Konoha Genin

Yamato should be six years old by now.

Mo Jingxian remembered that Yamato was about four years younger than Kakashi.

Since Kakashi had been a Chunin for several years now, the Hashirama Cells experiments in Konoha should have already been halted.

However, as the initiator of the experiments, Danzo must have kept backups in his possession.

But this was not the first choice; given Danzo's personality, he would never hand over the Hashirama Cells unless... Root was wiped out.

He did not have the strength for that yet, so he could only think about it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi should also have some in his possession; one could judge this by Tsunade's attitude toward him.

That old man must have let Tsunade discover something, otherwise, his two disciples would not have left in anger.

Combining this with the timeline, the time of Tsunade's departure coincided exactly with the period of the Hashirama Cells experiments.

It was hard not to draw connections.

After careful deliberation, Mo Jingxian silently crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi off his list of options.

The Hiruzen Sarutobi of today was no longer the Shinobi Hero of the past; he had transformed into a qualified politician.

If he wanted to obtain the Hashirama Cells, he would have to offer benefits several times over in exchange.

Even with Minato's influence, it wouldn't work; interests were interests.

If he chose to trade with Hiruzen Sarutobi, he feared he would be strung along until his death.

After weighing his options, it seemed only Orochimaru remained.

If one thought about it carefully, Orochimaru might actually be a suitable trading partner.

As long as the strength was comparable, this viper would display the fine quality of equivalent exchange.

At the end of the day, he was just a fanatic pursuing immortality.

There were many things that could move him: Bloodline Limits, life sciences, powerful ninjutsu, etc., all of which could be used as bargaining chips.

With a viable path laid out before him, Mo Jingxian determined his next course of action.

Go to the front lines.

Strive to establish a connection with Orochimaru and prepare for the final trade.

Having straightened out his thoughts, he could now begin preparations; he intended to apply for early graduation after being discharged from the hospital.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind.

Mo Jingxian immediately seized upon that spark.

Expressions of surprise, regret, and helplessness appeared on his young face.

"I'm such a fool! How did I miss such a huge loophole?"

He spat out the words bitterly, gritting his teeth.

Yes, he had finally discovered a loophole in the Balance of Fate.

As long as he did not confirm it himself, the trade could not be finalized.

In other words, he could weigh everything he had and confirm the information of the items to be exchanged before making a decision.

If he had discovered this sooner, he wouldn't have been so passive.

Mo Jingxian really wanted to slap himself a few times.

It was too late to say anything now; his Reputation Points were at rock bottom, and the Balance of Fate could not be activated.

For now, he could only offer a bitter smile.

Minato's actions were swift; in just three days, he returned.

"Here, this is the compensation from the Uchiha."

Mo Jingxian took the compensation, feeling slightly surprised.

Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change and Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique—two high-quality illusions recorded by the Uchiha clan.

The reason for his surprise was that he hadn't expected Fugaku Uchiha to be so generous.

Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change could reflect ninjutsu; it was one of the famous scenes in the future, where Itachi Uchiha used this technique to reflect Kurenai's illusion.

As for Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, it went without saying; as someone who had experienced it firsthand, Orochimaru had the most say.

It could be said that as signature Uchiha ninjutsu, their power was beyond doubt.

No matter how one looked at it, Fugaku had bled heavily this time.

But thinking about it, given the current situation of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku's actions seemed to make sense.

After all, the one who had come to visit was Minato Namikaze.

He believed that the upper echelons of every ninja clan must have received the news; as a strong contender for the Fourth Hokage, Minato had a high chance of winning.

Fugaku Uchiha's generosity might very well be a way of showing favor in advance, placing his bets on Minato.

The thought flashed through his mind.

"Big Brother Minato, I intend to graduate early and go to the battlefield to gain experience."

His idea aligned perfectly with the ninja mindset, which was nothing out of the ordinary in Konoha.

"Hmm, with your strength, there is indeed no need to waste time at the Ninja Academy, but the battlefield is ruthless. Take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, Big Brother Minato, I will."

Minato Namikaze came and went in a hurry; it was clear that this elite jonin was extremely busy.

In the days that followed, he rested peacefully, constantly refining his plans in his mind.

This body in his current life was practically a vegetable at first, yet despite such severe injuries, it only took a week before he was back to jumping around.

After being discharged from the hospital, Mo Jingxian submitted his graduation application immediately.

The process went smoothly, and by that afternoon, he had received his ninja headband.

He simply tied the headband around his arm; he had no habit of wearing a piece of metal on his forehead.

Before he had even walked out of the Hokage Building, he was unexpectedly summoned by the Hokage.

Without any preparation, he was abruptly brought face-to-face with the highest administrative authority of Konoha's violent organization.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked taller than he did on screen, radiating a sense of oppression; he was not as gentle as some people described him to be.

Furthermore, the first thing he said to Mo Jingxian went straight to the point.

"Your background is not something you can decide; it is Minato who has shielded you from attacks coming from all sides."

The implication was obvious: beyond a warning, he was also setting up a figure for him to chase after.

Mo Jingxian did not spout nonsense, and he didn't even mention the theories of equality from his past life.

He understood that as a successful politician, his own little tricks were not worth mentioning.

