Met an Acquaintance

It was not long before Shota arrived at the towering Konoha Hospital with Hayato in his arms.

As Shota stepped through the hospital gates, which held the hopes of countless lives, Hayato keenly noticed that beneath the "Choice One Reward" on his system panel, the words "Claimable" had quietly appeared.

This mission's format is not only different from the previous one, but the way to claim the rewards is also slightly unusual, Hayato mused to himself, wondering if this meant he had the chance to secure all three rewards.

A thought flashed through his mind: wouldn't it be wonderful to wait until all three choices were fulfilled and claim them all at once?

Hayato remained calm and composed, but Shota was still burning with anxiety.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead as he hurried Hayato toward the doctor's office, his distress as a first-time father plain to see.

Konoha Hospital was staffed not only by highly skilled medical ninja but also by expert civilian physicians.

After a thorough examination, the doctor gently pushed up his glasses and said in a calm, firm tone to reassure them, "There is no need to worry too much. The child has only caught a slight cold and is in no serious danger. With timely medication and careful nursing, he will recover soon."

Hearing this, the weight finally lifted from Shota's heart. After thanking the doctor repeatedly, he hurried off with Hayato to collect the medicine.

Just as they reached the pharmacy, a familiar voice rang out: "Brother Shota!"

Shota turned at the sound, and Hayato followed suit, seeing a man with a square jaw and a stern face—though he could not hide his pleasant surprise—standing before them.

A series of fragments flashed through Hayato's mind, and he finally recalled the man's identity: Uchiha Fugaku.

"Fugaku, why have you returned to the village? The war on the front lines is intense," Shota said, his surprise mixed with a hint of confusion.

The two were cousins and shared a deep bond.

Fugaku sighed and whispered, "Many in the clan have been poisoned. The conditions on the front lines are limited, making proper treatment difficult, so the higher-ups arranged for me to escort them back to the village for care."

With that, Fugaku's gaze fell upon Hayato in his swaddling clothes, a hint of curiosity appearing in his brow: "Brother Shota, who is this?"

Shota looked at Hayato tenderly and said softly, "This is Hayato, my child with Misaki. He caught a cold today, so I brought him to see the doctor."

Upon learning that Hayato was his nephew, the burden in Fugaku's heart seemed to lighten significantly. He walked over to Hayato, examined him closely, and his eyes filled with smiles.

At this time, Fugaku had not yet inherited the position of clan head, and his face had not yet been carved by time into that signature, expressionless mask.

This smile took Hayato by surprise, and he muttered to himself: So, Fugaku has such a warm side, too.

It even made him wonder for a moment if he had mistaken the man for someone else.

However, Hayato still only had a smattering of knowledge regarding the language of this world, and he could only watch their lips move, feeling anxious inside.

This was the first challenge he faced upon his arrival.

Before long, Shota took the medicine and left Konoha Hospital with Hayato.

Because Hayato intended to exploit a bug again, he did not claim the reward this time.

He did not know, however, if Choice One would be wiped out once he triggered the other two options.

Everything would have to be verified by time; for now, he was not yet capable of meeting the conditions.

Time passed like a white horse galloping past a crack in a wall. Three years flew by; the smoke of the Second Shinobi World War had dissipated, and the major ninja villages had entered a period of recuperation.

In these three years, Hayato had experienced much.

At six months old, because he displayed intelligence far beyond that of his peers, the Great Elder had personally begun teaching him to read and write.

Two and a half years of time were enough for him to gain a preliminary understanding of the world's language.

The hurdle of the language barrier had also gradually dissolved under the sharpening of time.

As for the system mission, Hayato had taken the opportunity to slip out of the village half a year ago while playing with his friends.

To his delight, it was just as he had initially hypothesized.

After both choices were fulfilled, both rewards were in a "Claimable" state.

At this moment, Hayato was in the courtyard, training hard in taijutsu.

Push-ups, sit-ups, and other basic physical training routines were performed in turn.

Thanks to the nourishment of chakra to his body, the fatigue brought on by the training always dissipated quickly.

"Hayato, take a break," Misaki's gentle voice came, holding a slice of watermelon.

Hearing this, Hayato stopped his movements and trotted over to Misaki's side.

Ignoring the dirt on his hands, he picked up a piece of watermelon and took a large bite. Misaki stroked Hayato's hair, her eyes filled with maternal love.

Hayato's bangs were fine and wispy, his sword-like brows slanted upward, and his youthful face revealed a maturity that did not belong to a little boy.

"Hayato, your enrollment procedures have been completed. You can start school tomorrow," Misaki said softly.

Originally, she and Shota were not in a hurry to send Hayato to the Ninja Academy, but they could not resist Hayato's pleas and the Great Elder's high regard for him.

Hearing this, Hayato's hands paused, and he felt a surge of excitement: This day has finally come!

He suppressed the joy in his heart and nodded earnestly: "Yes, I will study hard."

The next day.

Misaki walked in front, and Hayato followed closely behind as they arrived at the gates of the Ninja Academy.

The moment he stepped through the school gates, Hayato saw that the only remaining mission reward in the system panel had also been marked as "Claimable."

Hayato clenched his fists, an indescribable excitement surging in his heart: Finally, all three choices have been fulfilled!

Over the past few years, he had imagined sneaking into the Ninja Academy countless times, but due to the shadow of war, the school had suspended classes and kept its gates tightly shut.

The system's requirements were strict; even loitering at the school entrance did not count toward fulfilling the conditions.

Upon learning the news that the Ninja Academy was reopening, Hayato had pestered his family until they finally agreed to let him enroll.

At this moment, he took a deep breath and stepped slowly onto the campus grounds.

With his goal achieved, he was no longer in any hurry.

The playground was bustling with noise, mostly adults accompanying their children to register.

Hayato cast a casual glance around when suddenly, a youth with silver hair and a half-mask covering his face caught his eye, staring at him with piercing intensity.

Hayato raised an eyebrow, muttering to himself: Yo, isn't this Kakashi Five-Fifty! I didn't expect to run into an acquaintance here!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but deduce that if he was in the same year as Kakashi, then Uchiha Obito must be here too.

Only now did Hayato truly confirm the timeline—the 41st year of Konoha.

On the other side, Kakashi looked at Hayato, who was a year younger than him, his eyes filled with seriousness.

As a genius of the Hatake clan, he had naturally heard of Hayato, who had been making a name for himself in the village.

This Uchiha clan prodigy, who had awakened his Sharingan the moment he was born, filled him with anticipation for the upcoming life at the Ninja Academy.