The Third Hokage left. Before leaving, he gave Ling Feng a meaningful look and left him with a few words.
"You're someone worth putting to good use, but you aren't worth staking too much on just yet."
After the Third Hokage left, Minato Namikaze walked up to Ling Feng.
"If you have any problems, you can come to me."
Ling Feng smiled faintly. "You seem intent on getting closer to me."
"Lord Third has to consider the big picture. He can't put too much weight on any one person's feelings, but I can. You're a good kid, but your heart is a little too cold."
It was clear that Minato Namikaze genuinely wanted to look after Ling Feng.
But Ling Feng didn't need that.
Shaking his head, Ling Feng turned toward the school gates and replied as he walked, "If you need someone obedient at your side, go find Kakashi. He's the best choice."
Watching Ling Feng's retreating figure, Minato Namikaze felt a storm of shock surge through him.
The reason was simple: before meeting Ling Feng, the person Minato Namikaze had in mind had been Kakashi!
Ling Feng naturally knew what Minato Namikaze was thinking, because he knew this part of the story.
Kushina was about to give birth, and the child in her womb was Naruto.
"Looks like the time is drawing closer."
Ling Feng rubbed his head. He needed to build up his points as quickly as possible.
By now, Ling Feng's points had reached 430.
Combined with the rewards Ling Feng had already received, his overall strength had reached the level of a Jonin.
But that was still nowhere near enough.
Above Jonin was Elite Jonin.
Beyond that was Kage Level, but a vast gulf separated those two levels.
Take Madara Uchiha, for instance. His strength was at Super Kage level, seemingly only a step above Kage Level.
Yet in an actual fight, he could easily crush the Five Kage without breaking a sweat.
Ling Feng understood what the Third Hokage had said before leaving.
He was undoubtedly considering the unresolved trouble with the Uchiha Clan, which made it difficult for him to assign Ling Feng anything.
After all, no matter how strong Ling Feng was, the strength he had shown so far wasn't enough for him to confront the Uchiha Clan head-on.
A gifted boy versus a clan with terrifying overall strength.
From his position as Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi would undoubtedly choose the Uchiha Clan.
Ling Feng could understand all of that.
It seemed the next people to come looking for trouble would surely be from the Uchiha Clan.
But none of that stopped Ling Feng from first taking on a B-rank mission.
The task was to escort a carpenter to another village for work, and the pay wasn't high.
There was no point asking why he had taken such a mission. Ling Feng was a Genin, so taking higher-ranked missions wasn't easy.
There was nothing for it. He could only complete a few low-ranked missions first, then take on higher-ranked ones.
Just like that, a week passed.
The rank of missions Ling Feng could accept successfully rose from B-Rank to A-Rank.
That day, Ling Feng was about to take on a new mission.
Then he spotted an A-rank mission with an exceptionally high reward, yet all it required was finding a forehead protector in the Dense Forest near the village.
This mission was deeply suspicious.
How could finding a mere forehead protector qualify as an A-rank mission?
But Ling Feng was willing to walk straight into danger. He knew this might be exactly what he had been waiting for.
After accepting the mission, Ling Feng set off for the Dense Forest.
It was some distance from the village, but still within the village's territory.
Upon reaching his destination, Ling Feng found the place frighteningly quiet.
Normally, a Dense Forest this dense would have at least some wildlife, yet he hadn't seen a single trace of animal activity along the way.
Suddenly, a series of rustles came from the Dense Forest, and ten figures dressed in black appeared.
At the sight of them, Ling Feng couldn't help laughing.
"You need this many people to deal with a five-year-old?"
Their leader stepped forward and stood before Ling Feng.
"I didn't expect you to actually come. I thought you'd see through such a clumsy trap."
The man was clearly hostile toward Ling Feng.
Ling Feng folded his arms and smiled coldly. "So what if I saw through it? Since you want to play, I'll play along."
"What should I call you? You... Uchiha bastards!"
At Ling Feng's words, every black-clad figure instinctively took a step back.
Ding! Gained 20 points!
Sure enough, these people were members of the Uchiha Clan!
"Hmph! As expected of a brat who caught the attention of the Konoha High Command. You're quite impressive!"
"But unfortunately, you've shown off far too much!"
"A brat like you has limitless possibilities ahead of him. Since Lord Madara passed away, the Uchiha Clan really hasn't produced anyone who can compare to you."
"But the Uchiha Clan alone is enough to represent Konoha!"
"Even the once-glorious Senju Clan was bound to decline, let alone an arrogant brat like you who doesn't know his place!"
"When you disregarded the Uchiha Clan's dignity and struck so ruthlessly, you should have foreseen this ending!"
With that, the leader slowly drew the sword at his waist.
"Originally, I only wanted to teach you a lesson."
"But unfortunately, your performance has made me uneasy, so you must die here!"
Once their leader made his decision, the others stepped forward as well, drawing their weapons.
Clearly, they had decided to kill Ling Feng.
But Ling Feng remained calm and utterly fearless. Instead, he burst out laughing.
This left his enemies bewildered.
"Heh, now I understand why someone would want to wipe out your Uchiha Clan. Yes, your clan is powerful, and you've supplied Konoha with plenty of outstanding ninja. But you're also the most arrogant, conceited people in Konoha!"
"Konoha... has never belonged to your Uchiha Clan!"
As Ling Feng spoke the final word, his voice suddenly rose, and a terrifying aura erupted from him.
His imposing presence left them all trembling with fear.
Ding! Gained 30 points!
"Bastard! Everyone, attack! We cannot let this brat live!"
The Uchiha leader shouted and charged at Ling Feng.
The other members also rushed in to kill him, weapons raised.
Ling Feng sneered and beckoned with one hand. "System! Spend 50 points to redeem the Beginner Katana!"
Ding! Beginner Katana redeemed!
The next second, a Samurai Sword gleaming with cold light appeared in Ling Feng's hand.
Immediately afterward, lightning-nature chakra coated the blade, crackling and hissing.
"What? He has lightning-nature chakra too!"
"The intel was wrong! Wasn't he supposed to have fire, earth, and water-nature chakra?"
"With lightning added, he actually has four chakra natures!"
At the sight, the Uchiha members cried out in panic.
Before you continue