Chapter 33 (Patreon)

Early spring had arrived in Konoha.

Over the past two months, Yujiro had thrown himself completely into training.

Swordsmanship.

Taijutsu.

Ninjutsu.

Not once had he relaxed in any of them.

And naturally, the improvement in his strength was enormous.

“Display personal status.”

A transparent screen appeared before his eyes.

【Host: Yujiro】

【Chakra Natures: Lightning, Wind】

【Chakra Reserves: 3000 (Jōnin Level)】

【Limiter: Second Stage】 【Third Stage Progress: 8.6%】 【Current Status: The normal Second Stage can be freely activated after reaching 50% completion】

【Current Objective: Push physical ability and chakra control beyond their limits】

【Latest Training Objective: Extreme ninjutsu training, chakra strengthening, and physical overload training】

After two months of brutal training, he had only reached 8.6%.

Too slow.

Yujiro quietly exhaled.

It seemed ordinary training alone would no longer be enough.

If he wanted to continue breaking through his limits…

Then he would need pressure.

Real pressure.

The kind that forced people to evolve.

And the fastest way to obtain that pressure—

Was to attract attention.

Trouble would naturally follow afterward.

But Yujiro understood something clearly.

Without pressure, there was no growth.

The next morning.

Kurenai and Yugao stood beside Yujiro, both wearing Academy uniforms.

Today was the day Konoha’s Ninja Academy accepted new students.

The same day Yujiro officially enrolled.

The Ninja Academy had originally been established by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

On the surface, it existed to educate young shinobi.

But in Yujiro’s eyes…

It was also the place where Konoha planted the “Will of Fire” into children from the moment they could think.

A system built to shape loyalty from childhood.

Honestly speaking—

It really did resemble a form of indoctrination.

No wonder so many shinobi were willing to die for the village without hesitation.

That belief had been carved into them since they were children.

Soon, Kurenai led Yugao and Yujiro toward the entrance of the Academy.

The moment Yujiro arrived, he spotted Itachi immediately.

Itachi had clearly been waiting for a while already.

Beside him stood Uchiha Izumi.

The moment Itachi noticed Yujiro, he jogged over with a faint smile.

Izumi followed behind him somewhat nervously.

Yujiro simply waited quietly without saying much.

Truthfully, he was somewhat curious about the Ninja Academy.

He wanted to see for himself what kind of place it truly was.

As Yujiro appeared, many of the new students nearby subconsciously turned to look at him.

His appearance was already enough to attract attention.

Before classes had even officially begun, many of the girls had privately decided Yujiro was the most handsome boy in the Academy.

Even Itachi could only rank second.

Yujiro swept his gaze across the crowd once before withdrawing it calmly.

Most of the children here were around six to nine years old.

Yet almost every one of them carried a maturity far beyond ordinary children.

The shinobi world forced people to grow up early.

Yujiro suddenly understood why this world felt so different from ordinary reality.

This was the unique atmosphere of the Naruto world itself.

At that moment, a Konoha chūnin instructor stepped forward.

“All right, everyone, quiet down.”

The noisy crowd slowly settled.

“As the newest students of the Ninja Academy, welcome.”

“And now, please welcome the Third Hokage-sama.”

Hearing that, Yujiro slightly raised his eyes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly walked forward beneath countless admiring gazes.

A warm smile rested on his face.

From appearance alone, he truly looked like a kind old grandfather.

Hypocritical.

That was Yujiro’s honest evaluation.

Soon enough, the familiar speech began.

“Wherever the leaves dance, the fire burns…”

“The fire’s light will continue to protect the village, allowing new leaves to grow…”

The Will of Fire speech continued for nearly half an hour.

Most of the students listened with sparkling eyes full of admiration.

Meanwhile, beneath a nearby tree—

Yujiro, Itachi, Yugao, and Izumi stood quietly together.

Izumi and Yugao both looked somewhat inspired after hearing the speech.

But Yujiro and Itachi were completely different.

Itachi lowered his head slightly, deep in thought.

He was thinking seriously about the meaning behind those words.

How exactly should the “fire” protect the village?

Just as Yujiro once joked—

Did protecting the village mean burning Konoha itself down?

Meanwhile, Yujiro’s expression remained calm and unreadable from beginning to end.

No one could tell what he was truly thinking.

From afar, Hiruzen quietly observed the two boys.

Then he nodded inwardly.

As expected…

Konoha’s greatest geniuses were different from ordinary children.

Still, Hiruzen remained extremely confident.

Sooner or later, the Academy would guide them onto the correct path.

He firmly believed Yujiro would eventually inherit the Will of Fire.

The entrance procedures ended shortly afterward.

Today was merely registration day.

Formal classes would begin tomorrow.

Coincidentally, Yujiro, Yugao, Itachi, and Izumi had all been assigned to the same class.

After leaving the Academy grounds, Yujiro suddenly spoke.

“Let’s go to the hot springs.”

Yugao’s cheeks immediately reddened slightly.

Still, she nodded obediently.

Izumi looked at Yugao, then at Yujiro, before eventually nodding as well.

Hot springs were genuinely useful for recovery.

Not only could they relieve fatigue, but they also relaxed muscles and improved circulation throughout the body.

Ever since going once before, Yujiro had become surprisingly fond of them.

Without saying anything further, the four of them headed toward the hot springs together.

…

Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Office.

Minato sat quietly behind his desk, staring at a report in silence.

It contained the names of shinobi who had disappeared from Konoha during the past month.

Most of them had not even been on missions.

They had simply vanished.

Without a trace.

And Minato already had a rough idea who was involved.

The problem was—

He could not act.

Someone powerful was protecting that person from the shadows.

At that moment, the office door opened.

No knocking.

No warning.

Only one person in Konoha walked into the Hokage’s office like this.

Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Minato silently placed the report flat on the desk instead of hiding it away.

Every single name on that paper represented a life.

“Haha… today’s Academy speech went rather smoothly,” Hiruzen said with an easy smile.

Minato looked at him quietly.

Then inwardly sighed.

As always…

Sarutobi Hiruzen calmly walked over and sat down as though this office still belonged to him.

But the moment his eyes landed on the report—

His expression changed slightly.

Minato remained silent.

He wanted to see exactly how the Third Hokage intended to handle this matter.