"Father! I'm back!"
Inside the Shimura Clan Land, a soft, milky voice rang out.
"Mm, how was your training today?"
Danzo Shimura sat in front of the tea table, picked up his teacup, and took a sip, his eyes full of satisfaction as he looked at Shimura Kaede standing in the doorway.
A year had passed since Shimura Kaede became the apprentice of Konohas White Fang.
During this year.
Shimura Kaede's talent spread throughout the entire Konoha.
The title of The Number One Genius was even more dazzling than Minato Namikaze's back then.
As for why the news spread so quickly.
Shimura Kaede suspected that his old man sitting in front of him must have put in a lot of effort.
"Teacher praised me for making rapid progress!"
Shimura Kaede took off his shoes and sat down obediently across from Danzo Shimura.
One year's time.
Had brought great changes to Shimura Kaede.
The system would enhance Shimura Kaede's physique through daily tasks.
This resulted in Shimura Kaede being a full half-head taller than his peers.
Four-year-old Shimura Kaede had short black hair and a pair of bright black eyes. He carried a short sword on his back, already possessing a hint of sharp composure.
Shimura Kaede never had the intention of hiding his talent entirely.
His old man was Danzo, the leader of Root.
The Third Hokage was his old man's best friend, and Konohas White Fang was his teacher.
Who would dare harm him, and who could harm him?
In Konoha, no one dared to lay a hand on Shimura Kaede.
Uchiha Madara was also old and frail, probably waiting to die somewhere, and certainly wouldn't take action against him.
His guard, Aburame Ryoma, possessed the strength of an Elite Jonin.
What did Shimura Kaede have to fear?
However, Shimura Kaede did not reveal all of his talent; he still kept some hidden.
As for his Wind Guardian, Danzo classified it as a Bloodline Limit.
When Danzo first learned this news, he was momentarily stunned, as the Shimura clan had never been known to possess any Bloodline Limit; it was just that most clan members had a strong affinity for the Wind Release.
However, the fact that his son gained a Bloodline Limit made Danzo Shimura ecstatic.
He even went so far as to have Orochimaru perform a physical examination on Shimura Kaede, with over a dozen Root Ninja watching the entire time.
Naturally, nothing could be detected.
Orochimaru and Danzo classified it as a Bloodline Mutation, and later, when Orochimaru wanted to research it, Danzo strictly refused.
The matter was subsequently dropped.
After a year of development.
Shimura Kaede's strength had increased significantly.
Aside from a lack of combat experience, he was certainly no weaker than an Elite Chunin.
"Four years old, and not yet possessing the strength of a Jonin, is that normal?"
Looking at the obedient and adorable Shimura Kaede across from him, Danzo Shimura nodded in satisfaction.
"It's almost time for the Ninja Academy's enrollment; you should prepare to enroll."
"School is starting?"
Shimura Kaede was taken aback.
Starting school at four years old—isn't that a bit excessive?
However, remembering that Kakashi graduated at five, Shimura Kaede felt relieved.
"You don't want to go?"
Danzo frowned slightly. Not going to school wouldn't do; his son was meant to become the Hokage.
Although his son's current strength meant he didn't need to attend school.
This was a political factor.
Shimura Kaede would be assigned to Class A, which was mainly composed of clan Ninja. Building bonds with these people from a young age would be a great help for Shimura Kaede in becoming the Hokage.
"No!"
Shimura Kaede shook his head obediently: "I will follow Father's arrangements!"
..."Where the tree leaves dance, the fire burns bright!"
At the entrance ceremony, Hiruzen Sarutobi was giving an impassioned speech.
Bearing the scorching sun, Shimura Kaede pouted, unwilling to listen to Hiruzen Sarutobi's endless chatter.
However, the group of children around him looked incredibly excited.
Whenever Hiruzen Sarutobi said something inspiring, many of them clenched their fists, looking up at the figure on the podium with adoration, wishing they could immediately rush to the battlefield and bravely fight for Konoha.
"Boring..."
Shimura Kaede rolled his eyes and quietly squeezed Rin Nohara's small hand.
"Lord Feng... what is it?"
