Jiraiya nearly exploded. What did he mean by sleazy? Could Nawaki explain that? But after glancing at Tsunade beside him, Jiraiya did not dare teach Nawaki a lesson directly.

At the same time, the Sannin were watching Uchiha Kiyoshi's reaction. They had to admit, they were quite satisfied.

Uchiha Kiyoshi neither grovelled nor acted arrogantly as he saluted the three seniors.

Nawaki spoke again. "Kiyoshi, you just got out of school, so you haven't eaten yet, right? Perfect timing. We're going to have barbecue together. Kiyoshi, why don't you come with us?"

Before Uchiha Kiyoshi could refuse, Orochimaru beside him also extended an invitation.

"That's right. As Nawaki's friend, Kiyoshi-kun can join us. Besides, I'm quite interested in Kiyoshi-kun."

As he spoke, Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were used to it and did not react much. But Nawaki and Uchiha Kiyoshi both shuddered. Uchiha Kiyoshi, in particular, felt as though he had been targeted by a venomous snake.

Since Orochimaru had spoken, Uchiha Kiyoshi did not dare refuse and agreed.

Tsunade and Jiraiya found Orochimaru's behavior strange. They knew their companion had high standards when judging people. This was the first time they had seen him directly invite someone like this.

Orochimaru offered no explanation. He had heard about Uchiha Kiyoshi in the Hokage's office earlier and had been interested in his personality. At the time, he had wondered whether they might have some common topics to discuss. Since they had run into each other this time, he naturally wanted to observe him carefully.

The group of four headed toward the barbecue restaurant.

Along the way, Tsunade kept asking Uchiha Kiyoshi various questions.

Through Uchiha Kiyoshi's answers, Tsunade and the other two continued judging his situation.

Orochimaru occasionally chatted with Uchiha Kiyoshi as well.

It had to be said that many of Uchiha Kiyoshi's ideas interested Orochimaru. Uchiha Kiyoshi's way of thinking and logic also fascinated him.

Uchiha Kiyoshi did not know what had drawn Orochimaru's attention, but there was no way to change now. Otherwise, it would seem too deliberate and might make Orochimaru suspicious.

Besides, attracting Orochimaru's attention was not without benefits. First of all, with Orochimaru's name behind him, Uchiha Kiyoshi would not have to worry as much about being deliberately targeted.

Whether it was Konoha's upper ranks or the Uchiha Clan, neither side was particularly hostile toward Orochimaru. If he were labeled as part of Orochimaru's faction, he could avoid quite a few troubles.

And wasn't Nawaki Orochimaru's disciple in the original story? What a coincidence. Did that mean he would likely end up on Orochimaru's team with Nawaki in the future?

Even as Uchiha Kiyoshi answered their questions, he kept thinking, trying to judge the deeper meaning behind them.

Tsunade looked at Orochimaru with a meaningful gaze. Though she did not know what had attracted Orochimaru to this little guy, Orochimaru's attitude already explained something. When Uchiha Kiyoshi graduated, their teacher would probably consider assigning him under Orochimaru.

Perfect. Nawaki could be entrusted to this guy then as well. Orochimaru himself was a little disgusting, but he was still reliable.

The four chatted about different topics along the way and got to know one another. After about twenty minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the barbecue restaurant.

Whether because of their clan's Secret Jutsu or their personal preferences, the Akimichi Clan all dreamed of opening their own barbecue restaurant. Some even loved letting more people taste the barbecue they made.

As a result, most barbecue restaurants throughout Konoha were run by the Akimichi Clan. Not only was the Akimichi Clan's barbecue delicious, but it was also quite affordable.

But no matter how affordable it was, it was still barbecue. It would always cost more than ordinary food.

The barbecue served in these restaurants came from prey specially hunted in the wilderness, not domesticated pork.

Since those animals lived in the wild, their meat was especially delicious, attracting many customers to the barbecue restaurants.

But the prices were also high. Spending several thousand ryo on a meal was normal, and if one ate better or filled up properly, spending tens of thousands of ryo was entirely possible.

With only eight thousand ryo a month, Uchiha Kiyoshi had never eaten here before. But since he had been invited this time, he intended to eat his fill. Thanks to the special preparation methods, the meat was beneficial to the body.

Uchiha Kiyoshi ate quite a lot during the meal, even more than an ordinary adult, leaving the people beside him dumbfounded.

Ignoring everyone's astonished stares, Uchiha Kiyoshi patted his stomach and leaned back in his seat with satisfaction. This meal had been truly satisfying.

Unfortunately, he had not yet mastered the Body Nourishment Technique. Otherwise, he could extract Chakra while eating, then use the Body Nourishment Technique to use the Physical Energy extracted from the food to nourish his body.

Still, one could not be too greedy. After a meal like this, the Body Nourishment Technique's effects should be quite good today.

The Body Nourishment Technique could restore Chakra into Physical Energy and use it to nourish the body. Physical Energy was extracted by the body's cells from food. Since little of it was consumed and Spiritual Energy could be reused many times, theoretically, as long as there was enough Physical Energy, the Body Nourishment Technique could keep running indefinitely.

That was why Uchiha Kiyoshi sighed. If he could keep eating highly nutritious barbecue, he could continuously use the Body Nourishment Technique to nourish his body.

But Uchiha Kiyoshi also knew that such a wonderful situation probably could not be realized. Setting aside whether eating so much would make the Sannin suspicious, there was likely a limit to how much his body could be nourished each time.

Jiraiya paid in the end, which surprised Uchiha Kiyoshi. He had not expected Jiraiya to already show the makings of a wealthy man.

After thanking them, Uchiha Kiyoshi parted ways with them and returned home.

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