Summoned by the Hokage

"Obito Uchiha?"

Hearing the voice, Obito turned around and looked a little surprised when he saw Lin Ze. "Huh? You know me?"

"I've heard of you." Lin Ze smiled. "You're in Class 1-C, right?"

Obito's eyes lit up. "That's right! I'm the future Hokage-Obito Uchiha!"

He really was just like in the original story, hot-blooded and simple.

Seeing that Lin Ze said nothing, Obito came over on his own. "Hey, which class are you in? Why do you look kind of familiar?"

"Class 1-B. Lin Ze."

"Oh! You're that guy who's really good at Taijutsu!" Obito slapped his forehead. "I heard Ryōta mention you. He said you-"

Halfway through, Obito suddenly faltered and scratched his head awkwardly.

Lin Ze raised an eyebrow. "What did he say about me?"

"Uh... he said you..." Obito stammered before finally sighing. "Forget it. That guy has a rotten temper. Don't take what he says to heart."

The corners of Lin Ze's mouth lifted slightly, and he smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not that petty, and I'm not a bad person either."

Obito let out a sigh of relief, then grew excited again. "Oh, right! Want to get some dango together? My treat!"

Lin Ze shook his head. "Next time. I have to head back to the Orphanage first."

"The Orphanage?" Obito paused, then patted his chest. "Then I'll walk you back! I know this area super well!"

"..."

Lin Ze had wanted to refuse, but seeing how enthusiastic Obito was, he ultimately nodded.

The two walked side by side beneath the setting sun. Obito chattered the whole way about amusing things at school, while Lin Ze occasionally offered a few words in response.

Early on a weekend morning two weeks later, Lin Ze was doing push-ups at the training ground, drenched in sweat.

"Nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine, one thousand!"

Lin Ze stood up, panting heavily, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Today's the day Nonō comes back. I wonder how her mission went this time. I hope she hasn't been hurt."

Whoosh!!!

Just then, a dark figure appeared silently behind him.

"Lin Ze, Lord Hokage wants to see you," came a cold voice.

Startled, Lin Ze turned around to find a ninja wearing a grizzly bear mask standing nearby.

ANBU!!

"Who are you?" Lin Ze asked, pretending to be wary.

In Konoha, ordinary villagers and even many low-ranking ninja knew very little about the ANBU. Six-year-old Lin Ze could not possibly have known they existed.

"I'm a guard serving directly under Lord Hokage!"

"Lord Hokage wants to see you. Come with me."

Gray Bear spoke again.

Lin Ze pretended to look him over, then nodded. "All right. Are we going to the Hokage Building?"

Gray Bear nodded and turned to lead the way.

My Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon abilities shouldn't have been exposed. I only train at night, and I'm wrapped in bandages, too.

Then what does Hiruzen Sarutobi want with me?

Along the way, all sorts of thoughts flashed through Lin Ze's mind. In the end, he more or less concluded that his earlier fight with Uchiha Onibi had caught Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention. After all, Lin Ze was not even seven yet and could already trade blows with an Uchiha Chunin, even if the other person had been holding back.

But that happened two weeks ago. Why summon me only now? That doesn't make sense.

Forget it. I'll deal with whatever comes. I'll know once I see Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Inside the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi held a pipe between his lips, his gaze deep as he studied the report in his hands.

The report detailed Lin Ze's daily routine over the past two weeks: getting up at five in the morning, training for two hours, caring for the other orphans... heading straight to the training ground to practice Taijutsu after his morning Ninja Academy classes... training with Might Duy after school in the afternoon, and even doing extra training at night.

He turned to the final page of the report, where Lin Ze's homeroom teacher, Yamada Kenichi, had written his assessment: "Gets along well with others. Though his aptitude for Chakra is average, he is exceptionally diligent in his studies and highly skilled in Taijutsu."

Beneath the assessment, a line of small text stood out clearly-"His dream is to become stronger and protect the people important to him."

It was precisely what Lin Ze had said in his self-introduction at the start of school.

"This little fellow is a promising seedling for the will of fire..." Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured.

Creak~

The office door was gently pushed open, and Gray Bear walked in with Lin Ze.

"Lord Hokage, I've brought Lin Ze." With that, Gray Bear vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

Lin Ze stood in the middle of the office, looking nervously at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Lin Ze, there's no need to be nervous." Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him a kindly smile and pointed to the chair opposite him. "Have a seat."

Lin Ze bowed slightly, then sat down. "Lord Hokage, did you need me for something?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and said slowly, "I hear you've been training very hard lately."

Lin Ze nodded. "Yes. I want to become stronger as soon as possible."

"Why?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

Lin Ze fell silent for a moment, then said earnestly, "To protect the people important to me."

A trace of approval flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. "A good answer. Then do you know what kind of blood flows through your veins?"

Blood? What kind of blood could I have? Don't tell me this white hair means I have Hatake Sakumo's bloodline?

Lin Ze shook his head blankly. "I don't quite understand what you mean."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, took a document from his drawer, and slid it in front of Lin Ze. "Your file shows that you came from a village on the border of the Land of Whirlpools. It was one of the Uzumaki Clan's settlements."

Lin Ze lowered his head to look at the document. The words "Suspected Uzumaki bloodline" were written on it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Your constitution is different from that of ordinary people. You can withstand high-intensity training, which isn't something an ordinary child can do."

"I have the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline?"

Lin Ze looked up and spoke in surprise. He truly was surprised. Nearly two years after transmigrating into the Naruto world, he had only just discovered that he actually possessed the Uzumaki Clan's sage body bloodline.

Then shouldn't my name be Lin Ze Uzumaki?

The thought flashed through Lin Ze's mind but quickly disappeared. He had arrived without the original owner's memories, so he was still more accustomed to the name from his previous life.

"So that's why... no wonder I felt that I recovered faster than most people."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. "The Uzumaki Clan is Konoha's ally. Their bloodline represents powerful vitality and Chakra potential. Though your bloodline may be rather diluted, it is still worth cultivating."

Lin Ze held back a sarcastic remark about Hiruzen Sarutobi's use of the word "ally" and said respectfully, "Thank you for recognizing me, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and said slowly, "Lin Ze, I've read the report on your fight with Uchiha Onibi. Being able to exchange blows with a Chunin at six years old shows that you have great potential."

"So I've decided to put you on the ANBU's observation list ahead of schedule. Once you graduate from the Ninja Academy, you can be promoted directly to Chunin and join the ANBU training program."

Lin Ze was inwardly startled, but pretended to ask, "ANBU? Lord Hokage, what's that?"

Looking at his uncomprehending expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi explained:

"The ANBU is a special unit directly subordinate to the Hokage, responsible for carrying out the most secret and dangerous missions-assassinating rogue ninja, protecting important figures, gathering intelligence, and so on."

"ANBU members all wear masks to conceal their identities and act only on the Hokage's orders. They are Konoha's sharpest blade and its most hidden shield."

"The person who brought you to see me just now is an ANBU member. His code name is 'Gray Bear.'"