"Excellent!"
The Third slapped the desk and repeated the word several times.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent."
The old man couldn't suppress his smile. He studied the red-haired boy across the desk from head to toe, liking him more and aching for him more with every look.
Twelve was an age for growth spurts, yet the boy's thin wrist bones jutted out. He was so skinny it hurt to look at him.
The Third opened a drawer, pulled out a packet of senbei, and pushed it across the desk.
"Here. You can eat these on your way back."
Uzumaki Hayashi: "?"
Well, damn. Was that drawer a treasure chest?
Still, he didn't stand on ceremony. He took the packet and tucked it inside his clothes.
Next, the Third took a small stack of neatly cut white paper from the drawer, pulled out a sheet, and held it out to him.
"Here, channel your chakra into this. Let me take a look at your natures first."
Uzumaki Hayashi did as instructed, pinching the edge of the paper between two fingers and slowly feeding his chakra into it.
Rrrip-
The white paper first split in half down the middle.
Then, before his eyes, both halves went limp, sticking wetly to the desktop.
"Oh?"
The Third's eyes lit up.
"When the paper splits, it means you have wind nature chakra. When it gets wet, it means you also have water nature chakra."
The old man stroked his beard, growing more pleased by the moment.
"Both are good natures. If there are other natures you'd like to learn later, you can look into those too. This only proves that you have an affinity for wind nature and water nature chakra."
A pale blue screen popped up before Uzumaki Hayashi's eyes at a rather inconvenient moment.
[Host's chakra natures detected. Panel updated.] [Host: Uzumaki Hayashi] [Age: 12] [Bloodline: Uzumaki Clan (purity: 87%)] [Natures: Wind, Water] [Abilities: Mind's Eye of the Kagura (beginner), Chakra Refinement Technique (proficient)]
Uzumaki Hayashi stared at the new field for two seconds.
Natures?
Wait, how had something this basic been missing from the panel before?
[This system's functions are gradually completed as the host's exploration progresses.]
...Well, damn.
So it had been an incomplete version all along? They actually dared put a half-finished product like this to work?
[Please explore actively.]
The system dropped that line and fell silent. No matter how he prodded it, it gave no further response.
Naturally, the Third couldn't see any of the bizarre things going on in his head. The old man turned around, searched the large bookshelves behind him for a while, and pulled out two scrolls. Returning to the desk, he pushed them over one at a time.
"This one is Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere."
The Third pointed to the one on the left.
"You hold chakra in your mouth and fire it like bullets. You can shoot more than a dozen rounds in one breath. Land a solid hit, and you'll turn someone into a honeycomb."
Uzumaki Hayashi's eyes lit up.
Well, damn. A mouth cannon-and a B-rank mouth cannon at that.
"This one is Water Release: Water Formation Wall."
The Third pointed to the scroll on the right, his tone turning a little more serious.
"After you form the hand seals, a wall of water rises in front of you to protect you. Both of these are B-rank. They're a bit of a stretch for your current chakra, so you may find them difficult to learn."
The old man paused, then added:
"Leave Vacuum Sphere for later. You can start with Water Formation Wall. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come ask me anytime."
With that, he walked around the desk, stopped in front of Uzumaki Hayashi, and reached up to ruffle his red hair.
Uzumaki Hayashi stiffened, but in the end, he didn't dodge the old man's touch.
"Off you go," the Third said with a warm smile. "I'll have someone make all the arrangements with the school."
By the time he left the Hokage Building, it was completely dark.
Standing on the steps with the two scrolls in his arms, Uzumaki Hayashi suddenly remembered a very practical problem.
Where was he sleeping tonight?
The Third Hokage had given him ninjutsu, senbei to eat, and instructions to attend school, but he hadn't mentioned a place to stay.
Surely he wasn't going to sleep on the streets on his very first day back in Konoha?
While he was agonizing over that, two familiar figures hurried over from across the street.
"All done talking, little troublemaker?"
Chunin Tanabe's voice arrived before he did.
"Don't worry about somewhere to stay. The Third Hokage arranged it ages ago, and the place has already been cleaned up. Come with us."
On the way, Chunin Tanabe's mouth got going again.
"Hey, the Third Hokage kept you alone for quite a while. What did he say to you?"
Uzumaki Hayashi shrugged without answering and simply showed him the two scrolls in his hands.
Chunin Tanabe leaned closer for a look, and his eyes went wide.
"B-rank? And two of them?!"
"The Third Hokage is treating you like his own grandson," Chunin Iwai concluded after a glance from beside them.
"Back when I wanted to get my hands on a C-rank technique, I begged my captain for three whole months." Chunin Tanabe looked utterly envious. "Comparisons really can drive a man mad."
"That's because you lack talent," Chunin Iwai said without expression.
"Who are you calling untalented?!"
The two bickered for a bit, but then Chunin Tanabe sighed and reached out to pat Uzumaki Hayashi on the shoulder.
"But seriously, you deserve this."
The last of the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline had returned to the village. If the Third Hokage didn't dote on him, who else would he dote on?
The house wasn't far away. After about fifteen minutes of walking, Chunin Tanabe stopped at a quiet street corner.
Before them stood a small, two-story Western-style house.
Its white walls basked in the moonlight, taking on a soft silver glow, while the red roof's color deepened in the night.
A small enclosed yard lay out front, with a few flowers whose names he didn't know blooming quietly. Their petals trembled in the evening breeze. Beneath the moonlight, the yard was spotless, without so much as a fallen leaf between the paving stones.
Uzumaki Hayashi froze for a moment.
Wasn't this a little too generous?
"Here we are." Chunin Tanabe pressed the key into his hand. "A detached Western-style house, personally approved by the Third Hokage. There aren't many of these in all of Konoha. You lucky little brat."
"All right, get some rest early tonight," Chunin Iwai said succinctly. "We'll come pick you up tomorrow morning and take you to enroll at the Ninja Academy."
Once the two Chunin had finished giving their instructions, they turned and left.
Key in hand, Uzumaki Hayashi pushed open the gate, crossed the little yard, and reached the front door.
He slid the key into the lock. With a click, the door opened.
He had just lifted a foot to step inside when his entire body froze in the doorway.
"..."
"...Huh?"
Silently, he took half a step back and looked up at the house number.
No mistake. This was the place.
Then he looked down at the key in his hand.
Nothing wrong there, either.
Uzumaki Hayashi stood in the doorway for a full ten seconds, unable to go in or retreat. Finally, he forced a few words through his teeth:
"Third Hokage..."
"Just what are you thinking, old man?"
Before you continue