216. New Bloods of Konoha
"I never expected the ninja world to undergo such significant changes..."
En Oyashiro and Kabuto sat in a park, with En Oyashiro holding a bound volume of the "Shinobi World United News" that he had just finished reading.
After going through the recent newspapers, this descendant of the Blood Pool clan finally gained a general understanding of the current state of the ninja world.
Following the historic reconciliation between the Uchiha and Senju clans, the chaotic Warring States period finally came to an end.
The Hidden Leaf Village, founded by the Senju and Uchiha, attracted the joining of numerous ninja clans.
For example, the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans.
Thus, the first collective of ninja clans—the ninja village—was born.
Unity is strength.
Konoha, composed of many ninja clans, unleashed overwhelming potential in the war.
Due to its outstanding performance, it naturally dominated the mission market within the Land of Fire.
It even encroached on the mission markets of other countries.
Other major nations realized that this couldn't continue.
If things went on like this, their mission markets would eventually be completely taken over by Konoha.
So, the ninja clans within their own countries also ceased their internal wars.
Led by their respective First Kage, they established their own ninja villages.
Later, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, known as the God of Shinobi, convened the first Five Kage Summit.
He distributed all the tailed beasts to ensure the deterrence of each ninja village.
The aim was to maintain peace in the ninja world through the threat of tailed beasts.
Thus, the ninja world officially transitioned from the chaotic "Warring States Era" to the "One Country, One Village" era.
It must be said that this system was indeed more advanced than before.
At least it ensured peace in the ninja world for a period.
Unfortunately, after Senju Hashirama's death, the ninja world was once again engulfed in war.
Despite experiencing multiple wars, Konoha managed to maintain its position as the top ninja village.
This title of "Number One in the Ninja World" wasn't self-proclaimed by Konoha.
It was earned through battles led by Danzo, the "The War God of Konoha," fighting tooth and nail!
They successively defeated the Hidden Mist and Hidden Sand villages.
Then, facing two villages at once, they crippled the Hidden Stone and repelled the Hidden Cloud.
It can be said that Konoha fought against all the major powers in the ninja world to earn this title!
Therefore, Danzo's claim that Konoha was the best wasn't entirely empty talk.
In addition, En Oyashiro also read about some recent welfare policies in Konoha in the newspapers.
For example, the "New Orphanage Successfully Completed" and "The Village Will Establish a Batch of Affordable Housing."
These policies gave En Oyashiro a more tangible sense of what Danzo meant by "Number One in the Ninja World."
Such measures and living conditions were unimaginable during the Warring States period!
Just as En Oyashiro was immersed in the world of newspapers, the little girl in his arms suddenly started crying.
The cry immediately left both En Oyashiro and Kabuto at a loss.
Neither of them had much experience with children.
Kabuto, being young, was naturally inexperienced.
En Oyashiro also lacked experience.
After all, his wife usually took care of the child.
He had only recently taken over, and with constant battles, he hadn't had much time to bond with her.
Fortunately, little Chino hadn't caused him much trouble these past few days.
Perhaps now that the environment had stabilized, she had returned to the typical state of a child—crying and fussing.
"How about I take you to the orphanage?"
Having no other choice, Kabuto could only come up with this solution.
"Director Nonou is very skilled at taking care of children."
Although En Oyashiro didn't know much about this Director Nonou, he quickly agreed to Kabuto's suggestion.
The two quickly brought Chino to the orphanage and found Nonou.
After her examination and soothing, little Chino soon returned to her harmless, quiet self, peacefully sleeping in Nonou's arms.
"It's nothing serious, she just had a bit of gas in her stomach."
Nonou's words immediately put En Oyashiro at ease.
"Thank you, Director."
As a father, En Oyashiro's gratitude towards Nonou was sincere.
"You're welcome."
Nonou responded gently and politely.
Then she turned her attention to Kabuto.
"Kabuto, you haven't visited the new orphanage yet, have you? Would you like to come in and take a look?"
As a former orphan, Kabuto was very interested in Nonou's invitation and immediately agreed.
"Mr. En, why don't you join us?"
Kabuto looked at the older man beside him.
"Me?"
En Oyashiro was taken aback. Clearly, orphanages didn't exist during the Warring States period.
But having just owed Nonou a favor, he couldn't refuse.
