The First Meeting with the Yellow Flash and the Promise to the White Fang of the Leaf

With a little toothpaste on its hands, Itachi clung to the bathroom doorframe, peering inside...

Silence reigns in the living room today...

Mikoto patted Roy on the back and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Sitting opposite Fugaku, who remained silent and unsmiling, Roy was momentarily lost in thought, his mind seemingly returning to the clan meeting, to the ancestral shrine of the Uchiha Clan, where the Sun-Earring Boy had made the audacious statement that he could "help the clan members open their eyes," a statement that had struck Roy like a thunderbolt, leaving him utterly incredulous.

"Mikoto," Fugaku raised his hand to interrupt the woman, his sharp eyes fixed on Roy, and after a moment said, "I understand."

It was as if he had said everything, yet also as if he had said nothing at all, deliberately avoiding the topic, and saying, "Go."

Roy glanced at the time; it was 7:45, fifteen minutes before the 8:00 meeting time. He smiled and nodded to Fugaku, then turned to Mikoto and said, "Mother, I'm leaving now. I want to eat Katsudon tonight..."

As she spoke, she leaned on the tatami mat and stood up. Then, one more glance... and a mudflat appeared beneath her feet. Under the stunned gaze of Uchiha Mikoto and the shocked expression on Uchiha Fugaku's face... she slowly sank into the ground, reappearing...

Spanning the entire living room, it suddenly appeared at the bathroom doorway. A silent ripple spread out, and the mudflats opened up from the space, revealing a Sun-Earring Boy's thick, black hair...

He emerged from the ground with a smile, revealing himself right next to Itachi. Itachi's precocious eyes, unlike those of a child, shone brighter than ever before, and he finally understood what had happened... Then, his head felt hot as Roy grabbed it and gently rubbed it...

"Nii-san, what kind of ninjutsu is that?" The little Sun-Earring Boy looked up at his older brother. Strange, it seemed like his brother had grown taller after a nap... He used to be able to reach his brother's chin, but now... he could barely reach his brother's neck even on tiptoe. This rate of growth was truly enviable...

"Hmm..." Roy touched his chin, genuinely stumped for a moment...

The original form of [Swamp Space] comes from the talent "Blood Demon Art" of [Clone Demon], which combines his understanding of "terrain" with his perception of "space"... It can be described as a combination of [Earth Release] and [Space]... Yet it can also emerge from water, trees, flowers, and all other "tangible things"...

"Clearly, calling it ' Earth Release ' is inappropriate," Roy thought for a moment, then smiled at Itachi and said, "Itachi, what do you think it should be called?"

Itachi's eyes sparkled, and he blurted out, "Can you come out of the water, Nii-san?"

"Can."

Where is the tree?

"Can."

Where's the stone?

"Of course..." Roy felt the increasingly deep gazes from behind him, emanating from Fugaku and Mikoto, and said gently, "Anything with a form is acceptable."

Itachi pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "[Chi Chi Tian Ya]!"

Nii-san always tells me that the world is both vast and small; you can explore it all on foot...

I don't think there could be a better name.

"Chi Chi Tian Ya so far..." Mikoto murmured, "Chi Chi Tian Ya..." Tomokoshi whispered in a low voice...

As Itachi said, the world is both vast and small; what is close at hand is also far away. However...

That only applies to a very few exceptionally talented Ninja who have mastered "Space-Time Ninjutsu."

Ordinary people, and even powerful Jonin like those from Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure, if they truly believe this, they'll have it for life...

Uchiha Fugaku coughed twice. "Itachi, tell your older brother to go wash up."

The man's tone left no room for argument.

Itachi obediently turned slightly to the side, and as a gentle breeze brushed past his shoulder, a voice Youyou over... "Chi Chi Tian Ya, a very good name."

The young Sun-Earring Boy watched Roy disappear into the bathroom to pick up his toothbrush, and a rare smile appeared on his face.

It was 7:50 a. m., about ten minutes before the report was scheduled to begin.

After Roy finished washing up and came out, Fugaku had already finished breakfast, changed into his Jonin vest, fastened his headband, and left for the Police Force ahead of him to go on duty.

Uchiha Mikoto cleared the dishes, took his place, and saw Roy to the door. In the entryway, she bent down to wipe the Sun-Earring Boy's shoes, saying, "You're all grown up now and have your own abilities, so Mom won't say anything more."

"I'll do as you say. I'll wait for you to come home tonight and make you fried pork chops."

