Nonō's return

Lin Ze really wanted to turn Hiruzen Sarutobi down. He only wanted to quietly keep a low profile and grow stronger, not join ANBU.

But the man speaking to him was the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the very pinnacle of Konoha's hierarchy of power.

Lin Ze could only declare firmly, "I'm willing to serve the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily. "Good! Just what I'd expect of an inheritor of the Will of Fire!"

He stood, walked up to Lin Ze, and patted his shoulder. "Do you remember what I said at the Ninja Academy? Wherever leaves dance, fire burns on. Your efforts will become the flames that light Konoha's future."

Lin Ze nodded emphatically. "Of course I remember. I won't let you down, Lord Hokage!"

After leaving the Hokage Building.

Lin Ze walked back, silently going over the information Hiruzen Sarutobi had just given him.

First, his body possessed the constitution of the Uzumaki Clan.

Second, he could be promoted straight to Chunin upon graduation, but would have to join ANBU afterward!

Third, the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon apparently hadn't been exposed for now, and his Uzumaki Clan bloodline would let him show an appropriate degree of physical strength in the future.

The first point was definitely a good thing. The Uzumaki Clan possessed tremendous vitality and recovery abilities, as well as enormous chakra reserves.

"But why does my body have so little chakra? Is something wrong with my mind?"

Chakra was formed by combining physical energy and spiritual energy. If Lin Ze had the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline, there was definitely no problem with his physical energy. That meant the problem could only lie on the spiritual side.

*"... "*

"Everyone else gets a stronger soul when they transmigrate. How did I end up with a problem instead?"

"Looks like I really do have to follow the taijutsu path all the way!"

Lin Ze was utterly speechless, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Shaking his head to clear away the jumbled thoughts, Lin Ze began considering the second piece of information.

Although joining ANBU conflicted with Lin Ze's training plans, it also offered quite a few benefits.

First came resources. ANBU members had access to Konoha's most closely guarded training methods. Whether taijutsu manuals, ninjutsu scrolls, or special chakra-refining techniques, they could get priority access as long as they had sufficient ability and contributions.

Next came the speed of growth. ANBU missions spanned every nation, putting them face-to-face with the cruelest battlefields and the most troublesome enemies-rogue ninja, spies, and even elite ninja from other hidden villages. Honing themselves on the edge of life and death often improved their strength several times faster than serving in ordinary units.

More importantly, there was access. Although Lin Ze knew the major events of the original story inside out, the countless minor events making up this world were shrouded in fog, leaving him to adapt and feel his way forward. But ANBU answered directly to the Hokage and had access to the village's most closely guarded secrets. They could learn information never disclosed to outsiders-from unusual activity within a particular clan to covert operations by neighboring countries' hidden villages.

If he could cross-check that firsthand intelligence against the plot he knew so well, he would have more certainty and be less reactive in the future, whether facing crises or laying plans.

As for the third point, the existence of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, it seemed Hiruzen Sarutobi had attributed Lin Ze's extraordinary physique entirely to the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline.

"As long as I don't display my dragon transformation form and rely only on the enhancements in human form, I should be fine."

Yet a question remained in Lin Ze's mind. "Why did Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly investigate my records?"

Lin Ze pondered to himself. He had never displayed too much of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon's power, always presenting himself as a "hardworking taijutsu genius." Even defeating someone from the Uchiha could just about be explained within that image. Logically, an orphan from another village like him shouldn't have drawn the Hokage's special attention.

After thinking it over, perhaps the issue lay in his training volume. Ever since eating the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, he had always held back, never training to his physical limits. Even developing the fruit's abilities was something he did secretly in his room at night. Perhaps what he saw as "restraint" was still extraordinary in other people's eyes-and all of it had been explained away by his Uzumaki bloodline.

Lin Ze clenched his fists and looked down at his body.

"No wonder Might Duy always calls me a genius. I always thought it was thanks to the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, but it looks like this Uzumaki constitution accounted for more than half of it too."

"Good thing I have the Uzumaki bloodline as a cover, or I'd have been exposed long ago."

But he soon shook his head again. "No, that's too one-sided. Without the Uzumaki constitution, my training intensity would have been capped at ordinary human limits. Hiruzen Sarutobi might never have noticed me, so there wouldn't have been any risk of exposure. But precisely because I have the Uzumaki bloodline, even if he finds my talent astonishing, he'll naturally attribute it to the clan's traits."

Ultimately, the Uzumaki bloodline had brought him success and might also bring him failure. That was unavoidable.

Fortunately, the outcome was good. The Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon hadn't been exposed.

Lin Ze walked along, silently considering the information he had just received. Before long, he was back at the Orphanage, just in time for lunch.

The thought of lunch brought a trace of embarrassment to Lin Ze's face. Although Nonō had asked him to look after the other children before leaving, Miyamoto Ichirō and Rei Uesugi had done most of the caretaking. Lin Ze had essentially been a hands-off manager, spending every day either exercising or practicing the Eight Gates Released Formation.

"It's only been two weeks, and I can already open the second gate, the Gate of Healing. That's pretty good progress."

He recalled that in the original story, Rock Lee had begun practicing the Eight Gates Released Formation at twelve, opened its fifth gate at thirteen, and fully mastered the sixth gate at seventeen during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Comparing their progress to himself, Lin Ze reckoned that opening one gate in two weeks was extremely fast. With the recovery abilities of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, the eighth gate, the Gate of Death, really was within reach!

Soon, evening arrived.

Lin Ze finished his routine afternoon training early and returned to the Orphanage.

He was now doing push-ups in the courtyard, his eyes occasionally darting toward the gate.

"Lin Ze!" Yumi suddenly rushed out of the house, shouting excitedly, "Big Sister Nonō is back!"

Lin Ze abruptly stood up. Sure enough, Nonō was pushing open the courtyard gate, a familiar, gentle smile on her face.

"I'm back," Nonō said softly.

Lin Ze looked her up and down-her clothes were tidy, there were no bloodstains, and her gait was natural. She didn't look injured.

"Big Sister!" Yumi and Ayumi rushed over and hugged Nonō's legs.

"Good girls. Did you miss me?" Nonō crouched down and ruffled the two little girls' hair.

"Yes! Big Brother Lin Ze's cooking tastes awful!" Yumi pouted as she tattled.

"Hey!" Lin Ze was speechless.

Nonō chuckled and looked up at Lin Ze. "Thank you for looking after everyone."

Lin Ze shook his head. "It was nothing. Ichirō and Rei did more."

Nonō stood and lifted a small bundle. "I brought back some presents. I'll hand them out to everyone tonight."

Lin Ze noticed her fingers trembling slightly. Though the movement was very slight, he still caught it.

Sure enough, the mission wasn't that simple...