Chapter 244: Wood Style Appears x Orochimaru's Covetousness
Roy looked at Minato Namikaze and made no movement.
"I'll listen to Sensei."
"Minato," Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
Minato Namikaze looked at this one, then that one, and smilingly put away his kunai. "Jin, since Hokage-sama is calling for you, you should go. Departing for the battlefield won't matter if it's delayed by a day or two; there will be plenty of time later."
Moreover, the boy actually possessed astonishing talent in "Space-Time Ninjutsu"... Minato Namikaze's lake-blue eyes flickered. He might have to whisper in Kushina's ear and visit Big Brother Fugaku's house more often for meals.
Seeing this, Roy shoved his hands into his pockets, followed expressionlessly behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, and strolled towards the edge of the Southern Border Forest... At that time, it was approaching noon, and the sun was at its peak.
One old and one young, one in front and one behind, walked out of the forest, crossed the street, merged into the breeze, and went straight up the Hokage Rock. Neither spoke until Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped first. Standing right on top of his own stone face, he turned back and asked, "Are you harboring anger in your heart?"
Roy also stopped. Beneath his feet was the stone face of Hashirama Senju, wearing a forehead protector and gazing at Konoha. He said faintly, "Anyone being peeped at would find it hard to be happy."
"Paying attention to the growth of every young ninja is my duty as the principal."
"Then, may I ask if Hokage-sama saw it?"
"I saw it," Hiruzen Sarutobi looked deeply at Roy. "And I was startled."
Saying this, the old man sat down cross-legged, reached out to pat the empty space beside him, and signaled Roy to come over...
Roy sat down openly, his two legs dangling off the rock face, swaying slightly. The bangs hanging over his eyes swayed gently in the wind, carrying an indescribable, unique aura amidst his free-spiritedness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi tilted his head to look at him, his memory flashing back to his own youthful self. Compared to the boy, his past self... seemed ten thousand times inferior.
"Jin,"
"Speak,"
"Could you tell this old man, who... is your teacher?" Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head, looking at the high, clear sky and the bright sun above Konoha with the boy, and said faintly, "Don't tell me it's Fugaku. You know he couldn't teach such an outstanding child like you."
Swordsmanship capable of clashing with Sakumo... freely cast Signless Ninjutsu... unparalleled Space-Time talent... Plus [Yang Release] and the sharp insight that saw through the [Telescope Technique] at first glance... The boy was like a mystery. Just revealing a corner casually displayed Ninjutsu and Swordsmanship that many Jonin might not master in their entire lives...
Needless to say Fugaku Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked himself, even he himself, plus the First and Second Hokage, might not be able to train such a formidable child!
Otherwise, Asuma wouldn't still be just barely a Chunin up to now...
Saying it out loud would make him blush.
"Teacher?"
"There are quite a few..."
Roy thought of Sakonji Urokodaki, thought of the old woman Biscuit, thought of his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, as well as... Ging, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and others. Men and women, old and young, who had either imparted knowledge, offered a word of advice, or shared a destiny of discussion... There were swordsmen, Hunters, Shinigami... Finally, he summed it up in one word:
"Dreams."
The boy dangled his lower legs and said leisurely, "I often learn from my teachers in my dreams."
"They don't mind my stupidity, and for that, I am immensely grateful."
After the boy finished speaking, he twisted a wisp of clear breeze, his thoughts flying. It was as if those days of practicing swordsmanship with his master Sakonji Urokodaki were right before his eyes... Having not seen them for nearly two years, he wondered if Sabito, Makomo, and the other senior disciples in Mt. Sagiri were doing well now...
The rustling warm sun shone straight down on the silent Hokage Rock at this moment...
Hearing this answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi tilted his head to look at the boy. Although this answer was absurd and bizarre, his intuition told him that Roy was telling the truth.
"Heh heh heh..." The old man laughed with a suppressed voice.
He took off his Hokage hat, placed it next to him, stroked his half-black, half-white goatee under his chin, and said with certainty, "To be able to be your teachers, I imagine... they must all be remarkable figures."
"Indeed," Roy released his hand, letting the wisp of clear breeze slip away, and smiled. "I think so too, therefore,"
The boy tilted his head to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi: "I have always felt that I am very lucky."
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze for a moment, then said seriously, "They are also very lucky."
"To have a student like you, this old man feels they must surely think the same."
