Pulling Cards

Konoha returned to its usual routine the very next day.

When Hyuga Hoshishaku woke up that morning, the first person he saw was Yuto.

Yuto had heard what happened afterward from his uncle Tobirama.

He was especially moved when he learned that his little buddy had sent him back and then faced Madara's Shadow Clone Technique alone.

So he came running over first thing in the morning and waited by the bed for him to wake up.

He even brought an apple, waiting until Yuto woke up so he could peel it.

Though Master Tobirama showed nothing on his face, and didn't mention his daring attempt to seal Madara's Shadow Clone Technique,

he still appeared by Yuto's bedside almost as soon as Yuto woke up.

The man was nearly thirty, but still looked like a young man in his twenties.

Though he was usually efficient at work and brisk in his dealings with others,

facing the student who had risked his life to save him, he pressed his lips together, unsure what to say.

"Teacher, if I were in mortal danger, would you do everything you could to save me?"

Hoshishaku saw through his teacher's silence and asked him directly.

Senju Tobirama answered without hesitation:

"Of course. You—you all are the hope of Konoha. I couldn't let that hope be lost, even if it cost me my life."

Hoshishaku was silent for a moment, then said with a smile,

"Then there you have it. Teacher, to me, you're the village's hope, too. If Uncle Hashirama loses heart over this, you'll have to become the next Hokage and keep the village strong and peaceful."

Just then, Yuto suddenly popped up, leaned against the side of the bed, and gazed at Hoshishaku with sparkling eyes as he asked expectantly,

"What about me? You sent me back even though it was dangerous. Am I your hope, too?"

This time, Hoshishaku didn't brush him off.

He thought it over seriously for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. You're so talented. Once your spiritual energy recovers, you'll have a bright future. When I get tired of being Konoha's Third, you'll be the pillar of Konoha as its Fourth Hokage."

Senju Yuto couldn't understand all those complicated words. He only realized that Hoshishaku thought he would become Hokage.

So he leaned against the head of the bed and grinned foolishly. "Hehe..."

Three days later.

Only a handful of people attended Uchiha Madara's funeral.

As people who knew the truth, Hoshishaku and Yuto were among them.

It was a gloomy, drizzly day, and the oppressive weather seemed almost deliberate, making some people who were already hurting feel even worse.

Hoshishaku looked at Senju Hashirama's profile and didn't dare say anything careless.

What could he say? That Uchiha Madara had already used a dōjutsu that could alter the outcome of death, so Hashirama shouldn't be sad?

Or that he should open the coffin and see whether Madara had already gone blind in one eye?

Or maybe check whether Madara had a chunk of Hashirama's flesh in his mouth?

There was no need. It wouldn't do to anger the man in front of him. Even if Hashirama wouldn't hold it against a child, Hoshishaku still didn't dare risk it.

To be honest, he couldn't read Senju Hashirama anymore.

The memories his Shadow Clone Technique had passed on to him included scenes of Hashirama turning against his own gentle nature for the sake of his dream.

Back then, when Hashirama had stabbed Uchiha Madara through the heart from behind, there had even been a hint of madness in his eyes.

Maybe he had been wrong.

This was a real world. How could he judge people and things by the rigid impressions he'd gotten from a manga?

Maybe Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had been exactly alike from the very start. They had simply pursued peace in different ways. In terms of how far they were willing to go, perhaps they were identical.

One believed in a peaceful world created by an illusion. The other believed in an ideal peaceful world built on mutual understanding.

They really were brothers chosen by fate.

"Hoshishaku, let's go."

Just then, Yuto tugged at his sleeve, signaling that the funeral was over and they could leave.

Hoshishaku glanced at Hashirama, who still stood there in silence, then turned and left with his little buddy.

The days that followed were peaceful.

Everyone's lives were much the same as before.

The only thing that changed was probably Yuto's attitude toward training.

Before, he had trained just to keep his promise to his little buddy.

Now, it seemed that watching his father fight someone—or constantly passing out and holding Hoshishaku back—had affected him.

He had suddenly started training much harder.

Hoshishaku was glad to see it.

After all, the Ninja World wasn't exactly a peaceful place.

A little hardship now meant no regrets when the crucial moment came.

That was a good thing.

So he joined in the hard training, too.

It looked like there was no hope of taking it easy.

The Natural Energy Sealing Technique Uzumaki Mito had helped develop was also complete.

The two children had already begun training in it.

However, compared with the crude Natural Energy Body Tempering Technique, this sealing technique was much harder to learn. They needed to master the previous stage's body-tempering technique and become proficient in sealing techniques as well.

It also placed very high demands on their vitality and chakra reserves.

All in all, its training requirements were even higher than those of the Natural Energy Body Tempering Technique. And since it was a sealing technique developed by Uzumaki Mito, it hadn't been added to the village's ninjutsu library or the Scroll of Seals.

Of course, the harder the training, the better the results.

Yuto's spiritual energy had previously increased by one point every half month. Now it increased by one point every seven days.

Hoshishaku estimated that the S-rank Fate Commission, originally due to be settled in Konoha Year Ten, might be completed by Konoha Year Eight—that is, before next summer.

As a result, he was highly motivated to train.

Even though he had already learned the Flying Thunder God Technique and made considerable progress in sealing techniques, he still went to the Senju Clan Grounds every day.

Time flew by.

August soon arrived.

The Ninja Academy was nearly complete, and all the village's school-age children had to take the entrance assessment.

Hyuga Hoshishaku was no exception.

It didn't matter if he had taken down Madara's Shadow Clone Technique, or if he had the strength of a jonin.

If he didn't know any of the theory, he could still get blown up by an Explosive Tag the moment he stepped outside.

However, before taking the entrance exam,

Hyuga Hoshishaku planned to try a ten-pull first and see what characters he could get.

He'd been saving up for more than half a year and had been looking forward to today's draw.

"System, ten-pull!"

The system's screen appeared before him, and the draw began the next moment.

[A-rank Ninja Shard: Kakashi x4]

[Chakra +50]

[Vitality +30]

[Secret Scroll: Recovery Shard x1]

[Spiritual Energy +50]

[S-rank Ninja Shard: Tsunade x5]

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

[Chakra +30]

[Spiritual Energy +30]

[Vitality +50]

The ten-pull was over.

Hyuga Hoshishaku looked at the results and felt pretty good.

The Kakashi and Tsunade shards were still just the guaranteed rewards.

But this time, he'd actually drawn a whole B-rank ninja: Young Shizune, a Chunin.

He just didn't know whether this Chunin rating was based on her combat ability or her overall ability.

If it was based on combat ability, then Young Shizune didn't seem to measure up.

If it was based on overall ability, then with the support-oriented Medical Ninjutsu she knew, she might easily meet the Chunin rating.