"To create a peaceful place where everyone can laugh."
Sarutobi showed his genuine smile as he looked at Suzuki. "You have a good dream, Suzuki-kun."
"No, Hokage-sama, I'm just rambling since I know how limited my power is."
"No, no. Even if you are small now, you have become an example for everyone. Your dream is magnificent."
"If there is no you, who has led the village till now, I won't be here, and my dream is also impossible, Hokage-sama."
Suzuki kept bowing his head. "You are the reason why I can think of such a dream now."
"Suzuki-kun..."
Damn, Sarotobi loved this child so much!
It was as if Suzuki were the embodiment of his teaching, which made Sarutobi feel as if he had somehow found his long-lost child.
"By the way, can you tell me about the jutsu that you have used against Sasuke before?"
"Yes."
Suzuki knew that he couldn't refuse, so in the end, he told everything about the Fire Release: Flashbang, as he knew well that it was meaningless to keep it hidden, and frankly, while it was a good jutsu, if the opponent was prepared, it would be useless, as they could just close their eyes or hide.
More importantly, this jutsu would affect everyone in the vicinity, whether it was allies or opponents, which made the use of this jutsu quite hard.
Yet, while simple, it was extremely effective.
Still, if it were anyone else, they definitely wouldn't say anything, as it was a secret technique developed from trials and errors, but as he was the Manager, his view wasn't short, and he knew that to get something, he had to pay, and this Fire Release: Flashbang was his payment to get a better investment.
"Thank you for your hard work. It must be hard to develop this technique while you are working."
Sarutobi sighed, feeling guilty as he had taken away Suzuki's hard work without paying.
Yup, Suzuki's past was clear: he started his career step by step, earning money by renting an empty room on his parents' property, then slowly expanded into a charcoal business.
Yet, even so, Suzuki still had to learn the ninja knowledge, ninjutsu, and also medical.
"Do you want me to reward you with something? If so, please tell me."
"No, it's fine, Hokage-sama. If there is a reason why I can develop all of this, it is because you keep the village peaceful."
Suzuki didn't lie, since, as the village was peaceful, he could live peacefully; but if the village was at war, he would be at war at that moment, or might even die, considering how young he was back then.
"You are such a good child, Suzuki-kun."
Hiruzen sighed helplessly and felt even more guilty. "What about a jutsu? If you want a ninjutsu that can help you, then I can give it to you, since you can grow stronger that way."
Other than another jutsu, he couldn't think of anything to reward Suzuki with.
"Jutsu?" Suzuki blinked his eyes for a moment and said, "I might not need a jutsu, but I might need a teacher since I need certain knowledge to develop a new jutsu."
"Oh, a new jutsu?!" Hiruzen was startled. "You want to develop a new jutsu?"
To develop a jutsu was hard, but for Suzuki to be able to develop another one, it was amazing!
Still, if Suzuki was able to develop one using his limited inheritance, then there was a possibility of him developing a new one as soon as he got new knowledge, right?
"Yes, but I lack knowledge."
"What kind of jutsu do you need to develop this new jutsu?" Hiruzen quickly asked.
"Genjutsu and fuinjutsu."
"....."
Hiruzen blinked his eyes, then asked unsurely, "You want to develop a fire jutsu with the combination of genjutsu and fuijutsu?"
"Yes."
"..."
The fuinjutsu aside, Hiruzen couldn't imagine how a fire jutsu could be combined with the genjutsu, yet somehow... It was kind of fun somehow.
"You young people are amazing. Okay, I will get you a teacher for this."
"Eh?"
"Don't worry." Before Suzuki was able to refuse, Hiruzen quickly waved his hand. "You are a talented young man, Suzuki-kun. With a good teacher, I am sure that you can improve further, so don't disappoint me, okay?"
When Hiruzen met Suzuki, he felt like he had seen the figure of the talented young man with blonde hair, but unfortunately, that young man had passed away.
However, the spirit of that young man still existed and was replaced by Suzuki.
"....."
Suzuki was speechless, but he nodded. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Good."
Why did Hiruzen accept Suzuki so easily?
It was because Suzuki's jutsu could be used by anyone!
Yes, it was because Hiruzen wanted to invest in Suzuki since Suzuki's jutsu was based on the fire release, which was the main jutsu that his clan mostly used.
If Suzuki could make a new fire jutsu, then wouldn't it mean that his family could also grow stronger?
Unlike the Uchiha, the Hyuga, the Uzumaki, and all other ninjas, the Sarutobi, despite being the family of the Hokage, had no special jutsu, and they mostly relied on their numbers, and him, who was the Third Hokage.
Yes, Hiruzen's purpose wasn't pure, but it didn't matter as Suzuki also benefited.
By having Hiruzen's investment, it meant that Suzuki was under the protection of Hiruzen, and logically, anything that he wished for, as long as it was related to his development of fire jutsu, he could get it from Hiruzen.
Still, Hiruzen thought for a moment and asked, "By the way, what's your nature type?"
"My nature type?" Suzuki blinked his eyes and answered, "A fire, a wind, and a yang type."
"Oh?" Hiruzen nodded, then gave Suzuki a scroll. "Here, you can have this."
"Eh? This is?" Suzuki was startled, seemingly shocked by the sudden gift from Hiruzen.
"It's only a C-Rank Wind Jutsu, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough." Hiruzen just gave this jutsu on a whim, but he was quite curious. What would Suzuki develop with this jutsu? "But, please learn it well."
[The Wind Release: Great Breakthrough has been analyzed.]
[Do you want to use it?]
'No, it's fine.'
Suzuki was at a loss, but then he bowed his head deeply and thanked Hiruzen. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Yet, while the reward was just so-so, he knew well he could sleep peacefully since, at this moment, he had the protection of Hiruzen.