The Nirvana Hermitage Technique

"Hmph! Don't think I don't know who you're talking about."

Danzo spoke loudly.

"Root isn't to be trifled with. At such a young age, he's already stirring up trouble within the Uchiha clan."

"If we let him grow unchecked, he'll become a major threat."

"Ah, Uchiha Lihuo. That boy certainly has given me plenty of surprises, too."

Orochimaru seemed to be hinting at something, but Danzo didn't like his subordinates being so evasive.

Still, he knew perfectly well that, for now, he had to rely on Orochimaru's intellect.

And if he wanted to bring Orochimaru to heel easily, Root wasn't strong enough yet.

"Orochimaru, I don't care what you're planning. First, do your job!"

"Remember, our partnership concerns Konoha's future!"

With that, Danzo swept out, leaving only one casual remark behind.

"If possible, recruit Uchiha Lihuo into Root."

The Root members, who had been on high alert moments earlier, retreated silently, like shadows.

The tense, murderous atmosphere vanished along with them.

Orochimaru's expression didn't change in the slightest. He still looked entirely at ease.

He strolled through the laboratory, filled with test tubes and scientific equipment, and gently ran his pale hand over a petri dish.

"Konoha's future? How laughable. I think these experiments concern your ambitions."

"Heh heh heh, Uchiha Lihuo. The more I observe you, the more interesting you become."

"I look forward to the day we meet. I'm sure it won't be long."

With that, Orochimaru returned to his research.

"Another complete loss of vital signs. Hashirama Cells, you really are powerful."

Just as Orochimaru was about to call in Root to dispose of the test subjects, the machine monitoring their vital signs suddenly began beeping faintly again.

Beep, beep, beep.

To Orochimaru, the sound was like music.

He rushed to one of the petri dishes, eyes fixed on the boy submerged in the culture fluid. His gaze burned with fervor.

He quickly checked all of the boy's vital signs. Every result showed that the boy had truly survived the Hashirama Cells transplant.

"Heh heh heh, it seems I was right to pursue this approach," Orochimaru said.

"I wonder if it was just a coincidence..."

A few days later, Lihuo finally received the formal invitation Lu Miao had brought him.

"It's not like I'm being invited to a banquet. Why make it so formal?"

It was the first time Lihuo had received such an official invitation, and his expression was a little bewildered.

"I don't know. My parents told me to deliver it," Lu Miao said, trying to sound casual as she looked at the boy before her.

But inwardly, she still felt as if a little deer were bounding around in her chest.

"How can someone be so handsome?" she wondered, though she didn't let it show.

"All right. Then thank your uncle and aunt for me." Lihuo smiled as he accepted the invitation.

Seeing him take it, Lu Miao felt an inexplicable burst of delight.

She patted Lihuo on the shoulder and said,

"Come on. I'll take you shopping."

"Huh? What are we buying?"

"You always bring gifts when you visit your elders, don't you? I'll help you pick one out."

"Hahaha, and I'll thank you, too. I'll treat you to Three-Color Dango." Lihuo set off with Lu Miao, smiling.

The journey passed without incident. At last, the appointed evening arrived, and Lihuo headed to Lu Miao's home carrying an elegant gift.

He spotted Lu Miao waiting at the entrance from far away. She was wearing loungewear emblazoned with the Nara clan crest.

She looked around while rubbing her slightly sore calves.

"That annoying Lihuo, making me wait at the door for so long."

"It's still ten minutes before the agreed time, but couldn't that idiot have come a little earlier...?"

Hearing Lu Miao muttering to herself, Lihuo couldn't help smiling. He hurried over.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

At the sound of Lihuo's voice, Lu Miao quickly stopped moving, her face faintly red.

"Huh? Who? Me?"

"I just happened to step outside for a bit. Since you're here, come on in."

Lihuo didn't say anything more. He simply said, "Sorry to intrude," then went inside with Lu Miao.

As soon as he entered, Lihuo could tell this was a harmonious family.

Although he had no parents in this life, he could clearly see that Lu Miao's home was neat and tidy.

It was obvious that the household had a capable woman at its heart. And from the little details, the man of the house helped with the chores. That alone showed there wouldn't be conflict over housework.

