The Lord Third: Thinking Like a Hokage!

Before even entering the Ninja Academy, he had learned to refine chakra without anyone teaching him. He was undeniably a genius.

What was more, Aoba had an excellent Transformation Technique.

Several times, right in front of him, Aoba had used the Transformation Technique to assume his appearance and buy goods. His reasoning was that, as a well-known Jōnin among the civilians, Shinku would receive discounts from merchants.

At first, Shinku would offer a few reminders, but seeing that Aoba merely wanted to save money, he eventually tacitly accepted it.

But after leaving the Hokage's office today, his definition of genius had risen several notches.

The reason was the Yamashiro Hot Pot Restaurant Aoba had opened.

He had indeed tried hot pot, this novel style of cuisine, several times.

Before the Hot Pot Restaurant had even opened, Aoba had already tinkered with it and let them sample it.

Nadeshiko and Kurenai had especially praised it. He himself had eaten it several times, and it had always tasted good—especially the sauces Aoba prepared. They were truly delicious.

Aoba had also said that he wanted to open a shop so everyone in Konoha could eat hot pot.

Shinku had merely smiled faintly when he heard that. He had not believed that Aoba, only six years old at the time, could truly open one.

Setting aside the storefront and interior design, procuring all the ingredients alone would be an enormous hassle. Most importantly, there was the Konoha Logistics Department's approval process. That single hurdle could have killed Aoba's plans before they began.

But Yuhi Shinku had never expected that Aoba would actually pull it off.

Not only had he opened it, but it had unexpectedly become wildly popular.

Because Shinku had been away on missions, he knew nothing about the village's recent developments. Had the Lord Third not summoned him back, he would still have been completely unaware.

In truth, if the Hot Pot Restaurant had not suddenly exploded in popularity, the Lord Third would not have noticed it either.

After all, as the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha had an excellent commercial environment and had always been highly favored by merchants.

Every year, there were thousands of transactions involving shops and storefronts, and all sorts of strange establishments opened. As the leader of a village, he was hardly bored enough to care what kind of shops merchants ran. As for whether they were dangerous or might harm villagers, Koharu and Homura's side naturally handled the approvals. Such trivial matters never reached the Hokage's desk.

The new hot pot cuisine had become immensely popular, with praise pouring in from all sides. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Lord Third, naturally took notice.

Once the Hokage noticed it, his Anbu subordinates naturally conducted a brief investigation. They had not expected that even a cursory check would uncover a problem.

The owner was supposedly Yuhi Shinku, yet at the time the business had been registered with the logistics department, Shinku himself had been out carrying out a mission assigned by the Hokage.

Although the signature looked very similar, a forgery was still a forgery. Before long, the trail led to Yamashiro Aoba.

Then they uncovered all the tricks Aoba had pulled by using the Transformation Technique to impersonate Yuhi Shinku and borrow his identity.

If Aoba's guardian had not been Yuhi Shinku, the Anbu would have taken him into custody long ago.

However, since it involved a Jōnin within the village, the Anbu could only submit their collected information to the Hokage.

While the people below saw Aoba as using a Jōnin's name to deceive others and committing a string of violations, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw a genius.

He had never attended the Ninja Academy, yet he could use such a superb Transformation Technique to fool so many people, including the staff of the Konoha Logistics Department. Clearly, he possessed remarkable talent for ninjutsu.

Of course, being skilled at ninjutsu alone would not have been enough to catch Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention.

He was the Lord Third, after all—the man known as the Professor of Ninjutsu.

There were countless Konoha shinobi skilled in ninjutsu. A mere Transformation Technique was hardly enough to make him take notice.

What truly caught Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention was how Yamashiro Aoba had managed to establish the shop. Not only had he succeeded, but it had also become wildly popular.

That was not something that could be summed up with a simple word like genius.

The various aspects involved were no fewer than those required to become a Chunin.

For missions such as assassinating someone in secret or making a target disappear, one could find plenty of people to do the job. The Anbu, in particular, were all experts. But asking them to run a shop might leave them completely stumped.

If he had been an adult, or even just a little older, Sarutobi Hiruzen would not have been so surprised.

