Early Death Squad

Torifu Akimichi coughed violently for a long while before catching his breath. He gestured toward the silent, black-haired, black-eyed boy beside him and shifted the topic: "This is Uchiha Hikari. His father, Kagami Uchiha, was my teammate."

Uchiha Hikari looked at the two of them, nodded, and remained silent.

Observing his reaction, Torifu Akimichi sighed: "Because his father passed away early and he has suffered the cold shoulders of his clan, Hikari has been introverted since childhood. I hope you won't mind."

Hearing that this Uchiha Hikari was the descendant of Kagami Uchiha, Nawaki guessed that he must be the father of the legendary Body Flicker Shisui.

Thus, Nawaki took the initiative to say to him: "I have heard of the deeds of Senior Kagami Uchiha. The Second Hokage held him in high regard, saying he was a ninja who transcended clan-based thinking. Moreover, he sacrificed himself to cover his companions; he was a great hero who possessed the Will of Fire! I believe that Hikari will surely be able to inherit the beliefs and glory of his predecessors!"

Upon hearing Nawaki's words, the dead-eyed expression on Uchiha Hikari's face finally shifted. His eyes turned red as he trembled and said: "Thank you! Thank you for your recognition of my father. I will definitely inherit my father's beliefs to protect the village and protect my companions!" As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes underwent a massive change due to his intense emotions. Ten-year-old Uchiha Hikari had actually awakened his eyes at this very moment!

"Sharingan! Congratulations, Hikari!" Torifu Akimichi sensed the change in his chakra and spoke up, "And thank you, Nawaki. It was your encouragement that allowed Hikari to break through his mental block."

Nawaki laughed happily: "We are companions; helping each other is only natural!"

Nawaki had previously received a system notification that he had gained 2000 points of Wish Power due to Uchiha Hikari's strong recognition and gratitude. His "Talk no Jutsu" was becoming increasingly proficient.

Come to think of it, the identities of the members of this squad were quite extraordinary; they were practically the most authentic, red-blooded, direct-lineage Hokage squad in Konoha.

Thinking carefully, the members of this squad didn't seem to have very good endings in the original story. Nawaki died at 12, and the sons of Hikari and Shinnosuke seemed to be orphans, so the two of them must have died relatively early as well. In that sense, their squad could be called the Early Death Squad. However, with Nawaki as a variable now, he believed everything would be different.

Torifu Akimichi was a peer of the Third Hokage and others. As a disciple of the Second Hokage and the patriarch of the Akimichi Clan, his strength should at least be at the level of an elite Jonin. Konoha specifically designated him as the Jonin instructor for the three of them, primarily to ensure their safety.

As for guiding their training, that was secondary, as all three had family legacies and did not require outside instruction.

As newly graduated Genin and key protected targets of Konoha, Nawaki and his teammates could not take on C-rank or higher missions that required leaving the village. Instead, under the leadership of Torifu Akimichi, they helped villagers complete trivial D-rank missions, mostly chores like finding pets, cleaning up trash, driving away wild beasts, and organizing fields.

In the squad, apart from the somewhat flighty Shinnosuke, no one was impatient. After Uchiha Hikari was "swayed" by Nawaki, he was determined to become a hero who protected the village and naturally wouldn't be defeated by these difficulties. As for Nawaki, not only was he not impatient, but he actually enjoyed it. Why was he so happy?

The pay for D-rank missions was very low, only 500 to 10,000 ryo, and the work involved was mostly heavy physical labor. This amount of money naturally didn't catch the eye of a young clan head with a monthly income of over 100 million.

What made him happy was the Wish Power and reputation gained from the villagers' gratitude after completing the missions.

Nawaki's reputation as a genius had already spread throughout Konoha, and everyone had heard of him. But as the saying goes, hearing of someone is not as good as meeting them. Being able to see a celebrity working for them in person made the villagers excited and left a deep impression. Plus, Nawaki had a good attitude, was polite, and had a sunny demeanor—he was countless times better than those arrogant, cold-natured ninjas!

Moreover, this was the grandson of the First Hokage and the young head of the Senju Clan. How could the villagers not feel goodwill and admiration for such a noble young master who was so approachable, humble, and polite?

Therefore, since they started the missions, Nawaki not only gained nearly a thousand points of Wish Power every day, but his reputation was also rising steadily. These two things were Nawaki's foundation, more important than money, so he would beam with joy every time he completed a mission, wishing that these days of farming reputation and Wish Power could continue forever.

Yet, his sincere smiles were seen by others as a manifestation of his joy in helping others. Whether it was Torifu Akimichi, his three teammates, or the Hokage peeking from the shadows, they all praised his kindness and optimism. He believed that even if he did something outrageous in the future, these people would invent all sorts of reasons to justify it, maintaining the beautiful image they held of him in their hearts. This was the human instinct to yearn for beauty and light; even if it meant deceiving themselves, they would hold onto that bit of beauty in their hearts.

Good times always pass particularly quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a year and a half had passed. Time had arrived at the autumn of the 25th year of Konoha.

Nawaki had just celebrated his fifth birthday a few months ago. Now, his chakra volume had reached the level of a Jonin, allowing him to use B-rank ninjutsu as standard combat maneuvers. Furthermore, he had fully mastered the Six Powers and nature transformation. Aside from combat experience, his strength was already equivalent to that of a Jonin.

Ever since Nawaki graduated early, he would often return to the academy to "visit" his old classmates when not on missions. Uchiha Fugaku's record against him remained a total defeat with zero wins. Moreover, the academy did not agree with his early graduation application, so he could only obediently follow the ninja ranking system, calling Nawaki "Lord" and bowing in salute. His irritable nature provided Nawaki with quite a bit of Wish Power, and at the same time, his Sharingan progressed very quickly. One could say the two were mutually beneficial.

As for Hizashi and Hiashi, the two brothers interpreted Nawaki's behavior as tempering and caring for his juniors! They had more than once used this as a reason to persuade Fugaku not to speak ill of Nawaki. It seemed these two brothers had been completely "swayed" by him. Their cousin, Hyuga Setsuna, would be teased by Nawaki until her face turned bright red every time, yet she still took the initiative to approach him, never tiring of it.

Over the past year or so, Nawaki's squad had completed at least one or two D-rank missions every day, so Nawaki had accumulated nearly 400,000 points of Wish Power, leaving him 600,000 points short of a perfect Sharingan exchange. His reputation had accumulated to 300 points, which could provide him with over 10,000 points of Wish Power annually. However, because those who issued the missions were mostly wealthy merchants and the landlord class, the quantity was limited. Recently, their squad had encountered familiar employers many times. Thus, the growth rate of his Wish Power and reputation had begun to decline.

However, the situation in the Shinobi World had gradually stabilized and entered a period of peace, with no need for people to be thrown into battle. The high-level officials of Konoha seemed determined to keep their squad within the village, so Torifu Akimichi and the Third Hokage only allowed them to take on D-rank missions. No matter how much Shinnosuke complained or made a fuss, they remained unmoved.