The outskirts of the Hidden Leaf, Konoha Orphanage.
In the afternoon, Saiki didn't continue his training with Kushina and the others. Instead, he came here alone. At this moment, a group of children was playing behind the orphanage gates.
When they first saw Saiki, they didn't recognize him immediately. Saiki was wearing his forehead protector, and one of his eyes was still a bruised "panda eye." However, they soon began to shout with excitement.
"Saiki?"
"It's Big Brother Saiki! He's back!"
Several children sprinted into the courtyard, yelling at the top of their lungs, "Director! Everyone! Big Brother Saiki is back!"
Saiki had spent a significant amount of time in this orphanage before. His mature mind and overwhelming strength had naturally made him the king of the orphans.
Additionally, over the years, he had made it a point to return and help out whenever he had free time, so almost every child in the facility knew him.
Some children ran inside to deliver the news, while others rushed forward and tackled him in a group hug.
"Big Brother Saiki, what are you carrying in that hand?"
"Big Brother Saiki, what happened to your eye? Are you wearing a forehead protector? Are you a real ninja now?"
Some were curious about the briefcase he held, others were fascinated by his black eye, and many were simply thrilled to see him as an official shinobi.
Though only nine years old, Saiki stood over 1.4 meters tall. The orphanage children were mostly around four or five years old, their heads reaching exactly to his waist.
Looking down at the sea of adorable little heads clinging to his waist and legs, Saiki felt a bit speechless. "Hey, don't wipe your muddy hands on me!"
Despite his internal grumbling, Saiki maintained a warm smile. "What's in the bag? It's a secret! I'll tell you in a bit. How have you all been lately?"
Faced with Saiki's teasing, the children began to act spoiled, whining for him to reveal the secret.
These children, like Saiki, were war orphans who had lost their families. Under the Director's guidance, they had learned to view one another as true family.
Because Saiki frequently returned with gifts and delicious food even after moving out, the children adored him.
Soon, escorted by several children, a woman emerged. She had pale blonde hair, a perpetual gentle smile on her face, black round-framed glasses, and wore a simple nun's habit. This was Nono'u Yakushi.
"Saiki?"
Seeing one of his eyes circled in black, she was momentarily stunned.
"Sister Director!"
Gazing at the beautiful Nono'u, who radiated a motherly gentleness, Saiki greeted her with a bright, happy smile.
Saiki's smile only made the situation more ridiculous. The contrast between his handsome face and the prominent black eye was so comical that even the gentle Nono'u couldn't help but burst into a soft giggle.
However, her smile quickly faded into concern. She stepped forward and pulled Saiki into a tight embrace, then lowered her head to gently stroke the bruised skin around his eye with a pained expression. "What happened? Who hit you? Did someone bully you?"
Nono'u's affection for Saiki ran incredibly deep.
Although Saiki had only lived in the orphanage for less than half a year, during the two years since Tsunade had taken him in, he had returned every single month. He had never forgotten his roots.
Many children never returned once they left the orphanage.
It wasn't always because they didn't want to; many of them simply couldn't return.
Konoha didn't open orphanages out of pure altruism. The village—specifically Hiruzen Sarutobi—used these facilities to scout for talented children who could be molded into loyal assassins and "disposable" operatives for the village and the various clans.
The Hidden Leaf didn't just hand out funding for free; the orphanage always had to pay a price.
There were multiple orphanages in Konoha, and the one run by Nono'u was considered one of the "lucky" ones. In many other facilities, children weren't even treated as human beings; they were merely fuel to be burned for the sake of the Leaf.
Because Saiki had been salvaged by Tsunade and needed a place to stay while his "spy potential" was being evaluated, he had been sent to Nono'u's facility.
Saiki was the fortunate one. With Tsunade's protection, he had avoided the fate of so many other orphans who ended up as rootless killers or suicide squads.
Perhaps that was why Saiki, who returned so often, was so special to Nono'u.
Meeting her tender, pained gaze, Saiki shook his head and laughed. "Sister Director, you should know better than anyone that I'm quite strong. No one can bully me. Last night, Lady Tsunade's gambling itch got the better of her, and we got into a bit of a scuffle. This is the result."
Hearing the name of the culprit, Nono'u's expression became a mix of reproach and pity. "How could Lady Tsunade hit you like this? Seriously... and you, why must you always pick a fight with her?"
As she spoke, a soft green glow of chakra began to emanate from Nono'u's hands. Saiki instinctively wanted to stop her but ultimately relented.
