The next afternoon, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived at Tsunade's residence right on time.
He didn't use the front entrance. With his status, making a grand entrance would only make Qingyu nervous.
Qingyu stood in the courtyard, holding a wooden sword as he practiced the basics of Konoha-Style Swordsmanship with careful precision.
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Qingyu from the shade of a tree by the wall.
When it came to swordsmanship, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't as skilled a swordsman as Hatake Sakumo. Besides, he preferred using the staff that Enma transformed into over a sword.
But he was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, and he knew at least a little about nearly every technique that existed in Konoha. Swordsmanship was no exception.
Qingyu's fundamentals were solid.
That was Sarutobi Hiruzen's first impression.
From the way he held his sword, to where he put his strength into each swing, to how quickly he brought his body back into position after sheathing it, everything was solid.
How old was this child?
How long had he been practicing swordsmanship?
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowed as he packed tobacco into his pipe.
Smoking was interfering with his observation of Qingyu, so Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered the pipe and clasped his hands behind his back.
After practicing for a while, Qingyu began training in Water Release Ninjutsu.
Water Release: Water Bullet Barrage!
After refining his chakra, Qingyuan formed Hand Seals and fired water bullets from his hands like real bullets.
Psh! Psh! Psh!
The water bullets struck the wooden posts, leaving deep holes in them.
"Not bad."
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought to himself.
He admired Teacher Tobirama.
When he was young, he'd studied Water Release Ninjutsu quite a bit himself.
But later, he realized that he was good at studying all five basic nature transformations.
Just then, Qingyu suddenly stopped and turned to look in his direction.
Sarutobi Hiruzen froze for a moment.
Had he been spotted?
Even though he hadn't made any special effort to conceal himself, he shouldn't have been so easily detected.
This kid's sensory abilities were far sharper than he'd expected.
[Detecting collectible trait: Water Release Chakra Mastery (Sarutobi Hiruzen version)]
[C-rank trait: Water Release Chakra Mastery (Sarutobi Hiruzen version)]
[Effect: When training in Water Release Ninjutsu, gain the comprehension of Sarutobi Hiruzen in his youth.]
What Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know was that Qingyu had noticed the system suddenly appearing.
"What kind of trait is this?"
C-rank?
Qingyu looked at the prompt floating before him, making sure he hadn't read it wrong.
E-rank traits included Attitude is the Mask of the Heart and Swordsmanship Foundation, while D-rank traits included Great Strength, Sword Fanatic, and White Fang's Insight.
So far, this was the first time a C-rank trait had appeared.
Its effect was to grant him the comprehension Sarutobi Hiruzen had possessed as a boy when training in Water Release Ninjutsu.
Who was Sarutobi Hiruzen?
A ninjutsu professor who had mastered all five chakra natures. As a boy, he'd been personally taught by Senju Tobirama, and on the battlefield, he'd struck fear into enemy villages.
It was no exaggeration to call him the Strongest Hokage in his early years. He had truly earned the title.
And when Orochimaru carried out his Konoha Crush Plan in the future, he'd said himself that if Sarutobi Hiruzen had been ten years younger, Orochimaru would have been killed.
One could imagine how powerful Sarutobi Hiruzen had been at his peak.
Even just the comprehension he'd possessed as a boy would be enough to put Qingyu ahead of the vast majority of Jonin in the field of Water Release.
"Since you're here, Lord Hokage, why not come in and sit for a while?"
Qingyu was a little surprised. He put away his wooden sword and called out in Sarutobi Hiruzen's direction.
Sarutobi Hiruzen assumed Qingyu was surprised to see him suddenly appear there and thought nothing more of it.
He stepped out from the shade of the tree. Along with a hint of surprise at having his presence discovered, there was also approval in his expression.
"No need. I just came by to take a look."
He waved his hand.
"You've practiced your swordsmanship well. Who taught you?"
"Mostly, I practice on my own by following the scrolls. I also spar with Kakashi from time to time, and Lord Sakumo gave me a few pointers a few days ago."
Qingyu answered honestly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Watching through a Crystal Ball and seeing something in person were completely different experiences.
The Crystal Ball showed only the movements, not the details.
Standing this close today, he could clearly sense how effortlessly Qingyu wielded his sword.
This child really was suited to the path of swordsmanship.
And Sarutobi Hiruzen remembered that Qingyu practiced Water Release Ninjutsu, too.
Water Release and swordsmanship.
This was bad. Why did Qingyu remind him of Teacher Tobirama?
"Tsunade told me about the Sword of the Thunder God," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, taking his hand from behind his back and lifting his pipe for a puff.
Qingyu looked up, waiting for him to continue.
Since Sarutobi Hiruzen had come, it meant he wasn't going to refuse.
"I can give you that weapon."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked Qingyu in the eye.
"But there's one condition."
"Please, go ahead, Lord Hokage."
"How about coming in first place in the whole school at the end of this term?"
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, Qingyu was a child worth nurturing.
If Qingyu had only Uchiha blood, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have planned to keep observing him.
And of course, he wouldn't have given away the Sword of the Thunder God.
But the important thing was that Qingyu also had Senju blood. That changed everything.
Sarutobi Hiruzen still felt guilty toward the Senju Clan.
First, he hadn't had time to repay Teacher Tobirama. Instead, the Hokage had sacrificed himself to cover the retreat of the "Hokage Guard"—those entrusted with protecting him.
Second, the Senju Clan had scattered throughout Konoha, giving up any special privileges or resources they might have had.
And given Qingyu's support for the Will of Fire, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no reason not to include the child among those he intended to nurture.
"Of course, Lord Hokage."
Qingyu nodded.
He'd only ever placed second in his class, but even across the whole grade, he was still near the top.
After all, there weren't many students in this year's class, and most were civilian ninja.
Civilian ninja generally hadn't received an early education. Even when they had talent, it usually wasn't until later that it began to show.
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a satisfied nod.
"Oh, and if you can keep taking first place, I'll consider giving you something else."
Without waiting for Qingyu to answer, he walked away at an unhurried pace with his hands behind his back.
Qingyu's mind lingered on the promise Sarutobi Hiruzen had dangled in front of him as he watched the man's back disappear beyond the courtyard gate.
"Taking first place in the whole school shouldn't be difficult."
Qingyu rubbed his chin.
Even without these traits, he had the Sharingan during his time at the Ninja Academy, which already gave him a huge advantage.
His biggest rival right now was Kakashi.
After Qingyu had spurred him on, Kakashi would undoubtedly work harder than he had in the original story and grow stronger.
Unfortunately for him, Qingyu had cheats.
Traits, show me your limits!
From then on, Qingyu's goal was to trigger all kinds of traits.
What kinds of actions were most likely to trigger a trait?
After observing for a while, Qingyu found that aside from going where there were lots of people, defeating enemies was the other best way!
Before you continue