Eating Noodles

Qile watched the every move of the two people before him in silence, naturally aware of the deep-seated reservations they held.

He had no intention of forcing them to reveal everything; after all, a forced melon is never sweet.

Since they were unwilling to say more, why should he be so tactless as to keep pressing them?

Just then, a steaming bowl of noodles was placed on the table. Regardless of the taste, the presentation was quite impressive—the noodles, uniform in thickness, were neatly arranged in the bowl, topped with a layer of savory meat sauce and fresh green scallions that made one's appetite stir at a single glance.

Qile picked up his chopsticks and gently lifted a strand of noodles into his mouth. However, the moment the noodles touched his tongue, the texture was not as marvelous as he had expected, though it was not exactly disappointing either; it could only be described as standard.

All in all, it was still a decent bowl of noodles.

Just as everyone was burying their heads in their ramen, Qile suddenly looked up, breaking the silence once more to ask Kagami, who was sitting to his side: "Does anyone from our Uchiha Clan attend the Ninja Academy?"

Upon hearing this question, Kagami was slightly stunned, then remained silent, only shaking his head slowly to indicate that no clansmen had attended the school thus far.

After a long while, as if suddenly remembering something important, Kagami opened his mouth again and answered slowly: "However, as far as I know, starting from the next term, our Uchiha Clan should have members heading to the school to receive an education."

"I see." Hearing Kagami's reply, he nodded slightly; in truth, he had already anticipated this result.

He then slowly turned his head, his gaze falling upon the two people sitting opposite him who were focused on their noodles, and asked: "What kind of curriculum is actually being taught at the school now? I'm quite curious, and I suspect I'll probably be attending myself..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen swallowed the noodles in his mouth unhurriedly, pausing for a moment as if carefully organizing his thoughts.

A moment later, he replied at a measured pace: "There is nothing particularly special about it. The knowledge and ninjutsu taught at the school are things I have already mastered. Furthermore, most of the instructors are only at the genin level, so what they can teach the students is relatively limited. Still, for commoners who have never been exposed to ninja knowledge, it is quite useful."

After hearing this, Qile couldn't help but ponder to himself. It seemed the Ninja Academy was still in its initial exploratory phase; even a figure as wise as Senju Tobirama would likely find it difficult to fully refine everything the academy required in such a short time.

However, once the first batch of students graduated and left, Tobirama would certainly be able to adjust and optimize the subsequent teaching policies and focus based on the actual performance and learning progress of these students.

In reality, the later rhetoric taught at the Ninja Academy, such as the "Will of Fire"—which carried strong connotations of brainwashing—was essentially added only after the Sarutobi Hiruzen sitting before Qile ascended to the position of Hokage.

When the First Hokage and the Second Hokage governed Konoha, even if there was a certain degree of ideological indoctrination, it was far from reaching such a severe level.

However, once Sarutobi Hiruzen took office as the Third Hokage, in order to solidify his own position—which was not particularly strong to begin with—he would bring out this highly effective brainwashing rhetoric known as the "Will of Fire" to bolster his own prestige...

Yet, Qile did not take this matter too much to heart. In fact, a thought even crossed his mind—what if he were the one to say those words...

Of course, all of this would require waiting for an extremely opportune moment...

Several people walked out of the noodle shop slowly, the sunlight casting long shadows upon them. Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke first, smiling as he said: "These noodles were truly quite good; the texture was smooth, and the broth was rich and delicious, leaving a lingering aftertaste."

Shimura Danzō, standing to the side, nodded quickly and replied: "Yes! Not bad at all. The taste was indeed excellent."

Hearing the two of them singing each other's praises, Qile turned his head and said softly: "I'm glad you enjoyed it. If there's a chance, I'll treat you again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō exchanged a look as if they shared a tacit understanding, then stated: "Thank you for the treat today! We will remember this favor. If you need any help in the future, just let us know; as long as it is within our power, we will never refuse."

Faced with these words, Qile didn't care much; after all, his goal in contacting them wasn't even about these two.

He smiled slightly and replied unhurriedly: "It's nothing, we're friends after all. However... I do have one thing I would like to ask of you two."

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression shifted slightly, and he waved his hands repeatedly, saying: "If it concerns those high-level classified topics, we truly know nothing about them!"

However, Qile shook his head gently and quickly explained: "It is not that kind of matter. Actually, I just hope that if you have any spare time, you could take me and Kagami along for training. After all, you are older than us and will always have more experience."

Sarutobi Hiruzen exchanged another look with Shimura Danzō, then pondered for a moment before saying: "If your elders at home agree, we naturally have no objections."

"That's good. Once I go back and ask my elders, if they agree, where should I..." Qile's words trailed off mid-sentence.

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately took over, speaking rapidly: "We train every morning in the forest behind the Hokage Rock. The environment there is quiet and the space is vast, making it very suitable for us to practice various techniques and physical conditioning."

Hearing this, Qile nodded without hesitation: "Alright!"

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned slightly, nudged Shimura Danzō beside him with his shoulder, and smiled at Qile: "Thank you again for your warm hospitality, we shall take our leave now."

"Alright, then I'll see you when we train!" Qile also wore a smile, standing still as he watched them gradually walk away.

Once the figures of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō had completely vanished from sight, Kagami, who had been silent all this time, could no longer suppress his inner anxiety and asked hurriedly: "Qile, setting aside whether they are truly sincere about training with us, the elders in our clan will likely never easily permit us to go out and train with members of other clans."

Facing Kagami's worry, Qile appeared completely unconcerned. He shook his small head lightly and replied dismissively: "As long as we get the Clan Head's approval, why bother with the opinions of the other clansmen! Is it possible that even with the Clan Head's nod, someone would dare to raise an objection?"

"But..." Kagami wanted to say something more.

But he was interrupted by Qile, who said: "Don't worry about that for now, come with me to the Clan Head's house first."