Nine months

Tianyun Hyuga wanted to lie low for a year, but only nine months passed peacefully. In his second year in Konoha, just as a new batch of students was about to enter the Konoha Ninja Academy, Iruka informed him that the Third Hokage wanted him to graduate immediately.

Tianyun Hyuga had not even saved up five hundred million yet. He had been thinking that, with the Third Hokage and Hyuga Hiashi gradually beginning to trust him, he could sell more Enhanced Weapons and earn more money. Then the Third Hokage suddenly ordered him to graduate and go out on missions. Naturally, he was reluctant, so he ran straight to the Third Hokage's office.

Over the better part of that year, Tianyun Hyuga had become quite a celebrity in the Konoha Ninja Village:

First, the New Gentle Fist Technique he had created had already earned the approval of most of Konoha's jonin, and many of them had studied it. That meant almost every jonin in the village owed Tianyun Hyuga a favor.

Second, Tianyun Hyuga had gradually revealed his strength to everyone, and he had played tricks on the Konoha Ninja Academy's chunin several times. He had made all the academy's teachers desperate to avoid him. As a result, the entire village knew that Tianyun Hyuga was an extraordinary genius who could already hold his own against chunin at just six years old.

Third, no secret could stay hidden forever, especially with Tiesheng's daughter frequently spending time with Tianyun Hyuga. Konoha's ninja had all learned that the high-grade Ninja Tools in Tiesheng's shop were supplied by Tianyun Hyuga. On top of that, Konoha's ninja had been using those tools to show their might on missions outside the village, earning Tianyun Hyuga a measure of fame throughout almost the entire shinobi world.

Spies from other ninja forces had even come to investigate and try to capture Tianyun Hyuga. However, the guards Hyuga Hiashi had assigned to him dealt with all of them, and they never managed to touch a hair on his head.

As for why Hyuga Hiashi had assigned guards to protect Tianyun Hyuga, it was naturally because Tianyun Hyuga could help the Hyuga Clan.

Even setting aside how Tianyun Hyuga's New Gentle Fist Technique had increased the entire Hyuga Clan's strength by a third, his ability to manufacture those Enhanced Weapons alone meant that Hyuga Hiashi had to ensure his safety. After all, the Hyuga Clan needed weapons too.

After Hinata Hyuga's three months of training under Tianyun Hyuga ended, Hyuga Hiashi insisted on leaving her with him for further instruction. He claimed that a genius ninja was better suited to teaching her, but in truth, he wanted Hinata Hyuga to build a good relationship with Tianyun Hyuga. That way, when it came to his feelings toward Konoha and the Hyuga Clan, Tianyun Hyuga might favor the clan.

As for forcing Tianyun Hyuga to do anything, Hyuga Hiashi no longer dared. Tianyun Hyuga was now the treasure of all of Konoha. If Hyuga Hiashi tried to force him, the Third Hokage would probably take Tianyun Hyuga away immediately and assign Anbu to protect him.

Fourth, this reason was tied to Tianyun Hyuga's bad reputation: he was far too stingy. Even when he ate ramen, he tricked other people into paying. When he invited people out for a meal, he never paid either. Money only ever went into his pockets, never out.

Although ordinary people could be rather stingy too, someone as wealthy and miserly as Tianyun Hyuga was one of a kind in the Konoha Ninja Village. People had already begun secretly calling him a tightfisted penny-pincher.

Of course, everyone only used that nickname behind his back. Someone had once said something bad about Tianyun Hyuga, and Tianyun Hyuga had actually transformed into that person's naked likeness and taken a stroll around Konoha. The ninja had been so mortified that he had nearly wanted to crawl into a hole.

In the end, nobody dared casually bad-mouth Tianyun Hyuga anymore. After all, his Transformation Technique was so flawless that even jonin could not tell the difference. At the time, everyone had thought that ninja really was streaking. Only when Tianyun Hyuga revealed himself did they realize he had framed the man.

With Tianyun Hyuga being so famous, nobody stopped him when he ran into the Hokage Building. He thundered up to the third floor, dashed to the Hokage Office, and kicked the door open.

"Old man, you... uh..."

Tianyun Hyuga had been about to give the Third Hokage a good scolding, but when he noticed other people in the Hokage Office, he quickly shut his mouth and glanced at them.

Everyone in the Hokage Office was one of Konoha's senior elders. There was Shimura Danzō, leaning on a cane with half his face covered, looking like trouble at first glance, along with the village's other two stern-faced elders, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

Tianyun Hyuga's sudden intrusion made all three elders stare fixedly at him. Their gazes unnerved him, and he hurriedly said, "If you three advisors have something to discuss, please go ahead! I'll come back later..."

With that, Tianyun Hyuga turned to leave...

"Wait, come back. I have something to discuss with you later, brat. Sit over there for now..." The Third Hokage suddenly called Tianyun Hyuga back, leaving him rather helpless.

In fact, over those nine-odd months, Tianyun Hyuga had met all three advisors before. They were nowhere near as easygoing as the Third Hokage, though, and always wore sour expressions, so

Tianyun Hyuga had no desire to spend time with the three advisors.

Shimura Danzō was somewhat better. Whenever he saw Tianyun Hyuga, he merely nodded without speaking. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, however, lectured him endlessly every time they saw him, using the tone of adults scolding a child. He found it unbearably irritating.

Whether he wanted to see them or not, the Third Hokage had already told him to stay. He could only purse his lips and return to the Hokage Office.

Tianyun Hyuga did not dare act up in front of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, or they would seize the chance to give him another lengthy lecture. So he put on a well-behaved act, walked over to a chair at the side of the office, and sat down, quietly waiting for Konoha's four leaders to talk.

Once Tianyun Hyuga had sat down, Konoha's four leaders returned to official business. The Third Hokage said directly to the other three, "The Fourth Kazekage sent a messenger with a letter asking us to supply them with some Special Weapons. What do you three think...?"

Sitting off to the side, Tianyun Hyuga needed only that one sentence from the Third Hokage to understand why he had been told to stay.

Although almost all of Konoha's ninja knew that Tianyun Hyuga was the one behind the Special Weapons, the Third Hokage had ordered everyone in the village not to spread the news, to keep the other ninja villages from finding out. They were all to pretend they did not know that Tianyun Hyuga had made those weapons.

Now that the Third Hokage had told him to stay, he knew more trouble was coming his way. However, this was also a chance to make money, so he quickly pricked up his ears to hear what the four bosses had to say.