Konohagakure's Two Big Salt Fish

The next day, as noon approached.

A person in charge from the Ninja Academy hurriedly knocked on the door of the Third Hokage's lounge.

"He can't use Shadow Clones, or even the most basic Clone Technique..."

The Third Hokage held a report in his hand, frowning as he looked at the ninja kneeling below him. Wisps of smoke rose from his pipe, making his expression appear hazy.

"Are you saying this child's talent is very poor?"

"That's not it..."

Yoshikawa's expression was conflicted; he didn't know how to put it.

"It's just that what this child knows is a bit strange..."

"Strange?"

The other party's hesitant expression made the Third Hokage a little confused, so he looked at the report in his hand again.

Qing Xuan's photo was clearly visible on it, and his smile made one feel as if bathed in spring breeze.

"He looks energetic!"

The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke and praised him, but then his expression also became conflicted.

"Skilled Sunagakure-style throwing techniques and taijutsu? Wind Release: Great Breakthrough? Sand Binding Burial? Excellent Chakra Threads manipulation skills? And extremely rich puppet-making experience? What is all this..."

Seeing the Third Hokage slowly fall silent, Yoshikawa hesitated before speaking, "After our testing and discussion, the final conclusion is that this child has now become an experienced... Sunagakure Chunin."

Hearing this, the Third Hokage's finger trembled, and the report fluttered to the ground.

The old man rubbed his temples with a headache, his face showing a wry smile. "Where is that child now?"

"Still at the Ninja Academy."

"Bring him to me immediately."

Konoha streets.

A small shop shrouded in green shade, with an ancient wooden sign hanging at the entrance, inscribed with "[Three-Color Dango]" in calligraphy.

The shop door was open, filled with the sweet aroma of glutinous rice and red beans. The wooden tables and chairs inside were neatly arranged, and several hand-drawn ninja pictures hung on the walls. A small potted plant sat in the corner, making the place feel warm and peaceful.

A few children sat around a table, eating dango and excitedly discussing something. Occasionally, a ninja would pass by, stop to buy a skewer of dango, take a bite, and smile with satisfaction.

At this moment, at a table closest to the back, a six-year-old boy was eating a skewer of dango in each hand, but his face wore a look of indignant grief.

"To think that the young clan head of the proud Senju Clan has fallen to selling Three-Color Dango on the street! How unfortunate! What would the First and Second Hokage think if they knew about this?"

He shook his head, sighing dramatically, "Nawaki Senju! Nawaki Senju! Have you forgotten your past dreams? You wanted to become Hokage, you..."

A dango was handed over, landing perfectly in his mouth.

"Eating dango isn't enough to shut you up!"

Nawaki threw the rag on the table and sat down resignedly.

"How did you find me?"

Qing Xuan swallowed the dango in his mouth, still feeling a bit choked, so he picked up the red bean soup by his hand and took a big gulp before answering, "Finding you isn't hard?"

After speaking, he pointed to the white-haired boy opposite him. "I ran into a kind person right after I left the school, and they brought me here."

The kind person, Kakashi, suddenly felt a bit awkward. He had seen the child standing alone on the street and had brought him here purely out of kindness.

But Nawaki couldn't stand it: "You went to the Ninja Academy today?"

"I just enrolled today."

"It's not even time for school yet!"

"The Ninja Academy is so boring, completely different from what I imagined, so I came out!"

Nawaki's headache intensified, while Kakashi suddenly thought of a certain legend about the Uchiha and asked curiously, "You didn't use Shadow Clones to attend class, did you?"

Unexpectedly, Qing Xuan shook his head. "I can't use Shadow Clones at all!"

"Then how did you get out?"

"Because Itachi is attending class for me! This is much more useful than Shadow Clones!"

Kakashi's dead fish eyes widened, and he inwardly lamented that the Uchiha children really knew how to have fun, surpassing their predecessors!

"Nonsense!" Nawaki slammed the table and reprimanded, "Itachi Uchiha isn't that kind of person, how could he agree to something like this?"

As a result, Qing Xuan pointed to the packed Three-Color Dango beside him and said, "I promised him I'd bring him dango back."

"That's still not acceptable!"

Nawaki said with a wry smile, "Itachi Uchiha just graduated, and today is the day his team gathers!"

"Actually, we met before the report meeting yesterday, and it's said that things were very unpleasant."

Qing Xuan took a bite of dango and said with a frown, "Itachi felt it was too embarrassing and he really couldn't get along with them..."

Nawaki listened and suddenly had a bad feeling. "So?"

"So I'll go to the team gathering this afternoon in his place!"

Qing Xuan patted his chest, a confident expression on his face.

"You know, I'm the best at socializing!"

More like the best at offending people, Nawaki thought, then exchanged a glance with Kakashi. Both of them, embodying the spirit of "lazy fish," conveyed a clear message in their eyes: This is too troublesome, let's not get involved.

And so.

In the afternoon, at a training ground enclosed by wire fences.

"From now on, the three of you will be my subordinates as Genin. You will sometimes experience harsh missions, but you will all trust your comrades and face life and death together, won't you!"

A middle-aged man stood before Qing Xuan and the others, shouting loudly.

This man was Minazuki Yuki, a Jonin of the village, with a warm and sunny disposition, though the stubble on his chin gave him a somewhat disheveled appearance.

Today was just an initial meeting, and there was no need to exert himself this much, but Yuki cast a sidelong glance to the side.

At the edge of the fence not far from the training ground, the two "lazy fish" of Konoha were sitting idly, basking in the sun.

Why are they here? Yuki couldn't help but grumble inwardly, feeling immense pressure.

Don't let their lazy appearances fool you; both of them had impressive backgrounds.

One was the grandson of the First Hokage, one of the legendary Sannin, the brother of Tsunade, a disciple of Orochimaru, and a legendary ninja who had personally participated in the Second and Third Shinobi Wars, earning great merit. The other was the Fourth Hokage's disciple, a genius ninja who had been promoted to Jonin at the young age of twelve, and who later definitively ended the Iwagakure offensive at the Battle of Kannabi Bridge.

Facing the scrutiny of these two, it was impossible for Yuki not to feel nervous. Therefore, to avoid being looked down upon by them, he had to give it his all.

However, his subordinates were not showing him much respect.

"What do you mean by trusting comrades..."

A Genin sitting next to Qing Xuan muttered softly.

Izumo Tenma, whose parents and uncle had died during the Nine-Tails Attack and due to village rumors, harbored an intense hatred for the Uchiha.

He ignored Yuki, who was still rambling on with his superficial speech, and sat with his knees hugged to his chest. He stared at Qing Xuan, finally unable to hold back, and said loudly, "When there's a member of a certain clan in the team who drags the village down, any talk of teamwork is meaningless."

As soon as he said this, not only did Yuki stop talking, but even Nawaki and Kakashi, who were sitting nearby, straightened up slightly.

It has appeared after all.

They frowned, looking at Tenma, and thought.

"Another victim of the Nine-Tails Attack?"