Shimura Kaede's small action startled Rin Nohara.
Blushing, she nervously glanced left and right before asking in a soft voice.
"Where is that guy Obito?"
Shimura Kaede looked around but didn't see Obito.
He figured that kid.
Was probably helping an old lady cross the street again.
Shimura Kaede was already used to Obito's behavior.
That guy could definitely be called a "Friend of the Elderly." Every day he was either helping grandmas cross the road or helping grandpas move things.
"I don't know. Did Obito forget that today was the first day of school?"
Rin Nohara shook her head doubtfully, her eyes filled with helplessness.
That guy Obito was really careless.
Inside the Uchiha Clan Land.
A sharp scream rang out.
"Oh no! Today is the entrance ceremony!"
Obito, who had just finished helping an old lady cross the street, immediately let out a sharp cry, startling the old lady who was about to leave, causing her to stagger. She turned back and glared at Obito impatiently.
"Little Obito, why are you so jumpy?"
"Grandma, I'm late for the entrance ceremony!"
Obito's eyes were filled with despair.
After hastily leaving that sentence, he sprinted toward the Ninja Academy.
"I must make it!"
"I don't want to enroll a year late!"
By the time Obito arrived, the Ninja Academy's entrance ceremony had long since ended.
A gust of desolate wind blew past.
Obito had a mournful look on his face, his head bowed as he fought back tears.
"Alright, you idiot!"
"Your Father already took care of it for you!"
Obito looked up doubtfully and saw Shimura Kaede and Kakashi, both rolling their eyes, standing next to a large tree.
"Here, your enrollment notice!"
"This..."
Obito quickly and carefully caught the paper bag floating in mid-air.
Opening it up.
He found that his enrollment application had already been processed.
"Kaede, you shouldn't have helped him."
"He was late even for the entrance ceremony; it would be good to teach this guy a lesson!"
Kakashi crossed his arms, utterly speechless at Obito's unreliable behavior.
"Kaede!"
"Waaaah!"
Obito treasured the paper bag, tucking it into his chest, and tears immediately welled up.
Crying, he lunged toward Shimura Kaede, rubbing his head against Shimura Kaede's chest, getting snot and tears all over him.
"You bastard!"
Black lines appeared on Shimura Kaede's forehead, and he punched Obito right on the head.
"Get off me!"
"Kaede, boohoohoo, I love you!"
Obito clung stubbornly to Shimura Kaede's arm, using his rear end to push Kakashi away from Shimura Kaede.
This made Kakashi's temple twitch, and he joined the team beating up Obito.
"It's all your fault! This is my new outfit!"
Shimura Kaede glared dissatisfiedly at the bruised and swollen Obito, then walked towards Ichiraku Ramen with a swaggering gait.
"Hurry up and follow! Rin Nohara and the others are waiting for us at Ichiraku Ramen!"
Obito nodded quickly and glared at Kakashi.
"You wait and see, you bastard!"
"I'm sparing you today because of Kaede!"
"Tch!"
Kakashi looked disdainful: "Just you?"
The three walked down the street, bickering all the way.
When passing the enrollment notice board, Shimura Kaede stopped.
"Holy cow, what the heck is that?!"
Obito, who was rubbing his red, tear-filled eyes, was startled.
He saw two deep green figures crouching beside the enrollment list notice board.
"Might Guy, huh?"
Shimura Kaede crossed his arms, watching the scene of the two Konoha Rare Beasts crying their eyes out, and couldn't help but feel black lines forming on his forehead.
No one could have imagined that these two seemingly comical and ridiculous people.
Would bring such a huge impact to the Ninja World.
One turned the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the Three Lucky Stars.
The other almost kicked the story to its finale.
"Father! I have disappointed you!"
"I don't have the talent to be a Ninja!"
Might Guy looked at his father with unwillingness. The two had been staring at the notice board for an hour.
By now.
Might Guy was utterly disheartened.
"Sure enough, I'm just trash..."
At this moment, Might Guy was not yet Emperor Guy.
He was just a four-year-old child.
Faced with such a massive blow, he already had thoughts of giving up on becoming a Ninja.