Life as students was carefree. Everyone went about their lives step by step, while time flowed onward through those ordinary days like water.
In the blink of an eye, July arrived. With the exam results handed out, summer vacation came as well.
Naturally, some were happy while others were troubled. Taiichi's grades were quite good, tying Kakashi for first in the class. Right behind them were Asuma and Hyuga Yuchu.
After all, they were descendants of great clans. Not only were they gifted, but they also put in plenty of effort behind the scenes.
They might sleep in class or let their minds wander, but once they returned home, who knew how many of them had one-on-one private tutors?
Of course, that did not include Obito. He had not even reached the middle of the class. His pitiful theory score once again shattered everyone's expectations—he had only scored a little over twenty points.
Moreover, Rin Nohara had already done everything she could to create opportunities for Obito during the exam. Unfortunately, Obito was hopeless. He could not even cheat properly, so what could anyone do with him?
After receiving their exam 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 the grades. Others wore cold expressions, and even walking past them made one feel the low pressure around them. Those were the ones who had done poorly but were saving face by not losing their tempers at the school gates. They would probably get quite an earful once they got home.
Taiichi watched the varied crowd with a pang of envy. After all, they had family members coming to pick them up. Unlike him...
Just as Taiichi took a step toward home, he froze. He saw Nonō and Tsunade standing amid the crowd, smiling at him.
At that moment, Taiichi's heart filled with happiness and sweetness.
He rushed over and grabbed Nonō's hand. "Sister Nonō, why are you and Sister Tsunade here?"
"We knew you were starting vacation today, so we came to take you back to the Orphanage to spend some time with everyone," Nonō answered with a smile.
Taiichi turned to look at Tsunade.
"I came to give you this. Now that vacation has started, you can report in right away." As she spoke, she took out the internship certificate signed by the Hokage from her arms, waved it, and handed it to Taiichi.
Taiichi took the certificate and examined it closely. It was actually an internship certificate, one that even came with pay. It was far more than the simple referral letter he had imagined, one that would merely introduce him to the hospital to help out.
Seeing the Hokage's signature on the certificate made it all the clearer how much effort Tsunade had put into securing it for him.
Without hesitation, he gave Tsunade a respectful bow. "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 has developed too. You had a hand in that as well!" Taiichi said after exchanging a glance with Nonō.
"Fine, then. Let's go take a look."
The three chatted as they made their way to the Orphanage. At that moment, the setting sun dyed its brick walls orange-red. When Nonō pushed open the iron gates, a crowd of children came rushing out. They all wore brand-new cotton clothes, their little faces rosy like a string of small lanterns hanging from Nonō's legs. They did not look like children from an orphanage at all.
"Brother Taiichi!" The little girl with pigtails wiped her runny nose on Taiichi's pant leg. "Did you bring us anything tasty today?"
"Brother Taiichi will personally make something tasty for you today. Sound good?" Taiichi pinched the little girl's cheek.
"Yes, yes! We loooove Brother Taiichi the most!" The children were overjoyed when they heard Taiichi would be cooking himself.
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 had pink bows in their hair. The newly planted orange trees in the courtyard had sprouted tender leaves, the swing 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 before coming over. The children clumsily tied an apron around him. Tsunade leaned against the doorframe and watched him chop vegetables, his fast blade tapping out a drumbeat against the cutting board. Three children squatted beside the stove, swallowing hungrily. The smallest one reached out to steal a bite and received a light tap on the head from Taiichi's wooden spoon.
"Dinner's ready!"
Eight long tables had been put together into a horseshoe-shaped table, and everyone sat around it. Tomato soup bubbled in an iron pot. Golden fried tempura was piled into a small mountain, while the children knocked their wooden spoons against their bowls, the clinking sounding like music. A chipped ceramic bowl suddenly appeared in front of Tsunade. The bespectacled boy placed the chicken drumstick from his own bowl into hers.
"This is the last one." The child pushed his round glasses back up his nose. "Brother Taiichi said guests should eat the best food."
The oil lamp cast shadows across the plaster walls as more than twenty tiny hands came together at once. "Thank you for the meal!" Tsunade bit through the crisp batter of a fried shrimp, and the savory fragrance of seaweed burst across her tongue. Three months ago, this place had still survived on thin porridge. Now, even the miso soup had soft tofu floating in it.
"Lady Tsunade, try this plum rice ball!" The twin sisters squeezed over and stuffed rabbit-shaped rice balls into her hands. The sticky rice still held warmth, while the plum filling was sour enough to make her squint. Nonō was wiping the youngest child's mouth, with grains of rice stuck to her dark blue apron like a scattering of stars.
After dinner, the children gathered around Tsunade to listen to ninja stories. Taiichi sat cross-legged beneath the eaves, peeling apples, the peel winding down in a long spiral. Tsunade watched Taiichi smiling at the children and suddenly remembered a scene she had seen after returning from a mission—Nawaki breaking his last half of a sugar biscuit in two for a stray cat, his eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled.
"It's 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 moving by the second-floor windows. The bespectacled boy pressed himself against the glass, breathed on 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 said, "Annual budget increased by 47%," but none of it felt as real as that bowl of miso soup with tooth marks on its rim. Perhaps this was the Konoha ninja village her First Hokage grandfather had truly wanted to see. The evening breeze carried the scent of cooking smoke over the rooftops. She rubbed the boy's fluffy head and finally understood a little why her teacher had always loved peeking into the scenes within the crystal ball. Except for peeking into the women's bathhouse, of course.
"Taiichi, remember to report to Director Biwako at the hospital tomorrow. I'll be leaving first."
"Okay, Sister Tsunade."
Watching Tsunade disappear from view, Taiichi also headed toward his personal training ground—the riverbank.
Vacation lasted two months. According to the requirements on the internship certificate, he would have to report to Konoha Hospital every morning from now on. That meant he would have more time in the afternoons and evenings for training himself, far more than during the school term. He believed that in the coming days, his strength could advance even further.
With that thought, Taiichi drew the Short Sword from his back, calmed his mind, and slowly began a set of Hatake Style Swordsmanship. After practicing for some time, Taiichi's swordsmanship had improved considerably. His swordsmanship had now reached Lv3, all thanks to his training during this period.
As the Short Sword swung again and again, prompts continued to appear on the panel.
[You practiced Hatake Style Kenjutsu. Your related comprehension has increased!] [Your skill Hatake Style Kenjutsu has improved. Experience +1] [You focused on practicing Hatake Style Kenjutsu. Genin class experience +1]
[Congratulations, your Genin class level has increased to Lv7 (0/1200)] [Attribute Points +1, Skill Points +1]
Looking at the additional Attribute Point and Skill Point, Taiichi felt his strength grow by another measure, along with his sense of security.
Konoha Root Base.
Shadows shifted beneath the dim yellow candlelight of the Root Base. Danzo's fingers stroked the intelligence scroll, its surface reflecting the malice surging in his single eye.
"Perfect scores in every theory subject, Taijutsu beyond that of a Genin..." His hoarse voice was like a venomous snake slithering through moss. "Even Hatake's swordsmanship came to him 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 tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"How could such uncut jade be left for Hiruzen to polish with his soft-hearted methods?" The eerie green candle flame suddenly flickered, and his gaze swept over the instruments gleaming coldly on the operating table at one side of the room. Countless "tools" bearing Curse Marks had once lain there. "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 best soil for nurturing genius."
At last, Danzo had made up his mind to claim this "tool."
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