Will of Fire

"Lord Hokage, that is the sequence of events in its entirety." The Anbu member wearing a cat mask reported truthfully.

"I understand. You have done well. Continue to report to me if there are any unusual developments regarding him."

"Yes."

The cat-masked Anbu member retreated swiftly.

If Uchiha Isho had heard the full conversation between the two, he would have been astonished by the level of detail provided by the Anbu member monitoring him—it was as if the agent had experienced it firsthand.

The vast Hokage office was left with only the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He exhaled a puff of smoke, propped his chin on one hand, and spoke:

"His nature is not bad, his mind is quite meticulous, and to have awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan at such a young age—a genius like this, if guided properly, will surely become a great asset to Konoha."

"I must have his instructor speak more about the Will of Fire."

Two months later, beside a small stream in Konoha.

Isho sat on an oval-shaped rock, one hand gripping a fishing rod tightly while the other gestured at the air as if tracing something.

[Host: Uchiha Isho]

[System Inventory: Luck Value 31, Explosive Tags, Shuriken x10, Kunai x8]

If it weren't for the limitations of my body's chakra reserves, my strength would definitely be at the peak of a genin, though my practical combat experience is lacking.

Isho glanced at the system interface with a slight sigh, his thoughts shifting to his life at the ninja academy over the past two months.

At first, he had been somewhat resistant to attending school, but after adapting over a few days, he found himself actually looking forward to it.

"There isn't much pressure regarding academics, the history lessons from Puhe are quite interesting, and most of the time is spent in practical combat training." As he said this, the corners of Isho's mouth curled upward.

In his view, practical combat training was much like physical education, though there was a bit too little to do during the day.

What surprised and caught him off guard was that the members of the future famous Team 7 were in the same class as him, and furthermore, the history teacher frequently spoke of the Will of Fire.

During this period, he had completed another system mission.

Just then, the arched fishing line slowly pulled taut.

Isho's gaze locked onto the rod immediately. After the rod dipped three times, he lifted it with a single, forceful motion, and a large white fish, estimated to weigh eight or nine pounds, leaped out of the water.

"The harvest today is truly not bad; the big white fish here are really foolish enough."

Isho skillfully stuffed the fish into a bamboo basket in the shallows, then re-baited the hook with a small worm resembling an earthworm.

The sun gradually descended, the sky filled with crimson sunset clouds, and a cool breeze blew through the woods as a thin, small figure navigated the forest with practiced ease.

Strange, why hasn't he come yet?

Could I have chosen the wrong place again? But there are clear signs that someone has lived here for a long time; that shouldn't be the case.

Isho pondered for a moment, his gaze shifting to the side.

The ground there was pitch black, the traces of a campfire clearly fresh, and not just from a single occurrence.

Just as Isho prepared to reel in his line, a rustling sound came from the woods behind him, and before long, a figure darted out from the bushes.

Their eyes met: short, blonde hair, very thin, wearing simple clothes, with three straight whisker-like marks on each side of his face—this was the first impression Naruto gave Isho.

Both were slightly stunned. Isho was the first to react, withdrawing his gaze to look back at his fishing rod.

Naruto was clearly curious because someone was here, and even more so because he was looking at a peer of similar age.

Naruto lingered for a few moments before walking to the other side to find a good spot to start fishing.

Isho's face remained calm, but his heart was bursting with joy. Naruto, I've finally waited for you.

Suddenly, a familiar melody echoed in Isho's mind: I finally waited for you~ Good thing I didn't give up~

Get lost, this song doesn't fit here. Clearing his mind of distractions, Isho put away his rod, preparing to grill the fish.

In the past three months, Isho had encountered Naruto a few times, but fearing that the person monitoring him would become suspicious, he had not approached him.

Thinking that Naruto would likely fish often during this period, and that fishing allowed for moving locations without raising suspicion, Isho had come to the stream to try his luck whenever he had the time.

Isho first added some firewood, took a kunai and several small bottles of different seasonings from his ninja tool pouch, and then walked toward the downstream section of the stream with the bamboo basket.

He happened to be downstream already, so he stopped after only a few steps; the eight or nine large white fish in the basket were jumping incessantly now that they were out of the water.

By the time Isho had removed the internal organs of each fish, the sky had turned completely dark.

He brought out his homemade grill, utilized the high heat, and sprinkled on a bit of seasoning; after a while, a rich, savory aroma of fish began to drift and spread through the surroundings.

Gurgle. Just as the three grilled fish were nearly cooked through, Naruto's stomach was the first to growl unceremoniously. Isho was drawn by the sound and looked toward Naruto.

