Ninja School

Hatake Sakumo helped Sato Hideaka settle into a room near the central district of Konoha. It was fully equipped with a bed, linens, a desk, a chair, a refrigerator, and all the necessities for daily life. Once settled, Hatake Sakumo took his leave.

Hatake Sakumo told him that he was to report to the Ninja Academy the following day.

After showering, Sato Hideaka lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He was troubled not only by the uncertainty of his future but also by his concern for Yakushi Nonō. Although he had the Third Hokage's assurance, no one knew what kind of retaliation Root might orchestrate.

Sato Hideaka sat up in bed. Since he couldn't sleep, he decided to focus on his training. Since he could manifest Lava Style: Hell Hound, it stood to reason that he should also be able to master Akainu's other signature techniques: Great Eruption, Dog Bite Crimson Lotus, and Meteor Volcano.

However, his current chakra reserves were far too low. He could only manage the small-scale Hell Hound about three times; attempting large-scale techniques like Great Eruption or Meteor Volcano would surely be a struggle.

For now, he would focus on mastering the assault technique, Lava Style: Dog Bite Crimson Lotus.

After that, he would slowly study the various Lava Style ninjutsu of Rōshi, unlocking the Lava Style skills from both Naruto and One Piece, then cross-referencing and fusing them to push the destructive power of his Lava Style to its absolute limit.

Beyond that, there were the Lightning Release Nintaijutsu techniques of the successive Raikage: the Four-Finger Nukite, the Thunder Shield, and the full-body activation of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, which provided bonuses to attack, defense, and speed, respectively.

Ninjutsu research might be troublesome for the average person, often resulting in injury during the process, but with his "Perfect Control" talent, Sato Hideaka could minimize such damage to the greatest extent.

Once he had clarified his thoughts, Sato Hideaka hopped off the bed and into the room, slowly isolating the lightning attribute within his chakra. In the pitch-black room, blue electric sparks flickered, casting a faint glow that illuminated the space.

Branching lightning danced across Sato Hideaka's body. The activation of his cells made his neural reflexes several times faster, making time seem to slow down—the exact same sensation he had felt when killing the Root member.

At that time, the Root ninja's speed hadn't actually slowed; it was simply that his own speed and reaction time had increased, creating the contrast.

In the room, Sato Hideaka controlled a trace amount of lightning-attribute chakra, experimenting continuously. His neural reflex speed and cellular activity grew faster and faster, while the damage to his body became increasingly negligible.

The training continued, and the Lightning Release Chakra Mode was rapidly perfected.

The next morning, at dawn.

After washing up, Sato Hideaka was led by an Anbu ninja to an office at the Ninja Academy. After greeting the teacher, the Anbu ninja left Sato Hideaka behind and hurried away.

Only Sato Hideaka and the male teacher remained in the office. The teacher looked at Sato Hideaka with a strange expression and asked, "Sato Hideaka, you are five years old this year, correct?"

"Yes, teacher. I look forward to your guidance."

"My name is Yano Koji. You can just call me Yano-sensei!"

After chatting for a while to get a sense of the situation, Yano Koji brought Sato Hideaka to a classroom. The children inside were six or seven years old, seemingly a bit older than Sato Hideaka.

"This is our new classmate, Sato Hideaka. He is only five years old this year, two years younger than you all, so please take good care of him, alright?"

"Yes, teacher!"

The students sitting below answered in unison. They looked at the delicate-featured, five-year-old Sato Hideaka with eyes full of curiosity; since they were all six or seven, it was clear he was a transfer student.

"Well then, Hideaka, you can sit next to Yuhi Kurenai!"

Yano Koji pointed to a girl wearing a white cloak with red patterns. Her slightly wavy black hair draped neatly over her shoulders, and her red eyes looked like two bright crimson gems. Her features were delicate and cute, and there happened to be an empty seat next to her.

"Why does he have to sit next to Kurenai? I object, Yano-sensei!"

A boy of about six, with a toothpick hanging from his mouth, wearing a jacket and bandages wrapped around his arms, stood up and shouted. He had a somewhat roguish, handsome look.

"Objection overruled. Sit down, Sarutobi Asuma. Didn't you just agree to take care of the new student?"

