Before long, Shota arrived at the foot of the towering Konoha Hospital with Hayato in his arms.
The moment Shota stepped through the hospital doors, which held the hopes of countless lives, Hayato keenly noticed that the words "Claimable" had quietly appeared beneath "Choice One Reward" on the system panel.
This mission is different from the previous ones in more ways than one. Even the way I claim the rewards has changed. Hayato pondered silently, wondering if this meant he had a chance to claim all three rewards at once.
An idea flashed through his mind: Wouldn't it be wonderful to wait until he had fulfilled all three choices, then claim them together?
Hayato remained calm, but Shota was still frantic with worry.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he hurriedly led Hayato to the doctor's office. His anxiety as a new father was plain to see.
Konoha Hospital had not only highly skilled medical ninja, but also many accomplished civilian doctors.
After a thorough examination, the doctor gently pushed up his glasses and reassured Shota in a calm, firm voice. "There's no need to worry too much. The child has only caught a slight chill; it's nothing serious. Give him his medicine on time and take good care of him. He'll recover soon."
Hearing this, Shota finally breathed a sigh of relief. After thanking the doctor repeatedly, he hurried off with Hayato to pick up the medicine.
Just as they were approaching the pharmacy, a familiar voice called out beside them. "Shota, big brother!"
Shota turned at the sound, and Hayato looked over as well. A man with a square face and a stern expression stood before them, unable to hide his delight.
A series of memories flashed through Hayato's mind, and at last he recalled the man's identity: Uchiha Fugaku.
"Fugaku, what are you doing back in the village? The fighting at the front is fierce," Shota asked, surprised and somewhat puzzled.
The two were cousins, and they shared a close bond.
Fugaku sighed and spoke quietly. "Several members of the clan were poisoned. Conditions at the front are limited, and they can't be treated properly there, so the higher-ups assigned me to escort them back to the village for treatment."
As he spoke, Fugaku's gaze fell on Hayato in his swaddling clothes. A hint of curiosity crossed his face. "Shota, big brother, who's this?"
Shota looked fondly at Hayato and replied softly, "This is my son with Misaki, Hayato. He caught a chill today, so I brought him to see a doctor."
Learning that Hayato was his nephew seemed to ease the burden on Fugaku's mind. He stepped closer to Hayato and looked him over, his eyes full of warmth.
Fugaku had yet to inherit the position of clan head, and time had not yet carved his face into its famously impassive expression.
His smile took Hayato by surprise, and he wondered to himself, So Fugaku can be this warm and gentle after all.
For a moment, Hayato even wondered if he had mistaken him for someone else.
However, Hayato still understood little of this world's language. He could only watch their lips move, growing anxious inside.
This was the first challenge he had faced since arriving in this world.
Before long, Shota collected the medicine, then left Konoha Hospital with Hayato.
Since Hayato planned to exploit the bug again this time, he didn't claim the reward.
But he had no idea whether Choice One would disappear when he triggered the other two choices later.
He would have to wait and see. For now, he still hadn't met the requirements.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Three years passed, and the smoke of the Second Shinobi World War had cleared. The great shinobi villages entered a period of recovery and rebuilding.
Hayato had been through a lot over those three years.
When he was six months old, the Grand Elder noticed that he was far brighter than other children his age and personally began teaching him to read.
Two and a half years was enough for him to gain a basic understanding of the written language of this world.
With time, the language barrier gradually faded.
As for the system mission, Hayato had completed it half a year ago, when he took the opportunity to leave the village on an outing with his friends.
He slipped out of the village, and, just as he had originally expected, both choices had been fulfilled.
Both rewards were in a claimable state.
At that moment, Hayato was practicing Taijutsu in the courtyard.
He cycled through basic fitness exercises, including push-ups and sit-ups.
Thanks to the way chakra nourished his body, the fatigue from training always faded quickly.
"Hayato, take a break," Misaki called gently, holding a plate of sliced watermelon.
Hayato stopped what he was doing and jogged over to her.
Without bothering to wipe the dirt from his hands, he picked up a slice of watermelon and took a big bite. Misaki stroked his head, her eyes full of affection.
Hayato's bangs fell in wisps over his forehead, and his sharp eyebrows slanted upward. His young face held a maturity that seemed out of place in a little boy.
"Hayato, your enrollment has been taken care of. You can start school tomorrow," Misaki said softly.
She and Shota hadn't originally been in a hurry to send Hayato to the Ninja Academy, but they couldn't resist his pleading or the Grand Elder's high regard for him.
At her words, Hayato paused, his heart racing with excitement. The day has finally come!
He suppressed his joy and nodded seriously. "Mm. I'll study hard."
The next day.
Misaki walked ahead, with Hayato following close behind, and they arrived at the entrance to the Ninja Academy.
The moment he stepped through the gate, Hayato saw that the last remaining reward in his system mission had also been marked "Claimable."
He clenched his fists, overcome with indescribable excitement. At last, I've fulfilled all three choices!
Over the past few years, he had imagined sneaking into the Ninja Academy countless times. But under the shadow of war, the school had been closed for a time, its gates shut tight.
The system's requirements were strict. Even lingering outside the school gate didn't count as fulfilling the condition.
Once he heard that the Ninja Academy had reopened, Hayato had badgered his family until they agreed to let him enroll.
Now, he took a deep breath and slowly stepped onto the school grounds.
His goal was accomplished, so there was no need to rush.
The playground was buzzing with activity. Most of the people there were adults who had brought their children to register.
Hayato casually looked around, then suddenly spotted a silver-haired boy wearing a half-mask, staring intently at him.
Hayato raised an eyebrow and thought, Hey, isn't that Kakashi Five-Fifty? I never expected to run into someone I know here!
Then it occurred to him that if he was in the same class as Kakashi, Uchiha Obito must be there too.
Only now did Hayato finally confirm the timeline: Year 41 of Konoha.
Meanwhile, Kakashi watched Hayato, who was a year younger than him, with a serious expression.
As a genius of the Hatake Clan, he had naturally heard of Hayato, whose reputation had been rising throughout the village.
The prodigy of the Uchiha Clan, who had awakened the Sharingan at birth, filled Kakashi with anticipation for his upcoming life at the Ninja Academy.
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