The Fruits of Cultivation

To be able to use such excellent medical ninjutsu at such a young age.

Hane, who was currently standing in front of Kabuto, was undoubtedly the object of envy for all the children in the Konoha Orphanage.

"Hey! It's almost nine o'clock!"

"You little brats, get to bed! And that new kid too!!"

Before Hane could even speak, a stern voice rang out from inside.

A stout, bloated woman and an old man with white hair and glasses were seen walking from the inner room into the main hall.

Both were wearing the black kimono and white shawl unique to the Konoha Orphanage; they were Enna and Fukamura, the two assistant directors who had always helped and supported Yakushi Nonō.

"No need to look so scared..."

"Although they look fierce, Aunt Enna and Grandpa Fukamura are actually very kind people."

Seeing that young Kabuto seemed somewhat afraid of the fierce and stern-looking woman, Hane spoke calmly to comfort him.

In fact, anyone who chose to stay and work at the Konoha Orphanage without regard for salary or compensation could not be a bad person.

"My name is Yakushi Hane."

"I should be a year older than you, just call me Hane."

After saying this, Hane ignored Kabuto's reaction and walked straight toward the sleeping quarters.

After all, having trained for an entire day, Hane felt quite exhausted.

Having just obtained the power of the String-String Fruit, using it frequently was a great test of his physical stamina.

"Yakushi Hane, Hane, is it..."

Staring blankly at Hane's retreating back, young Kabuto murmured Hane's name to himself.

"Does he... not like me?"

He had caught the complex look in Hane's eyes when he had been looking at him earlier.

Although he was still young, the intelligent and meticulous Yakushi Kabuto still sensed that Hane's attitude toward him was different from how he treated the other children.

Of course, Kabuto could not have known.

If no external factors intervened.

According to the normal progression of the plot.

Yakushi Nonō, the most important person in his future life, would be killed by his own hands.

"Exactly the same as the trajectory of the plot."

"So Yakushi Kabuto has appeared too..."

Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, Hane's thoughts surged.

The moment he confirmed Kabuto's identity earlier, he had almost used the power of the String-String Fruit to cut off Kabuto's head, but his reason had forced him to suppress the impulse.

"But no matter what, I will protect Nonō."

"I will absolutely not let the plot repeat itself... absolutely!"

With a determined gaze, he clenched his fists, feeling the chakra and the power of the String-String Fruit surging within his body.

Having trained desperately outside all day, Hane finally closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep...

Time flew by.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Soon, it was the day of the annual enrollment for the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Over the past few days, almost every ninja family in Konoha had been busy preparing for their children's enrollment.

Although in this era, with the Third Shinobi World War intensifying.

Being a ninja was not exactly a desirable profession, but it did offer high returns alongside high risks.

Moreover, because it was wartime, the upper echelons of Konoha mandated that the children of every ninja family must participate in ninja training to become ninjas, thereby sending more combat power to the front lines.

For example, the currently famous genius ninja of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi.

Graduating from the Ninja Academy at the age of six was not only due to his own outstanding talent but was also a specific product of this period.

Behind the mountain of Konoha.

In a forest covered by lush greenery.

"Chirp... chirp... chirp..."

From time to time, a sound like the chirping of countless birds would ring out.

"Ox-Hare-Monkey..."

"The sequence of hand seals is so simple, there's no reason I can't complete this technique!"

His hands instantly formed three seals in front of him, and Hane's internal chakra was activated.

A blinding burst of lightning erupted from his palm, only to vanish just as quickly.

"Damn it! Why is it still not working!"

Seeing his ninjutsu fail, a look of frustration appeared on Yu's young face.

That was right; the technique Yu was currently training in was the Chidori.

It was an A-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu that required concentrating a massive amount of chakra into the hand used for thrusting, moving at such high speeds that it produced a distinct sound like a thousand birds chirping.

Created in the original story by the genius ninja of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi, its advanced version was the S-rank Lightning Release secret technique known for its ability to cut through lightning—the Lightning Blade.

As everyone knew, the hand seal sequence for both Chidori and Lightning Blade consisted of three steps: Ox-Rabbit-Monkey.

Since his own chakra possessed both water and lightning affinities, there was no reason for Yu, a transmigrator, not to train in this powerful ninjutsu that balanced both destructive force and flair.

However, after spending an entire month specifically training in this incredibly difficult A-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu, he realized just how arduous it was to independently master such a forbidden-level, ultra-high-tier technique without any guidance.

"Your strength has improved by leaps and bounds after these two months of training."

"Your chakra has already reached the level of a genin, but isn't a technique of this difficulty still a bit too premature for you?"

Without warning, the devil's voice echoed in Yu's mind.

She had witnessed Yu's near-masochistic, frantic training over the past two months.

"Shut up..."

Yet, the devil's enchanting voice was brutally cut off by Yu.

"Keep your eyes open and watch!"

His clear, amber eyes were filled with an unwavering resolve.

Refusing to give up, Yu continued to weave hand seals, and a blinding blue-white mass of lightning illuminated the entire forest.

Lightning Release: Chidori!!

It sounded as if a thousand birds were chirping in unison.

Amidst the dazzling blue-white electric light, a highly condensed, violent current of electricity finally stabilized in Yu's left hand.

"To think..."

"You actually completed it?!"

Seeing Yu, whose chakra had only just reached the genin level, actually master the forbidden-level, ultra-high-tier technique of Chidori, the devil's typically lazy and indifferent tone now betrayed unconcealable astonishment.

In the ninja world, ninjutsu could be roughly divided into six ranks based on their difficulty.

E: Ninja Academy level (e.g., Tracking Technique, Transformation Technique, Clone Technique)

D: Genin level (e.g., Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu)

C: Chunin level (e.g., Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and Summoning Technique)

B: Jonin level (e.g., Shadow Clone Technique, Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)

A: Forbidden-level, ultra-high-tier ninjutsu (The conditions for a technique to be classified as forbidden fall into two main categories: first, the technique is life-threatening to the user; second, the results of the technique are extremely contrary to the laws of nature)

S: Secret technique level (e.g., Impure World Reincarnation, Lightning Blade)

Of course, beyond these, there were also techniques formed by the fusion of multiple nature transformations, such as Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tota, and even Kekkei Mora.