Time flew by, and the first class ended before anyone realized.
Teacher Sato announced that the afternoon would be free, with proper lessons starting tomorrow. The classroom erupted into cheers.
Watching the children holler, Sato Taiji smiled faintly, gathered his papers, and strode out.
The moment the teacher's back disappeared, Rihito Sato slid the window open and vaulted out. Tsunade, seeing this, opened her mouth as if to call him back, but the words caught in her throat. Before she could organize her thoughts, his figure had already bounded across the rooftops, vanishing from sight.
"Forget it! I'll tell him next time."
She clenched her little fists in frustration, punching the air twice. Beside her, Hiruko only curled his lips, packed his things, and slipped out. To him, sitting beside the Senju princess was pressure enough; he wanted no part in her frustrations.
By the end of that single lesson, Rihito's reputation had climbed more than thirty points, edging close to fifty. Out of the forty-one other students, more than half had clearly remembered his name. The rest must have let it pass in one ear and out the other, leaving no impression.
If he spread the Will of Fire a little more, if he let it slip often enough that his dream was to become Hokage, it wouldn't be long before his reputation broke one hundred. Then he could finally unlock the minimum-tier wish draw. What he might pull from that, he could hardly wait.
The "Tomb Raider" banner was still up. Rihito recalled that story of the immortal prophet Jacob, who had lived for thousands of years. If he managed to draw that ability, immortality, it would be perfect.
Orochimaru had chased that dream for half his life. If Rihito got it with a single pull, Orochimaru would probably be furious enough to split into spores.
Lost in thought, Rihito had already returned home. He tossed an armful of vegetables into the fridge, tied on an apron, and began to cook.
Meanwhile, Tsunade returned to the Senju compound. Once a bustling place, it now felt strangely empty.
As clan head, Tobirama Senju had pushed for clan integration ten years earlier, encouraging Senju to intermarry with civilians and dispersing the clan into the village. Today, only a few main families remained here, along with the elderly and infirm from the Warring States era.
Tsunade pushed open a door and entered one of the homes.
"Grandma Mito, I'm back!"
From inside emerged a red-haired woman with her hair tied in buns. She scooped Tsunade into her arms.
Though everyone called her "Granny," Uzumaki Mito looked barely in her twenties, her skin smooth as porcelain. The rhombus seal on her brow lent her an elegant charm.
Tsunade's mother was heavily pregnant and couldn't care for her, so Tsunade had been living with Mito for the time being.
"Little Tsunade," Mito said warmly as she carried her inside. "Did you meet anyone interesting at school today?"
The dining table was already laid with steaming dishes, fragrant and rich. It was clearly Mito's own handiwork. She set Tsunade into a chair and sat across from her, smiling as she picked food into her bowl.
"School's boring. Nothing fun. But… Grandma Mito, I think I might have found a genius."
With a fried chicken drumstick in her hand, Tsunade spoke around her bites.
Mito's smile didn't falter. She had seen too many geniuses in her life, Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, all monstrous in their own ways. It was hard to be impressed anymore. But since Tsunade said so, she humored her.
"Oh? What kind of genius? Better than our little Tsunade?"
Tsunade swallowed, scratching her head before answering.
"He's probably civilian-born, but he understands the textbooks after reading them once. He can already perform sealing arts and genjutsu from the academy books, and the Three Basic Techniques shouldn't be a problem either."
Mito blinked. "The Three Techniques are simple, but sealing arts? He mastered them after just one read?"
Tsunade nodded earnestly. "Yeah. He pressed his palm on my shoulder, and my chakra stopped flowing. My whole body was paralyzed, I couldn't move at all. Then suddenly, I was fine again."
"I see. That does sound like a gifted child." Mito's tone grew thoughtful. "Bring him to me someday. If he's truly a good person, I wouldn't mind teaching him a thing or two."
She patted Tsunade's head with a smile. As the perfect Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Mito could sense evil intent. If a hidden gem was waiting in Konoha, she would gladly support it.
Tsunade nodded seriously. The village was her grandfather's greatest treasure. She had long since seen it as her own family. If there was talent within, she would do everything she could to nurture it.
Back at home, Rihito had finished preparing a massive bowl of ramen with two eggs cracked in. But as he ate, his system panel began flashing madly. His reputation points were climbing nonstop, and had already broken one hundred.
He quickly figured out why. His classmates must have gone home and told their families about him. After all, he was the only one who had declared he wanted to be Hokage. Naturally, it made him memorable.
And it wasn't just students. Teachers talked too. Every year, new students' dreams were recorded and submitted to the Hokage's office.
Whatever the reason, he had enough points. Time to draw.
Rihito opened the system interface and chose "Wish." A shooting star streaked across the virtual sky in a brief animation, and a card shaped like a bow appeared on the screen.
System Reward: Multi-Function Bow Mastery
Skill Description: You can quickly craft bows and arrows in the wild using local materials, and modify arrows to fit your needs. Options include: Flame Arrows, Poison Gas Arrows, Explosive Arrows, and Rope Arrows.
Rihito immediately activated the card. Knowledge poured into his mind: not just arrow crafting, but combat techniques too, double shot, dynamic aiming, environmental use, and weak point targeting.
After feeling it out for a while, Rihito nodded. With bow mastery fused with chakra, he could probably take down a couple of mid- to low-level shinobi in an ambush. Of course, in open combat, a marksman caught by an assassin at close range would need no explanation.
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>