Grow Taller, or Grow Stronger?

Night had fallen.

Hideki had finished practicing ninjutsu, and his thoughts were indeed a little chaotic.

The main reason was still Orochimaru. Although Hideki was grateful for what Orochimaru had done, if possible, he still wanted to draw a clear line between them.

But just as Hideki was at a loss, a strange disturbance suddenly sounded outside his door.

"Who's there?"

Hideki immediately looked over. He walked to the door and opened it, only to find no one outside. The wind was rather strong, bringing a touch of coolness to the summer night.

Just as Hideki shut the door and prepared to turn in early, rest up, and face tomorrow's grind—

A figure suddenly appearing inside his room made Hideki's expression change at once!

"Holy shit!"

Hideki cried out and instinctively began forming a Rasengan!

Before Hydrogen Release entered its second stage, the Rasengan would be Hideki's go-to technique for handling sudden situations, such as Uchiha bastards.

It could also help establish his leadership within their three-man team. Kakashi still had no answer for this move, and it was driving him mad.

Only Minato, who had yet to return to Konoha from his mission, knew nothing about it. Otherwise, he would definitely regret teaching it to Hideki.

But when Hideki saw the figure clearly, the chakra in his palm immediately dispersed.

Hideki's expression became incredibly strange. "Why is it you?"

"Heh! I told you, brat. You bear my chakra mark. Even if you fled Konoha, I could drag you back."

"What, it's only the second day and you already want to become a tree?"

It was that strange old man, even older than Kosuke!

Hideki had not seen him that afternoon and thought the old man had simply forgotten about it due to his age. Who would have thought he would come charging over that very night?

"Obito and I waited for you until sunset, but you never showed up. What was I supposed to do?" Hideki said with a frown.

His day had not gone smoothly. First, Uchiha Retsu had broken through his Hydrogen Release with Wind Release. Then Orochimaru had inexplicably given him a lollipop. Though he had escaped danger without incident, the whole day had left Hideki exhausted in both body and mind.

He was seriously annoyed.

Naturally, he did not give this strange old man who had suddenly barged into his house a friendly look.

Yet the old man's reaction was the complete opposite of Hideki's.

He seemed to be in an excellent mood today. His complexion was rosy, and even the way he drank had become more unrestrained.

"Forget today. You can make it up later."

The old man waved a hand and took another swig. Just as Hideki was wondering what he meant, the man suddenly looked at him.

"Kid, losing to someone else... doesn't feel good, does it?"

Hideki froze at those words.

Because so much had happened that day, Hideki instinctively connected the old man's words to Uchiha Retsu.

Then, still instinctively, he ruled out the old man, who had not even been present, and applied the words to his own situation of being forced to "work."

That shift in thought took only an instant, but in that instant, a new question arose in Hideki's mind.

Who exactly was the old man talking about?

Hideki had been a humanities student, the artsy philosophical type.

He knew neither finance nor warfare, so since transmigrating here, he had made it this far without even becoming self-sufficient enough to afford Ichiraku Ramen. He had nearly been privately taught a lesson by someone's big brother just for arranging a fight.

But that did not affect Hideki's quick mind, nor the fiery spirit in him that refused to admit defeat.

It did not matter who the old man meant.

What mattered was whether he felt good about it.

"It feels awful." Hideki met the old man's eyes and said firmly, "It's a strange feeling, like something constantly gnawing at me. It makes me feel suffocated, yet I can't help replaying it in my mind."

"I've even started imagining myself suddenly gaining immense power, defeating my enemy, then grinding him into the floor again and again until he bleeds."

"But I know that, right now, I can't do it."

Uchiha Beiying's cousin's older brother was very strong. It was no exaggeration to say they were not even on the same level.

It was a bit like the difference between a professional boxer and an internet influencer with big biceps.

The Rasengan and Hydrogen Release were indeed both powerful techniques, with futures aimed at changing the world.

But Hideki knew his foundation was too weak. In taijutsu, experience, and chakra, he was inferior to Uchiha Retsu, who should have been a Chunin.

When it came to combat experience, he even lagged somewhat behind Kakashi.

At the end of the day, kids setting up fights and ninja battles were simply not on the same level.

Though Hideki seemed to be answering a question, he was actually reflecting on himself.

He still had a long way to go.

"Uh..." The old man's mouth fell open. For a moment, Hideki's answer left him speechless.

No, were kids these days really this mature?

The old man felt that all the words he had prepared had suddenly become useless. He could not help asking, "Then what do you plan to do?"

"What do I plan to do?" Hideki rolled his eyes and spread his hands helplessly. "Of course I'll grow stronger. I can't just wait for someone else to help me, can I? I'd like to have a Hokage for a father too, but I don't, do I?"

For some reason, after hearing that, the old man's gaze suddenly became evasive.

But he quickly suppressed the abnormality, crossed one leg over the other, gulped down more liquor, and made the flush on his face deepen.

"That's true."

"..." Hideki rolled his eyes again. "So you came to my house this late just to make sure whether I went this afternoon?"

"Now you know. You can leave, right...? I'm at the age when I need to grow taller. If my nutrition can't keep up, my sleep definitely can't fall behind."

Hideki said irritably.

The old man paused mid-drink. Realizing he was being shown the door, he immediately returned to his irritable self.

"What nonsense are you talking about? When I was your age, I could already fight Uchiha for three days and nights straight, and I never—"

Halfway through, the old man realized he had let something slip. His expression changed immediately. He was about to patch things up, but when he saw the thoughtful look on Hideki's face, he sighed.

Forget it. He'll have to find out sooner or later, the old man thought, taking another swig.

"Anyway, at your age, aside from growing taller, what matters more is developing your body. None of those powerful ninja went to bed early as children and then grew strong overnight."

As the old man spoke, he stood and headed straight for the door.

"You're a lucky kid... I can see that you have good talent for using chakra, and your cunning temperament suits being a ninja too."

"If you want to become stronger, come find me tomorrow morning before dawn... Of course, if you're afraid you won't get enough sleep and won't grow taller, then don't come."

After saying that, the old man shook his head and gave a strange laugh.

Along with that laughter, the old man's figure vanished. Just like when he arrived, Hideki had not seen how he did it at all.

But whether he had seen it clearly no longer mattered.

Hideki was somewhat excited now.

"Senju. He really is Senju!"

"This old man really is from the Senju clan!"

He was older than Konoha itself, even older than Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kosuke, and he had fought Uchiha before.

If he was not Senju, then what clan could he possibly belong to?

But another question arose.

What exactly had this old man seen in him?

Hideki's expression suddenly became strange.

First Minato had traded the Rasengan for his half-finished Hydrogen Release, then Orochimaru had generously given him a lollipop, and now there was an old grandpa who was ninety-nine percent likely to be Senju.

His popularity... did not seem half bad?