Konoha, in the Land of Fire, was one of the best-known shinobi villages on the continent. It was hailed as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and had produced countless outstanding shinobi. The village's leader was called the Hokage, a figure who held the same status as the Land of Fire's daimyo.
Although Ueno Kei had never left his mountain village, he still knew some basic facts about the Five Great Nations of the present day.
Of course, Ueno Kei's knowledge of the continent went no further than that. He had no idea what the Hokage or Mizukage looked like, or what they wore. So he had no idea that the kindly old man standing before him was Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, the man who held the power of Konoha, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Ueno Kei gazed at the old man with clear eyes, tinged with wariness toward a stranger. The suspicious-looking masked figure who had carried him earlier, along with another masked man, stood behind the old man.
Although he knew that a worthless child like himself had no value to them, Ueno Kei couldn't help feeling wary.
What's more, Ueno Kei could clearly sense a different presence about the old man, something like an aura. As he guarded himself against the people before him, he couldn't help growing a little ill at ease.
Sarutobi Hiruzen studied Ueno Kei with interest. He couldn't explain why he had taken the child in. He only knew that when he had seen Ueno Kei curled up beneath a tree, a flicker of pity had crossed his heart.
This Third Hokage had once been known as the Shinobi Hero, and his hands were stained with blood. There was no way he was the sort of man whose heart overflowed with compassion.
Perhaps it was fate. And now, in his old age, the Third Hokage's heart had softened compared to when he was young. That was why he had ordered his personal Anbu to bring the child along.
That's right—the two men Ueno Kei had taken for highly suspicious characters were members of Konoha's elite forces, the Hokage's personal Anbu.
Now, as Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Ueno Kei—with a trace of fear in his eyes, yet standing straight, his gaze clear and free of guile—he found himself liking the child even more.
The old man had lived for decades and seen countless people. Children like Ueno Kei were rare. Sarutobi Hiruzen firmly believed that the eyes were the windows to a person's soul.
"Hey, don't worry. I'm a shinobi from Konoha. My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen. You look like an orphan, child. I'm thinking of taking you back to Konoha. What do you think?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke kindly. It was clear that Ueno Kei had been wary of them at first, and that he didn't recognize their attire. So Sarutobi Hiruzen explained who they were and why they were there. As for his position as Hokage, he thought the child would find out eventually. There was no need to bring it up deliberately.
In fact, Konoha had always taken in orphans left behind by war, disasters, bandits, and other misfortunes. Once they made sure the children weren't spies from enemy villages, those with the potential to become shinobi received training. Even those without shinobi potential received the care they needed to see them through childhood.
Konoha was quite humane in this regard. That was one reason the village continued to grow stronger, won the three Shinobi World Wars, and became one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
He didn't know what kind of potential the child before him had, but his eyes and bearing gave Sarutobi Hiruzen a glimpse of possibility. With so many reasons combined, along with a touch of what people called fate, Sarutobi Hiruzen had decided to take the child back to the village. After all, one more person wouldn't make much difference to Konoha. And the idea that this child might be a spy was a joke to Sarutobi Hiruzen. He didn't take it seriously.
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't force anyone. The decision was up to the child himself.
Across from Sarutobi Hiruzen, Ueno Kei's body trembled slightly at his words. He stared at the three of them in shock. They were shinobi from Konoha?
Ueno Kei looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others in surprise. He didn't doubt their identities. From head to toe, he was clearly nothing more than a worthless child. They had no reason—and no time—to deceive him.
If they had been human traffickers, they would have stuffed him in a sack without a word and sold him off. They wouldn't have spoken to him so kindly. Ueno Kei was simply amazed at his good fortune.
As mentioned earlier, Ueno Kei's knowledge of this world was only superficial, but that didn't stop him from knowing a few basic things—about shinobi, Konoha, and the Hokage.
Ueno Kei had also heard his parents talk in their spare time about Konoha's humane policies. He had once heard his mother sigh as she held him, saying how safe and wonderful life would be if they were citizens of the Land of Fire, or even Konoha itself.
After quickly reviewing what he knew about Konoha, Ueno Kei looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others with greater respect. It was obvious that these three were no ordinary people in Konoha.
The old man leading them had to be an important figure, Ueno Kei guessed.
"Go to Konoha? That sounds like a good choice. I have nowhere else to go. For a little kid like me, finding a village I can rely on is the most important thing if I want to survive." As he thought this, Ueno Kei's gaze gradually grew resolute.
Then Ueno Kei asked, "My lord, is your Konoha the village in the Land of Fire? Can a child like me, who has nothing, really join a village like that?"
Ueno Kei spoke respectfully, and a trace of nervousness was clear in his voice.
Looking at the frail child before him, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression softened even more. "Mm-hmm, that's right. It's Konoha, in the Land of Fire."
"As for whether you can join, don't worry, child. Since I'm taking you into the village, there won't be a problem." Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to sense Ueno Kei's nervousness. His tone grew gentler as he reached out and patted Ueno Kei on the head.
At Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Ueno Kei began to relax. The reassuring pat from Sarutobi Hiruzen helped calm him even further.
Without hesitation, Ueno Kei bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen at a ninety-degree angle and said, "Thank you very much, Lord Sarutobi. I'm willing to go to Konoha."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded warmly.
"Ling, carry the child. Let's go," Sarutobi Hiruzen instructed the Anbu member behind him.
The Anbu member on the left replied, "Yes, sir."
He stepped forward, hoisted Ueno Kei onto his back, and set off. Ueno Kei didn't protest. He knew shinobi had their own ways of traveling, and all he had to do was go along with them.
Once Ling had Ueno Kei on his back, the three shinobi and the child quickly set off for Konoha.
At that moment, Ueno Kei had no idea what the future held for him, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had no idea what kind of child he had brought with him. In the years to come, Ueno Kei's name would resound throughout the Ninja World.
The gears of fate began to turn at that very moment.
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