Early chapters: patreon.com/Reborn_noob
I posted the wrong chapter earlier; sorry.
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Knowing Danzo was determined to establish his own force, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened.
"You may leave. We will discuss this further tomorrow, if needed," Sarutobi said.
Seeing Sarutobi's impatience, Danzo, to avoid jeopardizing his plans, glared at Suzuki and turned to leave.
"Inexplicable!" Yuta thought, observing Danzo's display, noting his lack of composure.
With only Sarutobi, Suzuki, and Yuta remaining, Sarutobi lit his pipe, the smoke obscuring his face.
"Hokage-sama, regarding the earlier incident…" Suzuki began, summarizing his exchange with Yuta. Sarutobi was surprised to learn the disturbance was caused by a ninjutsu collision between Suzuki and Yuta.
"Explain in detail," Sarutobi requested.
Sarutobi was curious about Yuta's ninjutsu, assuming Suzuki had recently developed and taught it.
"I am unsure. This was Yuta's first time using that ninjutsu. Yuta, please explain to Hokage-sama," Suzuki said.
"Oh? It seems you are not well-acquainted with your student! Suzuki, you are a negligent teacher!" Sarutobi reprimanded Suzuki, then turned his attention to Yuta, smiling.
"Haha, Yuta, is this our first meeting?" Sarutobi asked.
Yuta replied respectfully, "Hokage-sama, this is our second meeting. The previous time was when you selected your apprentice at the academy. Today is the second."
The response was awkward. While everyone knew the context, it could not be openly discussed.
Sarutobi smiled awkwardly. He had not yet mastered perfect composure, so he changed the subject.
"I heard you exchanged ninjutsu with Tsunade a few days ago. Why has Suzuki-sensei not taught you ninjutsu?"
Suzuki anxiously gestured to Yuta, hoping he would cooperate with Sarutobi.
However, Yuta replied, "Was it not you, Hokage-sama, who ordered that I not be taught ninjutsu?"
"Why would Hokage-sama issue such an order? I have other plans for you. I wanted you to build a strong foundation. That phase is nearly complete. I will teach you ninjutsu soon. Apologize to Hokage-sama," Suzuki said, seeing Sarutobi's discomfort.
"Oh! I seem to have misunderstood Hokage-sama. My apologies," Yuta said, bowing deeply.
"Ahem…" Sarutobi coughed, then said gently, "It is not important. Our generation is pleased to see such outstanding juniors. A minor misunderstanding is inconsequential."
Yuta said apologetically, "Thank you, Hokage-sama. Otherwise, my misunderstanding would have affected your mood, and I would have been troubled."
Suzuki, observing the exchange, inwardly groaned, "I have never seen such shameless individuals, let alone two of them."
After the verbal exchange, Yuta offered the Rasengan to the village, in exchange for any ninjutsu of his choice.
"Why did you choose that ninjutsu? I thought you would select a forbidden jutsu from the seal scroll," Suzuki asked.
"I considered it. If I chose a jutsu from the seal scroll, the Third Hokage would find reasons to avoid fulfilling the request, and I would gain nothing," Yuta said.
"Surely not? Did Lord Hokage not grant you permission to learn ninjutsu?" Suzuki asked.
"Alas! There is insufficient trust between people," Yuta replied.
Listening to Yuta's reasoning, Suzuki nodded in agreement. Yuta trusted no one, except Kiko.
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``````Three months had passed since the competition with Suzuki, and it was time to graduate from the Ninja Academy.
The training ground was full of prospective graduates, practicing diligently.
"Gather round. I just received a new mission to escort a batch of supplies to the border of the Land of Grass. Prepare yourselves now and meet at the village gate at ten o'clock," Suzuki-sensei announced, approaching Yuta and Akano at the fourth training ground.
"Damn it, I haven't mastered the new ninjutsu yet. Why do we have a mission so soon?" Akano complained. Since Suzuki-sensei had begun teaching them ninjutsu, Yuta, Akano, and Kiko had trained there whenever possible.
Akano struggled with the basics, still unable to perform the C-rank ninjutsu, while Kiko and Yuta could already utilize the techniques Suzuki-sensei had taught them effectively.
"Are those the seniors who graduated last year? They're so cool!" The younger students and girls at the training ground watched Yuta and his team leave with envy and excitement.
When Yuta arrived at Konoha's gate, Suzuki-sensei and the others had not yet arrived.
He registered with the guard and waited. About ten minutes later, Suzuki-sensei and the others arrived, accompanied by a convoy of carriages.
The drivers were ordinary villagers, which was standard for daily supply transport. Ninjas were a valuable resource and not used for routine transportation; they were needed for escort duties.
"Since the war just ended, supply teams are rarely attacked by ninjas. Combat is almost impossible. The only threat is bandits on the road..." Kiko said quietly.
"Theoretically, that's true," Suzuki-sensei said, adjusting his forehead protector. "If we are lucky, we'll reach the border without incident. If not, we might encounter small groups of rogue ninjas. The mission's difficulty can change at any time, potentially becoming a B-rank mission."
Considering Suzuki-sensei's and Yuta's strength, this was essentially a training exercise.
"As an elite Jonin, Suzuki-sensei is one of the Third Hokage's top assets. He won't waste time monitoring me. He'll likely be reassigned soon," Yuta thought, observing Suzuki-sensei's seemingly nonchalant demeanor.
Soon, the four of them set off, followed by the supply convoy.
"The escort team won't include strong individuals. We're just a small supply team..." a young man in the convoy thought casually, but his expression changed when he saw Suzuki-sensei.
"S-Suzuki-sama?! Is your rookie team escorting us?"
"That's correct. Are you ready to depart?" Suzuki-sensei replied.
Along the way, everyone remained quiet, nervously glancing at Suzuki-sensei, feeling somewhat reassured. However, Suzuki-sensei, the most experienced, remained silent.
Yuta took the initiative to interact with the supply team, discovering he was "familiar" with the team captain. He realized this man was likely Namikaze Minato's father, who would die under mysterious circumstances in the future.