Third Hokage: Possessing the Mindset of 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 outstanding Transformation Technique.

Several times, Aoba had transformed into him right in front of him and bought things in his likeness. The reason was that Shinku, as a well-known jonin among civilians, received discounts from merchants.

At first, Shinku would remind him a couple of times, but seeing that Aoba truly only wanted to save money, Shinku simply tacitly accepted his antics.

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 set up.

He had indeed eaten this novel style of hot pot cuisine a few times.

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

Nadeshiko and Kurenai had especially praised it. He himself had eaten it several times, and it had tasted quite good. The sauces Aoba prepared in particular were truly delicious.

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

Shinku had merely smiled faintly upon hearing that, not believing that six-year-old Aoba could really open one.

Leaving aside the storefront and interior design, procuring all the ingredients alone was an extremely troublesome task. Most importantly, there was the approval from the Konoha Logistics Department. That one hurdle alone could have killed Aoba's plans before they began.

Yet Yuhi Shinku had never expected Aoba to actually pull it off.

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

Because he had been away on missions, Shinku knew nothing of the village's circumstances. If the Third Hokage had not summoned him back, he would still have known nothing.

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

After all, as the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha had an excellent business environment and had always been highly favored by merchants.

Every year, over a thousand storefronts changed hands, and quite a few strange shops opened. As the leader of a village, he was not bored enough to concern himself with what shops merchants opened. As for whether they were dangerous or could harm the villagers, Koharu and Homura naturally handled the approvals. Such trivial matters never reached the Hokage's desk.

The new hot pot cuisine had been enormously popular, with rave reviews everywhere. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, naturally noticed it as well.

Once the Hokage noticed, the Anbu under him naturally conducted a brief investigation. To their surprise, they found a problem almost immediately.

The owner was Yuhi Shinku, yet when the business had been registered with the Logistics Department, Yuhi Shinku himself had been away carrying out a mission assigned by the Hokage.

Though the signature looked very similar, a fake was still a fake. The trail quickly led to Yamashiro Aoba.

Then they uncovered all of Yamashiro Aoba's various schemes, in which he transformed into Yuhi Shinku and used Yuhi Shinku's identity.

If Yamashiro Aoba's guardian had not been Yuhi Shinku, he would have long since been detained by the Anbu.

However, since it involved a jonin within the village, the Anbu could only report the information they had gathered to the Hokage.

While those below saw Aoba borrowing a jonin's name to bluff and deceive others, along with a series of rule-breaking actions, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw a genius.

He had never attended the Ninja Academy, yet his superb Transformation Technique had fooled so many people, including those in the Konoha Logistics Department. He clearly possessed exceptional talent in ninjutsu.

Of course, being skilled with ninjutsu alone was not enough to draw Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention.

He was the Third Hokage, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu.

There were countless Konoha ninja 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 opened the shop. Not only had he succeeded, but it had become immensely popular.

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

The various aspects involved were no fewer than the requirements for becoming a chunin.

For carrying out missions, secretly killing someone, or making a target disappear, they could find plenty of people to do it. Every Anbu member was especially skilled at such things. But if they were asked to run a shop, they might be 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.

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

What pleased the Third Hokage most was that Yamashiro Aoba had been born a civilian.

He was a true-blooded Konoha native. His parents had died early, both heroes who had sacrificed themselves for the village.

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

For this reason, he had even summoned Yuhi Shinku back in haste.

After instilling the Will of Fire in him through a round of emotional appeals and logical persuasion, he finally had Yamashiro Aoba enter the Ninja Academy under the pretext of a supplementary enrollment list.

When Yuhi Shinku returned home, his feelings were complicated.

Exceptional ninja talent.

At seven years old, he already possessed the mindset of a Hokage!

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

As a result, he no longer knew how to face Aoba.

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

The only reason he had refined chakra and learned the Transformation Technique was to transform into the likenesses of his parents.

Look at how sensible that child was.

It made Yuhi Shinku feel even more ashamed.

"Eh, Father!"

The moment Yuhi Kurenai came home and opened the door, 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 affectionately rubbed Kurenai's head, then turned to look at Aoba standing by the entrance.

"Uncle Shinku!"

Aoba stood at the entryway and gave a slight bow.

"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 still observed proper etiquette and never overstepped.

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

"Looks like you already know?"

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

"Sorry, Aoba. It happened suddenly. The Third Hokage summoned me back..."

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

The two of them often communicated like adults.

"Wait a minute, Uncle Shinku!"

Aoba hurriedly cut off Yuhi Shinku before he could continue.

"I should be the one apologizing. If I'm not mistaken, it should be because of the Hot Pot Restaurant."

"I truly didn't expect the Hot Pot Restaurant to cause such a huge commotion, even alarming the Hokage and making him summon you back specifically. I'm very sorry for causing you trouble."

After saying that, Aoba stood up and bowed deeply to Yuhi Shinku in apology.

Yuhi Shinku drew a deep breath, stood up, and patted Aoba's shoulder, signaling for him to sit down.

He then turned and went back into the house. Before long, he returned carrying a wooden box in his hands.

Yuhi Shinku pushed the wooden box in front of Aoba.

"Inside are the ninjutsu scrolls your parents left behind. I originally intended 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 not practice the ninjutsu inside on your own. At your age, your chakra reserves are not enough to perform them. Forcing yourself to use them would be dangerous."

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

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

"I specialize in genjutsu. These record my insights on using genjutsu. Your spiritual energy is relatively strong, so you should also show outstanding talent in genjutsu."

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

"I know becoming a ninja is not what you want, but only by becoming a ninja can you better make use of your talents and protect yourself. This world ultimately values strength. Whether one is strong determines how much one's words carry."

"The Third Hokage also thinks highly of you and made an exception especially for you. As your father's close friend, I still hope you will 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.