The Boy Who Could Use Fire Style

Senju Kyogawa had not expected that even Senju Butsuma, that leader of the ninja, would consider ninjas to be nothing more than tools for the feudal lords.

Having grown up under the radiant light of red socialism in his past life, Kyogawa found it impossible to empathize with such a sentiment.

Kyogawa could not comprehend the mindset of Senju Butsuma and the rest of the ninjas at all.

The very idea that "ninjas are tools" was completely baseless, wasn't it?

How could ninjas possess such formidable abilities and yet relegate themselves to being mere instruments for the nobility?

Kyogawa was deeply shocked.

[Host, there is no need to dwell on this. This world is derived from a manga, so it is normal for the worldview to be incomplete.] The system, having heard Kyogawa's puzzled inner thoughts, explained as such.

But this wasn't just an incomplete worldview; it was utterly absurd!

Having finally managed to live in this world, Senju Kyogawa had no desire to sacrifice his life for the sake of this bullshit "calling" of a ninja.

Senju Kyogawa went to find his older brothers to vent about the matter, though to his surprise, only Hashirama and Tobirama could empathize with him.

Senju Hashirama expressed that he also loathed such a system, but he had no idea what could be done to change it all.

Kyogawa's stomach began to rumble again in his sorrow.

However, when mealtime arrived, Senju Kyogawa sat at the dining table and lost his appetite the moment he saw the bowl of rice topped with a stark, white pile of radishes.

In his past life, the food Senju Kyogawa hated most was radish, whether it was white radish or carrots.

Senju Kyogawa picked the white radishes out of his bowl and dumped them all into Senju Hashirama's bowl.

Senju Hashirama swallowed the rice in his mouth and asked with a puzzled look:

"Little Kyogawa, didn't you say you were hungry earlier? Why are you giving me so much?"

Senju Kyogawa smiled gently and said to him, "Brother Hashirama, you have training tomorrow, so you should eat more."

"Waaah, Kyogawa, you're so kind! You truly are my brother, Senju Hashirama!" Senju Hashirama hugged Senju Kyogawa, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Eh, Big Brother, Kyogawa is clearly just being a picky eater." Senju Tobirama broke through Kyogawa's facade without hesitation.

As for why Kyogawa chose to give the white radishes to Senju Hashirama, it was surely because Senju Hashirama was the closest to him!

Having eaten only a small amount of rice, Kyogawa was soon hungry again.

At four years old, Senju Kyogawa truly had no capital to change the system of the ninja world; the four-year-old brat Senju Kyogawa just wanted to fill his belly!

Senju Kyogawa snuck out to the outskirts of the Senju clan grounds once more, attempting to hunt some game in the forest.

As it turned out, there were no animals to be found in the winter forest at all.

The barren forest showed not a single sign of life.

Facing the vast, white expanse of the forest, Senju Kyogawa gave up on the idea of hunting.

He sat down on the riverbank, staring blankly at the frozen surface of the water.

Suddenly, Senju Kyogawa struck with lightning speed, smashing through the ice in one blow to reveal the flowing river water and a few swimming fish beneath.

Senju Kyogawa grabbed the fish with quick, nimble hands.

The fishes' tails slapped weakly against the cold earth, making crisp "patter-patter" sounds. Deprived of water, the fish gradually lost their strength and lay completely still on the bank.

Senju Kyogawa found a few dry branches and built a simple grill. He took off his gloves and tried to strike a spark, but it was to no avail.

Even after turning his face red from the effort, Senju Kyogawa only managed to produce a tiny spark.

Frustrated, Kyogawa prepared to find more materials to put the reality of "friction fire-making" to the test.

Suddenly, Senju Kyogawa heard the mocking laughter of a young boy from the opposite bank.

Senju Kyogawa turned his head to look and saw a boy with black hair, black eyes, and fair skin.

"Haha, you're so pathetic, you can't even control your chakra," the black-haired, black-eyed boy on the opposite bank mocked.

Kyogawa had just been admiring how delicate and handsome the boy looked, but he hadn't expected the seemingly well-behaved child to mock him.

