The Third Hokage's Attention!

Watching Hiko leave, Orochimaru frowned slightly and fell into thought. First of all, Hiko had changed far too much. It had only been a few days, yet he seemed like a completely different person.

His personality had undergone a huge change, and there were other aspects as well.

After thinking it over, Orochimaru followed Hiko out of the Ninja Academy. As for the pitiful Jiraiya, he directly became Hiko and Orochimaru's substitute and was beaten up badly by Tsunade.

By the time Tsunade had vented her anger and wanted to find Hiko, there was no sign of him anywhere.

"Hmph, consider yourself lucky! I'll deal with you tomorrow!"

In the end, Tsunade could only leave the Ninja Academy in a huff, leaving behind a panda-eyed Jiraiya and the other stunned, terrified students.

Jiraiya was on the verge of collapse. He had no idea who he had offended. He had been beaten up for no reason, and his combat strength was nowhere near Tsunade's. That was Jiraiya's greatest tragedy. Especially when Tsunade went berserk, he stood even less of a chance against her.

Just like yesterday, Hiko headed straight to the Training Ground. The difference was that he took a stroll through the market on the way and bought quite a few things, mostly food—especially all kinds of meat.

Hiko was glad he knew how to cook. He would not end up like Naruto, surviving on instant noodles and ramen.

There was no need to mention instant noodles, but could ramen really count as a staple food?

The money for one bowl of ramen could buy plenty of ingredients. As long as he cooked them himself, they could become delicious food. Hiko did not have a habit of wasting money.

Anything he could not finish in one meal could be put in the refrigerator and kept for a long time.

"Ha..."

Orochimaru had been following behind him the entire time. After noticing him, Hiko merely smiled faintly and did not pay it much mind. Honestly, having Orochimaru as his current competitor was not bad, though only in private. Publicly, Hiko had no intention of competing with him.

Orochimaru followed Hiko all the way and was instantly speechless when he saw him wandering through the market. What was the point of buying all this stuff?

After carrying the things he bought to the Training Ground, Hiko found a corner and soaked the ingredients in the nearby stream before beginning his training. He did not want to go home that night and eat spoiled meat. Leaving it in the stream was good enough.

As for Orochimaru, who kept following him around, Hiko chose to ignore him. He simply did whatever he needed to do.

From afar within the Training Ground, Orochimaru watched Hiko train diligently. He did not skip any of the basic exercises, doing them one by one before moving on to shuriken and kunai. In the end, Orochimaru chose to leave.

He had never had the habit of training at the Training Ground. He usually trained outside the village.

Facts proved that Orochimaru's approach was not bad. In the village, certain unscrupulous old men constantly checked every corner. If one was not careful, secrets might be discovered.

Especially for someone like Orochimaru, who often did things in the shadows that could not see the light of day.

"Interesting kid."

Hiko had no idea that every one of his actions had already fallen into certain people's eyes.

Inside the Hokage Office Building, in the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage held a Pipe in his mouth as he looked at the Crystal Ball on his desk. Seeing Hiko training diligently at the same time and in the same place, he smiled.

Few members of the Uchiha Clan trained outside their clan grounds. Even when they did, most went outside the village. Very few came to the Training Ground, and those who did usually paid to rent one rather than use the public grounds with everyone else.

Hiko's actions immediately caught the Third Hokage's attention. An Uchiha Clan child had entered a public Training Ground to train and displayed perseverance and determination that even adults lacked. Naturally, this drew the Third Hokage's notice.

Yesterday, however, he had only given him a passing glance. On the second day, Hiko once again came to the Training Ground after school and continued training. The content was still the most tedious basic training. It was impossible for the Third Hokage not to pay attention.

Once he noticed Hiko, he naturally noticed Orochimaru following him. Unlike Hiko, Orochimaru had always been someone the Third Hokage kept an eye on—the famous genius of the Ninja Academy.

If it had only been Hiko, then no matter how hard he worked, at most the Third Hokage would have thought the child was diligent. But with Orochimaru following behind him, it was different.

"Bring me this child's file."

Putting down his Pipe, the Third Hokage was still in his prime. He did not yet have the short, old appearance he would have later.

"Yes!"

A puff of smoke flashed behind the Third Hokage. Soon, an Anbu member placed a file on the Third Hokage's desk. Every child who entered the Ninja Academy had a record. Every child might become a pillar of Konoha, and Konoha valued them greatly.

Aside from their Teacher and the current Hokage, no one else was qualified to handle these files. For gifted children or those worth cultivating, Teachers could bypass everyone else and report directly to the Hokage. This showed just how much Konoha valued its next generation.

"Uchiha Hiko..."

Opening the file, the Third Hokage looked through the information in his hand, his thick brows knitting deeply together. The Anbu member knelt respectfully on one knee, waiting.

"So he is directly related to Kagami. No wonder he seemed somewhat familiar."

After a long while, the Third Hokage closed the file. He had not expected Hiko to be related to Kagami Uchiha.

[Since Naruto has too many plot holes, Li Bao can only do their best to patch them up. Please do not dwell too much on certain details. Li Bao will consider things over and over while writing. Please forgive me.]