Vacation, the Orphanage, and Danzo's Impending Move

Student life was carefree. Everyone followed the usual routine of their own lives, while time flowed onward through those uneventful days like water.

In the blink of an eye, July had arrived. With the exam results handed out, summer vacation came as well.

Naturally, some were happy while others were worried. Taiichi's grades were quite good, tying with Kakashi for first in the class. Right behind them were Asuma and Hyuga Yuchu.

After all, they were children of great clans. Not only were they talented, but they also put in plenty of effort behind the scenes.

Though some of them slept in class and others let their minds wander, once they got home, who knew how many of them had one-on-one private tutors?

Of course, that did not include their classmate Obito. He had not even reached the middle of the pack. His pitiful theory score once again shattered everyone's expectations—he had scored a mere twenty-something points.

And during the exam, Rin Nohara had already done everything she could to create opportunities for Obito. Unfortunately, Obito simply did not measure up. He could not even cheat properly, so what could anyone do about him?

After receiving their results, everyone gradually left the school.

Parents picking up their children could be seen everywhere outside the school gates. Some chatted and laughed, clearly pleased with their children's grades. Others wore cold expressions, radiating low pressure even as they walked past. Those were the ones who had done poorly but held back for the sake of appearances. Once they got home, they would probably be in for a thorough scolding.

Watching the varied crowd, Taiichi felt a pang of envy. After all, they all had family members here to pick them up. Unlike him...

Just as Taiichi took a step to head home, he froze. He saw Nonō and Tsunade standing in the crowd, smiling at him.

At that moment, Taiichi's heart filled with happiness and sweetness.

He hurried over, grabbed Nonō's hand, and asked, "Sister Nonō, why are you and Sister Tsunade here?"

"We knew your vacation started today, so we came to pick you up and take you back to the Orphanage to see everyone," Nonō answered with a smile.

Taiichi then turned to look at Tsunade.

"I came to give you this. Now that you're on vacation, you can report for duty right away." As she spoke, she took out the internship certificate signed by the Hokage from her arms, waved it slightly, and handed it to Taiichi.

Taiichi accepted the certificate and looked at it closely. It was actually a paid internship certificate, far more than the simple letter of introduction he had imagined for helping out at the hospital.

Seeing the Hokage's signature on the certificate made it even clearer how much effort Tsunade had put into obtaining it.

Without hesitation, he respectfully bowed to Tsunade. "Thank you so much, Sister Tsunade."

"Haha, it was nothing."

"Then, Sister Tsunade, come sit with us at the Orphanage. You can see how it's developed too. You've contributed to it as well!" Taiichi said after exchanging a glance with Nonō.

"All right. Let's go take a look."

The three chatted as they made their way to the Orphanage. The setting sun dyed its brick walls orange-red. When Nonō pushed open the iron gate, a swarm of children came rushing out. They wore brand-new cotton clothes, their faces rosy like little lanterns hanging from Nonō's legs. No one would have guessed they had come from an orphanage.

"Big Brother Taiichi!" The little girl with pigtails wiped her snot on Taiichi's pant leg. "Did you bring us anything tasty today?"

"Big Brother Taiichi will make something tasty for you himself today, all right?" Taiichi pinched the little girl's cheek.

"Yes, yes! We love Big Brother Taiichi the most, the most, the most~!" Hearing that Taiichi would be cooking himself, the children were ecstatic.

Tsunade bent down and poked the little girl's cheek. Three months ago, when she had visited the Orphanage, these children had still been wearing patched old clothes. Now, even the youngest girls wore pink bows. The newly planted orange trees in the courtyard had sprouted tender shoots, the swings had been fitted with sturdy hemp ropes, and even the yard had been expanded.

Taiichi set down the bamboo basket full of ingredients, which he had bought from a shop on the way over. The children clumsily tied an apron around him. Tsunade leaned against the doorframe and watched him chop vegetables, his swift blade drumming against the cutting board. Three children squatted beside the stove, swallowing hungrily. The youngest stretched out a hand to steal a bite, only to receive a light tap on the head from Taiichi's wooden spoon.

"Dinner's ready!"

Eight long tables had been pushed together into a horseshoe-shaped table, and everyone gathered around it. Tomato soup bubbled in an iron pot. Golden fried tempura was piled into a small mountain, while the children tapped their bowls with wooden spoons, producing a lively clatter like music. A chipped ceramic bowl suddenly appeared before Tsunade. The bespectacled little boy placed the chicken leg from his own bowl into hers.

