This was like having a mountain of treasure and being unable to take any of it.
When Yuhi Shinku had taught him genjutsu, he had simply broken it down and fed it to him piece by piece.
But this scroll directly recorded how to perform the hand signs for chakra, how to condense chakra into flames, and how to spit them out.
They were all C-rank jutsu, but he couldn't understand any of it.
As for the Fireball Jutsu that came with Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan, he only had to think about it to use it.
In other words, it was a so-called hand-seal-less jutsu.
This was a hidden benefit of the character template: as soon as he acquired a jutsu, his mastery of it was instantly maxed out.
Kakashi Hatake watched the two of them curiously from the side. He was curious about what the scroll said, too, but he knew it was a secret and couldn't ask.
"They teach all this at the Ninja Academy."
Minato Namikaze explained, then glanced at the two of them and advised, "You should stop skipping class from now on."
"Big Brother Minato, you knew we were skipping class?" Kakashi Hatake had followed Yuki Yuichi's lead and started calling Minato Namikaze Big Brother Minato.
Hearing Kakashi Hatake's question, Minato Namikaze was speechless.
"The Ninja Academy only opened yesterday, and I only met the two of you yesterday."
Kakashi Hatake suddenly realized that he really had asked a stupid question.
Teuchi brought the ramen over at just the right moment.
Seeing that his bowl was clearly more full than Minato Namikaze's and Kakashi Hatake's, Yuki Yuichi looked at Teuchi.
"Thanks, Uncle Teuchi!"
"Hahaha! You're the first person to call me that. I have to make sure I take good care of you!"
Kakashi Hatake glanced at the ramen in Yuki Yuichi's bowl. "You're pretty popular."
"Hahaha! That's the treatment you get as a future legend of the Shinobi World!"
"Copy Ninja, my caliber is beyond your reach!"
Kakashi Hatake: "???"
He'd only been making an observation!
How had it turned into him being inferior?
Thinking this, Kakashi Hatake snorted and retorted, "Your caliber isn't any greater than mine!"
"Then let's wait and see!"
"This long-abandoned Empty Throne will finally welcome its owner!"
Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had just sat down when he heard a bang. The office door was then kicked open with a heavy thud.
He didn't even look up. He didn't need to guess who would make that much noise. It had to be that fellow Danzo.
Sure enough, as the footsteps drew closer, Danzo's voice rang in his ears.
"Hiruzen!" Danzo slammed a file onto the desk.
"Hiruzen, what do you mean by this?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the file labeled "Budget Cuts," then raised his eyes to look at Danzo.
"What are you talking about? I don't know what you mean."
"Hmph!" Danzo snorted. "You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
"Why did you cut Root's budget?!"
"This isn't aimed at you. It's across the entire Anbu."
"I don't care!" Danzo argued obstinately. "My budget can't be cut!"
"Danzo! You don't get to decide that!"
Danzo continued to make a scene. Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hand on the desk, then barked sharply.
Seeing him like this, Danzo stared at him in silence for a long while. Then, seemingly giving up, he sat down opposite Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"If you absolutely have to make cuts, then I want two people!"
"Who?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.
"Uzumaki Kushina and Yuki Yuichi!"
"Impossible!" Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the desk again, his tone firm.
Hearing that he wouldn't allow this either, Danzo stood up. "Hiruzen!"
"I've told you many times: hand the Nine-Tails over to me!"
"I'll raise it into a true weapon for Konoha!"
"Danzo! I've told you many times, too!" Seeing Danzo stand, Sarutobi Hiruzen rose as well.
"I will never hand the Nine-Tails over to you!"
"Nor will I hand Kushina over to you!"
"Give up on it!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of backing down.
The Nine-Tails was his bottom line.
Seeing him like this, Danzo didn't look particularly disappointed. The Nine-Tails and Uzumaki Kushina weren't the reason he'd come this time.
He had asked for that woman many times, but his dear friend, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had always refused to give her up, keeping her for himself!
So he brought her up again today, even though he knew he still wouldn't get her.
"Then give Yuki Yuichi to me!"
Danzo revealed his real objective.
Yuki Yuichi!
The budget cuts and Uzumaki Kushina had only been smokescreens.
His true target was Yuki Yuichi.
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat down and took a puff from his pipe.
"So this was your real goal."
He had known Danzo for so long that they had spent more time together than he had with his own wife.
He understood Danzo better than anyone else in the world!
When Danzo had first brought up Kushina and Yuki Yuichi together, Sarutobi Hiruzen had focused on Kushina.
But now, hearing this, he understood what Danzo's ultimate goal was.
"Danzo, I won't give Yuki Yuichi to you!"
"Hiruzen!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's words enraged Danzo. He wouldn't give him the budget, the Nine-Tails, or its Jinchuriki.
Now he wouldn't even give him someone else.
This was too much!
Seeing Danzo rise in anger, Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped the desk lightly. "Getting angry won't help!"
"He should be allowed to bask in the sunlight."
"He's an inherently evil Uchiha!" Danzo's voice was especially cold.
"An evil Uchiha should be down in the dark with me, becoming one of the roots of this great tree!"
"He isn't an Uchiha." Sarutobi Hiruzen snorted as well.
"His surname is Yuki!"
"He's one of Kushina's kin!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's words were firm and resolute.
But Danzo paid no attention. "Even if he has Uzumaki blood, he's still an evil Uchiha!"
"You should know he awakened his Sharingan yesterday!"
"Just look at him! What an evil fellow!"
"He awakened his Sharingan at six, earlier than any other Uchiha!"
"And you say he isn't an evil Uchiha?"
"Give it up, Danzo. I won't hand him over to you!" Sarutobi Hiruzen listened as he puffed on his pipe. "He's different from you. He can only bask in the sunlight and become a leaf."
As if realizing that Sarutobi Hiruzen would never give Yuki Yuichi to him, Danzo snorted, gritting his teeth.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"Danzo! I'm the Hokage!"
"Bang!"
As Danzo left, the Hokage Office door slammed hard against its frame, making a dull thud.
After Danzo had gone, Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped the desk lightly. After a long while, he called out, "Someone!"
"Lord Lord Third!" An Anbu operative appeared before him in an instant.
"Restore the Anbu budget to its original amount."
"Yes!"
The Anbu operative acknowledged the order and was just about to leave when Sarutobi Hiruzen called out again.
"Wait!"
"Keep the Root budget cut. Restore your budget instead."
After the Anbu operative left, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked toward the door.
"Danzo, forgive me..."
Before you continue