The Third Hokage's Investment

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help but laugh when he heard the last sentence.

Fang Xu smiled as well.

"Lord Hokage, I'm not saying Konoha is perfect in every way. There must be troubles in the village, and there must be unfairness too. But the fact that an orphan could grow up here safely and still think about becoming stronger in the future already shows that the village has given me a great deal."

"So, I've lived quite happily here."

Those words were not an act.

Fang Xu was indeed cautious, and he did have his own secrets.

But he could not deny that Konoha's orphan support had played a role in allowing the original owner of this body to survive until now.

Compared to many small countries in the ninja world, ravaged by war, filled with refugees, where children could not even get enough to eat, Konoha was already considered safe.

He could guard against the higher-ups and hide his cheat, but there was no need to paint the village as utterly worthless.

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for several seconds.

Only the steam from the tea slowly rose in the living room. Then, he nodded lightly.

"It is good that you can think this way."

His voice was gentler than before.

"The Will of Fire has never been an empty phrase. It needs people to understand it, and it needs people to pass it on. Fang Xu, you have not let your father down."

Fang Xu said softly, "I still have a long way to go."

"That is all right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "The most important thing for a young person is to have a direction."

After saying that, he reached into his robes.

Fang Xu's attention immediately sharpened.

The next moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a scroll, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Fang Xu.

The scroll's cover was dark, its edges worn, and a Konoha sealing tag was affixed over its opening.

Fang Xu only glanced at it, yet his heart skipped a beat.

A scroll that the Third Hokage carried with him could not possibly be ordinary.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "This is an incomplete version of the Cloud Lightning Body Tempering Technique preserved in the village's collection."

Fang Xu's pupils contracted slightly.

The Cloud Lightning Body Tempering Technique!

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit gave him a high ceiling, and he could also train Lightning Release: Lightning Ball.

The Cloud Lightning Body Tempering Technique was the system's body-tempering method.

Enel's experience contained the idea of using lightning to stimulate the body, but that was more like a usage method a Devil Fruit user had figured out on his own—crude, direct, and dependent on physical strength.

Fang Xu's current physical foundation was far too weak. What he feared most was overtraining and injuring himself with electricity.

The Hidden Cloud's lightning Taijutsu was different.

It was the foundational direction of the ninja world's top-tier Lightning Release Nintaijutsu.

Even if it was incomplete, even without the core secret arts, it was still a treasure to him at his current stage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw his reaction and explained, "This is not Hidden Cloud's true core secret transmission. It does not contain the highest-level Lightning Release body-protection secret art, nor does it contain the key cultivation methods of the Raikage's lineage."

"But it includes the basics of using lightning-nature chakra to stimulate the body, training muscles and bones in stages, and temporarily activating the body during battle."

"For your current situation, it is more than enough."

Fang Xu stared at the scroll, his heart already growing hot.

He wanted it too badly. With this scroll, his tentative lightning body-tempering from last night would allow him to avoid many detours.

But the more he wanted it, the less he could appear impatient.

Fang Xu pulled his gaze away from the scroll and shook his head.

"Lord Hokage, this is too precious."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.

"You do not want it?"

Fang Xu was honest.

"I do."

He did not pretend otherwise.

"I just awakened lightning-nature chakra, and I've also been trying to use lightning to strengthen my body. If I had this scroll, it would definitely help me a great deal."

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched him, waiting for what came next.

Fang Xu took a deep breath.

"But I have not rendered any service."

"The pension is the village's care for the orphaned children of fallen ninja, so there is no problem with me accepting it. But a technique like this, even an incomplete version, is not something an ordinary student can casually receive."

He spoke slowly.

"One should not accept rewards without merit. If I accept it now, I would not feel at ease."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer immediately. Looking at Fang Xu, his assessment of him rose another level.

It was normal to have desires.

If he could face a ninjutsu scroll suited to him without feeling tempted at all, that would not be like a young man.

But though he clearly wanted it, he could suppress the impulse and first consider the rules and the price. Such restraint was rare.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed the scroll a little farther forward.

"You are right. One should not accept rewards without merit."

Fang Xu did not reach for it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "But when the village nurtures ninja, it does not only look at past achievements. It must also consider future potential."

"If everything had to wait until someone rendered merit before being given to them, many talented children might die on the battlefield before they ever had the chance to grow."

Fang Xu fell silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone grew more solemn.

"Fang Xu, this is not a reward."

"This is an investment."

He looked at Fang Xu and said word by word, "I have seen your potential, and I have seen your character. That is why I am willing to give you a little help in advance."

"You do not need to repay me now."

"Grow well. In the future, becoming a ninja who can protect his companions and protect the village will be the best repayment."

Fang Xu knew that these words contained both recruitment and expectation.

But he had to admit that the Third Hokage's investment had come at exactly the right time.

If he kept refusing, it would no longer be restraint. It would be failing to appreciate the favor.

Fang Xu stood and solemnly bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Since Lord Hokage puts it that way, then I will accept it."

He picked up the scroll with both hands, his tone earnest.

"I will work hard to become stronger. I will not disappoint your expectations, nor will I disappoint the village's cultivation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction.

"Remember, practice the Lightning Body-Tempering Technique step by step. If lightning-nature chakra stimulates the body at too great an intensity, it can damage the chakra pathways and internal organs."

Fang Xu nodded.

"I understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood and put his conical hat back on.

"It is getting late. I should return as well."

Fang Xu escorted him to the door.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi reached the courtyard gate, he turned back for another look.

"Fang Xu, if your father could see you today, he would be very pleased."

Fang Xu's grip on the scroll tightened.

"I will continue working hard."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, and his figure soon vanished into the night.

The courtyard fell quiet.

Fang Xu stood at the entrance without closing the door right away. He could sense that there were still eyes watching nearby.

They were not obvious, nor were they hostile.

It was more as if someone were hidden in the dark, confirming his reaction after the Third Hokage had left.

Fang Xu understood that since the Third Hokage had personally come, there was no way he had left no follow-up measures.

Especially after giving him a Lightning Body-Tempering Technique scroll, someone would surely observe his attitude after receiving it.

Fang Xu did not reveal the slightest abnormality.

He lowered his head to look at the scroll in his hands, his face carrying excitement and gratitude he could not suppress, just as an ordinary boy would after suddenly earning the Hokage's favor.

Only after a long while did he murmur to himself.

"Lord Hokage is willing to believe in me. I absolutely cannot let him down."

After saying that, he carefully held the scroll to his chest and bowed earnestly once more in the direction Hiruzen Sarutobi had gone.

The gesture was not exaggerated. It perfectly suited a Ninja Academy student who had just been encouraged by the Hokage.