Sakonji Urokodaki's gaze before setting off to Mt. Fujikasane to join the Demon Slayer Corps... Great-Grandfather's guidance when first learning [Ren]... Father's embrace when meeting in the dream... Grandpa comparing heights in the mottled corridor, Ging's gift, Biscuit's insights, and the first encounter with Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto stemming from 'gratitude'...
Scenes unfolded one by one... Roy leaned back, his back resting against the not-so-smooth rock surface, and kept quiet. He simply looked up through the gaps between his fingers at the great sun in the sky gradually rising to its peak. After a moment, he said leisurely, "Hokage-sama didn't call me here just to chat with a kid like me who isn't even a ninja, did you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, with his back to the leaning Roy, slowly looked at the bustling scene in the Konoha commercial district ahead, as if he couldn't get enough of it, and said, "Let me correct you. This old man has already approved your early graduation. So, strictly speaking, you are already a qualified Genin."
"I didn't agree."
"You don't need to agree." The old man looked over slyly and said seriously, "I am the principal, what I say goes."
Roy rolled his eyes and simply closed them, not looking at him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, not getting angry, and said calmly, "Of course, this time, this old man sought you out to answer your question." Roy remained unmoved.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued on his own, "Last time at the academy, you asked this old man if Konoha's 'Fire' included the Uchiha... Now..." Wearing his white Hokage haori and looking at the azure sky, Hiruzen Sarutobi enunciated every word, "That depends on what the Uchiha... think."
"Or rather, what do you think?"
"Me?" Roy kept his eyes closed, hands pillowed behind his head, and said indifferently, "Has Hokage-sama asked the wrong person?"
"This old man didn't ask the wrong person, it's exactly you."
Roy slowly opened his eyes, met the old man's burning gaze head-on, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Are you serious?"
Brat, the moment the village and the Uchiha are mentioned, you won't even call me Hokage-sama anymore?
Hiruzen Sarutobi said seriously, "Of course."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked deeply at the boy and said, "You are different."
Roy fell silent. In that instant, he even suspected... if the secret of his helping clan members awaken their eyes had leaked. But on second thought, after the [Tongue Eradication Seal] personally planted by his father and Setsuna Uchiha was broken, it was impossible for there to be no sensation... Roy immediately rejected this idea in his mind. At the very least...
One thing was certain now... Hiruzen Sarutobi had his eyes on him!
His thoughts fluctuated wildly like the Nen twisting and winding above his head. Roy feigned sleep... Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored his pretense, spread his wide sleeve, revealing the pipe firmly grasped in his hand. Waiting until he pulled some tobacco from his pouch to fill the bowl, he leaned close to Roy, extended the pipe, and asked, "Got a light?"
"No." Roy rolled over, turning his back to Hiruzen Sarutobi completely, and said coldly, "Smoking is harmful to your health. That's common sense even children know."
"But it relieves fatigue." Since Roy wouldn't light it, Hiruzen Sarutobi simply lit it himself, took a puff, and said, "The Hokage is very busy. This old man wishes there were forty-eight hours in a day."
A mouthful of smoke went through his lungs and was exhaled from his mouth, leisurely turning into a smoke ring that spread with the wind, drifted far away, and vanished.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt comfortable and leaned back a bit. "Tell me, what do you think?"
The old man said faintly, "Whether it's the Uchiha or the village, you always have to choose one."
Just like what you did to Shisui, to Itachi... to every Uchiha who showed even the slightest bit of talent... Must there be a clear division between you and us? A sentence suddenly popped into Roy's mind: Those in power don't necessarily want talent; even a pig, as long as it's loyal enough, will be entrusted with important tasks. An unspeakable sense of mockery instantly welled up in his heart!
"What I think doesn't matter. If you, Hiruzen Sarutobi, lack the ability and cannot control the village, please don't shift the blame for your own incompetence onto the Uchiha!" The boy's words were astonishing!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand holding the pipe paused. With another glance, he saw the boy suddenly stand up, stepping on the massive stone face of Hashirama Senju, draped in a rosy cloak woven from ten thousand rays of sunlight. Looking down at him, showing neither joy nor sorrow, he said, "Since Hokage-sama asked, I will tell you,"
"I'll choose if I want to, and I won't choose if I don't want to. Are you satisfied?"
Silence.
On this bright noon,
On the Hokage Rock symbolizing Konoha's inheritance, one old and one young, one sitting and one standing, one looking up and one looking down, staring at each other quietly... The air seemed to freeze over, almost solidifying!
Hiss... The tobacco in the pipe bowl burned slowly... The smoke rose... After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally snapped back to reality, realizing that he seemed to have... been scolded!
