"You're saying he cast over a dozen Great Fireball Jutsu in a row, and his chakra still wasn't drained?"
Hearing the report from his subordinate, Danzo couldn't help but doubt it, even though he knew they wouldn't dare lie to him.
He'd seen plenty of geniuses before—like the Sannin, Hatake Sakumo, even Kakashi—but had any of them possessed such massive chakra reserves at the age of five?
Not even Uchiha Madara, the so-called Demon of the Shinobi World, had such chakra at that age. Maybe only the First Hokage could compare!
The Root agent reporting to him didn't even lift his head, his voice devoid of emotion: "Yes."
"Hahaha! Not bad, not bad!" In the shadowy underground base, Danzo couldn't help but laugh, muttering to himself, "A seedling like this must be nurtured by Root!"
While jinchūriki have far more chakra than Sora, they can't use it freely. Not to mention, the tailed beast chakra interferes with their own, making it difficult for them to learn ninjutsu.
But Sora didn't have that flaw. As long as he mastered enough jutsu, he could wield terrifying power at any time.
As Danzo made up his mind to seize Sora, the Third Hokage was also deep in thought.
Especially since Sora was Minato's younger brother—and with Minato about to become the Fourth Hokage, who knew if he would even be able to suppress him then?
After thinking it over, Hiruzen temporarily shelved the matter. At this point, he was riding a tiger and had no other choice.
...
After being brought home by Kushina and Minato, Sora was forced to stay in bed. Only when the Ninja Academy opened two days later was he finally allowed outside.
Despite his busy schedule, Minato made time to accompany Kushina in taking Sora to register.
"Good morning, Jonin Minato!"
"Jonin Minato, are you bringing your little brother to school?"
"Jonin Minato..."
All along the way, Sora saw firsthand just how highly Minato was regarded. Everyone they passed greeted him warmly.
Soon enough, they arrived at the Ninja Academy. Sora looked around but didn't spot any familiar faces from the original timeline.
Within minutes, Minato found a Chūnin instructor and stepped forward with Sora. "Instructor Haruyama, I'm leaving Sora in your care."
After the introductions, Minato and Kushina quickly left. The surrounding crowd's enthusiasm was overwhelming, and Sora could see that even Minato's smile was starting to cramp.
"Sora-kun, we're about to begin the entrance exam. Please join the rest of the students," said Instructor Haruyama, trying his best to sound gentle—but the terrifying scar across his face made the smile more horrifying than kind.
"That face could scare a little girl into tears," Sora thought, though he nodded obediently. "Yes, Instructor Haruyama."
Soon after, Haruyama brought Sora to the school training field.
"Quiet!" he roared, his voice booming like an enraged bear. The rowdy children immediately fell silent, all eyes locked on Haruyama.
Satisfied, Haruyama nodded and said, "The entrance exam will now begin. Everyone run five hundred laps around the field! You have five minutes to warm up."
Upon hearing this, Sora immediately jumped off the platform and started warming up on the field.
"That's the kid Jonin Minato adopted, right?"
"Yeah, him. I don't know why Lord Minato would adopt someone like that—just a common orphan!"
"Lord Minato is about to become Hokage. That makes him the Hokage's little brother!"
"Let's give him a reality check during this test!"
...
Jealousy practically oozed from the children's stares. They were desperate to prove they were better than Sora.
The news of Minato's imminent appointment as Fourth Hokage had already spread throughout Konoha. Once it was official, Sora's status would skyrocket.
Most of the other kids were from ordinary families, and even those from clans like the Uchiha or Hyuga couldn't help feeling envious.
Sora heard every word, but he didn't get angry.
He understood—if he were in their shoes, he'd probably feel the same way. An orphan suddenly becoming one of the most privileged people in the village? Anyone would be bitter.
Still, understanding was one thing. Sora was determined to go all-out during the test and show them exactly why things were the way they were.
"All right, everyone to your positions—the exam begins now!"
The kids slowly took their spots on the track. Up on the viewing platform, Minato, Kushina, and several Konoha elders—including the Third Hokage—watched the scene unfold.
Suddenly, a man dressed all in black, with a sinister air and a bandaged right eye, arrived on the platform.
"Danzo, what are you doing here?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
Danzo rarely attended entrance exams—it was highly unusual.
"The war drained Root of too many capable forces. I'm here to see if there are any good seedlings worth recruiting," Danzo replied casually, not caring how anyone else viewed his statement. His eyes locked onto Sora like a predator.
On the field, Sora suddenly felt all the hairs on his body stand on end, as if he were being stalked by a wild beast.
He turned his head and instantly caught Danzo's greedy gaze, as if the man was ready to devour him whole.
Gulp! He swallowed hard and quickly looked away, silently comforting himself. "It's fine, it's fine. If Danzo dares make a move on me, Kushina would happily unleash the Nine-Tails and smash Root to bits!"
"Ready—Go!"
At that moment, Instructor Haruyama shouted the signal, and over a hundred children took off at once.
Sora immediately pushed himself to full speed and, within seconds, took the lead—his distance from the others growing with every step.
All the kids were around five or six years old. Even if they'd trained, at most they were at the level of regular adults.
But Sora's stats were all above twenty—he was leagues ahead of them.
Even those who could use chakra couldn't compare to his reserves.
As he ran, Sora's eyes suddenly lit up. "System, collect that card!"
That's right—while running, he spotted a glowing white card ahead of him.
He had no idea which kid dropped it, but—
[White Card: +1 Constitution]
Surprised by the bonus, Sora adjusted his pace. Rather than finishing quickly, he maintained a one-lap lead while sweeping up every card he saw.
Though the chance of dropping cards through exercise was low, with over a hundred kids running together, the probability rose significantly.
[White Card: +1 Speed]
[White Card: +1 Constitution]
[White Card: +1 Strength]
...
"Hahaha! Coming to the academy really was the smartest move I've made!" Sora thought shamelessly, crediting himself for the stroke of genius.