Hiruzen, You'll Regret This

At the end of the corridor in the Hokage Building, the highest seat of power in Konoha.

The Third's office door was kicked open. The wooden door boomed as it slammed into the wall, shaking fine dust from the frame.

Inside the office, Third Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window with his back to the doorway, a wisp of smoke curling from the pipe in his hand. He didn't turn around, as if he had expected this moment all along.

Shimura Danzō crossed the threshold, his cane tapping against the wooden floor. Bandages covered his body, stretching from his jaw to his right eye and concealing most of his face.

His exposed left eye was sunken in its socket, its pupil a murky dark brown, like stagnant water—or a venomous snake lurking in the shadows. It held no warmth, no flicker of emotion, only a heavy, chilling pressure that sent a shiver down one's spine.

His clothes were mostly dark gray and black. His loose robes wrapped around his gaunt frame, making him look like a walking skeleton.

His right arm was completely hidden beneath his clothes, but the faint outline showing through the bandages suggested it was no longer a normal human limb.

A deep, bone-set gloom clung to him.

"Hiruzen, Choza's being an idiot, but are you going to be an idiot too?"

His voice was hoarse and low, like rusty iron scraping over rough stone, full of exasperation.

"That child might be a spy from another village. You just let him into the village without putting him under any kind of surveillance."

"Do you know what kind of consequences that could bring?

What if he's a spy?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen finally turned around. There was no anger on his aged face. He glanced at the door that had been kicked open, then at Danzō standing in front of his desk, and slowly spoke:

"He's just a child. What trouble could he cause?

"Besides, Akimichi Choza has already given me his word.

"He's the head of the Butterfly Clan, and he's staking his political career on this."

"That child has a good heart. Even among outsiders, there are all kinds of people.

"He's still young. He can still be taught the Will of Fire. And the Will of Fire won't reject those who are willing to join Konoha.

"That is what it means for Konoha's Will of Fire to burn on forever."

"Those who aren't of our clan can never truly be trusted."

Danzō snapped, "He's even come into contact with Hyuga Hinata. If he has malicious intentions, do you know how much damage he could do to our village?"

"That's enough. There's no need to say more. I've made my decision."

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."

"Danzō, I'm the Hokage."

Denji listened as the footsteps gradually faded away, then closed the door.

He'd gained a lot today. Not only had he learned what this cheap father of his thought of him, but he'd also found out about the Chakra Refinement Technique.

The good news was that Akimichi Choza truly felt indebted to him and would do his best to meet most of his requests.

The plentiful supply of meat was proof enough.

He'd been placed in a remote part of the clan grounds because there was still some resistance within the clan.

According to Choza, he'd soon be able to move back to the main grounds and live with him.

But none of that was the most important thing. The most important thing was the Chakra Refinement Technique.

Denji looked at the panel.

After dinner, the panel had changed, but Akimichi Choza had stayed by his side the whole time, so he hadn't been able to examine it.

[Naruto Wish Achievement System]

[Name: Akimichi Denji]

[Wish Fulfilled: I Too Can Go]

[Constitution: 6]

[Spirit: 20]

[Chakra: 0]

[Ninjutsu: Akimichi Clan Chakra Refinement Technique (Uninitiated)]

[Description: A unique refinement technique of the Akimichi Clan. Only those with Akimichi Clan blood can use it. When full, chakra refinement speed +30%)]

[Skills: None]

[Energy: 100]

[Wish Points: 1]

The Akimichi Clan Chakra Refinement Technique had appeared under Ninjutsu. That was tonight's accomplishment.

It was still marked uninitiated, which made sense.

Eating three regular meals a day gave him +3 energy each day.

His guess was that the system collected energy beyond what his body normally used.

That was why he'd been eating like crazy.

Today, he'd finally reached 100.

For some reason, he had a feeling he could spend that 100 energy.

He tried putting all 100 energy into the newly unlocked ninjutsu.

It didn't work.

Then he focused his thoughts on Constitution. Suddenly, Denji felt a warm current enter his body. He grew bloated inside, as if he were going through a Pokémon's Mega Evolution.

He shot up a little in height, and his clothes suddenly felt tight and ill-fitting.

Akimichi Denji took a closer look.

[Constitution: 6->7]

It seemed he could only put it into Constitution, or perhaps Spirit as well.

Denji had a sense of it.

His digestion would be faster, too.

He had a feeling that tomorrow, it wouldn't just be +3.

Maybe he'd be able to absorb more energy each day.

His stomach suddenly growled.

What about his Wish Point?

He tried putting it into Constitution and Spirit, but nothing happened.

He moved his attention to the ninjutsu section, to the Akimichi Clan Chakra Refinement Technique.

Suddenly, he felt new memories appear in his mind.

A vast amount of knowledge about the Akimichi Clan Chakra Refinement Technique flooded his brain, making his head feel swollen.

Denji felt as if he'd had a breakthrough.

With a single thought, a faint warmth rose from his abdomen.

It was like someone lighting a candle in a dark room.

The warmth was faint and delicate, moving cautiously through his body. It started in his abdomen and slowly flowed toward his limbs along some invisible network of pathways.

There was no sound, no light.

But Denji "saw" it.

He raised his hand. An unformed energy gathered there—the hum of 130 trillion cells awakening at once,

and it was his,

first wisp of chakra.

Not bad. I gathered my first wisp of chakra so quickly. I really am talented.

Of course, my talent aside, I couldn't have done it without all my hard work.

He looked at the panel. It had changed.

[Ninjutsu: Akimichi Clan Chakra Refinement Technique (Proficient)]

[Proficient Effect: No Hand Seals Required]

[Wish Points: 0]

Akimichi Denji felt that his future was bright. As he daydreamed, his stomach suddenly growled.

He was hungry.

He went back to the kitchen and started cooking.

The next day, the sun shone brightly over the Ninja Academy on a fine autumn day.

Naruto walked down the street, ignoring the usual jeers calling him the Demon Fox, and entered the Ninja Academy.

He was anxious. It had already been a month since school started, but his chakra refinement was still painfully slow. He didn't know why, but he always felt a strange restlessness inside him, which made it hard to refine chakra.

Everyone else had already succeeded, but his own progress was poor. He always felt like he had very little chakra.

Fortunately, he was still pretty good at Taijutsu. Thinking of how hard he'd trained yesterday, Naruto immediately felt much more confident.

He was still at the bottom of the class, though.

When the bell rang, he saw Iruka-sensei bring in a new face.

"Hello, everyone. Settle down. This is our new transfer student. Why don't you introduce yourself?"