Yun Xi Was a Little Confused

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for activating the Choice System: Lie / Answer truthfully?"

{Option 1: Tell the Hokage the truth about what happened during this time. Reward: 20% additional training speed boost within the Ninja Academy.}

{Option 2: Use an excuse to change the subject, escape, and become a free-spirited rogue ninja. Reward: 20% additional training speed boost outside the Hidden Leaf Village.}

{Option 3: Lie. Reward: 20% additional training speed boost within the Hidden Leaf Village (excluding the Ninja Academy).}

"WTF!"

"System, you're stirring up trouble again!"

Looking at the three options appearing in his mind, Yun Xi, already feeling somewhat irritable, became even more helpless.

However, since the Choice System had been activated, Yun Xi had no choice but to make a selection.

After all...

That 20% training speed boost looked incredibly tempting!

Of course.

Before choosing, Yun Xi had already ruled out the second option of becoming a rogue ninja.

What truly left Yun Xi conflicted were the first and third options.

"Lie?"

"Tell the truth?"

After a moment of hesitation, Yun Xi decided not to overthink it and chose the third option.

Having made his decision, Yun Xi looked at the smiling Hokage before him and spoke slowly: "Because I was playing around, I didn't want to go..."

Well.

Actually, for Yun Xi, this statement couldn't really be considered a lie.

Because he truly didn't want to go to the Ninja Academy...

After all, the Konoha 12 hadn't even enrolled yet; going there would just mean teaming up with a bunch of cannon fodder. Yun Xi would rather just drift through the Hidden Leaf.

It was safer that way, anyway.

"Hmm?"

Clearly, the Hokage hadn't expected Yun Xi's answer to be so blunt.

Because he didn't want to?

So he didn't go...

While such an excuse was honest, the Hokage never imagined that someone would actually use it to reply to him...

Instantly, three helpless black lines appeared on the Hokage's forehead!

"Ahem..."

A low cough instantly pulled Yun Xi's attention back. The Hokage suppressed the complex emotions in his heart and spoke to Yun Xi in a persuasive tone: "To become a ninja, one must undergo extremely arduous training and study. Do you not wish to become a ninja?"

What exactly is this old man, the Hokage, trying to do?

Watching the Hokage try to earnestly persuade him to go back to school, Yun Xi was a bit bewildered.

Before coming here, Yun Xi had assumed he would be met by a group of Anbu bigwigs who would drag him to an Anbu prison to interrogate him about his relationship with Uchiha Itachi.

But...

He hadn't expected this kind of situation at all.

The tone was completely off!

It was as if Yun Xi had prepared himself for a life-or-death struggle, only for someone to ask him why he wasn't going to school...

"What's wrong? Are you still not planning to go to school?"

Seeing that Yun Xi remained silent for a long time, the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, spoke again. After receiving no answer to his inquiry, the Hokage said directly: "Perhaps being a ninja isn't the best choice, but I hope you won't be so decadent..."

"Me?"

"Decadent?!"

Holy crap, where did the old man get the idea that I'm decadent?!

In an instant, Yun Xi was stunned.

It was safe to say that this was completely different from what he had imagined.

He also had no idea where the "decadent" label had come from...

"Grandpa Hokage, look, I've already spent so much time in the Ninja Academy and still haven't become a ninja. How about..."

Although Yun Xi was confused, he decided to play along with the Hokage's topic to see what this old guy was actually up to.

After all, Yun Xi didn't believe he had been summoned just for something like this...

After scrutinizing the expression on the Hokage's face, Yun Xi didn't hesitate and continued: "Grandpa Hokage, how about you let me take a break for a while, and I'll go back to the Ninja Academy next year?"

"Very well."

For some reason, after Yun Xi made his request, the Third Hokage did not object at all, agreeing to the matter directly before continuing, "That will be all for today. Just let me know when you have made up your mind about attending the Ninja Academy."

"I can leave now?!"

If Yun Xi had only been slightly bewildered before, he was now...

He was completely confused.

Could it be that he summoned me today just to ask why I haven't been going to school?

Though his heart was filled with doubt, Yun Xi did not press for answers.

After a brief farewell, Yun Xi left the Hokage Office Building and returned home with an inexplicable expression on his face.

Just as Yun Xi departed, a middle-aged Jonin suddenly appeared inside the Hokage's office.

Had Yun Xi been there, he would certainly have recognized this middle-aged Jonin as Morino Ibiki of the Anbu!

In the original story, Morino Ibiki served as the captain of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force and was also the proctor for the first stage of the Chunin Exams that Naruto and his peers participated in.

He possessed an extremely stern personality and was a direct subordinate of the Third Hokage.

"Ibiki, what do you think of this child, Yun Xi?"

Suddenly, the Third Hokage spoke.

"Hm?!"

Ibiki had not expected the Third Hokage to take the initiative to ask him, and a flash of surprise crossed his face.

After all, in his mind, this brat Yun Xi did not seem to have anything special about him.

His talent for ninjutsu was extremely mediocre, and his family background was entirely unremarkable.

If there was any reason for people to remember him...

It would only be the fact that he had failed to graduate from the Ninja Academy for many years.

"A brat with very poor talent."

After some thought, Ibiki spoke truthfully.

He then stood behind the Third Hokage, looking at him with a puzzled gaze.

"Very poor, you say..."

Upon hearing Ibiki's assessment of Yun Xi, a smile actually flickered across the Third Hokage's face as he murmured, "This fellow Yun Xi is not as simple as he seems."

Having said that, the Third Hokage walked to the front of his desk and gestured for Ibiki to come to his side.

"Take a look at this..."

Once Ibiki reached the Third Hokage's side, the Third Hokage gestured for him to look at the image displayed within the Crystal Ball before them.

"Is this the child's true strength!?"

Gazing at the scene within the Crystal Ball, even Ibiki, who maintained a stern demeanor most of the time, could not help but feel a sense of shock.

Ibiki then suddenly realized something and asked the Third Hokage, "Lord Hokage, was this the true purpose of calling him here to see you today?"

"Yes, and no..."

Watching the image on the Crystal Ball showing the ninjutsu Yun Xi had unleashed near the Forest of Death, the Third Hokage appeared lost in thought.