Noah's victory was... uneventful.
In fact, he barely had the chance to show off before being declared the winner.
It left him slightly disappointed. He felt he could have held back, maybe used an "intangibility" trick to mess with people's heads.
On second thought, he decided against it.
Twelve years ago, a masked man named Obito had pulled that exact move. His opponent then had been the Fourth Hokage. Who knew if that man had passed on information about the enemy's abilities to the Third Hokage?
If Noah tried a move like that now, it might invite unwanted scrutiny.
He reached out and helped Lee up.
Noah had intended to offer a few words of comfort, but the boy looked up, eyes wide and sparkling, grinning as he rambled nonstop.
The gist: Noah was a worthy student of Kakashi-the eternal rival of Guy Sensei-and now his "lifelong rival."
Noah finally understood Kakashi's constant awkwardness. He almost wondered if he'd been caught in an illusion.
He noticed Lee's teeth glinting in the light. When they returned to the stands, Lee and Guy embraced.
Noah could have sworn he saw a backdrop of a beach, a vast ocean, and a setting sun.
He vigorously shook his head. No. Too terrifying.
Then the Third Hokage approached.
"Can we talk privately, Noah?"
"Lord Hokage?" Noah tilted his head, then nodded. "Of course. Lead the way."
He knew the old man would want a chat.
The Flying Thunder God technique had been missing for years. Its reappearance in such a flashy way meant the Third had to see him personally.
Noah also planned to reveal more-his prowess with Wood Style. Since Orochimaru had appeared just like in original history, he guessed the expected events would unfold.
He wanted to observe the Reanimation Jutsu up close, see what kind of jutsu it really was.
Facing the legendary First and Second Hokages, Noah intended to go all out.
He also planned to leave a "parting gift" for Orochimaru-otherwise, how would he track the slippery snake later?
Lost in thought, Noah followed the Third out of the arena.
"Noah."
In this world, not everyone had a last name. Hiruzen Sarutobi had investigated Noah's background, so he wasn't surprised by the lack of one.
"Your Flying Thunder God technique..."
Hiruzen didn't beat around the bush once they reached a quiet room.
Noah didn't hide anything. He nodded.
"I've mastered it completely. Honestly, it wasn't that difficult."
Not difficult?
The Third Hokage nearly coughed up blood. Only two people in the village's history had mastered it for combat.
He took a deep breath. "I noticed you didn't use any physical markers earlier. How did you do it? A seal?"
"A seal?" Noah blinked, then suddenly vanished from Hiruzen's sight. His voice drifted from behind the old man.
"No. Whether engraving a seal on a knife or using a standalone seal, those are just mediums. I've found a better way."
The Third turned slowly, scrutinizing the smiling Noah. "And what is your way?"
"Through the seals, I perceived the power of space-true spatial power," Noah said, waving a hand.
"Once I sensed that power, I resonated with it using my energy. As a result, I can instantly teleport to any location within my line of sight."
His answer was modest. Spatial power was profound; he doubted the old man would understand the details.
Even if he did, Noah wouldn't tell him. Secrets of spatial research at Kamar-Taj stayed within the mages' circle.
He'd downplayed his ability-teleporting only to what he could see? Ridiculous.
He could teleport anywhere within his massive sensory range.
But that would terrify the old man.
Still, Hiruzen's eyes widened anyway.
Noah blinked. Even this "nerfed" explanation was too much?
Then again, he really didn't want to throw kunai. His aim was awful.
"You can... teleport based on sight alone?"
They stared at each other. Hiruzen exhaled.
"No seals required?"
"Well, I still need them for long distances," Noah said, rubbing his nose. "I don't have the All-Seeing Eye, after all..."
The Third nodded. Understandable.
With those legendary eyes combined with spatial mastery, Noah could become the most terrifying assassin in history.
No warning. No fluctuation. Just a man appearing behind you to end your life.
But one thing left Hiruzen speechless: according to Kakashi, Noah's physical combat skills were abysmal.
Was he even a ninja? How could someone so inept at basic combat have such unimaginable talent for the highest-level space-time arts?
The Third didn't know whether to blame heaven or its blindness. He kept those thoughts to himself.
"Use your power well, Noah," the Hokage said.
"Your talent is unlike anything I've ever seen. Even if you aren't a combat specialist, you'll become a legendary ninja."
Indeed, based on Noah's actions in the Land of Waves, his heart was kind. He had grown in the village.
As long as he embraced the Will of Fire, he would be the core of the village's future.
Hiruzen stopped caring about Noah's lineage. He was determined to groom him.
"I understand, Lord Hokage," Noah said.
As the old man turned to leave, Noah added, "Wait, Lord Hokage. While I was in the Forest of Death, I discovered another interesting ability."
"Oh?" Hiruzen stopped. "What kind of ability?"
Noah didn't say a word.
He formed a single hand sign. Suddenly, a plant burst through the floor, growing at supernatural speed until it became a full-sized tree.
The pipe in Hiruzen's hand snapped with a clack.
He stared at the tree, heart racing.
"This... this is the Wood Style..."
He felt the life force surging from it.
Too sudden. Too much.
It exceeded his psychological limits.
He had speculated about the boy's heritage, but this was definitive proof.
"I suppose so..." Noah said vaguely, acting unsure.
"When studying theory, I read that two attributes can combine into a new one. In the forest, I merged Water and Earth, then added my own unique energy... and this happened."
Noah knew Kakashi had reported his energy to the village.
Wood Style was a fusion of Water and Earth.
No one since the First Hokage had mastered it-not even Project Tenzo, later known as Yamato.
Every other user relied on transplanted cells. None had developed it through their own energy.
Noah had the secret ingredient: Yang Release.
He had practiced it in his mental space, guided by his connection to the Holy Light, which gave him a powerful constitution and unique methods.