Today was the first day of the term at the Ninja Academy.
At that moment, the school gates bustled with the noise and anticipation of new students arriving. Parents' reminders mingled with children's chatter, creating a scene of peace and tranquility.
Dressed in brand-new dark blue casual clothes, Senju Chen stood among the crowd, looking particularly small. Tsunade had reminded him of everything over and over, practically wishing she could tuck him into her pocket and take him inside herself. In the end, he had sent her reluctantly on her way with the argument, "Big sis, I'm five. I'm all grown up now."
He raised his head and surveyed the young faces around him. Deep within his clear black eyes, however, gleamed a sharpness entirely at odds with his age, like someone sizing up prey.
The Ninja Academy, huh...
His gaze picked through the noisy crowd, searching precisely for the future "key figures."
In a corner stood a white-haired kid wearing a mask, his hands in his pockets and an air of aloof pride surrounding him.
That should be Kakashi Hatake.
Nicknamed Fifty-Fifty, this was the man who fought the final boss, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, alongside the protagonists, survived to the finale, and became the Sixth Hokage. But because he killed Rin, the teammate who loved him, with his own hands, he remained alone to the very end.
Not far away, a boy with a bowl cut and a green jumpsuit was punching the air, his eyes blazing beneath thick eyebrows.
Might Guy.
The ultimate taijutsu monster, the man who nearly kicked the story straight into its finale. Emperor Guy's Eight Gates Released Formation... I'll have to find a way to see if I can get my hands on that later. The side effects of that technique are just too severe, though. I wonder whether my constitution could withstand them. Still, this guy is simple-minded and hot-blooded, so he should be relatively easy to win over.
In the crowd, a somewhat dopey-looking black-haired boy wearing goggles was gesticulating as he bragged to his companions about something, his face brimming with irrepressible optimism and... stupidity.
Obito Uchiha.
Senju Chen's gaze lingered on him the longest, and his eyes held the most amusement. The central pivot of the entire Naruto storyline, he turned dark after witnessing Kakashi kill Rin and became one of the future final bosses. Another unfortunate soul.
But right now, he's still just a little fool desperate for recognition. Still, credit where it's due: a Mangekyō Sharingan with space-time ninjutsu. Those Sharingan hold the power to warp space. If I could uncover their secrets...
Beside Obito stood another Uchiha. The boy was handsome and sunny in disposition, with a gentle smile always on his face that easily won people over.
Shisui Uchiha.
A tragic figure willing to die for his clan. A shame he died so early. His Mangekyō technique, Kotoamatsukami, was hailed as the strongest genjutsu. That's another great skill.
Senju Chen was practically drooling.
Of course, there were also the future beauties.
Mitaraishi Anko was sharing dango with her friends, smiling like a little wildcat. There was also Kurenai Yuhi, standing quietly to one side, with beautiful black hair and crimson eyes.
Senju Chen licked his lips, the desire called "collecting" beginning to stir within him. These people, the bloodlines and secret techniques they represented, and their crucial roles in the future story were all "treasures."
I still have an empty skill slot. With so much good material, I really don't know what to choose. I suppose this is the trouble with being spoiled for choice.
Just as he was making his calculations, a discordant voice sounded in front of him.
"Hey, you're that kid from the Senju Clan?"
Senju Chen raised his head and saw an arrogant-looking boy staring down at him. The boy wore clothing bearing the Uchiha Gunbai clan crest, with two equally haughty lackeys following behind him.
At the sight of that distinctive crest, Senju Chen recognized him as a member of the Uchiha Clan. The name instantly surfaced in his mind.
Was he... here to pick a fight?
Uchiha Inabi was the grandson of a clan elder. Spoiled from childhood within the clan compound, he had grown up hearing nothing but claims that "the Uchiha are the strongest." He had long resented the Hokage's faction, particularly the Hokage Advisor Group, who were at odds with his grandfather, supporting the orphaned Senju child.
Rather than clan hatred, it was more a spoiled brat hearing some rumors and immediately itching to find a target to prove that he was the strongest.
Childish, but fitting for his age.
"I hear you can use Wood Release?" Uchiha Inabi lifted his chin so high that his nostrils were practically aimed at Senju Chen's face.
His tone carried undisguised contempt, as though he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Hmph, what a load of bragging. The Senju Clan died out ages ago. Isn't this just some story Lord Hokage and the others made up to scare people?"
The two lackeys behind him immediately chimed in, playing off each other.
"Exactly! Big Brother Inabi is the strongest in our year!"