"This is the last one." The child pushed up his round glasses, which had slipped down to his nose. "Big Brother Taiichi said guests should eat the best food."

The oil lamp cast shadows across the plaster walls as more than twenty little hands came together at once. "Let's eat!" Tsunade bit through the crisp batter around the fried shrimp, and the savory fragrance of seaweed exploded across her tongue. Three months ago, this place had survived on thin porridge. Now, even the miso soup contained tender tofu.

"Lady Tsunade, try the plum rice balls!" The twin sisters squeezed over and stuffed rabbit-shaped rice balls into her hands. The sticky rice still carried warmth, while the plum filling was sour enough to make her squint. Nonō wiped the youngest children's mouths, grains of rice stuck to her dark blue apron like scattered stars.

After dinner, the children gathered around Tsunade to listen to ninja stories. Taiichi sat cross-legged beneath the corridor, peeling apples in long spirals. As Tsunade watched Taiichi smiling at the children, she suddenly remembered a scene she had once seen after returning from a mission—Nawaki breaking his last half piece of candy pastry in two for a stray cat, his eyes curved into crescents as he smiled.

"Time to go." Taiichi glanced back at the clock on the wall. It was already late.

After leaving the gates, Tsunade looked back and saw little heads bobbing by the second-floor windows. The boy with glasses pressed against the glass, breathed mist onto it, and drew a crooked heart.

On the way back, Taiichi hummed an off-key nursery rhyme. Tsunade touched a grain of rice stuck to her sleeve and suddenly laughed. The medical department's report stated, "Annual budget increased by 47%," but none of that felt as real as that bowl of miso soup marked with tiny teeth marks. Perhaps this was the Konoha village the First Hokage had truly wanted to see. The evening breeze carried the scent of cooking smoke over the rooftops. She rubbed the boy's fluffy hair and finally understood a little why her teacher had always loved sneaking peeks at the scenes inside his crystal ball. Except for spying on the women's bathhouse, of course.

"Taiichi, remember to report to Director Biwako at the hospital tomorrow. I'll be going now."

"Okay, Sister Tsunade."

Watching Tsunade disappear at the end of his sight, Taiichi also headed toward his personal training ground—the riverbank.

The vacation lasted two months. According to the internship certificate's requirements, he would need to report to Konoha Hospital every morning from now on. That meant he would have more time in the afternoons and evenings for self-training, far more than during school. He believed that in the coming days, his strength could rise another level.

With that thought, Taiichi drew the Short Sword from his back, calmed his mind, and slowly performed a set of Hatake Style Swordsmanship. After a period of practice, Taiichi's swordsmanship had improved considerably. His swordsmanship level had now reached Lv3, all thanks to his training during this time.

As the Short Sword slashed again and again, notifications continuously appeared on the panel.

[You practiced Hatake Style Kenjutsu. Related comprehension has increased!]

[Your Hatake Style Kenjutsu skill has improved. Experience +1]

[You focused on practicing Hatake Style Kenjutsu. Genin class experience +1]

[Congratulations, your Genin class has reached Lv7 (0/1200)]

[Attribute Points +1, Skill Points +1]

Looking at the additional Attribute Point and Skill Point, Taiichi felt his strength grow a little greater, along with his sense of security.

Konoha Root Base.

Shadows drifted beneath the dim yellow candlelight of the Root Base. Danzo's fingers stroked an intelligence scroll, its surface reflecting the malice churning in his single eye.

"Perfect scores in every theory subject, taijutsu surpassing Genin..." His hoarse voice was like a venomous snake slithering through moss. "Even Hatake's swordsmanship has been learned so quickly."

The Root ninja kneeling on one knee in the shadows heard Danzo muttering to himself. The scroll was suddenly slapped onto the thick wooden table with a dull thud. "He has even mastered two Chakra Nature Transformations!" Danzo's lips twisted.

"How can such an uncut gem be left for Hiruzen to polish with that mild, lukewarm approach?" The ghostly green candle flame suddenly flickered. His gaze swept over the cold, gleaming surgical instruments on a table at the side of the room, where countless "tools" engraved with Curse Marks had once lain. "Prepare the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal before dawn tomorrow." A cold smile seeped across his lips. "I will personally make that child understand that darkness is the finest breeding ground for genius."

At that moment, Danzo had finally made up his mind to claim this "tool."