The two of them left the Detention Center and headed straight to the river. After being watched by Tianqi the whole way, the young man finally spoke.
"Are you wondering why I was the one who let you out?"
Tianqi shook his head. "I don't care whether you let me out or not. I'm used to it by now. I just want to know who you really are. You look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
The young man laughed as soon as he heard Tianqi.
"Hahaha! I didn't expect you to be so easygoing. Your identity really is a problem for you, but that's not your fault. No one gets to choose where they come from."
"As for why I look familiar, maybe I just have an ordinary face."
Tianqi looked at the young man in surprise. "You really are different from everyone else in the village. The others don't want to talk to me, let alone treat me nicely. Now I'm even more curious about who you are."
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen. I'm twenty years old, a Jonin, and your future team leader. This is my first time leading a new recruit, so I hope we'll get along."
After hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's introduction, Tianqi froze in place.
So it was him: Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hero of Shinobi, also known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, and the future Third Hokage. No wonder he looked familiar. Tianqi's mental image of Sarutobi Hiruzen was still that of the old man with a head of white hair.
He hadn't expected the Third Hokage to be so young now. Although he hadn't reached his peak strength yet, he was already no weaker than the elderly Third Hokage who would face the future Orochimaru's attack on Konoha.
"So it's you, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Second's student. But what did you mean when you said you'd be my future team leader?" Tianqi asked, looking puzzled.
"I didn't expect you to know I was the Second's student. Well, let me explain," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, then carefully filled Tianqi in.
"Here's the situation. Starting today, Lord Hokage has decided to lift all restrictions on you."
"You can study ninjutsu now, and you're free to leave the village. As for taking missions, I heard you fought the veteran Genin Uchiha Yang and won, which means your strength has reached Genin level. I'll give you your Forehead Protector later. From now on, you can take missions freely."
When Tianqi heard Sarutobi Hiruzen say he was free, he didn't feel happy. Instead, his brow furrowed slightly. He knew Tobirama Senju's personality all too well. Given his prejudice against Madara, there was no way he'd let Tianqi off so easily. He must be plotting something.
It was one thing to fail a Genin mission. But once Tianqi became a Chunin or Jonin, failing a mission would mean Tobirama Senju would kill him on the spot. No one could protect him if he failed a mission. If he got killed while carrying one out, Tobirama would probably laugh in his sleep.
Thinking of that, Tianqi cursed inwardly. That old schemer really hadn't meant well. All this talk was just a way to get rid of him sooner.
Then he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen doubtfully. "Is that so?"
"Of course. Go home and get some rest today. We'll meet here tomorrow morning and work on improving your strength. Once you're strong enough, I'll take you on a mission."
After saying that, Sarutobi Hiruzen left without waiting to hear what Tianqi thought.
Tianqi then walked home.
"Ah, I'm finally back." When he got home, Tianqi flopped onto the bed. Looking at the house his mother had left him, he brushed the dust off the bed and sighed. "I've only been gone a few days, and the house is already getting dusty. Since Mother passed away, living alone really is a bit of a hassle."
Thinking of his mother made him think of Madara, and he immediately started cursing. "You bastard, Uchiha Madara! I'm your son, at least. If you were leaving Konoha, you could've taken me with you! Instead, you left me to live such a miserable life. Bastard!"
"Don't think I don't know you're still alive. You're probably hiding in some unknown corner right now, keeping your head down. Just you wait! Don't let me run into you. If I do, I'll show you that even a small pot is made of iron!"
After cursing Madara, Tianqi started looking forward to seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen tomorrow. From their conversation, he could tell that Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't taken the Sannin on as students yet.
Speaking of the Sannin, Tianqi sent another round of loving curses Madara's way. "You bastard, Madara! Hashirama Senju already has grandchildren, and all you have is a son—and you don't even look after him! No wonder Hashirama Senju beat you. Serves you right!"
After finishing his tirade against Madara, Tianqi brushed off the dust, leaned back on the bed, and slowly fell asleep.
The next day, when sunlight shone on Tianqi's face, he slowly opened his eyes and looked out the window. "I really can't shake this habit of sleeping in, no matter where I am."
After musing for a moment, Tianqi washed up, changed his clothes, left the house, and headed to the river where he and Sarutobi Hiruzen had agreed to meet.
Seeing the empty riverbank, Tianqi thought, It's already eight, and the sun's getting hot. Looks like I still got here before Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Two hours passed before Sarutobi Hiruzen finally showed up, despite their agreement to meet the day before.
"Oh, Tianqi, have you been waiting long?"
Tianqi looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen's carefree face and replied helplessly, "Doesn't it look like the sun's already high enough to roast our butts?"
Sarutobi gave an embarrassed laugh. "Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I've had a lot on my plate lately, so I ended up sleeping in a little. Well, I'm here now."
Tianqi gave him a look of utter contempt. Yeah, right. He probably stayed up late spying again last night. What a lame excuse.
"Okay, okay, let's get down to business," Sarutobi said, as Tianqi looked at him with a mocking grin. Then he got started.
"First of all, you never went through training at the Ninja Academy, so I—I don't know exactly how strong you are. Today, we'll follow ninja tradition and have a round of Bell Snatch."
"Since you're on your own, I won't expect you to actually take the bells. Just touching them will count as a win. How does that sound?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said, shaking the bells.
"Fine. Let's get started, then."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tianqi leaped straight into the woods and hid.
Watching Tianqi hide, Sarutobi silently praised him. He knows he can't beat me head-on, so he's hiding and waiting for a chance. That's not bad.
"Not bad—you're good at hiding. Fine, if you won't come out, I'll go find you." Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to make a move, he suddenly heard a noise behind him. At the sound, Sarutobi Hiruzen dodged and leaped aside.
Whoosh! A Kunai stuck into the ground where Sarutobi had just been.
Tianqi emerged from the woods and said, "The gap between our strength is too big. Hiding is pointless; it would just waste time. But I can't give up on taking the bells, either, so I might as well get straight to it and fight you head-on." Tianqi pulled out a Kunai.
Just as Tianqi had hidden in the woods, the system issued a mission:
[ Ding! System mission issued successfully: fight Sarutobi Hiruzen head-on for five minutes. Mission reward: 1,000 Points. If you manage to last ten minutes, you'll receive an additional Sharingan upgrade. Mission failure: choose between being killed or losing your manhood.]
When Tianqi heard that lasting ten minutes would earn him not only 1,000 Points but also a free Sharingan upgrade, he stepped out without hesitation.
After hearing Tianqi out, Sarutobi praised him. "Good. You understand the difference between your strength and your enemy's. That's a good start. But the mission is to take the bells. Aren't you just walking to your death by doing this?"
After speaking, Sarutobi reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out eight Shuriken, throwing them at Tianqi. As he threw them, he began forming Hand Seals. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!" The eight Shuriken multiplied into twenty-four and flew toward Tianqi.
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