The person scolding him wasn't Danzo, wasn't Koharu, wasn't Homura, nor was it his teacher Tobirama Senju, and certainly not the First Hokage known as the "God of Shinobi" who single-handedly founded Konoha. It was... a half-grown child!
In silence, the old man took another puff of his pipe to steady his fluctuating emotions. He cast a sidelong glance at Roy and said, "Of course you can be willful, provided that... you have the strength for it."
Uncharacteristically, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the boy seriously and said, "If you were as strong as the one beneath your feet, let alone the Uchiha, even if you said you wanted the position of Hokage, this old man wouldn't even blink, and would instantly yield the position to you!"
The key is... could he?
There is only one God of Shinobi, only Hashirama, only Hashirama could... willingly make him submit.
Unfortunately... "I am not him, and naturally I cannot become him." Roy shook his head.
Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least... the child wasn't boundlessly arrogant; there was still hope to save him...
"Hmph, as long as you know!"
Roy did not refute. He simply extended a palm, opened the aura nodes in his palm, and separated a wisp of "Nen" as [Water] and [Earth]. They intertwined and merged, condensing a wooden walking stick from his palm. He struck it against the ground.
Dust billowed up, making Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes narrow as he opened his mouth slightly.
The boy rested both hands on the top of the walking stick. Seeing that the walking stick he condensed through [Wood Style] wasn't even a ten-thousandth of Hashirama Senju's, he agreed with Hiruzen Sarutobi, "You don't need to remind me of this. I know exactly what my 'Wood Style' is like, and how it compares to the First Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
His hand trembled, failing to hold onto the pipe. With a clatter, it tumbled down the rock face... Soon, the sound of the pipe snapping in half echoed.
"You... know [Wood Style]?"
"I wouldn't say I know it. I haven't mastered it for long and I'm still exploring it..."
Roy raised his hand, and another wooden sword took shape in his palm. Itachi's birthday was fast approaching, and Roy planned to make a [Divine Letter Wooden Sword] as a gift for him. He thought... Itachi would surely love it when he saw it.
Itachi's tender yet precocious face surfaced in his mind.
Roy's thoughts shifted, and when he snapped back, he suddenly felt his shoulders sink, firmly grabbed by a pair of large, calloused hands!
Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly stood up, grabbed Roy's shoulders, leaned in close, and stared straight at him, as if looking at a rare treasure, muttering to himself, "This old man should have thought of it earlier. Since you have mastered [Yang Release], it's not impossible for you to learn [Wood Style]... Good child, you are right."
"It is this old man's incompetence,"
"Almost letting you go to the battlefield..."
Hmm?! Roy: "..."
A sense of foreboding instantly arose in his heart... The boy frowned and asked, "What does Hokage-sama mean by this?"
"Exactly what it means." Hiruzen Sarutobi let go of Roy, placed his palm on his head, and said decisively, "Jin Uchiha, this old man announces once again: Starting today, you are grounded!"
"I need a reason." Roy's small face fell.
The cooked duck was about to fly away. He could have freely harvested "Life Energy" on the battlefield... Roy thought indignantly. Even with Yamato back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi never grounded him.
But,
"This is an order!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi bent down, picked up the Hokage hat from the ground, and placed it on his head. The large "Fire" character on it brooked no argument, leaving Roy speechless for a moment. He immediately turned around and left in a huff...
Tap... tap... Footsteps echoed...
Watching the boy take a few leaps and jump off the Hokage Rock, Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted leisurely at Roy's back: "You know, I can monitor you at any time."
Suddenly, a flash of light burst forth... Roy stopped jumping and simply used Light Style. Flash, flash, and flash again. He escaped Hiruzen Sarutobi's field of vision, disappearing completely...
"Brat..." Atop the massive Hokage Rock, the stone faces of the First, Second, and Hiruzen Sarutobi himself gazed outwards. Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed and scolded leisurely. He finally remembered his pipe, ran to the bottom of the rock face to look, and saw it was broken... His mouth twitched in heartache...
Fortunately, losing a pipe to witness Wood Style was worth it. Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the broken pipe, moved his feet, and hurried towards the Hokage Building...
One old and one young, separated by the bustling and noisy Konoha commercial district, darted off in different directions like two parallel lines that would never intersect... Little did they know, on an inconspicuous large tree nearby, a white snake suddenly poked out. Its slit pupils contained a dark gleam. It flicked its tongue, followed the direction Roy left, slithered along, and quietly and silently crept windingly towards the Southern Border Forest...
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