Roy smiled and said, "Okay." Then, he waved to Itachi, who was sitting on the tatami mat, and said, "When your brother Shisui arrives, tell him that today, like yesterday, was two ' Ten Thousand Swings '... I'll go check on him this evening."

The weasel puffed out its cheeks, filling them with sushi, and nodded silently... It felt like it hadn't even started practicing its swordplay yet, but its arm was already starting to ache again...

"Alright, with your dad and I keeping an eye on things, nothing will go wrong." Mikoto patted the Sun-Earring Boy on the shoulder and opened the door.

Roy smiled, said nothing more, turned and left the room. The rising sun beat down on him. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and headed towards the location of the report: a training ground in the Southern Forest, near the entrance to Konoha Village...

"Tap... tap..." Crossing the street, away from the throngs of pedestrians, escaping the dazzling array of shops brimming with commercial atmosphere, and entering the forest again, feeling the moist air on his face, Roy paused for a moment. Beside a large tree leading deep into the Southern Forest, he saw a head of swaying white hair...

Her white hair was tied back with a headband, and in the center was branded a "leaf" Marking representing Konoha, signifying... "The Will of Fire never dies."

Roy met Sakumo Hatake's gaze from ten meters away. The Kage-level shinobi, known as the "White Fang of the Leaf," lowered his arms, his gaze fixed on Roy. His expression was a complex mix of emotions, a jumble of complex feelings, like a bottle of mixed flavors that had been kicked over. He sighed softly, "I knew the higher-ups wouldn't agree to me being your mentor, but I always held onto a sliver of hope. As it turns out, I was just overthinking it..."

The White Fang of the Leaf could be Kakashi's father, an idol of ordinary Ninja, a powerful figure who could overpower the Sannin, or even the pillar of Konoha, but he absolutely could not be... the White Fang of the Uchiha, not even the slightest connection to the Uchiha!

Roy hated intrigue and dirty power struggles, but like "light" and "shadow," "spear" and "shield," they were both opposing and unified, neither could exist without the other... The Sun-Earring Boy's black hair swayed in the wind as he bowed to Sakumo Hatake and said, "Actually, in terms of Swordsmanship alone, Uncle White Fang is already my teacher in my heart."

Roy bowed deeply, then straightened up and looked at him calmly, saying, "My teacher taught me, and I learn from my teacher. It doesn't necessarily have to be in that formal way. What do you think, Uncle White Fang?"

Sakumo Hatake paused, then laughed... laughed heartily...

He shook his head and said self-deprecatingly, "I don't deserve to be called 'teacher' by you, after all..."

White Fang of the Leaf stared intently at Roy: "What you've given me is far, far more than what I've given you..."

[Thunder Breathing] is a [technique], a [skill], and even a [way]; different people will have different understandings of it.

These understandings often differ drastically due to variations in "human talent," "cognition," and "mindset"... Just like Kaigaku and Agatsuma Zenitsu, both trained by Kuwajima Jigoro... In their understanding of the [Lightning] path, even though the latter only mastered the "First Form," he was far superior to Kaigaku, who indirectly "killed his master" and was essentially a half-baked practitioner...

Sakumo Hatake was already skilled in Lightning Release, and his Swordsmanship talent was extremely high. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to strike fear into the hearts of the ninja world with just a short sword, and even... be forced to die in the plot to make way for Kakashi, which shows how extraordinary he was!

"Uncle White Fang is joking; it's just my limited understanding..."

"Superficial?" Facing Roy's self-deprecation, Sakumo Hatake stared intently at the Sun-Earring Boy, nodding in deep agreement. In his opinion, this [Thunder Breathing] was in no way inferior to the [Bloodline Limits] of Konoha's famous Sakumo Hatake, such as the Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho -Inuzuka...

Sakumo Hatake picked up a fallen leaf and placed it in his palm. A flash of lightning reduced it to ashes. Suppressing his turbulent emotions, he stepped aside to make way for Roy on the tree-lined path leading to the training ground. "Go on, Minato and the others are waiting for you."

Roy looked up as the sun climbed higher into the sky, then suddenly glanced in the direction of the Hokage Building...

Konoha, like an upside-down rice cooker, sits in the very center of the Hokage Building.

On the third floor, in the Hokage's office, an old man, a pipe dangling from his lips and hands in a V-shape, was channeling chakra into Crystal Ball in front of him. He took a drag of his Chakra and silently said, "I'll just take a look... but I won't go over there..."

Roy's gaze was cold as he withdrew his eyes, this time not using [En] to block Sarutobi Hiruzen's [Clairvoyance Jutsu] again...