Lu Miao's parents greeted Lihuo warmly. Both were easy to get along with.

After some polite conversation, they saw the gift Lihuo had brought, and their expressions grew solemn and touched.

"Lu Miao told us long ago that you're very well-mannered. Now that we've met you, we can see she was right."

"But we can't accept these gifts. We invited you here to thank you for saving Lu Miao. How could we accept a gift from you?"

"That's right. Take them back, Lihuo."

Lihuo didn't insist. Then they formally began the meal.

At the family dinner, Lihuo could clearly feel the difference between Lu Miao's home and Aotian's.

When he'd eaten at Aotian's house, the conversation had been too serious and profound, so Aotian rarely had a chance to speak.

At Lu Miao's home, she chimed in now and then, making everyone burst into laughter.

Maybe this is what a real home feels like, Lihuo thought.

After a few rounds of drinks and several courses, Lu Miao's father grew unusually serious. It seemed he had something to say to Lihuo.

Besides, everyone present was clever. Even Lu Miao understood that this family dinner wasn't just about thanking him for saving her life.

"Lihuo, what do you think of the village?"

Lu Miao's father asked first, and it was a question far too profound for a child from the Ninja Academy to answer.

But Lihuo wasn't nervous. He knew this meant the Hokage's faction had finally begun testing him.

"Before Konoha was founded, the land was in the Warring States period. The clans were constantly at war, and everyone lived in fear."

"Since Konoha was founded, the First, Lord Senju Hashirama, and my ancestor, Uchiha Madara, have brought peace to the world by putting an end to the chaos."

"Though conflicts have continued since then, I've felt a lot of warmth in Konoha."

Much of what Lihuo said came straight from the heart. Ever since arriving in this world, he'd clearly felt the harmonious atmosphere pervading Konoha.

There were occasional sources of unrest, but people here cheered and helped one another.

Kakashi, Dai, Lu Miao, Teacher Oshima—the bonds he'd formed with each of them had gradually strengthened Lihuo's sense of belonging to Konoha.

Lu Miao's father was clearly surprised by Lihuo's answer. He hadn't expected the boy to respond so fluently.

Then he asked a few more questions, and Lihuo answered each one.

Lihuo knew exactly how to answer in a way that would strike at the heart of the Hokage's faction's concerns.

His responses often earned the Lu family's approval, letting him present himself as a young man who loved the village.

"Lihuo, I can tell you're a good boy who loves the village. I won't ask you anything else."

"Actually, your Hokage grandpa knows you're coming today. To reward you for bravely saving Lu Miao, we've prepared some gifts."

Lihuo knew this was the moment he'd been waiting for—the chance to get rich!

You two old geezers, I hope you've got something good for me!

"First of all, our family is truly grateful to you, so we're giving you a set of fine ninja tools and three boxes of top-quality Military Ration Pills."

"Their side effects have been reduced to a minimum. You can use them in an emergency."

With that, Lu Miao's father handed Lihuo the gifts.

Lihuo looked at what he'd received, unable to hide his happiness. Besides, he knew the best was yet to come.

Sure enough, Lu Miao's father smiled and said,

"The leaders of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans have heard that the young genius is coming, too. They told me they'll cover your training expenses for the next six months."

"Not only that, but if you ever need help from the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, we'll do whatever we can, as long as the Hokage allows it."

Lihuo was overjoyed. The three clans had certainly put up a decent sum. It seemed the old Hokage really did intend to win him over; otherwise, the clans wouldn't be so generous.

"Lastly, Lord Hokage has sent you a special gift, too."

"Lord Hokage knows your ninjutsu and Taijutsu are both quite good, while genjutsu is still a weak point. So he's giving you an A-rank genjutsu!"

At that, Lihuo could barely hold it together. Good heavens, what a rich old man! How many heads would I have to pat to get an A-rank jutsu? And he's just giving one away!

"Thank you, Lord Hokage, the three clan leaders, and you, Uncle. May I ask what genjutsu it is?"

Lihuo asked eagerly.

"The Nirvana Hermitage Technique!"