Kyogawa was instantly indignant; his childish nature momentarily overwhelmed his adult willpower as he shouted:

"Then you try it!"

The boy on the opposite bank smiled confidently and said, "Watch closely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he began to weave hand signs and shouted, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The next second, a massive fireball was spat from his mouth, burning in the air above the river.

In an instant, the ice melted and the river water began to boil, with steam rising up in place of the fireball.

Kyogawa could not see the boy clearly behind the thick, misty steam, but he felt a sense of awe in his heart.

The Senju clan had never had any Fire Style users; this was the first time Senju Kyogawa had faced the power of Fire Style directly, and this massive fireball was even cooler than he had imagined.

"Hmph, convinced now? My Uchiha... my Fire Style has never lost!"

Senju Kyogawa was convinced; he wasn't the type who couldn't handle losing.

Looking at the boy's skilled ninjutsu and exquisite clothing, he figured he must be a child from a major ninja clan.

Senju Kyogawa said to the boy, "I'm impressed! I'm Kyogawa, want to be friends?"

"Izuna." The boy, who was Izuna, crossed his arms and turned his head slightly away.

Seeing Izuna's tsundere attitude, Kyogawa instantly understood how to get along with someone like him.

Izuna was a ninja, after all. If he could get close to him, the "cuddle points" he would gain would surely be more than what he got from wild pheasants or rabbits, and he might even be able to secretly learn a thing or two from him.

Friendships between children often form rapidly, especially when a thin-skinned tsundere like Izuna encounters a thick-skinned, shameless rogue like Senju Kyogawa.

Through Senju Kyogawa's unremitting (and pestering) efforts, he and Izuna had barely managed to become friends.

As the sun set, a few faint rays of slanted light filtered through the treetops, casting broken, fish-scale patterns of light upon the ground.

Accompanied by the crackling sound of the fire, the aroma of grilled fish wafted through the air.

Senju Kyogawa checked the heat, skewered the fish with branches, sprinkled on his homemade seasoning, and handed it to Izuna.

"I'm quite the expert at grilling fish. Take a whiff—doesn't it smell intoxicating?" Kyogawa asked with a smirk.

Though Izuna was already craving it deep down, he still put on an arrogant front and said, "I suppose I'll try a bite, just to be accommodating."

Taking a bite of the crispy skin, he found the meat inside soft, tender, and smooth. There were few bones, and paired with Kyogawa's homemade seasoning, it was an absolute delight to the palate.

Izuna's eyes brightened, and he couldn't help but speed up his chewing.

Senju Kyogawa's grilled fish was indeed excellent; even Izuna, who preferred sweeter flavors, couldn't help but eat a few extra bites.

"Although your ninjutsu is terrible, your fish-grilling skills aren't bad! But it might be even better if you added some honey..."

Izuna complimented Senju Kyogawa's grilling skills while taking a jab at his aptitude as a ninja.

Senju Kyogawa couldn't help but grumble inwardly; he would love to learn ninjutsu, but he had no way to circulate chakra at all.

Besides, what kind of madness was adding honey to grilled fish!

"Izuna, your ninjutsu is so impressive, could you teach me?" Kyogawa leaned in and asked.

"Seeing as you have a bit of talent for Fire Release..." Izuna looked Kyogawa up and down.

Kyogawa stared at Izuna with sparkling eyes and asked, "So, can you teach me, Izuna?"

"You're so dense, I'm not teaching you!" Izuna refused without hesitation.

For a ninja, every ninjutsu was a secret; naturally, Izuna couldn't teach Fire Release to Kyogawa, whom he had only just met.

"Ah? Really not? Then could you let me see your hands, Izuna? I want to see how the hands of a Fire Release ninja master are so nimble—the hand signs look so complicated!"

Kyogawa settled for the next best thing. This time, unable to refuse, Izuna agreed, and Kyogawa successfully heard the notification: [Cuddle points +6].

It's actually the same amount of cuddle points as Hashirama contributed! It seems Izuna is also an important character from the manga!

While touching Izuna's hands, Kyogawa showered him with compliments, leaving Izuna feeling completely dazed and flattered.