A Surprise

"Lightning and Fire?" Ueno Kei's eyes widened slightly. He murmured to himself, a hint of delight crossing his face. Although he didn't understand as clearly as the Third Hokage what it meant to possess two chakra natures from the start, he knew that most ninja had only one.

With two chakra natures, his foundation was stronger than that of a ninja of the same rank in some respects. Chakra of different natures could counter one another. Even before he'd entered the ninja profession, Ueno Kei had understood that well.

Water countered Fire, Fire countered Wind, Wind countered Lightning, Lightning countered Earth, and Earth countered Water. That was obvious to Ueno Kei from his previous life, and it didn't make it hard for him to understand how techniques of different natures countered one another.

If he encountered a Water-style ninja, he could use Lightning-style techniques to counter them. If he encountered a ninja with Wind chakra, he could use Fire-style techniques. That way, he could avoid being the one at a disadvantage.

From that perspective, Ueno Kei had a considerable edge.

Of course, conflicts between ninja weren't decided by such simple comparisons. Taijutsu, genjutsu, personal experience, kekkei genkai, and many other factors had to be considered. This was only a relative advantage.

"Mm." The Third Hokage nodded slightly. He understood Ueno Kei's excitement.

The Third Hokage looked at Ueno Kei's delighted expression and hesitated briefly, as though weighing a matter of great importance. Then, as if he'd made up his mind, he rose to his feet and beckoned Ueno Kei over.

"Kei, come with me!"

"Yes, Teacher Sarutobi," Ueno Kei replied at once. He stood as well, his expression settling back into its earlier calm.

The Third Hokage clasped his hands behind his back, a pipe he always carried between his teeth, and walked slowly down the quiet corridor.

Ueno Kei followed silently at an unhurried pace. He didn't ask where they were going; there was no need.

It wasn't far.

After only a short walk, the Third Hokage led Ueno Kei to a room not far from his own.

There, Ueno Kei faintly sensed several concealed presences. He knew they were Anbu guards hidden nearby.

Only after his strength had grown over the past few years, and after the fierce battle during the Kurama Clan incident, had he become capable of sensing even a few of them.

But that was all. How could the Anbu stationed at the Hokage's residence be so easily detected by Ueno Kei, who was only a Chunin?

Not to mention the Anbu members of the Hokage Guard Platoon, whose abilities were even greater.

Even the few Anbu Ueno Kei could sense were no more than faint impressions of capable people concealed somewhere nearby.

Unless they made a move, he had no chance of pinpointing their exact locations.

In other words, those Anbu could launch a surprise attack on him from the shadows at any moment. That made Ueno Kei even more alert—but not because he feared the Anbu.

He was simply reminded that his strength was still far from enough. He needed to feel a sense of urgency.

The Third Hokage stood before the door and swiftly formed several hand seals, then gently pressed his hand against empty space. Ueno Kei saw something like ripples move through the air before it quickly settled again.

"A barrier!" The words flashed through Ueno Kei's mind, and confusion immediately followed. The room was protected by a barrier in addition to the Anbu hidden nearby.

What could be inside? It was certainly valuable, and must be something of great importance to Konoha.

The Third Hokage paid no heed to Ueno Kei's puzzled expression. Only after the ripples had completely stopped did he slowly open the door and lead Ueno Kei inside.

Once Ueno Kei had entered, the door closed slowly behind them. He looked around the room curiously and was surprised by what he saw.

The room was sparsely furnished. A few shelves stood inside, covered with scrolls.

Though the furnishings were simple, Ueno Kei immediately realized what kind of place this was. Those countless scrolls must contain either ninja techniques or classified Konoha documents.

His breathing grew a little unsteady.

The chakra paper, the room full of scrolls containing techniques—the Third Hokage's reason for bringing him here was obvious.

It was an immense temptation for Ueno Kei. No, for any ninja.

How many techniques could a fully established ninja village have recorded? How many did the Five Great Shinobi Villages possess? And how many had Konoha, one of those five, recorded?

The number was probably beyond anyone's imagination.

As Ueno Kei saw it, aside from a few special forbidden techniques, kekkei genkai, and other rare techniques, Konoha had probably made and kept copies of everything else.

Ever since his last battle, Ueno Kei had reflected deeply not only on his mindset, but also on the way he fought.

He was too one-dimensional! Before, he'd thought he could fight alongside jonin and hold his own against a monster like Ido, so he must be fairly capable among Konoha's Chunin.

Later, in the quiet of the night, when he reflected on himself, he realized how laughable that idea was.

His chakra reserves barely matched those of a Chunin, and he had only the slightest bit of combat experience. Apart from the Wind Wing Sword Technique, what did he have?

The answer was obvious: nothing at all. He was just an ordinary little brat from the Ninja Academy. Aside from being a bit more mature than the others, what else could he claim?

Once his classmates graduated, those from ninja clans could easily learn their families' techniques and leave him far behind.

At the very least, that Byakugan user would leave Ueno Kei utterly out of reach.

In that battle, neither the Kurama Clan leader nor Yuhi Kurenai had truly displayed the strength of a jonin. Ido hadn't been as powerful as he'd imagined, either. Both Kurama Yeqiong and Yuhi Kurenai had held back when facing Kurama Yakumo.

After understanding all this, Ueno Kei knew perfectly well what he lacked: combat experience as a ninja, and techniques he could actually use.

The Third Hokage had taken care of both. He'd brought him into the Anbu, and now he'd brought him here.

He wondered how many techniques Teacher Sarutobi would teach him, Ueno Kei mused to himself.

But then the Third Hokage did something that startled Ueno Kei. His eyes widened. The Hokage didn't touch any of the scrolls on the shelves.

Instead, he gently took an enormous scroll from a large cabinet in the room. Four bold characters were written on it: Scroll of Sealing!

P.S. I barely managed to write this chapter, so please bear with it. I'll gradually have more free time over the next few days. Also, happy New Year, everyone! Hand over those recommendation tickets! Heh.