Ninja Academy, rooftop of the main building.
The Third Hokage stood by the railing, a kind expression on his wrinkled face.
In front of him, a group of students sat in a semicircle, expectant. They all looked at him with admiration, eagerly awaiting his words.
"Where leaves fly, fire burns. The fire illuminates the village, and new leaves sprout again…."
As these words echoed, everyone was moved.
Perhaps many didn't fully understand the meaning behind the phrase, but something about his tone and the intensity of his words filled their hearts with hope.
Even Iruka, who stood behind the Hokage, smiled proudly.
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction as he looked at them, his wrinkles relaxing as he observed the children's amazed faces.
On the surface, Kuro didn't seem different from the others, but internally, he couldn't help but disagree.
Sacrifice yourself to protect the next generation?
The idea was noble, but those words were full of hypocrisy.
Why should anyone have to sacrifice themselves to protect a refuge?
The answer was clear: a lack of strength, no other choice.
Although he understood the intention behind those words, he couldn't fully accept them.
Master everything, control destiny, and make things happen as you wish.
It wasn't about imposing hegemony or plundering others but about avoiding tragedy. About ensuring that suffering never touched those he cared about.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Hiruzen continued teaching valuable spiritual lessons to the children.
When the bell marking the end of the class finally rang, Hiruzen looked up at the sky and smiled kindly.
"Today's lesson ends here."
"Eh?! Teach us a bit more!"
"Yeah, yeah! We haven't had a lesson from Hokage-sama in ages."
"I want to hear more about our heroes' battles for the village!"
The crowd wasn't ready to let him go so easily and begged for more.
Hiruzen smiled calmly at the children's antics. "Next time."
"Ohhh!" The group let out a groan of disappointment.
Iruka stood up, annoyed. "That's enough! Hokage-sama has many important duties. How do you expect him to have time to teach all day? If you're so eager to learn, why are you always sleeping in my classes?"
"Shut up!"
Without the slightest respect, the students raised their middle fingers at Iruka.
Over the past six months, they had all become familiar with one another, including Iruka's personality.
These kids!
The corners of Iruka's mouth twitched, and the veins on his forehead bulged as if they were about to burst.
Hiruzen, on the other hand, observed the scene with an amused smile.
Suddenly, something caught his attention: a stealthy figure approaching him.
When he turned his head, he recognized the boy.
"Naruto, what are you doing?"
"Nothing..." Naruto replied with a nervous chuckle.
But suddenly, he lunged forward, extending his hand, and before anyone could react…
He yanked a tuft of the Hokage's beard!
Naruto ran off, laughing loudly, waving the hairs in the air as if they were a trophy.
For a moment, everyone was in shock.
They looked at the Hokage, who rubbed his chin with a pained expression, then at Naruto, who was running away.
When they finally reacted, Iruka shouted.
"NARUTO!"
--
After the incident, Naruto found himself outside the classroom holding a bucket of hot water as punishment.
Meanwhile, the mastermind behind it all, Kuro, was in the bathroom, holding some of the beard hairs Naruto had stolen from the Third Hokage.
He couldn't help but chuckle quietly as the system resonated in his mind.
[Special material "Sage Beard" detected.
This material allows the forging of the following special accessories: "Polite Hat" - "Mobile Library."
Do you wish to proceed with the forging?]
Kuro checked his surroundings with the Book of Omniscience to ensure no one was nearby before proceeding.
Forge
In the next instant, a light blue cap resembling those worn by doctors and a book appeared in his hands.
The book, thick and bound in black leather with an iron cover, emitted an aura of mystery.
Holding it felt surprisingly heavy.
[Special item "Polite Hat" detected.
Effect: When equipped, the user gains exceptionally high wisdom, allowing them to quickly recall and understand ninjutsu-related knowledge.]
[Special item "Mobile Library" detected.
Effect: This accessory automatically records Konoha's dangerous or forbidden jutsus (excluding clan secrets) and adds the user's knowledge of forbidden jutsus.]
The "Polite Hat," though similar to the "Study Lenses," had a significant advantage: while the lenses enhanced learning conditions, the hat increased wisdom itself.
Together, the two accessories could create a far more powerful effect.
On the other hand, the "Mobile Library" was an absolute treasure trove.
It contained records of Konoha's most valuable forbidden jutsus, including the First Hokage's Mokuton, the Second Hokage's Edo Tensei, the Fourth Hokage's Hiraishin no Jutsu, the Rasengan, and even Kakashi's Chidori.
While many of these jutsus required special talent or physical conditions, simply having access to such knowledge was enough to ensure invincibility in the future.
"If used well, this library could record all the jutsus in the world…"
The thought made him lick his lips, but he knew he couldn't rush things.
Although he was tempted to dive into this knowledge, he remembered Itachi's advice:
Until you've completely mastered shuriken and swordsmanship, don't distract yourself with ninjutsu. Doing so will only slow your progress.
Aware that he needed to continue building a solid foundation, he stored the doctor's hat and the book in the system's space.
---
Time flies
Before he realized it, Kuro had spent two years at the Ninja Academy.
His life during this time had been almost entirely routine: morning training, theoretical classes during the day, and practice in the afternoon.
Monotonous and dull for some, but for Kuro, it was incredibly satisfying.
With the help of the "Study Lenses," he completed the Academy's six-year curriculum in just two years, standing out as the best in all theoretical classes.
In practical fields, his progress was equally impressive.
As he grew, his physical strength naturally increased. Though he no longer subjected his body to extreme training like before, the hours he spent daily practicing shuriken and swordsmanship steadily strengthened his physique.
Nowadays, few Chūnin could match him in speed and power.
His chakra reserves had reached five percent of the "Kurama Ring," and his physical stamina was equally abnormal.
Apart from Guy, no one in Konoha can beat me physically right now.
In terms of shuriken, Kuro had achieved 100% accuracy within a ten-meter radius and maintained a 70% success rate against moving targets.
In swordsmanship, his progress was even more remarkable.
A year ago, he could already retract and release his strikes fluidly, showing no evident weaknesses in combat.
Now, with each swing of his sword, the wind it stirred seemed to carry its own edge. He could precisely cut a bamboo mat from half a meter away.
His skill level placed him among the Chūnin elite, and few Anbu members could compete with him in direct combat.
________
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