A Hectic Year

At that moment, Uchiha Lihuo, who had drawn the attention of many, had just returned to the village with Orochimaru.

After Orochimaru presented their entry credentials and the two gate guards let them through, Lihuo finally returned to the village he had been away from for so long.

"How does it feel to be back?"

As if sensing the excitement in Lihuo's heart, Orochimaru asked calmly.

"It feels wonderful. It's like coming home."

Orochimaru smiled at that but made no comment.

They didn't even have time to go home and put their things away. As soon as Sarutobi Hiruzen heard they had returned, he sent members of his personal Anbu to summon them at once.

In the Hokage Office, Orochimaru was reporting on the mission.

His account was largely the same as the information Xiang had provided, with the addition of details known only to Orochimaru and Lihuo.

"Mm, well done. You two have worked hard."

The Third Hokage smiled.

"Given the special circumstances, even though you didn't achieve the mission's objective, I'll still count it as a success."

"Little Lihuo, you completed an A-Rank Mission on your very first outing."

The Third Hokage smiled at Lihuo.

Lihuo rubbed his head and glanced at Orochimaru.

"I was just there to lend a hand. Teacher Orochimaru was the one who did the real work."

All three of them laughed, and then Orochimaru patted Lihuo on the shoulder.

"All right, Little Lihuo, you can go ahead. I still have a few things to discuss with my teacher."

Lihuo tactfully excused himself first. He knew he still had plenty to take care of.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, stayed in the Hokage Office. Sarutobi Hiruzen knew his student well. If Orochimaru had gone out of his way to speak with him, the matter must be important.

"Little Lihuo seems to have some kind of ninjutsu that lets him move incredibly quickly."

Orochimaru went straight to the secret Lihuo had kept hidden. Lihuo had never imagined that, despite being so careful, he'd still underestimated Orochimaru and the others.

"I examined Sha's escape route carefully. There was only one set of footprints along it—his."

"Lihuo's footprints seemed to appear out of nowhere."

The Third Hokage rubbed his chin at that.

"That's strange. Did he show you this ability while training with you?"

"He didn't."

Orochimaru shook his head.

"Then the boy must be deliberately holding back."

"I'm afraid so. I don't know why, but there's a good chance Lihuo hasn't shown us his true strength."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.

"I understand. But Little Lihuo has always had Konoha at heart, so this isn't a concern."

Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction.

"I know it's not a concern, but I thought I'd better tell you sooner rather than later, in case someone with ulterior motives tries to exploit it."

Orochimaru had genuinely come to admire Lihuo's talent and truly regarded him as his student. That was why he was doing everything he could to help eliminate the dangers lurking in the shadows.

Orochimaru and the Third Hokage chatted a little longer about Root, after which Orochimaru left the Hokage Office.

After settling the mission and collecting his reward, Lihuo went home to freshen up.

After the long journey, he was utterly exhausted.

Once he'd had a proper rest, evening had already fallen. He figured Ninja Academy had probably let out by now.

So he invited Guy, Obito, Aotian, and some other friends from Ninja Academy, then stopped by the Hatake Residence to pick up Kakashi, who had just finished training. Together, they headed to a barbecue restaurant.

Sizzle!

As the mouthwatering meat hit the grill, the group of friends launched into a lively conversation, each eager to share what they'd seen and heard lately.

The two people who drew the most attention from their classmates were Lihuo and Kakashi.

Guy: Kakashi, tell us about the Chunin Ninja Exams! We're all dying to hear what happened.

Aotian: Boss, tell us how that A-Rank Mission went! I know you can't reveal anything confidential, but you can tell us about the exciting parts, right?

Everyone chimed in, making the atmosphere even livelier.

Then Lihuo told them all the parts of the mission he was allowed to share, embellishing them here and there. Everyone listened with rapt attention.

Guy: That sounds amazing! I want to go on a mission too!

Kakashi: Become a ninja first, you youthful idiot.

After that, Kakashi gave them a brief account of the Chunin Ninja Exams, leaving everyone enthralled.

Guy: I can't wait to become a Chunin!

Lihuo: (･_･;

Still, you sure have a lot of ideas.

Lihuo's teasing only made the mood more lively.