"That old man Hokage must be playing favorites, giving some little brat all the credit! If you're so capable, show us some Wood Release right now!"
"Yeah! If you can't, you're a liar!"
Some of the new students and parents nearby were drawn by the commotion and cast curious looks their way.
Faced with the trio's aggressive questioning, Senju Chen barely even lifted his eyelids. He actually found it somewhat amusing. A moment ago, he had been plotting how to bring future powerhouses like Obito and Shisui into his fold, only to find his way blocked by a few nobodies.
He slowly raised his head, his black eyes calm and unruffled, and simply watched Inabi in silence.
"Wood Release?" Senju Chen spoke quietly, yet his voice reached everyone's ears clearly. "Use it here?"
He glanced around, pointed at the imposing Ninja Academy gates, then at the classroom building not far away, and asked in all seriousness, "Do you want me to plant a forest here, or tear the school down with tree roots?"
"..."
Uchiha Inabi's expression instantly stiffened.
He had only wanted to pick a fight and humiliate this so-called "Senju genius." That question had never even occurred to him.
Seeing that he had no answer, Senju Chen took another step forward and leaned closer, adding unhurriedly in a voice only their little group could hear:
"I hear the Uchiha Clan is rich. If the school gets demolished, your family... can afford to pay for it, right?"
"You!" Inabi's face instantly turned a dark purplish red, both from anger and from being left speechless.
As a child of five or six, how could he have thought about paying for damages? All he knew was that if he nodded, his grandfather would surely break his legs afterward.
Senju Chen ignored his embarrassment, shaking his head and sighing as he looked at him as though he were an idiot.
"Ah, looks like you can't."
His regretful expression made it seem as though he truly had the Uchiha Clan's wallet in mind.
That had done little damage, but it was immensely insulting.
"Pfft."
Someone in the crowd failed to hold back a quiet laugh.
Inabi's face grew even redder, and he shouted in humiliated fury, "Don't get cocky! If you don't dare use it, just say so! Why make so many excuses? You're a liar!"
"Oh."
Senju Chen replied indifferently, then walked straight past Inabi, as though he were nothing more than a stone blocking the way.
From beginning to end, he had shown not the slightest anger or nervousness. That utter disregard was more maddening than any vicious words.
"Is this how you people from the Uchiha Clan bully a five-year-old?"
"That's... that's going too far!"
"Exactly. The Uchiha Clan is so arrogant."
Although Senju Chen ignored them, discussions broke out all around, instantly directing the blame at Uchiha Inabi.
Uchiha Inabi's expression turned rather ugly. He had not expected the brat to ignore him, and the surrounding comments left him unable to back down gracefully. But his ingrained pride would not let him drop it. He glared viciously at Senju Chen. "We'll know whether it's true once I test you!"
With that, he actually gathered his chakra and charged forward, reaching for Senju Chen's collar!
"Stop!" a teacher shouted from a distance, but it was already too late.
Before everyone's horrified eyes, Uchiha Inabi's hand was about to touch that "helpless" child.
Here it comes.
The instant Inabi's palm was about to reach his collar, Senju Chen's body drifted half a step backward as though weightless. His toes tapped the ground, silently putting distance between them. The entire movement was fluid, so fast that he left only an afterimage.
A second later, Senju Chen stood several meters away, looking back at him with the faintest hint of a smile.
In the corner, a trace of surprise flashed through Kakashi Hatake's exposed eye as he watched the show with his hands still in his pockets.
So fast.
At the very instant he retreated, Senju Chen also slipped one hand behind his back and released a tiny amount of chakra toward the ground.
Poof!
Without warning, a tough, emerald-green wooden root no thicker than a thumb shot out of a crack between the paving tiles beneath Uchiha Inabi's feet and wrapped precisely around his ankle!
"What?!"
Charging forward at full speed, Uchiha Inabi had never expected such a sudden change beneath his feet. He instantly lost his balance and, with an undignified cry, fell hard onto the ground in front of Senju Chen in a textbook face-first sprawl, getting a mouthful of dust.
The entire place instantly fell deathly silent.
Everyone's gaze froze.
They stared in shock at Uchiha Inabi lying in a wretched heap on the ground. Finally, their gazes converged on the five-year-old child who had backed away in fright, yet wore a look of surprise, as though he had absolutely no idea what had happened.
Senju Chen slowly lowered his head and addressed Uchiha Inabi, who lay before him:
"Big brother, are you okay? Is there something fun on the ground? Why did you suddenly lie down?"