First Arrival in Konoha

Chapter 11: First Arrival in Konoha

Land of Fire, Konoha.

Mixed in among a group of children, Shimiya Aoba looked around at everything with the same curious gaze as the others. But compared to the other kids, there was a little less numbness and unease in his eyes.

Still, no one noticed this slight difference of his.

"Good work."

After verifying the identity of the squad leader, the guard at the village gate nodded with feeling as he let them through.

"If not for Lord Minato turning the tide and thwarting Iwagakure's scheme, who knows how much longer this war would have dragged on," the squad leader added with a sigh.

"By the way, you just got back, so you probably haven't heard. Just a few days ago, the defeated Sunagakure also signed a new peace treaty with us. That only leaves Kumogakure without news, but they're nothing to fear. The war should be over soon."

"Really? That's great! Anyway, I'll take these brats to turn in the mission first. When I'm off duty, I'll treat you to a drink!"

"It's a deal, haha."

Walking into the famous Konoha, Aoba did his best to stay hidden and not stand out while replaying the conversation he'd just heard.

It seemed the current point in time was when Konoha had once again risen to the top of the shinobi world, forcing the other great nations to sign surrender agreements.

The three Sannin—Jiraiya and the others—had probably already left one after another, but the final victor of this war was still Konoha, that old camel.

The next period should be relatively peaceful, until that big incident happened, dragging the supposedly ended Third Shinobi World War back into the mud...

As he recalled the relevant plot points, Aoba followed the other children all the way to Konoha Hospital.

"This is the last batch, right?"

After confirming the mission paperwork, a medical ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector asked in a flat tone.

The squad leader put away the mission scroll and nodded. "These are all the war orphans we could find. Forty-two in total. My mission is done; the rest is up to you."

The medical ninja nodded, and a few more people came out from inside to lead the war orphans in.

Although every major village was desperate to boost their population, bringing these war orphans back wasn't the end of it. A series of checkups and physical and psychological treatments followed. After all, most of those who survived by the skin of their teeth carried injuries, and having endured the despair of losing loved ones, claiming they had no mental issues would be self-deception.

So bringing them to the hospital first was a good way to win their goodwill, let them relax, and eliminate potential problems.

It also allowed for recording information and spotting promising talents for focused training—like Kekkei Genkai. Though rare, among the war orphans collected over several shinobi wars, a few fish would always slip through the net. It was like pulling a lottery.

After being put through the wringer for an entire afternoon, Aoba had to admit Konoha had some skill in this area. Especially the medical ninja system Tsunade had established—it was truly eye-opening.

Even someone like him, with an adult soul in a child's body, felt much more relaxed after being carefully treated by those gentle big sisters, given a bath, and changed into clean new clothes. He'd developed a fair bit of goodwill toward Konoha.

As for the other little brats, there was no need to mention them. Their lifeless little faces seemed to regain some vitality, and hope flickered in their eyes.

"Name."

"Shimiya Aoba."

"Do you remember which village you lived in before?"

"Mm, Tachibana Village."

"Who was in your family? Anyone still alive?"

"Just my parents. They're both dead."

Aoba answered calmly, but the questioner was used to it. Kids numbed by massive trauma and shock were all too common; they'd get better after a while.

"Have you received any ninja training, or do you have any special abilities?"

He knew this was the key point, and it would determine what kind of identity he'd use to stay here.

First, becoming a ninja was a must.

Since the mission required him to infiltrate here, and the reward was tied to the scale of the trouble he caused, a civilian identity wouldn't suit him.

Second, as an infiltrator, being too flashy wasn't good either—it risked exposure.

So after thinking it over, he decided to reveal part of his special traits while developing quietly in the shadows.

Though this increased the risk of exposure and even suspicion, first, his identity could withstand investigation, and second, as long as he balanced mediocrity and excellence well, it should be fine.

So he hesitated, glanced at the gentle big sister in front of him, then fearfully lowered his head.

She took in all his reactions, then asked in an even gentler tone, "Don't be afraid. Konoha is a harmonious family. From now on, you're part of this family too. We're asking these questions just to help you. After all, special abilities often come with great risks. One slip and you might hurt someone else, right?"

Pretending to be convinced, Aoba gathered his courage and said, "I don't know if this counts as a special ability, but while I was hiding, I ran into danger once, and I found my skin suddenly got very hard."

The big sister, listening intently while writing quickly, seemed to brighten. She coaxed gently, "Can you show me?"

After a moment's hesitation, Aoba nodded, slowly extended his right hand, and activated [Hardening] in his mind.

LV0 [Hardening] only gave the skin on his right hand a layer of calluses.

But seeing this change, she was quite surprised, and a hint of excitement crept into her expression. She probably hadn't expected to hit the jackpot.

Even if this wasn't a Kekkei Genkai, it was a very rare ability.

The gentle big sister nodded to herself, reached out, and touched his right hand. It was indeed a bit harder. Though not harder than stone or steel compared to ordinary flesh, he was only four or five years old and had just awakened this ability. There was surely great potential to develop.

She asked a few more questions about the ability and some details before finally putting down her pen with satisfaction.

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