Hiruzen Sarutobi's Gift

At this moment, Xuan Ye did not immediately greet Itachi Uchiha. Instead, as usual, he found a big tree, lay down on the grass under its shade, and leisurely watched them exercise in the training ground.

It seemed that more than ten minutes had passed. In the distance, Itachi Uchiha's body seemed to be unable to hold on any longer. The legs that he used to lift and lower while jogging were now becoming very difficult to lift.

At this moment, Itachi Uchiha had stopped jogging and squatted down to rest for a while. After catching his breath, he walked towards Xuan Ye's location with a smile on his face.

"Oh! So Itachi has already discovered my presence. Perhaps Itachi's perception of me has become stronger!" Xuan Ye thought to himself.

Slowly, slowly, Itachi Uchiha walked over with deliberate steps until he stood in front of Xuan Ye.

"Xuan Ye, congratulations on graduating early. I'll be graduating soon too," Itachi Uchiha said with a hint of competition.

"Itachi, I came to see you this time to say goodbye," Xuan Ye said in a deep voice, his head bowed.

"Farewell? What farewell?" Itachi Uchiha asked, puzzled.

Xuan Ye hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up.

"Itachi, I'm leaving Konoha. I want to go outside Konoha to hone my skills and improve them faster. Also, my parents are still in a coma and won't wake up. Staying in Konoha will only keep me in grief. Leaving Konoha will help ease the pain in my heart."

After Genya Namikaze finished speaking, Itachi Uchiha seemed a little off, as if he was reluctant to leave, and asked, "Xuan Ye, have you really decided to leave?"

"Yes! I've made up my mind. After saying goodbye to you, I'll go to the Hokage Office Building to say goodbye to the Third, and then I'll leave Konoha. But I'll come back, once I'm strong enough to satisfy myself." Xuan Ye raised his head, gazing at the vast sky, and said slowly.

"Alright then! Since you've made up your mind, then go! But remember to come back alive." Itachi Uchiha's voice trembled slightly, as if he was a little saddened by Xuan Ye's departure.

That's true. Having spent so much time with Itachi Uchiha at the Ninja Academy, I guess I'm probably the only friend Itachi has ever made!

After saying that, Uchiha turned around and walked away from Xuan Ye to another place without looking back.

Seeing this, Xuan Ye smiled. "I never expected Itachi to have this side to him. Is he crying now and that's why he won't turn back?"

After bidding farewell to Itachi Uchiha, Xuan Ye left the Ninja Academy, leaving behind the place where he had stayed for more than a year, and headed towards the Hokage Office Building, which was not far from there.

The streets of Konoha were always packed with people, and the crowds made it difficult for Xuan Ye to move forward, so he had to jump onto the rooftops and hop towards the Hokage Office Building.

The Hokage Office Building is located in the very center of Konoha Village. It is a multi-story building. After walking up to the floor where the Hokage works, you can immediately see the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting in his chair.

The old man had his eyes closed, holding a pipe in his hand, and would take a puff every now and then, filling the room with the smell of smoke.

"Old man, I've finally arrived!" Xuan Ye said to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Yes! I know you've arrived," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.

"Hey, old man, what do you want from me? If it's to say goodbye, then I'll be going. If it's something else, then you'd better tell me now!" Xuan Ye said impatiently.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting in the armchair, opened his eyes. His eyes were very small, almost like slits.

"Xiao Ye, since you've already decided to leave the ninja village, I won't stop you. But you've already graduated early, and you don't have Forehead Protector yet, so I brought you here to give you a Konoha forehead protector."

After speaking, the old man Sarutobi Hiruzen, took out a Konoha Ninja's Forehead Protector from the table in front of him. The Forehead Protector had the symbol of Konoha Village on it, but Xuan Ye felt that the pattern on the Konoha Forehead Protector was a bit strange.

"No, that's not right. It should be said that the Forehead Protector patterns in all the ninja villages are very strange. I don't know how those ninjas designed them," Xuan Ye thought to himself.

However, he still reached out and took the Forehead Protector from Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, then tied it directly around his neck.

Xuan Ye always felt that hanging it on his head was a bit unsightly; hanging it around his neck was the coolest way to wear it.

After receiving the Konoha -exclusive Forehead Protector, Xuan Ye wanted to leave immediately.

But he was stopped by the little old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Old man, is there anything else? You've already given me the Forehead Protector, so just say it all!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi responded to Genya Namikaze's impatient expression with a smile, "Xiao Ye, are you really that eager to leave Konoha?"

Xuan Ye remained silent and did not speak.

"I asked you to stop because I have something to give you. Come here."

After walking up to the old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Xuan Ye noticed that the old man's hand was constantly groping around underneath, as if he wanted to take something.

After waiting for more than ten seconds, the old man finally took out the item and placed it on the table in front of him.

It was a wooden box, and it looked like it was made of some pretty good wood.

Before Xuan Ye's eyes, the old man Hiruzen Sarutobi personally opened the box. After opening it, Xuan Ye discovered that the box was full of money, just like the box in the backpack he was carrying on his back, which was full of banknotes.

Moreover, each banknote was worth ten thousand. Upon seeing this, Xuan Ye's eyes lit up. "Haha! I'm rich! I just got a million taels of silver from home, and now that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi is bringing me more money."

Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi now, that old man seems much more endearing.

"Xiao Ye, this money is what I prepared for you. It totals one million taels. It's not like being in Konoha Village. You can't do without money outside, so consider this money as your pocket money."

Xuan Ye wholeheartedly agreed with what the Hiruzen Sarutobi, said. As the saying goes, even a hero is helpless without money. If you really don't have any money outside, then things will be really difficult.

If you run out of money outside, you won't even have food to eat, and you'll probably have to hunt wild game in the forest to fill your stomach.

Xuan Ye quickly took the money the old man had placed on the table and put it into the backpack on his back. Finally, he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with satisfaction and asked if there was anything else.