Ninjutsu Training

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly reacted and recognized who he was.

Uchiha Obito, the only member of the Uchiha Clan among these children, and someone very close to Kazashiro.

"Obito, then I'll wait for the day you become Hokage." Extending his right hand, reeking of smoke, Hiruzen smiled and rubbed Obito's head.

He had never expected someone from the Uchiha Clan to embrace the Will of Fire. At this rate, perhaps the problems between the Uchiha and Konoha would be completely resolved before long.

As long as more and more people believed in the Will of Fire...

If Kazashiro had known what Hiruzen was thinking at that moment, he would have applauded from the side in agreement: Yes, yes, you're right. The kid in front of you really did solve the Uchiha problem in a very short time. It was just that his methods might have differed somewhat from what you imagined.

Seeing Obito get praised, Ebisu joined in as well. "Third Hokage-sama, I'll carry the Will of Fire through to the end too!"

"Good, very good." Hiruzen's smile widened.

"If you want to become Hokage, you must first enroll in the Ninja Academy and become ninjas. I'll be waiting for you there." After offering the children a few words of encouragement, Hiruzen happily left the street.

"Come to think of it, it really is almost time for Ninja Academy enrollment." Having spoken to the Hokage from such close range for the first time, Ebisu was incredibly excited. Even his sunglasses could not conceal the light in his eyes.

"That's true. Kurenai, Anko, are you planning to enroll?" Rin nodded in agreement before looking at the other two.

"Well, I'm definitely enrolling. Other than becoming a ninja, I can't think of anything else I could do." Anko clasped her hands behind her head and flashed a brilliant smile.

"My Three Body Technique is coming along pretty well. I should be able to pass the assessment." Kurenai held up her fingers as she counted the effort she had put in lately.

"The Three Body Technique? That's so unfair, Kurenai. I've only just figured out how to circulate Chakra." Hearing that Kurenai had already begun training in the Three Body Technique, Anko threw an arm around her and spoke resentfully.

"Huh? I thought everyone had..." Kurenai was a little uncomfortable in Anko's hold and spoke with difficulty.

"Huh, the Three Body Technique?" Ebisu instantly lost his fighting spirit.

"Tch, do you think everyone is a genius like Kakashi?" Anko rolled her eyes, released Kurenai, and pointed at the silent Kakashi.

"Hmph, the Three Body Technique is nothing to me. It's easy!" Obito looked at Kakashi with some indignation, spouting bravado that even he did not believe.

"Just accept being a dead last, idiot." Kakashi could not even be bothered to look at Obito as he kept hovering around him and protesting.

"You bastard!" Obito snapped.

Only Kazashiro remained completely out of the loop.

Right, wasn't the Three Body Technique the most basic introductory lesson for ninjas? Aburame Ryoma seemed never to have taught him any of this. Could it be that they really had taken their frustration with Danzo out on him?!

"Geniuses always make people jealous, don't they?"

Just as Kazashiro wondered whether those guys were taking revenge for personal reasons, Asuma's voice suddenly came from beside him.

Kazashiro turned toward Asuma and saw him looking at Kakashi in the distance with complicated eyes.

"That's true, but..." Kazashiro also turned his gaze toward Kakashi and smiled. "Don't you think it's a little too one-sided to dismiss someone's effort with nothing more than the word 'genius'?"

"You're right." Hearing Kazashiro's words, Asuma smiled as well and patted his shoulder. "That's right. Kakashi is clearly a genius, yet he works harder than anyone among us. Looks like I need to get serious too."

"When the time comes, let's challenge that stuck-up Kakashi together." Kazashiro waved his fist.

"Right, and we'll bring Obito along. Let him charge in at the front while we cover that kid!" Seeing Obito getting more and more worked up, Asuma spoke as he walked over to pull him away.

"Alright, stop messing around. Let's go to the dessert shop for cake. I'm treating today!" To placate Obito, Asuma felt his flat wallet and painfully made the decision.

Why did it feel like knowing too many people was not necessarily a good thing?

Next time, they should not go out as a group.

"Alright, everyone, charge! Young Master Asuma is paying for today's expenses!" Seeing Asuma take on the burden of paying, Kazashiro immediately rallied the troops and was the first to dash toward the dessert shop.

"That's so unfair, Kazashiro! Wait for me!" Anko launched the second charge.

"It's almost time to enroll in the Ninja Academy, isn't it?" Danzo suddenly spoke at the dinner table, catching Kazashiro off guard.

How the hell would I know the date? I'm not even from around here.

After several months together, Kazashiro was no longer as reserved as he had been at first. He was clearly much more relaxed when speaking with Danzo. "Probably. When I ran into the Hokage today, he mentioned it."

Upon hearing that Kazashiro had met Hiruzen, Danzo showed no surprise. He had clearly known about it already.

"Taijutsu training ultimately requires time and accumulation. It cannot be rushed. What truly reveals a ninja's talent is Ninjutsu." Danzo set down his bowl and chopsticks. "Tomorrow morning, come with me somewhere."

Somewhere?

It can't be the Root, can it?

Though he vaguely had an answer in mind, Kazashiro still asked curiously, "Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there." Danzo looked calm and inscrutable, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Before dawn the next day, Danzo woke Kazashiro. Then, right in front of him, Danzo opened a hidden door beneath his tatami mat, revealing a dim underground passage.

Holy shit, old-school Konoha tunnel warfare?

Kazashiro's guess had been right. The place Danzo intended to take him was indeed the Root base, but he had not expected Danzo to have dug a tunnel directly between his home and the base.

After walking through the long tunnel, Kazashiro arrived at the most mysterious Root in all of Konoha.

"This is?" Although he had already guessed the answer, Kazashiro pretended to know nothing in order to avoid arousing Danzo's suspicion.

"This is where Konoha's true guardians gather." Danzo had no intention of introducing Root to Kazashiro and merely gave a rough explanation in a proud tone.

"This is also where I work. When you have nothing to do, you can come here to practice Ninjutsu."

Led by Danzo, the two arrived at a training ground.

Several humanoid targets stood in the open space, and traces of training covered the area. They were clearly old Root members.

"This is a most basic Wind Release Ninjutsu. Unlike techniques such as the Shadow Clone, which have no elemental nature, this technique requires the use of wind nature transformation." As Danzo spoke, he began forming hand seals at an extremely slow speed.

Rat—Dog

Wind Release: Breakthrough!