The morning mist hung over the Hidden Leaf Village, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground. The air was fresh with the scent of earth and greenery. Shops along the street were opening one after another, their wooden signs swaying gently in the morning breeze with faint creaks.
The owner of Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi, stood outside the shop, wiping down the sign with a damp cloth. Steam drifted from inside, carrying the rich aroma of bone broth and drawing a few early-rising shinobi on patrol to stop by. They took off their forehead protectors, greeted Teuchi with a smile, then went inside to start the new day with a steaming bowl of ramen.
At the training grounds not far away, a few diligent shinobi were already practicing their morning drills. The whistle of kunai cutting through the air mingled with the quiet murmurs of hand seals, and every so often, a muffled explosion rang out. A jonin was instructing several young shinobi in shurikenjutsu, his voice steady and firm. "Watch your angle. Keep your wrist steady!"
At the market, vendors were already setting up their stalls. Fresh vegetables and fruit were neatly arranged in wooden crates. The shopkeepers chatted with regular customers as they organized their goods. An old man selling ninja tools sat behind his stall, slowly polishing a kunai. The sunlight fell across his deeply wrinkled face, making him look especially kind.
In the middle of the street, a few children chased one another, their bright laughter as lively as birdsong in the morning.
As Qing Xuan passed by with Nawaki, he heard one of the children point to the sculptures of the previous Hokage on the cliff and proudly tell his friends, "I'm going to become Hokage someday too, and have my face carved up there!"
"They sure have a lot of energy!" Qing Xuan remarked.
Ever since entering the village, he'd become unusually lively.
After putting on an act all the way here, he'd realized that, as an honest person, he just couldn't pull off being fake.
Rather than let his terrible acting get exposed and make things awkward for everyone, he figured he might as well let loose and show his true self!
So he'd dropped all pretense, gotten familiar with Nawaki in no time, asked him question after question, and even asked him to buy food.
It was driving Nawaki up the wall.
And the guy really had no manners...
Nawaki looked down at the empty sleeve gripped tightly by a small hand and couldn't help thinking that Qing Xuan really didn't treat him like a person!
"How old are you?"
"Six, I think?"
Qing Xuan glanced uncertainly at the system panel before him.
ID: Uchiha Qing Xuan Age: Six Timeline: Year 53 of Konoha Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan [Tier 1: 18%] Wood Release [0%] Soul Points: 1636 Bloodline Points: 6 Spirit Hero: Qing Long (Recovering) Items: Beginner Throwing Technique Experience Book, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Beginner Skill Book, Intermediate Puppet Technique Experience Book, Sand Body Beginner Skill Book, Beginner Sunagakure Taijutsu Experience Book, Intermediate Puppet Creation Experience Book.
After transmigrating into Naruto's world, Qing Xuan's only cheat was this lousy system. He could get a corresponding treasure chest by changing the plot, and Qing Long's Ice True Qi had come from a silver chest.
Honestly, Qing Xuan still hadn't figured out how stealing a sheep in the Land of Wind had earned them a silver chest.
"Then were you in the Land of Wind all six years?"
Qing Xuan scratched his head, took a bite of the skewer Nawaki had bought him, and grinned. "I don't know! I woke up in a cave, and when I woke up, I was already six!"
"Who wakes up and is six years old? That makes no sense!"
"I did!"
Nawaki covered his face, speechless.
Just then, a silver-haired young man with a black mask and a slanted forehead protector came out of the Hokage Building.
"Lord Nawaki."
The young man looked a little under the weather. With the dead-fish look of someone who'd given up on life, he mechanically offered his greeting.
Nawaki sighed and was about to say something when Qing Xuan tugged at his sleeve, pointed at the man with the bamboo skewer he'd finished eating, and asked, "Uncle, who's that white-haired guy?"
Nawaki's mouth twitched. He was about to scold Qing Xuan, but the white-haired man across from them reacted first, his expression suddenly animated.
"Uncle?"
The lifeless eyes that had been so listless widened as he stared at Qing Xuan.
"Could this child... Could this child be Lord Tsunade's..."
Kakashi no longer knew how to express his shock. The child looked so much like Uchiha Itachi! And, more importantly, he'd called Nawaki uncle!
"It's not what you think!"
Nawaki stared at Kakashi, who'd already started imagining all sorts of things. He just wanted to dump this troublesome kid on the Third Hokage as soon as possible.
"Don't say anything ridiculous. I'll explain when I get back!"
Hokage's Rest Room.
The Third Hokage didn't usually like staying in his office to deal with tedious paperwork. Now past fifty, he preferred a peaceful life. The shinobi knew their Hokage well, so whenever they had something to report, they usually went to find him in the rest room.
The Third Hokage usually spent his time there smoking and practicing calligraphy or painting.
Senju Nawaki knew the Hokage well too, so he brought Qing Xuan straight to the rest room, then hurried off to look for Kakashi.
Qing Xuan didn't mind. To be honest, he wanted to see what sort of person the Third Hokage was, since people in his previous life had so often praised and criticized him in equal measure.
"Sorry I'm late."
Qing Xuan pushed open the door and entered the rest room. On a huge tatami mat covered in red cloth, an old man with a head of white hair was leaning against the wall, pipe in his mouth, writing.
The old man didn't turn around. The rest room was silent except for the soft scratch of the brush against paper.
Qing Xuan came over with his skewer and peered at the huge sheet of calligraphy. He struggled to make out the messy characters and read aloud, "Whoa... what the...? This..."
He rubbed his eyes. When he looked up again, the old man had set down his brush and was watching him with a helpless expression.
Qing Xuan could tell the man wasn't pleased, so he scratched his head and tried to recover. "What beautiful calligraphy, Lord Third! It's... really bold!"
The old man looked at Qing Xuan, and for a moment, it felt as if he'd been transported back to the past. The words slipped out before he could stop them. "If you can't think of anything to praise, you don't have to force it."
He fell silent, seemingly lost in memories. Qing Xuan's legs were almost numb from standing by the time the old man finally broke into a kindly smile.
"Uchiha Qing Xuan?"
He beckoned Qing Xuan over. "Don't be shy. Sit wherever you like."
Qing Xuan didn't like kneeling, so he sat cross-legged instead.
He'd thought the Third Hokage would ask what he'd been doing for the last six years, like everyone else, or ask who Qing Long was.
But the old man didn't ask a thing. He simply smiled and handed Qing Xuan a cup of tea, having noticed the skewer in his hand.
"Do you like Konoha?"
It felt like a casual exchange between family, and Qing Xuan understood why the younger generation of Konoha liked this Hokage so much.
He always showed them his best side.
Qing Xuan nodded, then heard the old man ask, "Do you want to become Hokage?"
"No!"
Qing Xuan looked up. His clear eyes showed no desire whatsoever for the position of Hokage.
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