"Look, that child is running around dragging a stone again." "Yes, he's already done more than forty laps without stopping. What a determined child," said two elderly people who had risen early.
Sweat dripped down Itō Yuying's cheeks. His clothes had long since been soaked through, and droplets fell from their hems. J-just two more laps, and I'll have done two hundred. Keep going, Itō Yuying told himself, panting heavily. That was right: he had begun running laps around Konoha before dawn. He did this every day, either running while dragging a stone or doing a handstand and balancing a wooden post on his feet.
After finishing his run, he returned home, showered, changed, and went to school. The school had now taught them how to extract chakra, and everyone was working hard at it. Watching them struggle to extract chakra, Itō Yuying felt secretly pleased with himself. We're different. I have a teacher, and he's none other than Lord Second Hokage. Just thinking about it delighted him. Watching Might Duy strain so hard to extract chakra that his face turned red, Itō Yuying sighed. It was very difficult for him to develop chakra; otherwise, he would not have become an eternal genin.
Days passed, and Tobirama Senju would come to teach him ninjutsu after school. Itō Yuying learned exceptionally quickly. Tobirama Senju nodded. "Mm, good. Keep working hard." Itō Yuying nodded happily. He had already learned many ninjutsu from Tobirama Senju.
Tobirama Senju asked, "Are you going to watch the upper grades' combat exercises tomorrow?" Itō Yuying nodded upon hearing this. "Yes." "Mm, then study their fighting methods carefully. They'll be very useful to you." "All right," Itō Yuying agreed.
The next day, their teacher brought a group of elementary school students to the upper grades' training ground. "Wow, what a huge training ground!" The students chattered among themselves below. After a while, a group arrived on the distant raised platform: Tobirama Senju and a number of Konoha's senior officials. Itō Yuying saw several people standing beside Tobirama Senju. They were probably his students. At that moment, a group of youngsters also arrived at the other end of the training ground. They all looked around thirteen or fourteen, standing tall with their chests out and their heads high, full of energy. They certainly had the bearing of upperclassmen, looking very aloof.
Itō Yuying spotted the future Sannin, putting on very serious expressions as they stood with their chests out and heads high. The sight left him speechless. So this is Orochimaru? He looks pretty cute. Jiraiya's quite sturdy, isn't he? Oh, so this is Tsunade. She looks very spirited.
A few minutes later, a jonin stepped onto the training ground and called out, "Next, we'll begin the matches, with each class competing as a unit." Then they began competing in groups of three. Hmm, their teamwork's pretty good, Itō Yuying thought. The youngsters on the field each showed off their own special abilities, pulling out every trick they had to make a good impression on Lord Second Hokage. Team after team won or was eliminated. The little kids watching cried out in delight, cheering so hard for their chosen idols from the sidelines that their voices grew hoarse. Itō Yuying watched with a thoroughly exasperated expression.
By then, only the Future Sannin Team and Hatake Sakumo's Team remained on the field. As the two teams stood there, Jiraiya stepped forward and laughed loudly, calling across to them, "Sakumo, don't go crying when you lose! We won't go easy on you!" While he stood with his hands on his hips, laughing up at the sky, Tsunade punched him in the head and dragged him back by the ear. The spectators burst into laughter. On the raised platform, Sarutobi Hiruzen covered his face, blushing furiously. Tobirama Senju laughed. "These little fellows certainly seem spirited."
Hatake Sakumo also looked embarrassed. "All right." A jonin stepped onto the field and shouted, "Begin!" Both teams instantly scattered. Jiraiya charged at Hatake Sakumo and hurled a kunai ahead of him. Hatake Sakumo dodged it easily and kicked Jiraiya in the stomach. With a bang, Jiraiya turned into smoke. "A clone." Hatake Sakumo narrowed his eyes and quickly turned. "Haha, too late!" Jiraiya laughed triumphantly, forcing Hatake Sakumo back repeatedly with a Fire Release technique. The moment Jiraiya's feet touched the ground, a pair of hands reached up from below, seized his ankles, and yanked downward. His body instantly sank underground, leaving only his head above the surface. Hatake Sakumo stood beside him, looking down at him with a smile. "Thanks for the match." By then, Tsunade and Orochimaru had also beaten Hatake Sakumo's teammates so badly they could no longer look after themselves. Orochimaru quickly engaged Hatake Sakumo, and the two fought evenly. Tsunade went over to Jiraiya, pulled him out, and healed his injuries. Once Jiraiya's injuries were healed, the two rushed at Hatake Sakumo, joining Orochimaru to gang up on him.
Itō Yuying watched with relish. A Naruto version of three young heroes fighting Lü Bu. What a show. Hatake Sakumo was beginning to fall behind on the field. As the old saying went, two fists could not beat four hands, and here there were six. Sweat dripped down Hatake Sakumo's forehead. First a fist came at him, then a flying kick, leaving him thoroughly harried.
Orochimaru alone was enough to keep him occupied. With Tsunade and Jiraiya added in, it was truly troublesome. Just then, Hatake Sakumo instantly formed hand seals. "Lightning Release: Earth Flow!" The electricity made all three of them twitch, and then he vanished from before their eyes. All three froze. "Wh-where, where did he go?" Jiraiya stammered. "Behind us," Orochimaru said. Before the three could turn around, Jiraiya flew backward, blood streaming from his nostrils. "Aaah..." He fell to the ground. The remaining two froze at the same time. Tsunade was about to go help Jiraiya, but before she had taken more than a few steps, Orochimaru was sent flying too. The moment Tsunade turned her head, a specially made wooden short sword rested against her neck. She stared blankly at Hatake Sakumo, then said with a bitter smile, "I lost."
On the raised platform, Tobirama Senju's eyes lit up at the sight. "This child is good. He's that youngster from the Hatake Clan, isn't he?" The crowd of bootlickers beside him nodded in agreement. Jiraiya slowly climbed to his feet, covering his nose as he grumbled, "Sakumo, you really hit hard."
"Aaah... Ow, ow, ow!"
Hatake Sakumo smiled. "Sorry. If I hadn't hit you hard enough, how would those two have left themselves open?" Watching Hatake Sakumo on the field, Itō Yuying murmured, "So this is the legendary Konoha's White Fang. He really is different, showing his talent at such a young age. What a genius."
Then Tobirama Senju said loudly, "Good. You've all done well. You are Konoha's future. Seeing your hard work and the sweat you've put into it moves me deeply. Konoha will be proud to have you. Work hard and become stronger. Let's protect our home together."
Sarutobi Hiruzen produced a pen and paper from somewhere and began taking notes, leaving Danzo beside him dumbfounded. He watched Tobirama Senju look at Sarutobi Hiruzen with satisfaction, even nodding from time to time. Could this be the difference between Hiruzen and me? My pen, where are you?
Tobirama Senju said, "Hatake Sakumo, you did very well. You may choose an A-rank ninjutsu later." Hearing this, Hatake Sakumo shouted excitedly, "Thank you, Lord Hokage!" Tobirama Senju nodded in satisfaction. "Work hard and become stronger."
"Yes!" Hatake Sakumo shouted.
Before you continue