Drawing Cards

Konoha returned to its usual order by the next day.

The first person Hyuga Hoshishaku saw when he woke up that morning was Yuto.

Yuto had heard about the subsequent events from his uncle, Tobirama.

Especially upon learning that his little friend had sent him back to face Madara's Shadow Clone Technique alone, he could not have been more moved.

That was why he had rushed over early in the morning, keeping watch by the bedside, waiting for him to wake up.

He even held an apple in his hand, waiting for him to wake before peeling it.

Although Master Tobirama did not show it on his face, nor did he mention the matter of him risking his life to seal Madara's shadow clone.

Yet, the moment he woke up, he appeared by his bedside almost immediately.

The man, who had just turned thirty, still looked like a young man in his twenties.

Though he was efficient in his official duties and sharp in his communication with others.

Facing the disciple who had risked his life to save him, he pressed his lips together, not knowing what to say.

"Teacher, if I were in mortal danger, would you give your all to save me?"

Hoshishaku saw through his teacher's silence and took the initiative to ask.

And Senju Tobirama answered crisply and cleanly:

"Of course I would. You—you all—are the hope of Konoha. Even if it costs me my life, I cannot let that hope be extinguished."

Hoshishaku was silent for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Isn't that it? Teacher, to me, you are also the hope of the village. If Uncle Hashirama remains despondent, you must become the next Hokage to maintain the village's strength and peace."

At this moment, Yuto suddenly popped up, leaning over the bedside to look at Hoshishaku with bright, shining eyes, asking expectantly:

"What about me? You ignored the danger to send me back at the time; am I also your hope?"

This time, Hoshishaku did not brush him off.

He pondered seriously for a moment, then nodded: "Of course. Your talent is too great. Once your spiritual energy recovers, your future will surely be boundless. When I get tired of being the Third Hokage of Konoha, you will be the Fourth Hokage, the pillar of Konoha."

Senju Yuto could not understand all those complex words; he only felt that Hoshishaku believed he would become Hokage.

So he leaned over the head of the bed and laughed foolishly: "Hehe..."

Three days later.

Only a few people attended Uchiha Madara's funeral.

As those in the know, Hoshishaku and Yuto were among the participants.

The day was overcast and drizzly, very gloomy; it was as if the heavens were doing it on purpose, making those who were already suffering feel even worse.

Hoshishaku looked at Senju Hashirama's profile, not daring to say anything reckless.

What could he say? Should he say that Uchiha Madara had already used a dojutsu capable of altering the outcome of death, so don't be sad?

Or perhaps, open the coffin and take a look to see if Madara is missing an eye?

Or even, check if there is a piece of your flesh in Madara's mouth?

It was unnecessary. It would be bad if he angered the man before him; even if the other party wouldn't hold a grudge against a child, he didn't dare.

Honestly, he could no longer see through this man, Senju Hashirama.

In the memories passed to him by his shadow clone, there were images of this man subverting his own gentle nature for the sake of his dream.

At that moment, when Hashirama stabbed a heart-piercing blade from behind Uchiha Madara, his eyes had even been somewhat manic.

Perhaps he had been wrong.

This was a real world; how could one view people and things using the stereotypes from a manga?

Perhaps from the very beginning, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were the exact same people, only the direction in which they pursued peace was different. As for the level of madness, they might have been identical.

One championed a world of illusory, genjutsu-based peace, while the other championed a world of ideal peace based on mutual understanding.

They truly were heaven-sent brothers.

"Hoshishaku, let's go."

At this time, Yuto tugged at his sleeve, signaling that the funeral was over and they could leave.

Hoshishaku glanced at Hashirama, who was still standing in place, silent and motionless, then turned to follow his little friend away.

The days that followed were very peaceful.

Everyone's life was much the same as before.

The only thing that changed might have been Yuto's attitude toward cultivation.

He used to cultivate only to fulfill the promise he made to his little friend.

But now, it seemed he was influenced by his father's battle with others, or perhaps by the fact that he kept falling unconscious and holding Hoshishaku back.

His cultivation suddenly became diligent.

Hoshishaku, for his part, was happy to see it.

After all, this ninja world is hardly a peaceful place.

Enduring a little hardship now means having no regrets when it matters most.

It is quite good.

And so, he joined in the grueling training as well.

It seemed that lying flat was no longer an option.

The Natural Energy Sealing Technique, which Uzumaki Mito had helped develop, was finally complete.

The two children had already begun their training.

However, compared to the crude Natural Energy Body Tempering Technique from before, this sealing technique was much more difficult to master; it required not only proficiency in the previous stage of body tempering but also a mastery of sealing arts.

Among other things, the requirements for vitality and chakra reserves were exceptionally high.

In short, the threshold for training was even higher than that of the Natural Energy Body Tempering Technique, and since it was a sealing technique developed by Uzumaki Mito, it was not placed in the village's ninjutsu library or the Scroll of Seals.

Of course, the higher the difficulty of the training, the better the results.

Yuto's mental energy, which previously increased by one point every half month, was now increasing by one point every seven days.

Hyuga Hoshishaku estimated that the S-rank Fate Commission, originally slated for completion in the tenth year of Konoha, might be settled by the summer of next year—the eighth year of Konoha.

Therefore, his enthusiasm for training was at an all-time high.

Even though he had already learned the Flying Thunder God and achieved minor success in sealing arts, he still ran to the Senju Clan Grounds every single day.

Time flowed by rapidly.

August arrived in the blink of an eye.

The Ninja Academy was nearing completion, and all school-aged children in the village were required to attend the entrance examination.

Hyuga Hoshishaku was no exception.

It mattered not whether he had schemed to kill Uchiha Madara's Shadow Clone, nor did it matter that he possessed the strength of a Jonin.

If he knew nothing of theoretical knowledge, he would still be blown to bits by an explosive tag the moment he stepped outside.

However, before he participated in the entrance exam.

Hyuga Hoshishaku prepared to perform a ten-pull draw first to see what kind of characters he could get.

He had been saving up for over half a year, waiting in anticipation for today's draw.

"System, ten-pull draw!"

The system's light screen appeared before his eyes, and the draw began the next moment.

[A-rank Ninja Fragment: Kakashi x4]

[Chakra +50]

[Vitality +30]

[Secret Scroll: Recovery Fragment x1]

[Mental Energy +50]

[S-rank Ninja Fragment: Tsunade x5]

[B-rank Ninja: "Young Shizune" x1]

[Chakra +30]

[Mental Energy +30]

[Vitality +50]

The ten-pull draw concluded.

Hyuga Hoshishaku looked at the results, his mood quite excellent.

Although the Kakashi and Tsunade fragments were merely the guaranteed minimums.

He had actually pulled a complete B-rank ninja card this time: the Chunin-level Young Shizune.

He just wondered, was this Chunin-level strength an assessment of combat ability or overall strength?

If it were combat ability, then Young Shizune didn't seem to reach that level.

If it were overall strength, then when combined with the auxiliary medical ninjutsu she possessed, she could easily reach a Chunin rating.