Nighttime, in the Hokage's office.
"Sandaime-sama, here are the documents for Ryujiro."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked through the documents for Ryujiro for a while.
His background seems clean.
His parents died in the Third Shinobi World War, leaving him alone at home. He often interacts with Iruka, but he's a bit solitary.
But since he received praise from Shisui, he probably isn't as simple as he appears on the surface.
The village seems peaceful, but there's potential turmoil lurking beneath. If it erupts, it would be a devastating blow to the village.
The Uchiha clan's dissatisfaction with the village is growing stronger, especially after the Nine-Tails incident that led to the Fourth Hokage's death. The Uchiha clan is currently on thin ice.
Ryujiro is old enough to enter the ninja academy.
Why not arrange for him to go? Iruka can pass on the message to him.
Just Shisui's words alone wouldn't make Hiruzen pay attention to Ryujiro. Only if Ryujiro's brilliance truly reached the Hokage's office would Hiruzen focus on him.
The matters within the village and the shinobi world are enough to give the elderly Third Hokage a headache.
"Let's hope this hard-earned peace lasts a bit longer."
Hiruzen sighed softly and continued with his administrative duties.
-------------------------------------
The next day at noon, Ryujiro woke up. Although his arms were a bit swollen, it didn't affect his training.
Moreover, his spirits were fully restored.
In yesterday's mental space battle, Ryujiro rarely broke through with a move, but he was still defeated by Mihawk.
But this battle brought him many insights.
[Character Template: Dracule Mihawk]
[Character Unlock Progress: 1.2%]
This battle alone increased the progress by 0.2%, which could indeed be considered a significant gain.
After a simple cleanup, Ryujiro planned to continue training in his old place for the day.
But as soon as he stepped out, he saw a familiar figure.
Iruka waved and smiled, "Ryujiro."
"Iruka-sensei?"
"What are you doing here?"
Iruka smiled faintly, "Just passing by to see you."
"You haven't eaten yet, let me treat you to some ramen."
Iruka was one of the few people close to Ryujiro, although Iruka always treated him like a child.
Because even though Ryujiro appeared mature, in Iruka's eyes, he was still just a child.
Ichiraku Ramen, anyone who has watched Naruto would know about Ichiraku Ramen.
And Ichiraku Ramen is accompanied by many memes. The current Ichiraku Ramen is just a small stall. Ryujiro sat there, looking at the kind old man making ramen in front of him.
This was Teuchi, whom many fans believed to be an Otsutsuki in Ryujiro's previous world.
Teuchi noticed Ryujiro's curious gaze and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
What was this kid looking at him for?
Could it be that he looked too cool making ramen?
Hehe, probably.
"Ryujiro, don't be polite, dig in."
Iruka smiled faintly.
Even though Iruka was an ordinary teacher and average ninja, Ryujiro couldn't help but feel a slight fondness towards him.
Iruka was indeed like a small sun, warming others.
After finishing the ramen, Ryujiro slowly said, "Iruka-sensei, if you have something to say, just say it, no need to beat around the bush."
Iruka's expression froze for a moment, smiling apologetically, "Indeed, nothing can escape your notice."
He had known Ryujiro for half a year now. This strange kid had a mentality different from others his age. Sometimes talking to Ryujiro felt like talking to someone his own age.
Of course, Iruka also felt that it was related to Ryujiro's experiences. Losing his parents at such a young age had forced him to mature so much.
He lacked the innocence and joy that children should have.
This made Iruka even more distressed about Ryujiro.
"Ryujiro, are you interested in entering the ninja academy?"
Iruka spoke up.
Ninja academy?
Ryujiro was stunned.
Damn it!
The time for the Ninja academy entrance exam was now!
"This is a recommendation letter from Hokage-sama."
Iruka handed the recommendation letter to Ryujiro.
Teuchi's face showed a hint of surprise.
A recommendation letter from Hokage-sama?
This kid actually caught the attention of Hokage-sama?
Even Iruka himself found it a bit strange. Last night, Hokage-sama called him to his office and handed him the recommendation letter.
Could it be that he had been in contact with Ryujiro too frequently, so he caught the attention of Hokage-sama?
Recommendation letter...
Yesterday, when he returned from the mental world to reality, he could feel someone's gaze on him, but it disappeared in a short while.
Ryujiro's perception was beyond that of a normal person, surpassing his peers by far.
After accepting the recommendation letter from Iruka, Ryujiro thanked him and disappeared from Iruka's view.
He didn't immediately reply to Iruka.
Because his time was precious, he didn't want to waste too much time on boring things. Training was his top priority.
Ryujiro entered his mental space again. After entering the system space, Ryujiro's eyes were dispersed and void, like dead eyes.
Two figures were fighting in the mental space. Although the young Mihawk looked tender, his sharp yellow eyes were captivating.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
The blades collided. Ryujiro's expression wasn't very good. Although it seemed evenly matched, in the small details, Ryujiro was not as good as Mihawk.
After about two hours.
Ryujiro gasped heavily as he exited the mental space. His arms were trembling because of the prolonged training.
[Character Template: Dracule Mihawk]
[Character Unlock Progress: 1.4%]
Although it was just a 0.2% increase, each improvement was significant for Ryujiro.
Understanding of swordsmanship and sword techniques, accumulated combat experience from battle after battle in the mental world would become nourishment for Ryujiro's growth.
In addition to combat, Ryujiro also needed to improve his physical strength. To unleash powerful strikes, strong physicality was indispensable.
Push-ups, sit-ups, running around the forest ten times—these were all essential training for Ryujiro.
The day passed quickly, and before he knew it, dusk had fallen.