"How much of a genius are we talking about?"
Orochimaru's interest piqued at the word "genius." His serpentine eyes carefully examined the young boy from head to toe.
"Don't scare him."
"What's his name?"
Kawaki noticed the little boy shrinking behind Fugaku as Orochimaru continued staring and decided to shift the latter's attention manually.
Have you even seen how scary you look right now?
You really think everyone's as fond of you as your daughter is?
Biting back his sarcasm, Kawaki himself became curious too.
Fugaku, usually all stone-faced, was beaming. This child must be quite special indeed.
Rapidly scanning through familiar figures in his mind, Kawaki reached a likely conclusion.
At this point in time, at this age, the only one Fugaku would call a genius could only be that particular person.
"His name is Shisui—Shisui Uchiha."
"He's already awakened his eyes this year."
Fugaku answered both their questions in a calm and casual tone.
But the upturn of his lips betrayed his true feelings.
"Eyes awakened at five years old?"
"Is that even real?"
Both Orochimaru and Dai couldn't help but feel shocked.
They both knew the Uchiha were naturally gifted, but awakening one's eyes wasn't as easy as eating or drinking.
Many Uchiha members spent their entire lives without ever awakening their eyes. Eyes awakened at five? That was unheard of.
"Five years old—calling him a genius isn't an exaggeration."
Kawaki wasn't particularly surprised. His earlier guess had turned out correct.
Shisui, known as the "Body Flicker" prodigy, was practically worshipped by Naruto fans. Possessing such talent made perfect sense.
[Author's Note: Shisui's exact age isn't specified in the series, but since he participated in the Third Great Ninja War, I estimate he's probably just slightly younger than Kakashi.]
"Greetings, honored elders."
Prompted by Fugaku, young Shisui bowed respectfully to Kawaki and the others.
Though still very young, he understood these people were all important figures.
"No need to be so formal."
"Ginji, come help introduce our new friend to everyone."
Kawaki proactively called Ginji to bring Shisui into their group. This kid's definitely a future Kage-tier talent.
Even without unlocking the Mangekyou Sharingan, with his body-flicker technique and genjutsu alone, he'd still reach Kage-level strength.
"Yes, Dad."
"My name is Hatake Ginji. Let's be friends."
Ginji approached Shisui confidently, offering a friendly hand.
"Go ahead."
Seeing Shisui glance at him for permission, Fugaku gently gave him a small push forward with a smile.
Making friends with Ginji and the rest would be beneficial in every way.
Setting aside any practical considerations, as an orphan, Shisui really needed friends.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Uchiha Shisui."
"Hope we can get along!"
Shisui politely introduced himself with a shy smile.
"No need to be so formal. Come with me."
Ginji, ever the lively one, grabbed Shisui and pulled him over to the side.
Soon enough, the six kids were already deep in chatter, buzzing with excitement.
"Are you planning to groom him as a successor?"
Orochimaru had a frighteningly sharp instinct for these things. Kawaki hadn't even thought of it that way.
One is that Fugaku is still very young, and secondly, he himself will father an exceptionally outstanding son.
"It's too early to talk about that now."
Fugaku smiled but didn't directly respond.
Truthfully, he did harbor such thoughts. He had no intention of remaining clan leader forever.
That kind of life would be far too boring. At heart, he wasn't a man obsessed with power.
Under his leadership, the Uchiha Clan had regained its former glory. His greatest wish now was to marry Mikoto, have children with her, and grow old together.
"I think this boy shows promise."
After some consideration, Kawaki genuinely believed Shisui would make an excellent clan leader.
Compared to Itachi, Shisui seemed more suitable.
"Then I leave him in your care from now on, Lord Kawaki."
Fugaku didn't continue on the previous topic. Discussing it now would be pointless anyway.
After all, Shisui was only five years old. Nobody could predict what might happen in the future.
"Absolutely not—you want me to show favoritism outright?"
Kawaki made a playful comment, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"Who doesn't know how famously fair you are, Lord Kawaki?"
Orochimaru shot back teasingly, definitely living up to his reputation as a sharp-tongued joker.
"Oh come on, I can't handle that kind of praise!"
Kawaki's exaggerated reaction earned another round of laughter.
"Alright, we should probably go inside now. Don't want to be late."
Seeing that others had already entered the school, Pakura didn't feel like standing outside chatting with these grown men any longer.
"Yeah, let's go."
Kawaki nodded in agreement.
The adults gathered the children, and the whole group made their way inside the school.
Before they even reached the gate, someone shouted from behind.
"Wait for me! Wait for me!"
Everyone turned around and saw a tall, silver-haired figure tugging along a smaller silver-haired child, dashing toward them at full speed.
Who else could it be if not Jiraiya and his son?
"Ginji... Aoi Tsukigami..."
When they were almost close enough, Naruto broke free from Jiraiya's grip and sprinted toward his little friends.
The bond between these kids, inherited from their parents' time, had long since made them already close.
"I thought you wouldn't make it today either."
Kawaki patted Jiraiya's shoulder. He'd been so busy lately he'd practically vanished.
Under Jiraiya's leadership, the Intelligence Department had soared like a tiger gaining wings, earning countless merits for Konoha.
"For such an important occasion, of course I had to show up."
Jiraiya had become much more reliable lately, finally looking like a proper father.
This chapter isn't over yet!
If you like *Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade*, bookmark it: (m.
"Let's go. Once things calm down, we'll catch up properly."
"It's been a while since we've all gotten together like this."
"I'll cover the tab."
With a sweeping gesture, Kawaki decided the next move.
Although everyone lived in the same village, they each had their own busy schedules. Opportunities to get together had greatly diminished compared to before.
Now they had all become pillars of Konoha, unable to live as freely and recklessly as they once did.
The days when they could do as they pleased had long vanished.
"As long as someone else pays, I'm fine with anything."
Dai had a bit of a rebellious air about him. As just a Jonin captain, he had relatively more free time.
"I need to head to the lab right after this."
Orochimaru hesitated briefly but didn't refuse. His recent experiments were nearly complete and wouldn't demand much oversight.
"It's fine if you don't join. Let Pakura take Aoi Tsukigami with her."
Kawaki's little scheme was probably loud enough for Tsunade to hear even from the Hokage's office.
No need to drag the future father-in-law into this—just leave the daughter-in-law behind.
No one could figure out how Orochimaru ended up with such a sweet-tempered daughter.
"You wish," Orochimaru scoffed coldly, clearly not about to grant Kawaki's request.
"No problem, I'll call Mikoto later," Fugaku said agreeably, making sure to bring his fiancée along.
"If there's sake, count me in," Jiraiya chimed in. Since he'd already planned to spend quality time with his son, a get-together like this worked perfectly for him.
"Then let's go sign up first."
Kawaki led the large group directly to the registration desk and got everything sorted quickly.
From today onward, Ginji and the others officially became students at the Ninja Academy.
Since there was still an opening ceremony after registration, everyone headed to Kawaki's office to unwind for a bit.
There wasn't enough room, so the kids stayed behind.
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