Family Ranking Tournament Champion: Rogge

Rogge's next opponent was Kakuhei Sarutobi.

Kakuhei Sarutobi was Hiruzen Sarutobi's nephew. He had a rather arrogant personality, and Rogge truly did not think highly of him.

Once the two stood on the dueling ground and formed the Seal of Confrontation, Kakuhei Sarutobi began lecturing Rogge in the tone of an older brother. "You little brat, you're far too arrogant. Today, I'll let you know just how high the sky is and how thick the earth is."

A trace of irritation rose in Rogge's heart. He hated people who were so full of themselves.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, contempt flickering in his gaze. He could not be bothered to respond to Kakuhei Sarutobi's lecture.

Rogge decided to end this quickly.

He instantly activated an incredibly fast Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from where he stood like a phantom.

The next moment, he shot in front of Kakuhei Sarutobi like a bolt of lightning.

Bang! A dull thud rang out as Rogge's fist slammed viciously into Kakuhei Sarutobi's head.

The punch carried tremendous force and knocked Kakuhei Sarutobi unconscious on the spot.

Had Rogge used his full strength, Kakuhei Sarutobi's head would probably have burst like a watermelon.

One move. Instant defeat!

Kakuhei Sarutobi could not even withstand a single move.

Seeing this, the Konoha higher-ups on the platform could no longer remain seated and cried out in alarm.

"What a fast Body Flicker Technique! Even my Byakugan failed to see his movements clearly! That's impossible!" Sōju Hyuga stared wide-eyed in shock, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

As the head of the Hyuga Clan, he had absolute confidence in his Byakugan. Yet Rogge's speed had been so great that even his Byakugan could not track it.

Orochimaru's mouth also fell slightly open, surprise flashing in his eyes.

The corners of his lips curved upward as he smiled. "That kid Rogge has truly exceeded my expectations. In terms of speed alone, his strength is no weaker than that of a jonin."

Orochimaru had always kept an eye on Rogge. This suddenly rising young boy had made him extremely curious.

He began reassessing Rogge's potential.

"Can the Body Flicker Technique really be this fast? Even my Three-Tomoe Sharingan could only catch a faint afterimage... Damn it!" Uchiha Shimizu was inwardly shocked when he saw Rogge instantly defeat Kakuhei Sarutobi.

He had originally looked down on Rogge somewhat, believing that a genin could never possibly be a match for an elite jonin like himself.

But now, that contempt had vanished completely.

He began seriously considering the life-and-death duel a month from now.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also thought to himself, The more outstanding Rogge is, the less I can allow anything to happen to him. No, I must find a way to cancel his life-and-death duel with Uchiha Shimizu!

As the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to consider not only Leaf Village's overall interests, but also protect every ninja with potential.

Rogge's performance allowed him to see Leaf Village's hope for the future. Yet he also knew full well that the Uchiha Clan was not easy to provoke, and this life-and-death duel could bring Rogge tremendous danger.

Rogge's subsequent performance stunned everyone even further.

In the fifth round, he still instantly defeated his opponent with incredible speed and tremendous strength.

The sixth round was another instant defeat!

The seventh and eighth rounds were the same.

By the eighth round, his opponent saw Rogge's previous performances and directly chose to surrender.

In the ninth round, his opponent refused to believe it and wanted to test Rogge's strength. The result was that he, too, was knocked out by one punch.

Rogge used his Body Flicker Technique at its utmost speed, moving with the ghostly figure of a phantom.

Like a ghost, he always appeared from an unknown direction, and every punch knocked his opponent unconscious.

Some opponents did not even have time to form hand seals before Rogge flickered over and knocked them out with a single punch.

Rogge's speed and strength shocked everyone. He seemed to have become an invincible presence on the dueling ground.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi rose to his feet and loudly announced, "First place in the Family Ranking Tournament: Rogge!"

A roar erupted!

As soon as the Third Hokage's words fell, the entire venue, after a moment of silence, erupted into an uproar.

Rogge, a genius genin only seven years old, had won first place in the Family Ranking Tournament while representing the Sarutobi Clan!

In one stroke, he became the youngest and strongest genin in the Hidden Leaf Village!

On the platform, every Konoha higher-up remembered the name Rogge.

Their gazes were filled with shock and wariness.

The rise of this young boy would undoubtedly bring new changes to Leaf Village.

Below the platform, the genius genin who had been eliminated also deeply etched Rogge into their hearts. Some even regarded him as their goal and imagined rival.

They felt both admiration for Rogge and an unyielding fighting spirit. Secretly, they swore to work hard and improve their strength, so that one day they could surpass Rogge.

After all, just over a month ago, Rogge had still been a dead last at the Ninja Academy, nearly persuaded by his teacher to drop out.

Who would have thought that after merely awakening "Lava Release," Rogge's strength would undergo such an earth-shaking transformation?

Everyone could not help sighing at the wonders of fate.

In this world, strength was everything. Only by continuously striving and breaking through could one survive amid such cruel competition.

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade all stepped forward to congratulate the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Congratulations, Sensei!"

"Lord Hokage, you've taken in a fine adopted son!"

"To possess such strength at such a young age, Rogge's future is limitless!" A faint smile rested on Orochimaru's face, and his eyes revealed his appreciation for Rogge.

"Hmph, that boy Rogge is somewhat too arrogant. His temperament still needs tempering." Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was proud of Rogge, he also worried that Rogge's arrogance would bring him trouble.

