Black Rat

The Hokage's Office Building. Umino Iruka was here again.

He wasn't idle; it was just how Konohagakure operated. Everything, big or small, had to be reported to the Village Head.

Even if Master Wang at the village entrance lost a sheep, it had to be reported to the Hokage!

It was like a common street brawl needing to be reported to the mayor's hotline for the mayor to handle.

"Lately, Kakashi's condition is good. It seems he hasn't been affected by the villagers' comments. Uchiha Obito of the Uchiha clan hasn't shown any talent for academics," Umino Iruka read aloud the recent performances of several individuals the Third Hokage was paying close attention to.

"Is that so!" The Third Hokage nodded.

Konoha Ninja were divided into two systems: clan ninja and registered ninja. Clan ninja were trained and managed by their clans, not accepting the ninja village's management. They were essentially private soldiers for each major clan.

The number of these ninja was enormous, accounting for nearly sixty percent of the village's ninja resources.

And that was just what was visible. No one knew how many ninja each clan had hidden.

For these uncontrolled ninja, the Third Hokage's usual approach was to use war to force them to deploy. After all, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; if the village is gone, the clan will naturally perish.

As for registered ninja, they were when major clans gave the Hokage some face and sent some clan members for the Hokage's use. These ninja weren't sent directly but would go through a process at the Ninja Academy. After graduation, they would be registered.

Some clans were very shrewd, sending only peripheral members or deadwood from their families. Since they were an eyesore in the clan anyway, they might as well be handed over to the Hokage for him to worry about.

A prime example was Obito. With his learning speed and talent, how could he be an Uchiha?

There were also those who supported the Hokage, sending their core disciples to the Ninja Academy. Typical examples included the Ino-Shika-Cho Clan and Hatake Kakashi.

Thinking of the Uchiha clan giving him such deadwood, the Third Hokage couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. Yet, he couldn't do anything to the Uchiha clan. In the future, he still had to arrange a good Jonin leader for Uchiha Obito to show his importance as Hokage towards clan ninja.

Although he didn't know the idiom "Buying a Thousand Miles Horse's Bones," his actions were similar.

Of course, he wouldn't rely entirely on clan ninja. On the contrary, to prevent clan influence from becoming too great and affecting the Hokage's rule over the village, he had to suppress the clan ninja.

To counter the clan ninja, besides supporting his own clan ninja, the more crucial element was the vast number of civilian ninja, among whom geniuses could occasionally emerge.

He was unlike the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. With his own powerful strength and great prestige, he naturally didn't need to contend with those clan ninja. All his disciples were clan ninja (one could distinguish if they had a family name).

Sarutobi Hiruzen needed the support of civilian ninja. Therefore, besides Tsunade, his other two disciples were both civilians.

After these two disciples, the only one who stood out among the civilian ninja was Namikaze Minato. Although Minato was young, he was powerful and a perfect inheritor of the Will of Fire, making him a very ideal successor for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

And recently, he had noticed another civilian ninja, Kamiya Keiyun.

He also had good talent, and especially seemed to love the Will of Fire.

"How is Kamiya Keiyun performing?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, suddenly realizing Umino Iruka had stopped.

Wasn't there one more?

"Kamiya Keiyun's recent performance hasn't been good. He sleeps in class, runs away quickly after class, and never trains at the training grounds behind the school," Umino Iruka hesitated before telling the truth.

"How could this be?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. The light in the boy's eyes when he gave him books wasn't fake!

Didn't you say you wanted to protect Konoha? Can sleeping in class protect Konoha?

"You may go," Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand.

"Yes!" Umino Iruka nodded, then turned and left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe, recalling the boy's eyes he had seen a few days ago—that innocence, that wildness, that longing...

He believed he hadn't misjudged the person.

So, where had things gone wrong?

He glanced at the time: 7:30 PM.

At this hour, most children were already asleep. However, diligent children would still be training.

If he slept during the day, could it be because he was training all night?

Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment, then decided to activate the crystal ball.

He first looked towards Kamiya's house.

The crystal ball couldn't see just anywhere. It relied on Konoha's barrier, acting like a giant camera for the entire barrier. It could only reflect what the barrier could see.