"Tch... I never agreed to take care of him." Sarutobi Asuma turned his head and snorted, refusing to sit down and listen to the lecture, clearly dissatisfied with the decision.

Sato Hideaka scanned the room: Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, Anko, Ibiki, Shiranui Genma, Might Guy, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin... so many famous characters from the anime were all in this same class.

Seeing Sarutobi Asuma glaring at him from the side, trying to intimidate him, Sato Hideaka felt no fear. He walked over to Yuhi Kurenai openly and extended his right hand. "Hello, my name is Sato Hideaka. I look forward to your guidance!"

"Hello, my name is Yuhi Kurenai."

At this time, Yuhi Kurenai was not as mature as she would be in the future; instead, she was slightly shy and timid. She spoke softly, hesitating for a moment before extending her right hand to shake Sato Hideaka's. The two shared a smile.

Yuhi Kurenai's smile was shy and bashful, while Sato Hideaka's was open and natural.

Snap!

Watching their interaction, Sarutobi Asuma snapped his pencil in two. He sat back down on his stool, his gaze locked firmly on their every move.

With the mental age of a teenager, Sato Hideaka didn't care much about the thick-skinned behavior. Yuhi Kurenai, however, was annoyed by the staring. She glared fiercely at Sarutobi Asuma with her ruby-like eyes, then snuck a glance at Sato Hideaka, who was looking at the blackboard. Realizing he hadn't noticed her unladylike behavior, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The teachers at the Ninja Academy during this period were elite ninjas who had come down from the battlefield. Therefore, their curriculum emphasized the combination of practical combat and theory. They taught the application of the Three Body Technique, trap setting and secret codes, methods for detecting genjutsu, the roles and techniques of stealth and concealment, and the mutual counters and synergy of ninjutsu—the basics were taught in great detail.

Before he knew it, four classes had passed. Through systematic learning, Sato Hideaka realized how lucky he had been when he killed that Root ninja. If that Root member had treated him as a true opponent, hidden himself, avoided close-quarters combat, and used long-range tactics—shurikenjutsu, traps, long-range ninjutsu—there were many ways he could have easily defeated, captured, or even killed him.

Reviewing what he had learned in class, Sato Hideaka felt he had gained a lot. When he looked around, he realized his classmates were taking bento boxes out of their bags to eat lunch. However, no one had reminded him that he needed to bring his own lunch.

Beside him, Yuhi Kurenai happily took out a love-filled bento prepared by her mother. After opening the lid, the scent of rice, beef, asparagus, octopus sausages, eggs, seaweed, and crab meat wafted out—it was a feast for the senses.

Smelling the aroma of the food, Sato Hideaka, who had rushed to school without even eating breakfast, swallowed hard.

Hearing the sound, Yuhi Kurenai looked over. Seeing the empty desk in front of Sato Hideaka, she asked curiously, "Hideaka-kun, did your family not prepare lunch for you?"

"I'm an orphan. My parents passed away a long time ago." Sato Hideaka's tone was flat. Although it might seem unfilial, he truly had no memories of his parents; he only knew about them from Eisuke, a neighbor, so he only felt a sense of nostalgia.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't know..."

Yuhi Kurenai recoiled like a startled rabbit. She gave Sato Hideaka an apologetic look, placed the lunch box in the middle of the desk, and said, "Hideaka-kun, let's eat together. Teachers and classmates should look out for each other!"

"Eat together? How can a boy and a girl share a meal... that won't do!" Sarutobi Asuma popped up from somewhere, reaching out his right hand to grab Yuhi Kurenai's lunch box to stop them from sharing the meal.

Sato Hideaka's pupils constricted slightly. He reacted instantly, grabbing Sarutobi Asuma's right forearm before he could reach the box, rendering his hand unable to move an inch further.

Their gazes locked in the air, creating an invisible clash of intent.

Sarutobi Asuma saw Sato Hideaka's cold, cyan eyes and couldn't help but shudder. This icy gaze and killing intent were so familiar—just like the Anbu ninjas who stayed by his father's side.

Could this brat named Sato Hideaka have killed someone before?

What exactly was his background?