Hokage

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard and looked at the little pink-haired girl in the crystal ball.

Although Haruno Sakura's handling of Uchiha Sasuke was biased, it was enough to satisfy Hiruzen Sarutobi.

When facing a classmate who had lost control of their emotions, words were ineffective. It was better to subdue them first and then use words to calm them down.

Clearly, it had worked well.

This was the future of Konoha...

Recalling the scene from earlier, Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, as if he had made a decision.

"Hoo~"

Sakura leaned against a thick tree, panting lightly, as crystal sweat dripped down her cheeks.

Uchiha Sasuke's matter hadn't affected Sakura much; she held no ill will towards him.

He was just a pitiable child.

She had just finished a thirty-kilometer endurance run, and at only seven years old, she could sense she had reached the limit of her current body.

Continuing further would cause harm.

"Sakura?"

"What are you doing here?"

A voice, somewhat aged yet full of vigor, sounded with a hint of confusion.

The pink-haired loli turned her head, seeing a slightly balding old man in casual clothes observing her from not far away.

"Hokage?"

Haruno Sakura's face showed surprise, and she tried to stand up, but her body was too weak. After a couple of struggles, Hiruzen Sarutobi placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If you're tired, then rest well,"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked kindly at the little pink-haired girl before him.

"Yes, Hokage,"

Haruno Sakura pursed her lips and looked at the kind old man, a look of confusion on her face.

"Why are you here, Hokage?"

"Hahaha, of course, I'm here to see our genius little ninja."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down beside Sakura and patted her head with a smile.

Because Haruno Sakura had made no effort to hide her talent, her reputation as a genius had spread. It wasn't strange that Hiruzen Sarutobi knew.

Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Sakura pursed her lips and didn't say much.

"What's wrong?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, looking at the silent Sakura.

This child didn't seem very happy.

Sakura pointed at the sweat on her face and her body, which was too weak to stand up.

"The word 'genius' completely overshadows the effort behind it."

"Others don't see the effort I put in and just assume my excellence is natural."

Although she had intentionally promoted her talent, Sakura had studied late into the night every day for the past year and also made time for high-intensity training during the day.

While her goal had been achieved, she had also shed a considerable amount of sweat for it.

"I see... I was indeed negligent. Sakura is a very hardworking child."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression softened.

He already had a very good impression of this child, and now a flicker of concern welled up in his heart.

"Then, may I ask why you work so hard, Sakura?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words seemed to energize Haruno Sakura.

She pointed in the direction of the Hokage Building, or more precisely, the direction of the Hokage Rock.

Even though the Hokage Rock couldn't be seen from here.

Hiruzen Sarutobi followed the direction Sakura was pointing.

"I want to become the first female Hokage!"

"To protect Mom, to protect Dad, to protect the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at the little girl before him.

His already excellent impression, coupled with the image of her diligent effort, and hearing words almost identical to those of the red-haired "bloody chili" from years ago.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt as if he saw the figures of others in this child.

She had exceptional strength like Tsunade, the same aspirations as Kushina, and a personality like Minato...

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes couldn't help but well up with moisture. He felt as though he saw the shadows of three different people within this child.

Due to the angle, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't notice Sakura's somewhat unnatural and embarrassed expression.

Saying such things in front of a sixty-something-year-old man was quite awkward.

Deceiving old men was merely a temporary measure.

"Is that so? A truly fine aspiration."

"This old man has high hopes for Sakura."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wiped away the moisture from his eyes, patted Sakura's head, and chuckled, "If you have any questions or things you don't understand in the future, you can always come ask me."

He then stood up and disappeared from Sakura's line of sight.

Wait... My Hokage, you're just leaving like that?

Sakura sighed as she watched Hiruzen Sarutobi vanish.

Huh?

A glint in her peripheral vision caught her eye – something was left behind where Hiruzen Sarutobi had been sitting.

It was a scroll.

Oh my god, the old man dropped some serious loot!

Sakura eagerly picked up the scroll and opened it directly.

Two large characters greeted her on the first page.

Superhuman Strength!

To be honest, she was a little disappointed.

But it didn't matter, at least she could use her Superhuman Strength openly from now on.

Continuing to flip through, Haruno Sakura's eyes lit up.

It was different from the Superhuman Strength she possessed naturally.

Superhuman Strength was a Ninjutsu uniquely created by Tsunade, a high-level Jutsu that involved concentrating Chakra in a specific part of the body and then releasing it with immense force.

It demanded extremely precise control over Chakra, but precisely because of this, it also recorded how to control Chakra more concisely and effectively.

Although Sakura had already mastered Superhuman Strength due to her cheat, she was still not very proficient in this kind of precise Chakra manipulation.

And ninjas were beings who fought using Chakra.

Controlling Chakra was almost the most crucial aspect for every ninja, except for that Chakra-hoarding dog, Uzumaki Naruto.

If one could master Chakra, almost every Jutsu could be learned more quickly.

Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi's parting words were that she could find him if she had any questions.

Heh heh, my Hokage, I don't understand anything at all!

Sakura carefully put away the scroll, humming a tune as she walked briskly towards home, bathed in the setting sun.

"The vast prairie is my love~~~"

"Flowers bloom at the foot of the rolling green hills~~~"

The shimmering lake reflected the girl's cheerful figure. By the somewhat familiar riverbank, a lonely figure silently stared at the water, lost in thought.

"Yo, Naruto, what are you doing just standing there?"

"It's getting dark, why aren't you going home to cook?"

"If I catch you eating instant noodles again, I'll tell Teacher Iruka that you charge 200 Ryo for a bowl of instant noodles~~"

The girl's cheerful words made the blonde boy turn his head.

What met his eyes was a bright smile that almost made his heart stop.

"You're spacing out like an idiot. It's getting dark, hurry home!"

"Oh, oh!"

Naruto blinked in surprise, then immediately beamed a smile.

Created a group, feel free to join if interested.

Thanks to Chafan Rensheng, Wangyue De Tu, and Hecha Chaofangfa for the tips.

Thanks to Wangyue De Tu, Yakesierkay, Na Ge Bai Yi Piao Piao De Nian Dai, Hecha Chaofangfa, Yaolinlin Ba Liu Hao, and Chafan Rensheng for the monthly tickets.