Saiki knew the Mystical Palm Technique himself, so why hadn't he healed the bruise? It was because Tsunade had used "hidden force"—leaving behind a residue of hostile chakra that required highly advanced medical skills to dispel without injury.
Saiki's medical knowledge was limited to basic healing and first aid; he didn't dare mess with his own eye for fear of causing a chakra conflict and blinding himself.
Kabuto Yakushi would eventually learn much of his medical expertise from Nono'u, which is how Orochimaru would first discover the boy's talent.
Nono'u was known as the "Wandering Miko," not only for her elite espionage skills but also for her masterful medical ninjutsu that had saved countless lives.
Saiki was prepared to use his internal Pre-natal Qi to suppress any backlash if things went wrong, but under Nono'u's skilled touch, Tsunade's residual chakra was smoothly dispersed. The "panda eye" vanished almost instantly.
"There. All better. How does it feel?"
Withdrawing her hand, Nono'u offered him another gentle smile.
Saiki blinked. The slight discomfort was gone. While he didn't usually care what others thought, being stared at like a circus animal on the streets had been annoying.
"It's perfect. Thank you, Sister Director!" Saiki laughed.
The nearby children began to cheer. "Yay! The panda Big Brother is gone!"
Saiki shot the rowdy kids an exasperated look.
Nono'u became uncharacteristically stern as she lectured him, "Don't be so reckless in the future. You must have done something to provoke Lady Tsunade for her to strike you like that."
Faced with the scolding, Saiki simply smiled. "I know, Sister Director."
Once the lecture was over, Nono'u finally noticed the large briefcase and the heavy bag Saiki was carrying. She asked curiously, "What did you bring this time? Didn't I tell you not to waste your money on us?"
Saiki brought gifts every time he visited, and no amount of persuasion could stop him. This time, at least, the items looked normal. She remembered the last time he had arrived carrying a literal thousand-pound wild boar on his shoulders, claiming the kids needed "more protein."
"Ah, just some sweets and other supplies," Saiki replied.
Children loved sweets, but orphans rarely had the chance to eat them. Now that Saiki had money, he made sure they didn't go without.
Hearing there were candies, the children erupted in cheers of joy once again.
While the kids were busy distributing the sweets, Saiki followed Nono'u into the Director's office—which also served as her bedroom.
"Saiki... where did you get this much money?"
Staring at the briefcase overflowing with high-denomination banknotes, Nono'u looked at Saiki with genuine shock.
Seeing her worried he might have stolen it, Saiki explained quickly, "Relax, Sister Director. I earned every bit of this myself."
Nono'u remained skeptical. "Didn't you just graduate? You're a Genin. How could a Genin earn this much?"
She added with a hint of hurt in her voice, "And you didn't even come to tell me you had graduated."
Her anger was clearly born of concern. Saiki smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Sister Director. I was incredibly busy those few days and didn't want you to worry, so I waited until today to visit."
"As for the money... you know how I am. During our mission, I had to reveal two of my original jutsu. I ended up selling the rights to the Hokage for the equivalent of two S-rank mission rewards."
Even though Nono'u had ties to Root, Saiki knew her character and trusted her as much as he trusted Tsunade. He never bothered to hide his true strength from her. She was one of the few people who actually knew the truth about him—a bond built on absolute mutual trust.
Understanding the source of the wealth, Nono'u still shook her head. "No. I can't take this. You need this money for your own cultivation."
Saiki wasn't surprised by her refusal. "Sister Director, my training doesn't consume expensive ninja tools. Aside from food and drink, I need very little. Now that I've graduated, I'll only be making more money. I'm not short on cash."
"Still, I cannot accept this!" Nono'u insisted.
Just as the two were arguing over the money, a child who was supposed to be eating candy knocked frantically on the office door.
"Director! Something's wrong! Other people are here!"
At the orphanage gates, Nono'u stood protectively in front of the children, facing two ninja dressed in the traditional attire of the Uchiha clan. Two elderly staff members were busy corralling the kids to keep them from running toward the strangers.
Looking at the two Uchiha, Nono'u asked politely, "May I ask why you are here?"
From the side, Saiki observed the pair. One was a Chunin, the other a Genin. Saiki recognized the Genin—he was from another class in Saiki's graduating year. His name was Kei Uchiha, a boy who looked as arrogant as he was brooding.
The two were far from polite. The Uchiha Chunin stepped forward and spoke bluntly, "My name is Qiangquan Uchiha. We are here to take two children. We will provide a sum of capital to the orphanage as compensation."