But Aoba was only seven years old.

It was an outstanding talent, one that reminded him of the Nara Clan.

What pleased the Lord Third most was that Yamashiro Aoba came from a civilian background.

He was a native-born Konoha resident. His parents had died young, both heroes who had sacrificed themselves for the village.

Wasn't he the perfect inheritor of the Will of Fire?

For that reason, he had even rushed to summon Yuhi Shinku back.

After a round of heartfelt persuasion and reasoned Will of Fire indoctrination, Yamashiro Aoba was ultimately admitted to the Ninja Academy under the pretext of a supplementary enrollment list.

After returning home, Yuhi Shinku felt somewhat conflicted.

Outstanding talent as a shinobi.

At seven years old, he already thought like a Hokage!

Faced with such high praise from the Lord Third, Yuhi Shinku had no reason to refuse.

As a result, he now did not know how to face Aoba.

Aoba had made it clear long ago that he did not want to become a shinobi, and he had never hidden that sentiment. He had skipped the Ninja Academy's enrollment several times.

The only reason he refined chakra and learned the Transformation Technique was so he could transform into the appearance of his parents.

Look at what a sensible child he was.

That only made Yuhi Shinku feel even more ashamed.

"Eh, Father!"

The moment Yuhi Kurenai opened the door upon returning home, she saw her father sitting beside the tea table. Delighted, she threw herself into Shinku's arms and acted spoiled.

"You really came back. Aoba was actually right."

Yuhi Shinku lovingly rubbed Kurenai's head, then turned to look at Aoba standing by the doorway.

"Uncle Shinku!"

Aoba offered a slight bow from the entrance.

"Mm. Come in and sit."

"Yes, excuse me."

Aoba nodded, took off his shoes and put them away, then walked to the tea table and sat across from Yuhi Shinku.

What a sensible child. Even though Shinku had adopted him in name, Aoba remained polite and never overstepped his bounds.

Shinku poured a cup of tea and placed it before Aoba.

"It seems you already know?"

"Mm. I just came back from the Ninja Academy. My name was on the supplementary enrollment list on the notice board."

"I'm sorry, Aoba. It happened so suddenly. The Lord Third summoned me back..."

Aoba's maturity and good sense meant that Shinku had never treated him as a child.

The two of them often communicated as though they were adults.

"Wait a minute, Uncle Shinku!"

Aoba hurriedly interrupted Yuhi Shinku before he could continue.

"I'm the one who should apologize. If I'm not mistaken, this must have been caused by the Hot Pot Restaurant."

"I truly didn't expect the Hot Pot Restaurant to cause such a stir. It even alerted the Hokage and made him summon you back specifically. I'm truly sorry for causing you trouble."

After saying that, Aoba stood and gave Yuhi Shinku a deep bow in apology.

Yuhi Shinku took a deep breath, stood up, and patted Aoba on the shoulder, signaling for him to sit.

He then turned and returned to the room. Before long, he came back carrying a wooden box.

Yuhi Shinku pushed the wooden box toward Aoba.

"Inside are the ninjutsu scrolls your parents left behind. I originally planned to give them to you when you were older, but since you're going to the Ninja Academy now, I'll give them to you early."

"You may read the notes and insights, but you must never practice the ninjutsu inside on your own. At your age, both your body and chakra reserves are insufficient to use them. Forcing yourself to cast them would be dangerous."

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me anytime."

As he spoke, he took several more scrolls from his clothes and handed them to Aoba.

"I'm skilled in Genjutsu. These contain my insights into using Genjutsu. Your spiritual power is relatively strong, so you should perform exceptionally well in Genjutsu too."

Aoba stood, about to refuse, but Yuhi Shinku raised a hand to stop him.

"I know becoming a shinobi is not what you want, but only by becoming one can you better use your talents and protect yourself. This world ultimately values strength. Whether one is strong determines how much one gets to say."

"The Lord Third also thinks highly of you and made a special exception for your sake. As your father's close friend, I still hope you can live well and inherit your father's will."

Aoba could not help but be moved. He then accepted the scrolls from Shinku with both hands and solemnly thanked him.