Testing Chakra

After the meal ended, Qingyun did some light daily training, and by then, it was already dark.

Waking up from a night's sleep, Qingyun immediately went to find the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage pulled off his Hokage cloak without hesitation, and then accompanied Qingyun up to the rooftop.

The view from the rooftop was excellent; it offered a bird's-eye view of the entire Konoha and a clear sight of the Hokage Rock.

"Qingyun, I haven't taught you much since taking you on as a disciple. You don't blame me, do you?" The Third Hokage didn't start right away, instead pulling out a pipe and taking a few puffs.

"Of course not... To be honest, I've been focusing on accumulating mission counts during this time. I've heard that for promotions, mission history, strength, and the evaluations of others are all very important," Qingyun said.

"Oh, it seems you are indeed well-informed. You complete your missions quickly and with high quality, so I hope you will increase the difficulty of your missions and accumulate a record of higher-level tasks."

"By the way, Qingyun, I have some questions for you."

Qingyun was curious about what the Third Hokage wanted to ask, so he immediately replied, "Of course, Teacher, please ask."

"What is your dream?" The Third Hokage suddenly asked, looking at Qingyun.

"My dream..." Qingyun hadn't expected the Third Hokage to ask such a question.

Qingyun thought carefully. His dream was certainly to become the top dog of the ninja world, surpass the so-called Sage of Six Paths, topple Kaguya, and protect the entire ninja world.

Since Naruto and Sasuke were the original protagonists, Qingyun certainly wouldn't give them such flashy opportunities to shine; he intended to become the pivotal figure himself.

So, Qingyun immediately said, "My dream is peace in the ninja world. I want to change this world."

The Third Hokage was stunned for a moment and said, "Your dream is truly ambitious."

Qingyun's dream was even grander than becoming Hokage, because the Third Hokage was already Hokage, yet even he knew that changing the entire ninja world was no simple matter.

"Although it won't be easy, I believe you have the potential," the Third Hokage said with a faint smile. "I heard from Principal Ikkaku earlier that you said a war would break out within ten years. Why do you think that?"

Seeing that the Third Hokage intended to test him, Qingyun replied, "Teacher Sarutobi, the First and Second Shinobi World Wars broke out because of the interests between nations."

"And now, Iwagakure and Kumogakure both advocate for military expansion, while Sunagakure is poor and lacks usable land. Konoha is relatively neutral, but it cannot avoid being invaded by other countries."

"Small nations struggle between the great powers; all these factors lead to one result: war. War is already inevitable; it is only a matter of time, and it just needs a fuse."

"Of course, it shouldn't start in the immediate future, at least not for another five years," Qingyun predicted.

The Third Hokage was deeply shocked, for Qingyun was only four years old. To be able to see through the state of the ninja world so clearly meant that Qingyun was truly no ordinary child.

"Then, if you were the Hokage, what would you do?" the Third Hokage asked.

"I wouldn't dare..." Qingyun knew that a tall tree catches the wind; he couldn't guess the Third Hokage's intentions. What if the Third Hokage was just testing him?

However, Qingyun was overthinking it, because no matter how monstrous or genius he was, he was still just a child right now.

"Speak, it's fine. I want to know your approach," the Third Hokage said very earnestly. Only then did Qingyun lower his guard, confirming that the Third Hokage wasn't trying to trap him.

"Then I shall offer my humble opinion."

Qingyun continued, "Assuming I were Hokage, first, I would do my utmost to secure the support of our Feudal Lord."

"Only by ensuring the support of the Land of Fire can Konoha fully commit itself to the upcoming battles to defend the village."

Qingyun's words were clever; he only spoke of defending the village and did not mention invading other countries, as he did not know which ideology the current Third Hokage leaned toward more.

"That goes without saying. What else?" the Third Hokage asked.

"Since we have the support of the Feudal Lord, we should rapidly carry out economic and military reforms in Konoha to allow the village to develop quickly. Although Konoha is currently known as the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, in reality, both the quantity and quality of our ninjas are inferior to Kumogakure and even Sunagakure."

Qingyun continued, "Since we know war is coming, we must prepare for it in advance. We should put great effort into training ninjas; the village could even build some dueling arenas to improve the strength of our shinobi."

"The great clans should also contribute their strength. After all, without Konoha, they too would be displaced." Qingyun hit the nail on the head with this point.

The Third Hokage smiled, looking quite satisfied, and said, "Qingyun, I underestimated you. I thought you were just a genius at combat; I didn't expect you to have your own ideas about politics and military affairs. I am very gratified."

"Your suggestions for cultivating new talent coincide perfectly with Konoha's Will of Fire."

"Qingyun, now I want to ask you: do you think you can become Hokage in the future?" the Third Hokage asked.

Qingyun thought for a moment and said, "Do you want me to tell you the truth or a lie?"

"The truth, of course." The Third Hokage felt this child was truly very honest.

"Of course I want to. A capable Hokage has the power to make everyone live better, ensures they aren't bullied, and can even change the landscape of the ninja world. Furthermore, I believe that one doesn't become qualified to change the world by becoming Hokage; rather, one becomes qualified to be Hokage by being able to change the world."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage pondered for a moment, then nodded again and said, "In that case, I hope you will be more serious and work even harder. I believe you will definitely be the most powerful contender for Hokage in the future."

"You still have a long time ahead of you, but as you said, if war comes, I hope you can make a name for yourself in a single battle."

The Third Hokage's evaluation was already very high, and his expectations for Qingyun were immense—even his beloved disciple Orochimaru and Jiraiya's beloved disciple Minato had not received such high praise.

"Enough talk. Qingyun, because I am the Hokage, I am truly very busy and can only spare time to teach you a few things. For the rest of the time, you can go find White Fang; his strength is also among the best in the ninja world," the Third Hokage said truthfully.

"Let's try this first." The Third Hokage took out a small piece of paper, and Qingyun recognized it at a glance.

"Is this Chakra Induction Paper? The kind that can test chakra affinity?" Qingyun had never actually tested his own chakra nature.

"That's right, Chakra Induction Paper. Let's see what your chakra affinity leans toward. Focus a bit of chakra into your hand." The Third Hokage handed the paper to Qingyun.