Nono'u's gentle smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold sternness. She rejected them without hesitation. "I apologize, but none of these children will be leaving this orphanage."
The children, who had been restless, went deathly silent. They knew the history of the place; before Nono'u arrived, many children had been taken away, never to be seen or heard from again.
Faced with her refusal, Qiangquan Uchiha's face darkened. He issued a direct threat: "You are the Director, I assume. I hope you understand the consequences of refusing the Uchiha."
Seeing the "I'm doing you a favor by being here" attitude of the two Uchiha, Saiki sighed inwardly. Classic Uchiha. No wonder they get massacred. This level of self-righteous arrogance is truly unmatched.
"Oh? And what consequences would those be?" Saiki asked casually.
Nono'u gasped, signaling Saiki to stay silent. "Saiki!" she hissed.
Looking at Nono'u, who was clearly trying to handle the situation herself to keep him out of it, Saiki lamented, "I really didn't want to cause trouble today. But when people I care about are being bullied, what am I supposed to do?"
Nono'u's attempt to silence him was too late. Both Qiangquan and Kei Uchiha turned their gazes toward Saiki.
Kei had been watching Saiki from the start. As one of the most popular boys in school with "average" talent, Saiki had always been on the radar of the friendless, brooding Kei.
"What kind of thing are you supposed to be?" Qiangquan Uchiha asked, his nose tilted toward the sky as he looked down at Saiki with utter disdain.
"I'm a human being," Saiki smirked. "But what kind of thing are you?"
Qiangquan replied with practiced arrogance, "I am no 'thing'!"
Caught in a simple word trap, Qiangquan had just insulted himself. It took him a second to realize he had been played.
"You little brat... you're asking for death!"
A furious Qiangquan instantly activated his Sharingan. Within those crimson, blood-red eyes, two tomoe began to spin rapidly. Without another word, he launched a punch directly at Saiki's face.
Saiki was actually surprised. Qiangquan was arrogant enough to physically attack a fellow villager wearing a Leaf forehead protector.
Sizzle!
In a heartbeat, Saiki completed a single-handed Body Flicker seal. Lightning Style chakra erupted across his skin, granting him speed that far eclipsed the Chunin's. He met the incoming fist with one of his own.
BOOM!
Fist collided with fist.
Though Saiki was only nine, his raw physical power dwarfed that of the grown Uchiha before him.
The Lightning Style chakra surged through Saiki's knuckles and into Qiangquan's body, leaving his entire arm numb and forcing him to stumble back several steps in disarray.
"Impossible!" Qiangquan stared at Saiki, his numbed fist trembling in disbelief.
He was a two-tomoe Uchiha Chunin—significantly stronger than a standard ninja of his rank.
Yet, Saiki's speed and strength were clearly superior. Saiki looked like a mere Genin; Qiangquan couldn't fathom how he was being pushed back, especially since he took such pride in his awakened eyes.
Saiki looked at the man with total boredom. He had crushed Chunin like they were chickens before; this was nothing special.
After the initial shock, Qiangquan quickly regained his composure.
"Filthy brat... I'll show you the true power of the Uchiha!"
His crimson Sharingan locked onto Saiki's eyes. Saiki didn't look away, meeting his gaze with absolute confidence. Seeing this, Qiangquan smirked and unleashed a fundamental Sharingan Genjutsu.
Nono'u, watching from the side, wanted to warn Saiki about the danger of the Sharingan's gaze, but it was already too late.
Seeing Saiki suddenly freeze, Qiangquan assumed the illusion had taken hold and lunged forward to finish him.
Though Nono'u was a medical ninja, her combat prowess was respectable. She prepared to rush forward to intercept the Uchiha.
But Saiki moved first. Lightning crackled across his body as he blurred past Nono'u like a bolt of electricity.
He was so fast that even the two-tomoe Sharingan couldn't track his movement. He materialized instantly in front of Qiangquan and hammered a fist directly into the man's stomach.
The force of the blow was cataclysmic. Qiangquan's spine buckled into a bow shape, his eyes bulged from their sockets, and he was launched into the air like a cannonball.
RUMBLE!
He crashed through a thicket and slammed into a small earthen hill in the distance.
Beside them, the stunned Kei Uchiha was left gaping, looking left and right in a total daze.
Saiki had been keeping an eye on Kei from the start. He remembered reading a fanfiction in his previous life where the protagonist was a dark, brooding Uchiha named Kei.
But looking at this kid's reaction, he clearly wasn't a transmigrator. He was just the same flavor of arrogant and moody.