"Children, these are the ninjutsu I carefully selected for you. Consider them gifts to prepare you for becoming Genin. Minato, make sure you teach them well."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he pushed the scrolls to the edge of his desk, looking for all the world like he was handing out New Year's money.
"Ah, well... on behalf of the three children of Team 7, thank you, Lord Hokage!" Minato said, flattered and overwhelmed, as though his own children had just received red envelopes.
"Thank you, Grandpa Hokage!"
The three youths bowed in unison in greeting, then each received their own scroll.
"Open them and have a look. I selected every one of them carefully, but they aren't easy. Children, train hard. Grandpa Hokage will be checking on your progress."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke kindly. Looking at the three children before him, he seemed to see the Legendary Sannin of old.
Yes, in the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.
Who would have thought that Jiraiya, the most unreliable of them all, would be the first to take on a disciple—and train him so well?
And naturally, his disciple's disciple's disciples had to be absolutely outstanding as well.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, but as if recalling something, his gaze toward Hideki suddenly flickered.
What a wonderful child...
His talent was so high. A technique Minato had spent three years developing had taken him merely two months to learn.
He had even developed combination ninjutsu with his companions. That kind of team spirit was what Hiruzen Sarutobi valued most.
That was the very essence of the Will of Fire!
No, he absolutely could not let that bastard Danzo ruin him!
Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled the agreement between them, then glanced at the scrolls he had given away. He smiled faintly, full of confidence and cunning.
Old friend... didn't expect that, did you?
This old man had started making his move long ago! You won't get a single one! Hehe!
Hideki opened his scroll and found a Water Release ninjutsu inside—Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet.
He knew this technique well. It was not only one that appeared frequently, but he had seen it just last night, word for word.
Hideki immediately lost interest. Damn it, ever since learning he was a descendant of the Senju Clan, it felt like he had suddenly lost so many things!
Hideki then looked toward Obito, only to find Obito staring at him expectantly as well.
He probably can't read. Hideki understood at once. He glanced over Obito's scroll for him, then gave Obito a reassuring look.
It was a B-rank Fire Release ninjutsu, Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
It was one of the more formidable techniques among the many ninjutsu taught by the Professor. Jiraiya's Fire Release: Flame Bullet evolved into the pseudo-Sage Art Great Flame Bullet, so it was somewhat connected to Mount Myoboku.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not have Sage Mode, yet he had combined and upgraded Fire Dragon Bullet and Flame Bullet, creating the even more powerful Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
Fire Dragon Bullet plus Flame Bullet—this technique was practically two in one. Like Hideki's Water Dragon Bullet, it was a B-rank ninjutsu. It had some difficulty to it, but it was not hard to learn.
More importantly, once mastered, it would further improve one's chakra control.
As a gift, it was absolutely top-tier.
Hideki looked at Kakashi again and found that Kakashi had already finished reading his scroll, quietly nodding to himself. It was probably a B-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu.
As expected of master and disciple, even their taste in gifts was so spot-on. Both were essential for Hydrogen Release.
"Minato, here are the recent D-rank missions. This old man has selected a few suitable ones, so look them over and decide."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took out another scroll. This was already the fourth one.
"Yes!" Minato immediately nodded. In truth, he had wanted to ask whether it was too early for them to take missions right after graduation.
They should at least learn some basic ninja skills first.
But when he recalled the battle two days ago, Minato instantly understood why the Hokage had arranged things this way.
It seemed Lord Hokage truly had high expectations for the three of them...
Minato carefully selected a mission—helping an old man prune his trees, with a reward of six thousand ryo.
Six thousand ryo was considered the lowest reward among D-rank missions, but it was still an enormous sum that Hideki and Obito had never seen in their lives.
As laborers, ninjas naturally earned more than ordinary civilians.
Minato had chosen this mission because he intended for them to train while carrying it out.
And just like that, after accepting their mission, Team 7 officially made its debut.
However, Minato did not rush to take them on the mission. Instead, he first took them to get a photo.
Hideki stood in the center. Obito, making a V-sign, stood on his left, while Kakashi, raising a thumbs-up, stood on his right. Short-haired Minato stood behind the three of them with a sunny smile, while Hideki struck the signature pose of a certain tough guy from his previous life—turned sideways, smiling, one hand extended.
May the Shinobi World achieve nuclear peace, and may there be no more war.
With their registration complete and their photo taken, Team 7 had officially debuted.
Hideki had gotten his wish and taken Rin's place, saving an innocent girl. At the same time, he had turned himself into a candidate for Three-Tails Jinchuriki, bringing nuclear peace in the Shinobi World one step closer.
By then, it was already noon.
"Children, let's meet at Park No. 2 at two this afternoon. For now, you're dismissed, all right?"
Minato announced their dismissal with a smile, then vanished immediately, seeming to be in quite a hurry.
This drew Obito's intense dissatisfaction. "Damn it! Wasn't he supposed to treat us to lunch? I deliberately went hungry this morning just waiting for this meal at noon!"
"...Minato-sensei might treat us tonight. You can stay hungry until then," Kakashi suggested darkly from the side.
Hideki watched the direction Minato had left in. He roughly knew what they would be doing that afternoon.
It felt unnecessary, but if they really skipped it, it would somehow feel like they were missing a sense of ceremony.
"Let's go, let's go. Hurry home and eat. This afternoon probably won't be so simple."
As he spoke, Hideki immediately headed home.
Obito sighed miserably. Damn it, he had lost out this time.
After returning home, Hideki first tossed the scroll Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him directly onto his bed, then began boiling water to make instant noodles.
He was a ninja now, and he would soon be completing missions. From now on, he would not be eating instant noodles anymore.
But he could not waste them either... he still had five or six cups in storage. Throwing them away would be such a pity.
Hideki planned to finish them all in one meal. Don't ask why he had such a huge appetite—some things were not merely beyond Obito's expectations...
As Hideki waited for the water to boil, he stared blankly into space.
There had been too much information from last night. He needed to sort it all out properly.
For example, besides the old man, did anyone else know that he was a descendant of the Senju Clan?
Other than Tsunade, himself, and that old man, how many members of the Senju Clan were still left?
Who exactly was that old man? Why did he care so much about Hideki in particular? Could there be some other reason?
The pile of questions plunged Hideki into deep thought. He did not even notice that the water was nearly boiling dry.
Knock, knock, knock—
At that moment, a rapid knocking at the door brought Hideki back to his senses.
"Fuck!" Hideki was about to open the door when he noticed the water had boiled dry. He hurriedly turned off the heat before running to answer it.
But the moment he opened the door, Hideki froze upon seeing the visitor.
No, more accurately, he could not see the visitor's face at all, because the other person wore a mask.
The newcomer radiated killing intent and a savage presence. The pattern on the mask was a completely different artistic style from that of the ANBU Hideki had seen before.
"Genin Hideki, Shimura Danzo, an elder of Konoha, has taken notice of your talent as a ninja and has specially approved your admission into Root."
"Prepare yourself and come with me."
Before you continue