"Sigh…"
Only after Danzo had gone far did Hiruzen rise and walk to the window. Puffing his tobacco pipe with soft "clack, clack" sounds, he stared at Danzo's fading figure on the road outside and sighed deeply, "Danzo… time will prove that I was right;"
"And time will also prove… that you will never become Hokage."
As if Hiruzen didn't know what Danzo was plotting?
He was fully aware that Danzo had never truly accepted his becoming Hokage, and had always coveted the seat for himself.
If he hadn't needed Danzo, and if he wasn't certain he could completely suppress him, he would've gotten rid of him long ago.
…
At the ninja hospital—
Tsunade had just received word about a medical ninjutsu prodigy emerging from the Uchiha.
"Uchiha Riku? He mastered Shōsen Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique) in a single day? Are you serious?"
Tsunade was somewhat in disbelief.
Even she hadn't been that exaggerated back in her day.
For a moment, she became interested in this Uchiha Riku.
She even felt a faint desire to take him as her disciple.
"But… why does it have to be an Uchiha?"
Tsunade then helplessly shook her head.
She didn't exactly hate or resent the Uchiha, but she knew well that her teacher, the Third Hokage, harbored deep hostility toward them. Over the years, he had constantly targeted and suppressed them through various means, making life very difficult for the clan.
So, trying to take this Riku as her disciple was basically impossible.
"Forget it. No use worrying about that now. Once I'm done with this, I'm hitting the casino, hehe~!"
Soon, Tsunade shifted her focus and chuckled while going back to her paperwork.
…
At Riku's home—
Mikoto had just returned from school and immediately went to visit Riku. She found him in the backyard training field, practicing ninjutsu.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!)"
As she entered, she saw Riku exhale a massive crimson fireball more than eight meters in diameter.
The terrifying flames and heat carved a large semicircular crater into the ground.
The intense temperature caused the air in the backyard to spike, and the nearby grass and trees began to wither and turn yellow.
"Whoa!"
Mikoto couldn't help but gasp and stepped forward in amazement. "It hasn't even been that long—how did your Great Fireball become this powerful?"
"Not just the size, but even the temperature is intense. You must have gained a pretty solid understanding of fire-nature chakra transformation, huh?"
Riku had already sensed Mikoto the moment she stepped into the compound—his spiritual power was that strong.
He paused his training, turned around with a smile, and replied, "Not bad, I guess. Personally, though, I think this jutsu isn't all that practical."
"It's too rigid. The casting movement is too obvious, so it's easy to dodge."
"That's why I've been thinking… maybe I could try forming a compressed fireball directly in my hand and then hurl it at the enemy."
"That way, Gōkakyū no Jutsu would have much better mobility! What do you think, Mikoto-nee?"
The idea was inspired by fireball magic in fantasy novels from his past life.
However, he hadn't succeeded yet.
After all, shaping, compressing, and stabilizing fire isn't that simple.
He needed a deeper mastery of both shape and nature transformation of fire chakra to pull it off.
"Eh?"
Mikoto blinked. "Can that really be done? Even if it could… wouldn't you burn your own hands first?"
"Oh, that part's easy to handle!"
Riku chuckled and shook his head. "You think blowing fire out of your mouth doesn't carry that risk?"
"As long as you coat your hands with chakra for protection, it's not a problem."
"Though this casting method has much higher requirements than using the mouth, for most people, it's probably more trouble than it's worth."
This method was probably only suitable for geniuses.
"Really?"
Mikoto's eyes lit up but dimmed again as she heard the last part. "So, it's a genius-only thing? Then I guess it's not for me."
"Don't say that!"
Riku smiled and shook his head. "You shouldn't underestimate yourself, Mikoto-nee. In my eyes, you're a genius too!"
"After all, you've already awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan at just eight years old—who in the clan doesn't say you're a prodigy?"
That's right—Mikoto had awakened her Sharingan.
Apparently due to the death of her father.
With that kind of talent, it was no wonder she would eventually give birth to Itachi and Sasuke, two geniuses of their era.
You could disagree with Itachi's character, but no one could deny his talent.
Of course, now that he was here, Fugaku had no chance.
Riku had already set his sights on Mikoto—there was no way he was letting her go to his older brother.
He figured Fugaku would have to pick someone else from the clan.
"Hehe~ not really!"
Mikoto waved her hand shyly, her gloom vanishing. "Compared to you, Riku, I feel like I'm so slow!"
Just half a month ago, she'd still considered herself a genius.
But ever since Riku began training in ninjutsu, she had offered to teach him out of curiosity and concern. That confidence of hers was shattered completely.
Riku's learning speed and comprehension were just monstrous.
Any jutsu she taught him, he'd master in one go. And his improvement afterward was fast enough to be seen with the naked eye.
In just a few days, his proficiency in multiple jutsu had already far surpassed hers.
It crushed her spirit.
Since then, she no longer believed she was anything special.
Compared to Riku, how could she call herself a genius?
But now that Riku acknowledged her talent, she naturally felt happy.
"Oh right! We started school today! You're going for your entrance assessment tomorrow, right?"
Mikoto suddenly asked.
"Yeah."
Riku nodded. "It's about time I started school too. How is it? Is the academy fun?"
"It's okay."
Mikoto nodded, then shook her head. "You can make a lot of friends, but there's not much to actually learn—it's a bit of a waste of time."
"Oh right! Want me to go with you tomorrow?"
With her talent, Mikoto had already learned everything the academy had to teach.
She'd once considered graduating early, but her grandfather had shut that idea down and told her to stay the full five years and graduate at age ten.
Indeed, in this era, kids entered Konoha's Ninja Academy at around age five and graduated at ten—a year earlier than Naruto's generation, with a two-year earlier graduation.
"Sure!"
Riku certainly wouldn't refuse. He was more than happy to spend time with Mikoto and grow closer.
"As for the academy being useless? You could always use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) to attend classes while your real body trains back at the compound."
Riku suggested.
"Eh? You can do that? Isn't that a bit… disrespectful to the teachers?"
"Wouldn't they notice?"
Mikoto's eyes sparkled, though her voice still carried a bit of hesitation.
Riku chuckled. So Mikoto did have a mischievous side after all.
He smiled and shook his head. "Once you've mastered shadow clones, there's no way the academy teachers will notice."
"As for the respect issue—if the academy has nothing left to teach, staying there is a waste of time. Sending a shadow clone is already a show of respect!"
"Putting effort into truly improving your strength—that's the real way to honor your teachers. That way, you can better serve both the clan and the village, don't you think?"
He gave her a sly wink.
…
(End of Chapter)
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