Therefore, it could view all outdoor areas in Konoha, as well as indoor areas that had been set up with barriers.

For example, the Ninja Academy.

Kamiya's house internally naturally had no barrier, so Sarutobi Hiruzen could only see a roof, followed by an empty front and back yard.

"Not training?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. The preferred places for Ninja Academy students to train were the school's backyard, followed by their own homes.

As for the numbered training grounds, for the safety of the villagers, they were surrounded by wire fences and guarded by ninja. Only official ninja could enter.

So if Kamiya Keiyun wasn't at school and wasn't training in his yard, there was only one conclusion.

He went to sleep.

As for training indoors, that was unlikely. Civilian students could only train Taijutsu and the Three Body Technique. If you wanted to practice with shuriken and kunai, the school hadn't taught you yet.

The Three Body Technique consumed chakra and couldn't be practiced many times. Such a small space indoors couldn't accommodate a ninja practicing Taijutsu.

"Sigh," Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, feeling a sense of pity.

He had indeed seen many examples of geniuses wasting their talent. Based on his chakra refinement performance, if he continued to work hard, he might have achieved something in the future.

They don't know how to work hard and just waste their time.

Ultimately, they die on the battlefield.

It's just a shame.

He certainly wouldn't actively advise them, as there are too many such examples.

Besides, ninjutsu training requires initiative. If you don't want to get stronger, find it too tiring, dirty, or painful, what can be done?

Other ninja aren't your parents; they won't be responsible for your future. Whether you can realize this depends on you alone.

"Huh?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to change his position to relax when he suddenly found Kamiya Keiyun in a corner again.

"Wait, what is he doing?" Sarutobi Hiruzen thought he was mistaken. Had this child actually run further away instead of training in the courtyard?

But upon closer inspection, his expression immediately darkened.

This child was squatting in the corner, actually catching mice?

Hmph, I shouldn't have expected anything from him!

Sarutobi Hiruzen simply switched to the bath channel. What else could a child catching a mouse be doing? He was definitely playing, not training, right?

"Looking at me again?" Kamiya Keiyun felt a sense of being watched, but it passed quickly.

"He must be passing by!" Kamiya Keiyun frowned, wondering if the Third Hokage had seen him catching the mouse.

"It seems this mouse can't appear in the future, at least no one can know its relationship with me!" Kamiya Keiyun looked at the mouse in his hand. Most mice are gray, commonly known as brown rats and house mice. However, the one in Kamiya Keiyun's hand was black.

Its fur was as smooth as satin, and its tail was longer than its body. It might be a bit dirty from burrowing into granaries and fields, but it had a very high aesthetic appeal. If it were cleaned, it would probably be very beautiful.

Kamiya Keiyun also recognized this type of mouse, scientifically known as a roof rat. It's a rodent that mainly inhabits houses, can swim, is good at climbing, and prefers familiar paths. It's found all over Huaxia, truly a good neighbor to the people of Huaxia. Kamiya Keiyun had encountered them many times in the warehouses where seeds were stored at the academy, and they had engaged in many battles of wits. Seeing one in the Naruto World now felt incredibly familiar.

"I won't be picky, it's you!" Kamiya Keiyun brought the black rat home. As soon as he entered, he heard two screams.

"Ah, a mouse!" a terrified scream, that was Sanyō.

"Ah, Keiyun, is this a reward for me!" an excited scream, that was Ruri.

Kamiya Keiyun's face went black: "Stop fooling around. If you want to eat mice, catch them yourself. And you, sister, you're a ninja and you're still afraid of mice? Besides, don't you think this mouse is cute?"

"Cute?" Sanyō blinked, looking at the bewildered mouse in Kamiya Keiyun's hand. It did seem quite cute!

"Why are you catching a mouse?" Sanyō asked.

"The same reason as Ruri!" Kamiya Keiyun said, "To help us!"

This world isn't like his previous life, where recruiting employees or forming gangs was common. If he wanted subordinates, Kamiya Keiyun had to cultivate them himself.

Right, loyalty is an issue. Cats are fine, but are mice loyal animals?