"I'll be the one to stay behind!"
"Covering for the squad naturally falls to me, the captain."
(The decoy, of course, should be me, the Hokage.)
"Kakashi, from now on, you are the captain."
(Monkey, from now on, you are the Hokage.)
"I leave the intelligence in your hands to protect."
(I leave the village in your hands to protect.)
In the Hokage's office, as the crystal ball emitted the boy's clear and resolute voice speaking those all-too-familiar words, an incredibly clear, incredibly fierce image etched deep within the Third Hokage's soul suddenly surged forth.
For a fleeting moment, the calm and resolute profile of the black-haired boy in the rain astonishingly overlapped with the face of his teacher looking back for the last time in his memory.
An immense sense of trance overwhelmed the Third Hokage; the barriers of time seemed to be pierced through in this very moment.
A long while later, he slowly, extremely slowly, took a breath and closed his eyes, calming the raging waves churning within his heart.
Sensible since childhood, grew up in an orphanage, took the initiative to help with chores and care for the younger children.
Friendly to others, cared for his comrades, ran errands for the elderly nearby, helped the neighbors, and got along well with his classmates.
Grateful and eager to repay kindness, he never forgot to give back to the orphanage that raised him from the meager income he earned working, and he hosted a teacher appreciation banquet for the instructor who taught him swordsmanship...
All sorts of information about that child flashed through the Third Hokage's mind like fragments.
A moment later, the Third Hokage opened his eyes again, his gaze having returned to its usual profoundness and clarity.
His gaze fell upon the desktop, where lay an application report delivered just this afternoon—an official document from an academy student applying to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
He picked up his pen and fluidly wrote down a large word:
[Approved]
The tip of the pen paused; he felt this didn't seem to be enough.
And so, beneath "Approved," he added another line of remarks:
"At discretion, outside of the standard ninjutsu library permissions, an additional selection of practical B-rank and C-rank ninjutsu may be made available for him to choose and study as encouragement. The specific list is to be discussed and drafted by the Academic Affairs Office and his guiding teacher."
After writing this sentence, he pondered for a few seconds, still feeling it was inadequate.
"Additionally: If the student encounters difficulties during his studies, a request can be made through his guiding teacher to arrange suitable personnel for regular or specialized guidance. I will personally oversee this matter."
Making the final stroke, the Third Hokage gently set the report aside, his gaze once again turning toward the gradually subsiding rain outside the window.
...
Some time later, on the weekend.
Konoha's Fourth Training Ground, in the faint light of dawn.
Shinichi was carrying out basic physical training—push-ups.
His movements were standard and steady; every dip and press carried a clear rhythm of exertion. Sweat continuously dripped down his chin and neck, seeping into the ground beneath him and leaving dark stains.
At this moment, he was not carrying a massive boulder on his back as he used to. Instead, he wore a dark, form-fitting weighted vest. Additionally, his limbs and waist were bound with several solid metal blocks inscribed with tiny runes.
This was professional weighted equipment he had carefully selected from a ninja tool shop, a style similar to what Rock Lee would wear later on.
Having realized how harsh the conditions for generating a blue-grade trait were—requiring a shocking effect that rippled across all of Konoha, and highly likely necessitating the acknowledgment of influential core figures—he had adjusted his strategy.
Exaggerated, attention-grabbing behavior was no longer the primary focus; at this stage, efficiency was key.
This equipment, which applied loads more evenly and scientifically, yielded much better results for his current physical conditioning.
Scattered around him were seven or eight figures completely identical to him in appearance and clothing—Shadow Clones.
These shadow clones were either treading water to practice chakra control, wielding longswords to practice swordsmanship, or holding a scroll to study intently.
For Shinichi—who now possessed [Genius], which brought a leap in all-around learning efficiency; [Quick-Witted], which increased his speed of thought; and the [Ninja Academy Student] class, which slightly boosted his ninja aptitude—after obtaining a scroll, he only needed to read it once to master it.
Chakra originates from the fusion of physical and spiritual energy. Shinichi's body and spirit—especially his body, under the enhancement of various traits—were already extraordinary. Therefore, if he went all out, he could create a little over ten shadow clones, reaching just over half of the maximum limit for this jutsu.
However, doing so imposed too great a burden. In order to pursue a more enduring and efficient supplementary training effect, he currently maintained their number at seven or eight.
Everything was progressing according to plan, and in some aspects, even exceeding expectations.
Not long ago, he received an official notice from the academy that his application to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu had been approved.
But when he received the issued ninjutsu scroll, he found that its contents were not limited to the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Attached within the scroll were several other practical Konoha-style taijutsu and kenjutsu, along with one B-rank and several C-rank Fire Release ninjutsu.
This made Shinichi realize that his actions in the cemetery that day must have been observed by the Third Hokage. In particular, those final words he spoke—whose core completely aligned with the Second Hokage's dying words—must have deeply moved the Hokage.
Therefore, his application not only passed smoothly, but he also received some extras.
Over the years, through various actions, Shinichi had indeed meticulously crafted an image, aside from just generating traits: mature and sensible, kind to others, diligent and hardworking, and grateful enough to repay kindness.
Such an orphan genius—with clean origins, an impeccable background, manifest talent, and a seemingly pure, kind, and driven disposition—was undoubtedly very much to the liking of Konoha's higher-ups.
Even someone like Danzo Shimura might internally mock this kind of naivety, but he would absolutely never refuse having subordinates or friends who were of this reliable, controllable, and purely convicted archetype.
Because even bad people hope that those around them are good people.
Looking at it now, this long-term image management was undoubtedly successful. It made the Third Hokage make up his mind to list him as a key figure to be nurtured.
Just as they had discovered and cultivated Minato Namikaze back in the day, Konoha's upper echelon was happy to see and support such a loyal, righteous, and impeccably rooted genius, bringing him into the fold of their own people.
"I'll put the focus of the next trait upgrade on Tenacity."
While doing push-ups, he focused his mind on the Tenacity trait on his personal panel.
[Tenacity (White): Your physical endurance and recovery are superior to ordinary people. You can recover faster from striking damage and have a higher tolerance for pain.]
From now on, his morning routine of running with a boulder at the academy would be replaced. Instead, his shadow clones would subject his true body to public, high-intensity anti-strike training, ensuring that every student who arrived at the academy in the morning would see his figure gritting his teeth to endure the attacks, only to stand firm time and time again.
At the same time, the [Glutton] trait, which allowed him to rapidly replenish consumption through food, also held strong value for an upgrade. Perhaps during lunch breaks or between training sessions, he could intentionally engage in massive eating.
He should also pay attention to the occasional competitive eating contests held in the village, participating whenever he had the chance, to broadcast the label of having an astonishing appetite and being an exceptionally big eater.
As his thoughts became clear, he finished his final set of push-ups, slowly stood up, and swept his gaze over the shadow clones still busy with their respective tasks on the training ground.
.....