Behind every mature political ecosystem lay a system forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, one that best served current interests.

He did not believe that his scattered political concepts would make the Hokage look at him differently.

The probability of such an attempt backfiring was far greater.

Mo Jingxian acted exactly as a youth should.

In short, Big Brother Minato was his role model, and he would follow in his footsteps from now on.

Following that, after a round of painless "Will of Fire" education, the conversation proceeded through the standard motions.

As he left, he received a storage scroll, which served as a reward from the Hokage.

Only after he had walked a fair distance away did the stifled feeling in his chest finally dissipate.

He had passed another hurdle.

Only then did Mo Jingxian finally confirm that the fallout from the assassination attempt on Minato had truly been turned over.

He bought some fruit and a strawberry cake.

Before the sun set, Mo Jingxian knocked on the door of Minato's home.

"It's Jingxian. Minato has already rushed to the battlefield; you're too late."

Kushina opened the door, looking somewhat low-spirited.

"Big Brother Minato told me. I came here today specifically to visit you, Sister-in-law."

"What did you call me? I didn't hear you clearly."

Mo Jingxian suppressed a laugh and called out again with a straight face: "Sister-in-law!"

"Come in, just put the things on the table."

As she stepped aside and turned around, the corners of Kushina's mouth began to curl upward.

Mo Jingxian followed her in, but when he saw the pile of milk and bread wrappers scattered haphazardly on the table, he couldn't help but twitch his eyes.

He finally understood why the future Naruto always ate expired milk and bread.

It turned out to be a habit inherited from his mother.

"You'd better have a reason, and... wipe that annoying expression off your face."

Watching Kushina clench her fists, Mo Jingxian thought to himself: Oh no!

He had been careless for a moment and forgotten that she used to be the "Red Hot Habanero."

"Wait... don't misunderstand, I came here today specifically to thank you, Sister-in-law."

"Call me Big Sister."

"Big Sister Boss!"

Kushina tilted her head triumphantly: "I haven't even agreed to marry Minato yet; we'll see how he performs."

What was with this tsundere expression? Sigh, women!

Kushina's towering image had shattered; love makes people blind, and even a Jinchuriki is no exception.

He certainly couldn't reveal his inner thoughts, as he had no desire to taste the flavor of a Monster Strength Fist—that was better left to Minato.

Instead, Mo Jingxian obsequiously offered up the cake and fruit.

"Big Sister Kushina, here is the Five Elements Seal scroll back."

In that short span of time, Kushina's dejected mood had been swept away, and she happily took a bite after unwrapping the cake.

"Couldn't learn it? That's normal. I've never seen a Genin-level ninja master sealing jutsu before."

"I learned it."

"Mm, learning is good... wait, what? You said you learned it?"

Kushina's eyes widened, looking at him as if to say, "Don't try to lie to me."

Mo Jingxian felt helpless and had no choice but to explain the principles of the sealing jutsu one by one.

In the end, Kushina stopped eating her cake, pulled him over to test his chakra, and finally let go in frustration.

"You don't have the Uzumaki bloodline, it makes no sense. How did you learn it?"

"Maybe I'm just a genius."

Mo Jingxian would certainly not tell her that it was her future self who had taught him.

After being rewarded with a few eye-rolls, he seized the opportunity to state the purpose of his visit:

"I came here this time to borrow your notes on sealing jutsu practice so I can cross-reference them with my own ideas. Would that be possible?"

"The notes aren't urgent. First, let me test you—tell me your understanding of sealing jutsu."

Kushina still didn't believe he could master sealing jutsu, even though the facts were right before her eyes.

He cleared his throat.

"This is how I understand it... Sealing jutsu is the most fundamental language of this world, a set of symbols used to describe the operation of rules. Unlike ninjutsu, it is more primitive and interacts with the world more effectively..."

Watching the boy speak with such eloquence, Kushina felt a complex mix of emotions.

If only he were of the Uzumaki clan, how wonderful that would be.

Gradually, the figure of the boy sitting on the sofa began to blur, and she felt as if she had returned to her childhood, back to the ancestral hall of the Uzumaki clan.

Back then, children her age were all pressed onto cushions in the hall by the elders to study sealing jutsu.

The figure of the boy gradually merged with those children, leaving Kushina in a momentary trance.

[Reputation from Kushina +10]

Having finished expounding his views, Mo Jingxian noticed that Kushina was staring blankly.

The reputation points had come inexplicably, so he had to speak up to remind her.

"Big Sister Kushina, was there something wrong with what I said?"

"Ah!—Oh, it was all fine."

Refocusing her eyes, Kushina snapped back to reality.

"You wait here."

With that, she hurried upstairs.

Not long after, she ran back down carrying a parcel.

She shoved the parcel into Mo Jingxian's arms and immediately began shooing him out.

"Go on, I'm tired. You'd better not come bother me for the next few days."

Without giving him a chance to speak, he was pushed out the door.

With a loud "bang," the door was shut tight.

Mo Jingxian shook his head with a wry smile; this woman was so impetuous, only Minato could handle her.

Returning home and opening the parcel, a wave of warmth rushed into his heart.

There were only three items inside.

A special kunai bound with the Flying Thunder God formula, a notebook containing insights on sealing jutsu practice, and a ninja flak jacket.