At that moment, Uchiha Zhenghong turned around and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi with a fake smile, "Rogge's Body Flicker Technique is so impressive. He may not lack a chance of winning in the life-and-death duel a month from now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly replied, "Senior Zhenghong, what life-and-death duel? It's merely childish fooling around between juniors. It shouldn't be taken seriously."

"Hmph!" Uchiha Zhenghong snorted coldly. He said nothing more, turning to lead the Uchiha Clan's ninjas away from the dueling ground.

After the unrelated people had left, Tsunade looked excitedly at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "Sensei, Rogge doesn't have a jonin instructor yet, does he? I want to be his jonin instructor. I'll definitely train him into an outstanding ninja!"

"Huh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat surprised. Why had Tsunade suddenly become so interested in Rogge?

"Wait, I want Rogge." Not to be outdone, Orochimaru spoke up as well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "No. We'll discuss this matter after one month."

"Why?" Tsunade did not understand. Then she thought of something. "Oh, is Sarutobi-sensei worried about Rogge's life-and-death duel with Uchiha Shimizu? What's the problem? Just call it off."

"I'm afraid that won't work. Rogge's personality is somewhat extreme. He won't agree to it." Orochimaru analyzed calmly.

"Then make the Uchiha Clan call it off." Tsunade said matter-of-factly.

"That won't work either. The Uchiha Clan is even more extreme. They'll definitely accept the challenge!" Orochimaru continued.

"This is so annoying! Then make Rogge train like crazy over the next month and kill Uchiha Shimizu during the life-and-death duel!" Tsunade blurted out.

"Enough, stop making a fuss. I'll handle this matter. Go take care of your own business." Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted, silencing them.

After the Family Ranking Tournament ended, Rogge's name as a genius spread throughout Konoha in a short time.

Konoha's thousands of ninjas were all shocked by the news.

At the same time, some interested parties dug up Rogge's background, social connections, and the ninjutsu he used.

An unknown orphan from another village, a seven-year-old dead last, Hiruzen Sarutobi's adopted son, an arrogant genin who publicly provoked Uchiha Shimizu and arranged a life-and-death duel one month later... This information rapidly spread through Leaf Village, attracting widespread attention and discussion.

"Rogge, you're amazing!" Kushina Uzumaki had been waiting for him early outside his house.

The moment she saw him, she jogged over, spread her arms, and bounced up and down as though Rogge had won a great battle.

Her face was brimming with excitement and joy, while her eyes sparkled with admiration.

Kushina Uzumaki had always regarded Rogge as a good friend. Seeing him achieve such excellent results in the Family Ranking Tournament, she was sincerely happy for him.

"Congratulations, Rogge. From now on, you're a genin!" Kushina Uzumaki's tone held a slight sourness.

She was happy for Rogge, but also a little envious.

She, too, longed to become a genin as soon as possible and display her strength in the Hidden Leaf Village just as Rogge had.

Rogge understood what she was thinking, so he praised her. "Kushina, you can also apply to Lord Hokage to graduate early. With your current ninjutsu level, it shouldn't be much of a problem."

"That's right!" Kushina Uzumaki became happy again. Her eyes lit up as though she had seen hope.

She vigorously patted Rogge's shoulder and said, "We'll form a team and take missions together in the future. I'll protect you!"

Rogge could not help laughing when he saw the serious expression covering Kushina's little face.

He found Kushina incredibly cute. Her kindness and bravery made him feel warm.

Kushina Uzumaki put her hands on her hips. "What are you laughing at?"

Rogge stopped laughing and said, "Ahem, it's nothing. I just suddenly felt like laughing."

"Damn it, you must be laughing at me. I've decided—your punishment is to cook ten different dishes for me today!" Kushina Uzumaki kicked open Rogge's front door and dragged him inside by the ear.

Her movements were somewhat rough, but they were filled with intimacy.

Rogge rolled his eyes at her. "Are you a pig?"

"What did you say? I'm giving you a chance to show off. Other people wouldn't even get the chance to cook for me." Kushina Uzumaki retorted without yielding.

A trace of smugness appeared on her face, as though she were showing off her charm to Rogge.

Bang!

The sealing scroll unfurled, and a cloud of white smoke billowed out.

A huge pile of ingredients appeared.

"Alright, these are today's ingredients. Hurry up and start cooking, little brother Rogge." Kushina Uzumaki stood with her hands on her hips, directing Rogge.

Rogge helplessly picked up several bags of ingredients and walked into the kitchen.

Though he complained aloud, he actually enjoyed this life of bickering with Kushina Uzumaki.

After all, before he activated the system, when he had still been a dead last, Kushina Uzumaki had been the only one who treated him as a friend.

Every few days, Kushina Uzumaki would bring a large pile of ingredients over to help him out.

On the surface, she was ordering him around and treating him like a cook, but Rogge knew that Kushina Uzumaki was actually worried that he would not have enough to eat or get sufficient nutrition. She was also afraid that he would be too lonely with no one to talk to, which was why she often brought over a huge bag of ingredients.

Rogge liked this kind and considerate little girl very much. Her presence allowed him to feel warmth and care in this unfamiliar world.

In the kitchen, Rogge skillfully prepared the ingredients.

As he cooked, he recalled his performance in the Family Ranking Tournament.