Even though Sora deliberately slowed down, he still finished the 500 laps in no time.
"Pant… pant… what kind of freak is this guy? He didn't even break a sweat!"
"Forget sweating—he didn't even pant! It's like running 500 laps was nothing to him!"
A bunch of kids who resented Sora collapsed all over the field, gasping for air, gritting their teeth as they watched him with mixed envy and frustration.
Sora didn't bother with their looks. Right now, he was busy admiring his own stats panel.
[Host: Sora]
[Strength: 29]
[Speed: 52]
[Constitution: 50]
[Spirit: 27]
[Chakra: 1012]
[Talent: Spatial Talent LV3]
[Taijutsu: Basic Shuriken Technique LV2, Basic Taijutsu LV3, Konoha Whirlwind LV4]
[Ninjutsu: Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu LV5, Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu LV4, Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet LV3, Substitution Jutsu LV6]
His speed and constitution had more than doubled, both breaking the 50-point threshold.
Even without using chakra, Sora's physical prowess was now enough to match an average genin.
For a moment, Sora looked at these collapsed kids with a newfound sense of tolerance—until he caught the scorching gazes from several little girls. His expression immediately darkened.
He had thought Danzō's gaze was terrifying enough, but now these loli eyes practically ignited his shirt.
If he gave them even a hint of friendliness, wouldn't they just pounce on him?
All the children's performances were clearly seen by the higher-ups watching from the platform. Of course, Sora's effort to hold back didn't escape their notice either.
"Sarutobi, that boy who came in first—I want him. Root is the most suitable place for his growth," Danzō said suddenly.
Everyone turned to look at him like he was a complete fool. Sora's name had already spread through Konoha's upper ranks—was he seriously pretending not to know?
Besides, he was the adopted brother of the soon-to-be Fourth Hokage and a loyal supporter of the Sarutobi faction. How could anyone expect them to hand him over to Danzō?
Yet what surprised everyone was that Hiruzen didn't immediately refuse. Instead, he sat there in silence, clearly pondering the proposal.
"You must be dreaming!" Kushina exploded on the spot, her red hair billowing even without wind. She glared at Danzō. "You try laying a finger on Sora, and I'll tear Root to the ground myself!"
"Kushina, calm down." Minato stepped forward, gently holding her hand. He then turned to Danzō, his voice cold. "My younger brother's future is mine to decide. I don't need Danzō-sama's input."
Hearing the couple's firm stance, Danzō's face darkened further. He hadn't expected that in just a couple of months, Minato and Kushina would be this determined to protect a mere orphan—even daring to confront him directly.
Still, he didn't give up. His eyes turned back toward Hiruzen. He was counting on Hiruzen's hesitation to tip the balance in his favor.
But Hiruzen finally spoke up. "I'll personally make arrangements for this child's future. Danzō, don't push this. You can pick two other candidates from the remaining children for Root."
"Humph. Sarutobi—you'll regret this."
Danzō's face turned ashen with fury. Inwardly, he cursed Hiruzen for being indecisive.
Clearly, he had wanted to suppress Minato's growing influence and perhaps even weaken his authority as Hokage… but now, he had missed a golden opportunity.
Sora might not seem that powerful now, but he was only five. By the time he turned fifteen, how was Hiruzen going to handle him?
Watching Danzō leave, Hiruzen sighed deeply. He hadn't expected Minato and Kushina to be so resolute. If not for their attitude, he might've agreed to Danzō's request.
After all, Hiruzen was more than willing to undermine Minato's power—just look at how, in the original timeline, Minato's personal guards were only chunin.
Sora, of course, knew nothing of these internal power struggles. But from the subtle changes in their expressions, he had a few guesses.
"Now, let's invite the Third Hokage to give his speech—!"
Seeing that most students had rested enough, Instructor Haruyama called everyone together.
"Congratulations on entering the Ninja Academy. From today onward, you are all prospective ninjas. From now on, you will…"
To Sora, Hiruzen's speech felt like an old lady's foot wrapping cloth—long-winded and stinky. It dragged on endlessly, making him drowsy just listening.
"Wherever leaves dance, fire will continue to burn. The flames will illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
Only two hours later did Hiruzen finally finish his speech. Sora wasted no time and enthusiastically clapped his hands.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Under the applause, the Third Hokage walked off with a kind and gentle smile, gaining himself a whole bunch of little fanboys—though Sora wasn't one of them.
"Alright, now I will announce the class assignments! Elite Class: Sora, Uchiha Kei, Hyūga Sachibito, Akimichi Dingkai, Nara Kakaku… a total of twenty-eight students!"
"Standard Class: Background Character A, B, C… a total of thirty-three students!"
"Standard Class 2: ..."
Sora didn't bother listening beyond the elite class list. Just as he expected, the elite class was filled mostly with children from the major clans, with only two or three civilians.
After the assignments were announced, Instructor Haruyama dismissed everyone and reminded them to report on time the next day.
Learning which class he'd been placed into, Sora immediately left the school and headed toward the school gate, where Minato and Kushina were waiting for him.
"I'm heading out now!"
After returning home briefly, Sora grabbed the manuscript for Battle Through The Heavens and left again. Since he had free time today, he planned to get the book published.
Konoha Publishing House
He found the publishing house he'd been eyeing and swaggered inside, carrying himself with all the pomp and arrogance of the future Fourth Hokage's brother.
If he wanted to get any advantage from these bloodsuckers, he'd have to leverage Minato and Kushina's influence. On his own, there'd be no way.
"Little one, looking to buy a book?" the publisher asked.
"I'm the younger brother of Konoha's jōnin Namikaze Minato. I'm here to publish a book!"
Acting every bit the spoiled rich kid, Sora slammed his notebook manuscript into the publisher's arms.
He had done his homework. This place was backed by a ninja and notorious for exploiting authors.
That's why he had to intimidate them from the get-go—otherwise, he might not even get ten percent of the royalties.
"O-of course, I'll make arrangements right away!"
The publisher didn't doubt him for a second and agreed with a trembling voice. He didn't even try to negotiate the royalty split.
After all, his own backer was just an ordinary jōnin—no match for Minato. And no one in Konoha would dare pretend to be related to Minato anyway.
He wasn't scared of Minato himself. What truly terrified him was… Kushina!
A few years ago, when Jiraiya gave Minato a copy of Icha Icha Paradise, Kushina was so furious that she wrecked the entire building and ordered the publisher to stop printing it entirely.
"Hold it. Let's talk about royalties first." Sora raised a hand, stopping the publisher. "I'm not trying to cheat you—I'll take 70%, and you keep 30%. Sound fair?"
"S-sure! That works!" The publisher didn't dare raise any objections. He immediately signed a contract with Sora and personally walked him out the door.