Once Lin Mu's excitement had completely faded, the sky outside had already begun to brighten.
Lin Mu turned and pushed open the window, taking a deep breath.
As he watched the rising sun, he couldn't help sighing with emotion. Another brilliant, colorful morning.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru was going to invade Konoha today, plunging the entire village into the smoke of war. This peace wouldn't last more than a few hours.
Still, Lin Mu wasn't too worried. As a transmigrator, he knew every detail of how things would unfold.
Orochimaru was astonishingly powerful, but the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was no pushover either.
From what he remembered, the battle between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage would end with the Third Hokage's death and Orochimaru losing both arms.
Lin Mu was very interested in the battle between master and student, though not because he wanted to see Orochimaru and the Third Hokage settle their old score in a deadly fight.
During that battle, Orochimaru would use the forbidden jutsu left behind by the Second Hokage, Impure World Reincarnation, to revive the First and Second Hokages!
The First Hokage was none other than Senju Hashirama!
If Lin Mu could observe Senju Hashirama using Wood Style Jutsu up close, his own mastery of the Wood Style Body would surely improve even further.
Senju Hashirama was the best teacher he could ask for!
Only Senju Hashirama could show him the true essence of Wood Release ninjutsu.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Just as Lin Mu was gazing out the window, lost in thought, someone suddenly knocked on his door.
He turned and opened it. A chubby little boy stood outside.
They were all only around ten years old, but this little boy was already far too broad to pass for a ten-year-old.
"It's you, Akiyama!"
When Lin Mu saw who was at the door, the corners of his mouth twitched.
Akiyama was his best friend in Konoha. Like Lin Mu, he was an orphan of war.
War...
Since Konoha's founding, the village had already fought through three Great Ninja Wars. Countless ninjas had died in those brutal conflicts!
To encourage the surviving ninjas and comfort the families of the fallen, the various ninja villages had introduced policies.
The villages would raise the children left behind by the dead and educate them, while the fallen's parents could receive support payments.
But the families of the fallen weren't all treated the same. The ninja world was full of powerful clans, after all.
For example, there were the Akimichi Clan of Choji Akimichi, the Yamanaka Clan of Ino Yamanaka, and the Nara Clan of Shikamaru Nara—all renowned families.
And the Hyuga Clan, with its Byakugan, and the Uchiha Clan, with its Sharingan, were even more prominent.
The families of the fallen from these clans received extra and more generous assistance from their own people.
Compared with them, orphans of war like Lin Mu and Akiyama, who had no one to rely on, had it much harder.
Birds of a feather flock together. The children of great clans liked to stick together, while orphans like them had to band together for warmth.
But now that Lin Mu had activated the system, none of that would be a problem. And if trouble ever did come, he could simply smash it to pieces with one punch.
Senju Hashirama's Wood Release was no joke.
And among all the orphans, Akiyama was Lin Mu's best friend.
Lin Mu reached out, pulled the dazed Akiyama into the room, and sat him down in a chair. Then he grinned.
"What's wrong, Akiyama? Do I have flowers on my face? Why are you staring at me?"
Only then did Akiyama snap out of it. He stood up, circled Lin Mu several times, poked and prodded him here and there, and finally compared their heights.
"What happened to you? You look stronger and taller, and even your hair's grown longer."
Akiyama tugged at Lin Mu's hair, looking puzzled.
Hearing Akiyama's words, Lin Mu smiled. He'd known all along that there was no way to hide the fact that he'd awakened a Kekkei Genkai, so he'd already prepared an explanation.
And that explanation was Orochimaru.
More precisely, the beautiful woman who had been Orochimaru in disguise when Lin Mu met him yesterday.
Orochimaru was the most famous scientist in the entire Ninja World—and the most deranged madman.
All Lin Mu had to do was say that he'd encountered the woman and had some contact with her, then blame his changed physique on Orochimaru.
Konoha already had test subjects developed by Orochimaru, so Lin Mu shouldn't be in any danger.
Once he grew strong enough, he wouldn't need to hide anything. If danger came, he'd smash it to pieces with one punch.
"After I finished my evening lessons yesterday, I had nothing to do, so I went for a walk outside the village. I wandered pretty far into the woods and met a beautiful older girl."
After saying that, Lin Mu suddenly leaned close to Akiyama, wearing a mysterious expression.
"Then guess what happened?"
Akiyama had been listening attentively, but at those words, his face went blank with exasperation.
"Just tell me. If something's wrong, we should hurry and find a teacher."
Akiyama urged him, looking serious. Lin Mu was his best friend in Konoha, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
"Then the beautiful older girl said a few things to me, poked me in the chest, and sent me home. When I woke up after getting back, I'd become like this."
Seeing Akiyama's serious expression, Lin Mu felt a warmth in his heart. His friend really did care about him.
"That's it?"
Akiyama stared at him, completely baffled.
Of course not!
Lin Mu grumbled to himself, but this was all he could tell anyone.
The answer was vague and didn't really answer the question, but that was exactly what you'd expect from a child who'd stumbled into a life-changing encounter.
He couldn't exactly tell people he'd spent three years planning to obtain Hashirama Cells, could he?
"That's it! I don't really know what happened either, but I feel better than before, so I don't think there's anything wrong."
Lin Mu saw that Akiyama was about to ask more, so he quickly stood up, took hold of him, and led him outside.
"Come on, look at the time! The Chunin Ninja Exams are today. We can't be late."
Akiyama was still a little doubtful, but seeing his friend full of energy, he decided not to dwell on it. As long as Lin Mu was all right, that was what mattered.
"What are we having for breakfast?"
Akiyama asked.
"It's the Chunin Ninja Exams today, so your big brother's treating you to something good: Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Sounds good, bro!"
Akiyama was so happy at Lin Mu's words that he danced with excitement. Lin Mu could only shake his head helplessly at the sight.
As Lin Mu and Akiyama strolled toward Ichiraku Ramen,
outside Konoha, in a small grove,
several ninjas dressed in black robes and masks, with Sunagakure Forehead Protectors on their heads, exchanged glances.
The black-robed figure at their head barked in a low voice,
"Begin!"
"Yes!"
At his command, the other black-robed figures quickly spread out and took up positions in a strange formation.
They took a black scroll from behind them and laid it on the ground. After unrolling it, they bit their fingers and pressed them down hard against it.
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