So, carrying Chino, he joined the tour.
It must be said, the renovated orphanage was a world apart from the old, dilapidated one!
The old orphanage was shabby and cramped, with children sleeping in large communal rooms, living in extremely harsh conditions.
Now, those old buildings were gone, replaced by school-like structures.
There were over a hundred rooms of various sizes.
While it wasn't possible for each child to have their own room, four to a room was manageable.
With newly installed bunk beds, the orphanage's current needs were fully met.
Additionally, the orphanage had new facilities like a small playground, garden, and sports field.
These amenities were on par with those of the ninja academy.
"All of this is thanks to Lord Danzo."
When Nonou mentioned Danzo, the fear on her face had completely turned to gratitude.
It could be said that without Danzo, this orphanage wouldn't exist.
Hearing Nonou praise his teacher, Kabuto also felt a sense of pride.
This evaluation left En Oyashiro puzzled.
From their brief encounter earlier, Elder Danzo didn't seem like a benevolent figure.
But seeing the children playing in the playground, their faces filled with smiles, En Oyashiro's thoughts began to waver.
On the way out of the orphanage, En Oyashiro suddenly asked:
"Kabuto, right?"
Kabuto nodded, curious about what this outsider wanted to ask.
"What kind of person is your teacher, really?"
Hearing this, Kabuto hesitated for a moment, then smiled and replied:
"My teacher... he's a good person."
"A good person?"
En Oyashiro said with some doubt.
Kabuto nodded:
"At least to me, he is."
"I see..."
En Oyashiro looked at his daughter in his arms, feeling uncertain.
"Next, Mr. En, feel free to explore on your own."
"When you're done, you can come find me at the Root headquarters."
As Danzo's disciple, Kabuto had long considered the Root his home.
Not to mention, there were many experiments waiting for him there.
"Alright."
En Oyashiro had no objections. He was eager to see more before making his final decision.
This decision would affect his and his daughter's lives for decades to come.
After parting ways with Kabuto, En Oyashiro wandered around with Chino in his arms.
From the bustling center of the village to the remote outskirts.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
A series of dull thuds caught En Oyashiro's attention.
Curious, he followed the sound.
In the middle of a forest, a black-haired boy stood, with targets hanging from the surrounding trees.
Under En Oyashiro's gaze, the boy, no more than five years old, bent his knees slightly and leaped into the air.
As his black hair fluttered, the boy soared like a bird.
His gem-like eyes shone with calm determination.
At the peak of his jump, he flipped his body, diving headfirst towards the ground.
Then, his body spun rapidly.
The kunai between his fingers shot out swiftly as he spun!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
The sharp sound of kunai cutting through the air echoed.
Such a fierce attack made En Oyashiro, watching from the shadows, activate his Blood Dragon Eye.
But soon, he noticed that the kunai weren't aimed at the targets.
This was understandable, as the boy was only about five years old.
Performing such a high-difficulty move and expecting to hit the target was asking too much.
However, the next moment, the black-haired boy did something unexpected.
As he descended, he threw another set of kunai with even greater speed.
Due to the increased force, these kunai caught up to the first set, colliding with them mid-air.
Instantly, the forest was filled with the sharp clang of metal and sparks flying.
Then, to En Oyashiro's astonishment, the kunai changed trajectory after colliding.
Like altering their path mid-air, they drew a zigzag line before embedding themselves perfectly in the center of each target!
"How is this possible..."
This incredible display left En Oyashiro momentarily stunned.
The slight disturbance in his chakra was immediately detected by Itachi, who had just finished his training.
"Who's there?"
He quickly drew a kunai, holding it defensively as he looked in En Oyashiro's direction.
Not wanting to cause further misunderstanding, En Oyashiro used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear.
But before leaving, he caught a glimpse of the emblem on the boy's clothes—
A red and blue pattern resembling a ping-pong paddle.
It was the Uchiha clan's crest!
"Another prodigy from the Uchiha clan?"
En Oyashiro felt somewhat numb.
First, there was the masked Uchiha boy who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan in his teens.
Then, Kabuto, who had mastered medical ninjutsu by the age of five.
Now, there was this Uchiha child with unparalleled shuriken skills.
Were all the children in Konoha this extraordinary from such a young age?
En Oyashiro couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Would it be better to leave Chino in Konoha for her upbringing?
_
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