At the entrance to the clan compound, Tatsuya leaned against the wall, waiting quietly.
In the distance, on the street, several figures came into view.
There were four in total, all burly, middle-aged men. Their massive physiques, walking together, exuded a subtle but noticeable pressure.
Of the four, the one leading them was the most imposing, his bulging muscles straining against his clothes.
This man was the current head of the Akimichi clan, Ryota Akimichi.
At this time, the Third Shinobi World War was drawing to a close, and the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation was beginning to make a name for itself in the ninja world.
In Tatsuya's memory, within a few years, Chōza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, and Inoichi Yamanaka would take over as the heads of their respective clans.
Although Ryota Akimichi's physique was intimidating, his face always bore a faint, honest smile, making him seem quite amiable.
But it was this seemingly good-natured, burly man who was a god of slaughter, having just returned from the battlefield of the Shinobi World War.
In several major battles, the Ino-Shika-Cho formation had been the main force of Konoha's ninja army, and countless ninja from opposing villages had died at their hands.
"Tatsuya, your body has finally recovered!"
As the four approached, seeing Tatsuya waiting, Ryota's face broke into a genuine smile.
"Clan Leader!"
Tatsuya quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Uncle Shizawa, Uncle Rōyu, Uncle Akizuki," he added, greeting the other three men one by one.
"Tatsuya, you little rascal, you're finally up and about again!"
Shizawa Akimichi, Rōyu Akimichi, and Akizuki Akimichi also smiled and responded.
The three of them were Konoha jonin, the top fighting forces of the Akimichi clan.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tatsuya turned his attention back to Ryota Akimichi.
Tatsuya had a great deal of respect for Ryota.
From the memories left behind by the original owner of his body, the head of the Akimichi clan had always been very good to his clansmen, especially to orphans like Tatsuya, who received extra care.
Although Tatsuya, due to his lack of talent, received limited resources from the clan, he was never shortchanged.
For a large clan with hundreds of members, achieving this was no easy feat.
Even noble ninja clans had limited resources, and they couldn't be freely distributed to all clan members for training.
Therefore, focusing on cultivating an elite was an inevitable choice.
This was a universal rule for all ninja clans and organizations.
"Clan Leader-sama, I have a request!"
Meeting Ryota Akimichi's gaze, Tatsuya said solemnly.
"Oh? What is it?"
Ryota Akimichi's eyes flickered slightly, his face showing a hint of amusement.
Looking closely at Tatsuya, Ryota noticed a change in him.
Compared to the former Tatsuya Akimichi, he was clearly more composed and confident.
In the past, the original Tatsuya Akimichi would never have been so calm in front of his clan leader.
Shizawa Akimichi, Rōyu Akimichi, and Akizuki Akimichi also showed faint surprise on their faces.
They, too, had noticed Tatsuya's transformation.
"Clan Leader-sama, after experiencing this Shinobi World War, I feel my strength is severely lacking. I want to enter the clan's library to catch up on the fundamentals."
Tatsuya lowered his head, his voice slightly subdued.
As Tatsuya's words fell, the four men's eyebrows furrowed in unison.
Rōyu Akimichi's expression instantly became stern, and his gaze towards Tatsuya held a hint of reproach.
Rōyu Akimichi and Tatsuya's deceased father had been contemporaries. After his father's death, Rōyu Akimichi had always treated Tatsuya as his own nephew.
For a ninja clan like the Akimichi, the clan library wasn't a place just anyone could enter. It was one of the clan's most core and confidential locations. The books within contained not only a large number of ninjutsu training methods and insights, but also important clan secrets.
These were secrets concerning the survival and future of the clan, and generally, only a few core clan members were allowed entry.
Usually, when a clan ninja wanted to learn a particular ninjutsu, a designated person would bring it out to teach them. Some valuable and special ninjutsu even required exchanging clan contribution points.
Given Tatsuya's current strength and status, making such a request was clearly inappropriate.
Seeing the four men's expressions, Tatsuya felt a bit awkward. "Uh, doesn't the clan have a... a regular library or something? Like the one at the Academy, where clan members can easily access information? I just want to be a librarian there."
"Tatsuya, what are you thinking! Do you think just anyone can enter the clan library? And a librarian? You're not even qualified!"
Hearing this, Ryota Akimichi and the other two men wore strange expressions, while Rōyu Akimichi was simply furious. He glared at Tatsuya and snapped.
"Huh?"
Tatsuya was taken aback.
He'd gotten the information about the library from Kyoko a couple of days earlier, when he'd been pressing her about where he could access a large amount of ninjutsu information.
At the time, Kyoko had thought Tatsuya was joking and had just brushed him off.
She hadn't expected Tatsuya to brazenly approach the clan leader with such a request.
It should be understood that in the ninja world, people were very protective of their ninjutsu "intellectual property."
Aside from the Ninja Academy, no one would readily share ninjutsu information with others.
Even at the Ninja Academy, the ninjutsu knowledge taught was the most basic and elementary, and only students selected from within the village could learn it.
After leaving the Ninja Academy, most ninja obtained ninjutsu by completing missions for their clan or village and exchanging contribution points.
Tatsuya, however, had no clear understanding of these basic facts of the ninja world.
Seeing Tatsuya's stunned expression, Rōyu Akimichi's anger flared even more. He felt a sense of disappointment in the boy.
"Alright, Rōyu! Tatsuya is just eager to improve. Don't be too harsh on him!"
Rōyu Akimichi was about to scold him further, but Ryota Akimichi quickly intervened.
However, no matter how Tatsuya heard it, the tone of his voice seemed to carry a hint of deliberate teasing.
Shrinking his neck, Tatsuya stood obediently to the side, not uttering a word.
Seeing this, Ryota Akimichi, after a couple of teasing remarks, didn't dwell on Tatsuya's presumptuous request. He instructed him, "Tatsuya, your Uncle Rōyu is a renowned scholar in our clan. If you want to make up for your lack of fundamentals, you should seek his guidance. As for the library, you can go there once you've improved your strength!"
With that, the three clan elders left, chuckling.
Rōyu Akimichi shot Tatsuya a fierce glare before following them.
After the four of them departed, Tatsuya could only dejectedly head home.
However, he kept Ryota Akimichi's parting words in mind.