Chapter 6: One Year Later, the Third Hokage's Attention
Ninja School.
"Qianye-kun, have you heard? Itachi-kun seems to be graduating early! He's only been in school for a year, and he's already graduating. He's truly amazing!" Uchiha Izumi looked out the window at Uchiha Itachi, who was the center of attention, and said to Fujiwara Chiye, who was beside her.
"He is indeed amazing," Fujiwara Chiye praised without reservation.
Unconsciously, the two had been together for a year.
Although Fujiwara Chiye rarely came to school, through the memories of his Shadow Clone, he deeply understood that she was a gentle, kind, and understanding girl.
At this time, there were still six years until the Uchiha Clan massacre.
Fujiwara Chiye wouldn't be so naive as to try and save the entire Uchiha Clan; even if he tried, they might not believe him.
However, letting Uchiha Izumi die at the hands of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito, those two lunatics, would be completely unacceptable.
Perhaps, at that time, it would be time to leave this Village.
After all, his original plan was to join the Akatsuki.
Konan… bah, the red cloud and black robe, I, Fujiwara, have been craving them for a long time.
"And Qianye-kun is also amazing! If Qianye-kun took the graduation exam now, he would definitely be able to graduate early too." Just then, Uchiha Izumi's voice interrupted Fujiwara Chiye's thoughts.
"You're flattering me too much," Fujiwara Chiye once again played the role of a humble braggart.
In terms of talent alone, Uchiha Itachi was a true genius.
His combat intelligence was exceptionally high; if not for the lack of cultivation methods, Fujiwara Chiye admitted he was far inferior to Uchiha Itachi.
His only flaw was his emotional intelligence, which was almost zero.
No wonder in the original story, while being feared by Obito, he was also played around with by the Konoha F4.
"No, Qianye-kun is truly amazing." Uchiha Izumi leaned in close to Qianye's ear, her warm breath accompanied by a pearl-like voice, "Qianye-kun should also be like Itachi-kun, always attending school with a Shadow Clone, right?"
"How did you find out?" Qianye looked at Uchiha Izumi with some surprise.
Although he knew she had awakened her Sharingan on the night of the Nine-Tailed attack due to losing her parents, the Sharingan didn't have the ability to identify Shadow Clones; it could only be deduced by comparing them to the original body. But he had almost never simultaneously displayed his original body and a Shadow Clone in front of outsiders.
"Qianye-kun, a girl's heart is always more delicate than you imagine," Uchiha Izumi took a step back, her left eye slightly closed, forming a shallow crescent moon, and with a slight parting of her red lips, she said.
"Then tell me, is the current me real or fake?" Qianye was clearly interested, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Hmm…" Uchiha Izumi lightly covered her red lips with her delicate hand, once again scrutinized Qianye from head to toe, pondered for a moment, and then affirmed: "Real. No matter how much a clone resembles the original, it's still a clone. Only the eyes cannot lie. Just like Qianye-kun, your gaze these past days is different from usual. You must have seen Itachi-kun's Shadow Clone being discovered and worried about exposure, so you came to school with your original body, right?"
"You truly are clever, but perhaps only you could notice this. Who else would pay attention to me every day like you do?" Qianye's face showed a gentle smile, and his right hand inadvertently caressed Uchiha Izumi's small head.
This made Uchiha Izumi blush deeply. Qianye gave an awkward smile and quickly withdrew his hand, "Sorry… sorry. It's because Izumi is too cute; I couldn't help myself, I couldn't help myself."
Uchiha Izumi nodded with a muffled sound, then turned her back to Qianye, a faint smile playing on her lips. She murmured in a voice only she could hear, "Qianye-kun is truly too cunning."
The actions of the two were fully observed by several girls in the corner of the classroom, and the spirit of gossip instantly ignited within them.
"Wow… Chiye-kun and Izumi-kun are so sweet! Why didn't I notice Chiye-kun, this handsome guy, before? Kawaii!"
"That's because you only had eyes for Itachi-kun. I've been shipping Chiye-kun and Izumi-kun for a long time!"
"Really? Tell me more!"
"I want to hear too… I want to hear too…"
Hokage's exclusive office.
"Hokage-sama, this is the information you requested on Fujiwara Chiye and his parents." An Anbu Ninja respectfully handed the documents to the Third Hokage.
[Name: Fujiwara Chiye
Gender: Male
Birthday: November 10
Parents: Fujiwara Ichiro (deceased), Fujiwara Rika (deceased)
Blood Type: O
Ninja Way: Protect Konoha, do not wish to see any more bloodshed.
Hobbies: Helping old ladies cross the road.
Most Admired Person: Hokage-sama.
Dream: To become a great Ninja like the Third Hokage.
Instructor's Evaluation: An excellent commoner genius. If nurtured, his achievements will be no less than those of a noble family's offspring.
]
The Third Hokage took the documents and quickly scanned them. Overall, he was quite satisfied. Whether it was shuriken, kunai throwing, or various other aspects, he could achieve an excellent level, with virtually no weaknesses.
Although he was far from as dazzling as Uchiha Itachi, don't forget that Fujiwara Chiye was just a commoner.
He had neither the excellent bloodline of Uchiha Itachi nor the cultivation of a great family. To have grown to this point was already very good.
This wasn't the main point. The most important thing was that he saw the fire will in this young man. Someone who could admire him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and dream of becoming a great Ninja like him, would definitely not have low ideological awareness.
And what he needed was precisely this kind of commoner genius.
"The Fujiwara family has produced a good son," the Third Hokage lit his pipe, exhaling smoke, and sighed in his heart. After a moment, he asked again, "How are this child's interpersonal relationships?"
"He generally gets along well with everyone in the class, but…" At this point, the Anbu Ninja's voice abruptly stopped.
"Go on?" The Third Hokage tapped his pipe, subtly raising an eyebrow, his emotions unreadable.
"Fujiwara Chiye seems to have a relatively good relationship with a young girl from the Uchiha Clan. It is said that on the night of the Nine-Tailed invasion, Fujiwara Chiye saved that young girl from the Uchiha Clan, and they became acquainted because of it." Currently, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha was becoming increasingly tense, and the Uchiha were a sensitive topic now.
"Is that so…" The Third Hokage's brows instantly relaxed, and he immediately had an idea in his mind. Perhaps he could use the child's admiration for him to brainwash… oh no, to guide him, to have him gather information about the Uchiha Clan for Konoha, and observe whether they had any rebellious tendencies.
However, before that, the child needed to become a true Ninja.
Thinking this, the Third Hokage said to the Anbu Ninja from before, "Have the school take good care of that child. Try to help him grow as quickly as possible. The Village needs such talent."
"Yes," the Anbu Ninja respectfully replied, used the Body Flicker Technique, and suddenly disappeared from the room.
Looking at where the Anbu Ninja had disappeared, the Third Hokage lit his pipe again, exhaled a puff of white smoke, and sighed, "Peace…"