The reason is simple: Roy knows that whatever he does in the training grounds, the Third Hokage, who loves to spy on others, will eventually find out. After all... who can blame him when his mentor, Namikaze Minato, is one of the Sannin, a disciple of Jiraiya, and a Sarutobi Hiruzen?

The Sun-Earring Boy showed no emotion, simply ignoring Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze as if it were nothing, and walked past him, brushing past Sakumo Hatake, heading unhurriedly into the depths of the Southern Forest. "Roy,"

Protect yourself.

Just then, a Youyou voice followed the Sun-Earring Boy's retreating figure and reached his ears.

Sakumo Hatake leaned against a large tree, watching the Sun-Earring Boy leave, and said gently, "I long for our next duel, so..."

"Please, you must live well!"

Roy paused, a sudden jolt running through him, a gentle pang in his heart. His first thought was of Sakumo Hatake's tragic end... abandoning his mission to save his comrades, only to be scorned by the village. Even more chilling was that the very comrades he saved, in their pursuit of "political correctness," betrayed him, joining the villagers in gossiping and pointing fingers behind his back, ultimately leading to his suicide... It was all so heartbreaking...

Of course, there might also be a reason for this: "His achievements overshadowed the master"... The upper echelons of Konoha deliberately turned a blind eye for the sake of the Hokage succession, or even pushed for it from behind the scenes...

Roy took a deep breath and sneered, "That's really filthy."

Turning around abruptly, she smiled at Sakumo Hatake, "Then it's a deal, Uncle White Fang."

"If I don't see you when I return from the battlefield, I won't let Kakashi off the hook."

Sakumo Hatake paused, lowered his eyes, and chuckled softly, "What does this have to do with Kakashi?"

Roy raised his head and said matter-of-factly, "Like father, like son. If I can't see you, I'll just have to settle scores with Kakashi, won't I?"

"When did those two become so close?" In the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen stared blankly at the scene. One had white hair, the other black hair; one was Hatake, the other Uchiha; one was in his prime, his strength surpassing his three disciples, the other possessed extraordinary talent and often performed astonishing feats... These two should never have crossed paths; they should have gone their separate ways along parallel lines...

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, took another puff of his pipe, and the swirling smoke cast a dull "gray" over the Hokage Hat lying on the corner of the table...

On the edge of the Southern Forest, Sakumo Hatake was completely bewildered by Sun-Earring Boy's quick-witted and seemingly nonsensical, yet upon closer examination, logically sound, explanation...

Shaking his head and chuckling, he simply stopped talking, nodded solemnly to the Sun-Earring Boy, and said, "Okay."

Then, his gaze flickered, watching the Sun-Earring Boy depart with satisfaction until he completely disappeared into the depths of the Southern Forest... He stood silently in place for a moment, then vanished in a flash...

The Youyou Southern Forest is peaceful at this moment...

A few bird calls could be heard intermittently...

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen cigarette, his face obscured by smoke. The camera silently followed Sakumo Hatake for a moment before the old man snapped off his pipe and slammed it on his desk, increasing the intensity of his Chakra input. The camera then shifted back to Roy, Sun-Earring Boy, after bidding farewell to Sakumo Hatake, strolled leisurely through the woods and among the flowers. It didn't seem like a report, but rather a leisurely stroll, as if he thought... well, he was already late, a few more minutes wouldn't matter, so he might as well just drift along. It was hard to say whether he was carefree or simply lazy; in any case... he arrived where he was supposed to be...

"You're late." In the Southern Forest, at the training ground, one adult and three children stood on an open field, surrounded by a circle of human-shaped wooden stakes, four pairs of eyes staring... some curious, some inquisitive, some complex, some with hidden amusement...

Roy stopped, hands in his pockets, watching Namikaze Minato emerge from the crowd. The man's striking blond hair stood on end like a hedgehog's quills, and for a moment, his image overlapped with Naruto's... So alike, so incredibly alike! Except for the nose, eyes, ears, mouth, and a few fox whiskers on his cheeks, everything else was different... Namikaze Minato was simply a larger version of Uzumaki Naruto...

"It's Uncle White Fang Teeth's fault,"

"Without him delaying me, I should be able to get there on time." Roy shrugged.

A white-haired man, who had just left the Southern Forest, stumbled and sneezed unexpectedly, causing... an old man in the Hokage's office to twitch his lips almost imperceptibly, shaking his head and chuckling...

"Slippery," was Sarutobi Hiruzen's assessment of Roy, and also Namikaze Minato's first impression of Roy. The future Fourth Hokage smiled and said, "I don't ask why, I only look at the result. Being late... means punishment."