Grow Taller, or Become Stronger?

Night fell.

Hideki finished his ninjutsu training, his mind a little unsettled.

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

Just as Hideki was at a loss, a sudden disturbance arose at the 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, conserving his energy for tomorrow's grind—

A figure suddenly appearing in his room made Hideki's expression change instantly!

"Fuck!"

Hideki shouted and instinctively began forming a Rasengan!

Before Hydrogen Release entered its second stage, the Rasengan would be Hideki's go-to technique for emergencies—such as dealing with Uchiha bastards.

It was also how he would cement his position as the leader of their three-man team. Kakashi still had no answer for this move, and it pissed him off to no end.

Only Minato, who had yet to return to Konoha from his mission, did not know about it. Otherwise, he would definitely regret teaching it to Hideki.

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

Hideki's expression became utterly strange. "Why are you here?"

"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 because of 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's Wind Release had broken through his Hydrogen Release. Then the bizarre Orochimaru had given him a lollipop. Though nothing disastrous had happened, the whole day had left Hideki physically and mentally exhausted.

He was seriously annoyed.

So naturally, he did not give this strange old man who had barged into his home a pleasant look.

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

He seemed to be in a fine mood today, his face ruddy, even his drinking posture more unrestrained than usual.

"Forget about 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 old 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 associated the question with Uchiha Retsu.

Then, still by instinct, he excluded the old man—who had not even been there—and applied the words to his own forced "work."

That shift in thought took only an instant, but in that instant, another question surfaced in Hideki's mind.

Who exactly was the old man talking about?

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

He understood neither finance nor war, so after being transported here and muddling along until now, he could not even afford Ichiraku Ramen on his own. He had almost been privately taught a lesson by someone's big brother just for arranging a fight.

But that did not affect the quickness of Hideki's mind, nor the burning refusal to admit defeat in his heart.

Who the old man meant was not important.

What mattered was whether it felt good.

"It feels terrible." Hideki looked straight into 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 stop replaying it in my head."

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

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

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

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

The Rasengan and Hydrogen Release were indeed both powerful techniques, and their future potential even pointed toward changing the world.

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

As for combat experience, he even lagged somewhat behind Kakashi.

At the end of the day, children arranging a fight and ninja battles were simply not on the same level.

What Hideki said seemed to be an answer, but in truth, it was self-reflection.

He still had a long way to go.

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

No, were kids these days really this mature already?

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

"What am I going to do?" Hideki rolled his eyes and spread his hands helplessly. "Obviously, become stronger. I can't exactly wait for someone else to step in and help me, can I? I'd like to have a Hokage for a father too, but I don't!"

For some reason, when the old man heard that, his gaze suddenly became evasive.

But he quickly suppressed the strange reaction. Crossing one leg over the other, he gulped down more liquor, and the flush on his face deepened.

"That's true."

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

"Now you know. Can you leave already...? I'm at the age where I need to grow taller. If my nutrition can't fall behind, neither can my sleep."

Hideki said irritably.

The old man paused mid-drink. Realizing that he was being thrown out, he instantly returned to his irritable self.

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

Halfway through, the old man realized he had let something slip. His face changed at once, and he was about to patch it up, but when he saw Hideki's thoughtful expression, he sighed.

Forget it. He'll find out sooner or later. The old man thought as he took another swig.

"Anyway, at your age, growing taller is not the only thing that matters. More importantly, you need to develop your body. None of those powerful ninja got where they were by going to bed early as children and then growing strong overnight."

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

"You've struck it lucky, kid... I can tell you have good aptitude for using chakra, and that sly temperament of yours is well suited to being a ninja."

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

After saying that, the old man shook his head and let out an odd chuckle.

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

But whether he had seen it clearly no longer mattered.

Hideki felt somewhat excited now.

"Senju, it 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 the Uchiha.

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

But then another question arose.

What exactly had this old man seen in him?

Hideki's expression suddenly became strange.

First Minato traded the Rasengan for his half-finished Hydrogen Release. Then Orochimaru generously gave him a lollipop. Now there was another old man who was ninety-nine percent likely to be Senju.

His popularity did not seem too bad, did it?