Seeming to sense Isho's gaze, Naruto's face turned slightly red, while Isho felt a bit awkward, as after all this time, Naruto didn't seem to have caught a single fish.

Perhaps because of him, the fish in this section of the stream were either already full or had mostly been caught by him.

This is the perfect opportunity to start a conversation. Isho skewered the fish one by one with wooden sticks and walked toward Naruto's position.

"Sorry about that. I might have come too early, and the fish in this area might all be full. If you don't mind, would you like to try my cooking?" Isho said with an apologetic look.

Naruto curiously sized up Isho, seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, then looked at the thoroughly grilled white fish. Feeling the aroma constantly stimulating his sense of smell, he dismissed the thought of refusing and took the skewers with both hands.

"I'm all alone anyway, so why don't you come over and help me grill some fish?" Yi Xiang said earnestly.

"Can I really?" Naruto pointed at himself, looking unsure.

Yi Xiang nodded and gave a hum of affirmation. Naruto thought for a moment, then put away his fishing rod, watching Yi Xiang's back while he ate his grilled fish.

Things are going more smoothly than I expected. Yi Xiang curled his lips into a smile, then couldn't wait to taste the grilled fish himself. After one bite, he immediately picked up the pace of his eating.

It's delicious. It seems my seasoning is fine; the main thing is that this fish has few bones and the meat is fresh. Yi Xiang stuck another skewer of fish into the ground, then picked up a fresh fish to place on the grill.

The two chatted as they ate. Naturally, it was mostly Yi Xiang asking about Naruto's life, and the answers he received were much as he had anticipated.

Swish, swish.

A kind-faced old man stepped out from the bushes.

"It smells so good." The old man sniffed the air.

The old man had a benevolent appearance, and his simple attire made people feel naturally well-disposed toward him. Yi Xiang hurriedly stood up and said in a tone of feigned surprise, "Lord Hokage, what brings you here?"

"You must be Yi Xiang. I was just thinking of having some of the grilled fish Naruto makes, and I didn't expect to find you here as well," the Third Hokage said with a gentle smile.

"No need to be so formal. I just came to taste the fish; just treat me like any other guest." Seeing Yi Xiang hesitate to speak, the Third Hokage immediately dissuaded him.

Yi Xiang said no more, and soon, the three of them were enjoying the grilled fish in a harmonious atmosphere.

As for the Third Hokage, Yi Xiang held a fair amount of respect for him. It could be said that he had been loyal and devoted to the village his entire life; he was an outstanding politician and a powerful Hokage.

Even though he had been targeted for assassination by Danzo, he chose to let it slide out of consideration for the village's interests at the time, because there are always some unsavory tasks that someone needs to perform.

Regarding Naruto's plight, the Third Hokage likely had a predetermined plan; one only had to look at how other ninja villages treated their Jinchuriki to see the pattern.

Since the high-ranking officials of every village during this era had experienced the cruelty of war, they viewed the various hardships a Jinchuriki faced as a way to temper their spirit, provided their life was not in immediate danger.

The most miserable case was Gaara, who was raised entirely as a weapon of war.

Even if later generations viewed this as highly unreasonable, the older generation was limited by their own mindset, believing that this approach maximized the village's interests.

As for Konoha, the real reason was Danzo. After confirming that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Danzo wanted to recruit him into his Root organization and mold him into a killing machine.

After the Third Hokage refused, a disgruntled Danzo spread rumors everywhere, claiming that Naruto was the Nine-Tails fox, causing the villagers to loathe and isolate him in hopes that Naruto would turn to darkness, which would then justify bringing him into Root.

This led to Naruto being unable to afford even a cup of instant noodles, and although the Third Hokage later increased his level of attention, the damage was already done; the ignorant villagers only believed the rumors Danzo had sown.

"Yi Xiang, I heard from your teacher that you seem to have become much more lively, and it certainly seems that way now," the Third Hokage said, looking at the perfectly grilled fish as if making idle conversation.

"Lord Hokage, because of the crisis last time, I realized that I had been too reclusive because of my parents' passing. I've always been alone, and I decided I should make some friends. That is what my parents would have wanted to see," Yi Xiang said, a look of sorrow appearing on his face.

Sarutobi offered a few words of comfort, and seeing that the timing was right, he began to speak to Yi Xiang and Naruto about the Will of Fire.

Under the night sky, the full moon hung like a mirror, bright and luminous.

Seeing the two listening intently, Sarutobi delivered his final, classic line: "Where the leaves of the Tree dance, one shall find Fire."

"The fire's light will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."