Feeling the warmth of being back with his classmates, Lihuo smiled sincerely.

"Come on, enough talking. Let's eat before it gets cold..."

When Lihuo turned his attention to the grill, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"Wait, did I get hit by a genjutsu?"

The grill, which had been piled high with meat, now held nothing but blazing coals.

Guy: What happened? That was fast!

Aotian: Who ate it all?!

Obito wiped his mouth.

Burp. Exactly! Who would be so rude as to sneak food like that? Burp.

Everyone: Uchiha Obito!

In the end, Lihuo had to order another round of meat for everyone, and they enjoyed dinner together.

The next day, Lihuo received a week of leave specially approved by Lord Hokage. Instead of continuing his training, he decided to take some time to recover.

After all, training hard without a break could easily wear him down.

But even his time off wasn't safe from Orochimaru, who was determined to squeeze every moment out of him. Starting on the fourth day, he summoned Lihuo to the laboratory every day.

Partly, he wanted to train Lihuo to become his assistant. He also hoped to put Lihuo's clever mind to work finding new directions for his experiments.

After a week, Lihuo resumed his grueling training under Orochimaru.

Before long, a year had flown by.

Over the course of that year, Lihuo had joined Orochimaru on one A-Rank Mission and five B-Rank Missions, and had undertaken ten C-Rank Missions on his own. He'd gained a wealth of practical experience.

What's more, as he grew older, his chakra reserves steadily increased. They had now reached the level of a Chunin.

His overall strength, meanwhile, had reached that of a Special Jōnin.

As an aside, after Kakashi had called out to Lihuo from afar during the Chunin Ninja Exams, plenty of people who loved stirring up trouble urged Lihuo to take the exams.

Lihuo finally answered Kakashi's challenge and was promoted to Chunin in first place, causing a sensation throughout Konoha.

After all, the appearance of two prodigies in quick succession was bound to fill Konoha's villagers with joy.

But the other hidden villages were green with envy.

In Sand Village, Granny Chiyo stared at the intelligence report, her heart full of fury.

"Damn Konoha! Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Lihuo, one day you'll pay for this!"

In Iwagakure, Ōnoki floated in the air, carefully reading through the intelligence on Uchiha Lihuo that the Anbu had gathered over the past year.

"So Sarutobi Hiruzen has sealed away all the crucial information?"

The Iwagakure Anbu knelt on one knee and nodded.

"Uchiha Lihuo is indeed formidable. This boy must not be allowed to live!"

Yet Lihuo, the subject of it all, felt no pride whatsoever. He thought becoming a Chunin was a piece of cake given his strength.

During that year, Lihuo also seized an opportunity to pat Sakumo on the head!

Sakumo was busy with official duties, leaving early and returning late. Lihuo rarely got to see him.

And whenever they did meet, Sakumo was often sitting some distance away, so Lihuo had never found the right opportunity to pat his head.

This time, though, Lihuo finally got his chance.

"Ding! You patted the head of an A-Rank ninja: Hatake Sakumo. Choose three of the following rewards."

"Hatake Sword Technique"

"Konohagakure Secret Taijutsu Technique: Thousand Years of Death"

"Greatly enhanced physical attributes"

"One A-Rank Ninja Blade"

"Top-tier cooking skills"

Without hesitation, Lihuo chose "Hatake Sword Technique," "Greatly enhanced physical attributes," and "A-Rank Ninja Blade." After a year of real combat, he'd fully realized how important strength and hidden trump cards were.

So, even though he couldn't use it openly, Lihuo still decided to learn the Hatake Sword Technique!

As the rewards were granted, Lihuo mastered the Hatake Sword Technique in an instant, and a blood-red famous blade appeared in his system inventory.

Lihuo took the blade out and inspected it closely. Feeling its cold surface and giving it a light swing, he knew it was a peerless weapon, every bit as good as White Fang.

"System, does this blade have a name?"

"Flame," the system replied in its cold voice inside Lihuo's mind.

"Flame? That suits its fiery red blade."

With the final reward, "Greatly enhanced physical attributes," Lihuo's physical abilities reached the Jonin level!

Feeling the surging power within him, Lihuo felt a deep sense of security.

Then, one day a year later, Lihuo received the third A-Rank Mission of his life!