Konoha's Training Ground One

Today was the day to head to Training Ground One and meet Senju Tobirama.

In preparation for the trials that might follow, Hyuga Hoshishaku had spent the entire night readying himself, to the point that he woke up a bit late this morning.

After changing into the new clothes the clan head had sent over earlier that morning, Hoshishaku set off toward the training ground with Yunfei and Ren.

"Young Master, it is twenty minutes until two o'clock."

Ren glanced at the watch on her wrist and reminded him.

Hoshishaku nodded, took a look at the digital watch on Ren's wrist, and turned back to quicken his pace.

It was strange, really; the technological system of the world of Naruto was incredibly chaotic.

By the time the main story began, all sorts of modern products had appeared, including televisions, refrigerators, computers, and surveillance monitors.

Yet, during the final great battle, communication relied on the Yamanaka Clan's mind-transfer secret techniques, as if they looked down on technological products and refused to apply them to major events.

The trio arrived at Training Ground One five minutes before two o'clock in the afternoon.

As soon as Hoshishaku stepped through the gate of the training ground, he spotted two groups of people not far away.

The first group was the future Konoha F4: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

In the other group, one was a black-haired boy wearing a short-sleeved shirt with the Uchiha clan crest, and the other was a chubby, rather cute boy.

Hoshishaku didn't even need to think; just by their features and their presence at this specific time and place, he knew who the other two were—Kagami Uchiha and Torifu Akimichi.

Judging by their appearance, they were likely newcomers just like him.

The people in the training ground had also noticed the new arrivals.

The three newcomers were clearly from the Hyuga Clan; the pale, translucent, light-purple features of the Byakugan were far too easy to recognize.

Hyuga Ren stood to Hoshishaku's left, still wearing that shrine maiden hairstyle with bangs, dressed in a self-sewn outfit that resembled a shrine maiden's robe.

Hyuga Yunfei stood to Hoshishaku's right; he had grown a few centimeters taller than he was half a month ago and had regained the unique vitality of a young man. Although he was only wearing the loose, uniform clothing of the Hyuga Clan, he looked quite sharp standing beside Hoshishaku.

As for the young and cute-faced Hyuga Hoshishaku, he was dressed in traditional Hyuga Clan attire.

This style of wide-sleeved, wide-legged clothing was something only the upper echelons of the great clans could wear during the Warring States period.

His hairstyle was also styled in that special way where the hair was worn down but the ends were tied back.

However, considering that a fight was inevitable today, he had instructed Ren to bring an extra hair tie so he could secure his hair at the back of his head before the fighting started, so as not to obstruct his vision.

"You bastard!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's roar suddenly rang out.

Hoshishaku, who was approaching, looked at him and noticed that the other boy looked much more haggard than he had a week ago.

At this moment, his companion Shimura Danzō was holding him back tightly, preventing him from acting impulsively.

The three others, including Danzō, didn't know what had happened—or rather, they thought Sarutobi was acting strangely. Even if he had lost to that Hyuga boy the other day, there was no need to be this agitated upon seeing him again, right?

The others, including Ren and Yunfei, were curiously sizing up the two who were clearly about to clash.

Hoshishaku tilted his head slightly and asked Ren, "What time is it now?"

Ren glanced at her watch and replied, "Young Master, it is one fifty-six."

"Four minutes left, then. I'll make sure everything that needs to be said is said."

Hoshishaku raised his voice, his footsteps never faltering as he continued to approach the group.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, what is the reason for your anger?"

He spoke loudly, his posture becoming increasingly composed.

"You were the ones who did the wrong thing, and you were the ones who were found out and willing to pay compensation. Our Hyuga Clan generously forgave you, so why are you putting on such a display?"

"Could it be that the young clan head of the Sarutobi Clan has lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen roared, "You're slandering me! It's all your slander! You just couldn't stand me meddling in your business, so you blew things out of proportion!"

Hoshishaku felt that the other boy's brain had been completely clouded by rage; he had actually said something so brain-dead that Hoshishaku almost laughed at his stupidity.

"So, you think that what happened to the Sarutobi Clan was something I orchestrated just to retaliate against you—that I convinced an entire clan and coerced the God of Shinobi of the ninja world to take sides?"

Once these words were out, anyone with a functioning brain could clearly see who was in the right.

After all, Lord Hokage was not a man who couldn't tell right from wrong.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air in the open space between the three groups in the training ground.

Wearing a short-sleeved shirt, the white-haired Senju Tobirama scanned the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"Enough. Say no more. Let this matter end here."

He then turned his gaze toward Sarutobi Hiruzen and sighed, saying:

"Hiruzen, I do not believe your father didn't tell you the truth of that matter, and your performance today is very disappointing to me. Even if you don't trust me, or think there was some dirty deal involved, you should at least trust my brother, the Hokage of Konoha."

"If you still have any questions, find me after today's training ends, and I will explain everything to you clearly."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had calmed down by now. The expression on his face was complex—it seemed to hold disbelief and a touch of pallor—but in the end, it simply faded into a single, "Yes."

Senju Tobirama then swept a stern gaze across the group and gave Xingzhuo a look, which the latter immediately understood, prompting him to tell Yun Fei and Lian to head back and continue their training first.

Yun Fei, however, felt a bit uneasy; he cast a look of disdain at Sarutobi Hiruzen before whispering, "Young Master, I'll just wait at the entrance of the training ground."

Lian heard Yun Fei's words and quickly chimed in, "Me too."

Xingzhuo pondered for a moment—what if he ended up getting jumped by the Konoha F4?

He instructed, "In that case, the two of you go to the shade at the edge of the training ground to practice. I'll call you if I need anything."

Seeing the two of them leave and head toward the edge of the training ground, Senju Tobirama continued, "The three of you, your clans have already informed you, haven't they?"

"From today on, you are my disciples. Let's start with some self-introductions, following my format."

"I am Senju Tobirama, 31 years old, and I serve as the assistant to the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. I specialize in the nature transformation of five chakra attributes, taijutsu, and space-time ninjutsu. I enjoy developing new techniques, and I despise those... born of evil."

As Senju Tobirama finished his self-introduction, the four members of the Konoha F4 stood by his side. Aside from Sarutobi Hiruzen, who still wore a dejected expression, Danzo and the other two looked at Senju Tobirama with the eyes of devoted fanboys.

Kagami Uchiha scanned the area, and seeing that no one else was speaking, he took the lead:

"I am Kagami Uchiha, 10 years old, a genin of the Uchiha Clan. I specialize in fire-style ninjutsu and kunai throwing. I enjoy reading and thinking, and I despise those who love to fight."

Senju Tobirama looked at Kagami Uchiha thoughtfully. After the boy finished his introduction, he nodded, offered a brief "Not bad," and then turned his gaze toward Torifu Akimichi.