Naruto: Blacksmith

"'Become an official ninja or learn a new ninjutsu…,'" the boy murmured to himself, his gaze lowered.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

He looked up at Lian, and all the confusion on his face vanished.

"Thank you, old man, for the advice," the boy said, bowing before running off without looking back.

"Eh? Wait." Lian stepped in front of the boy, blocking his path. "Why are you leaving?"

"I'm going to find Iruka-sensei to graduate!" the boy responded enthusiastically. "If I already have the level of a formal ninja and can't learn anything else at school, then I can graduate early!"

This foolish kid…

Lian frowned slightly, letting out a sigh.

"Things aren't like they used to be. There's no war, the village doesn't urgently need manpower, and they won't let you graduate early."

He crossed his arms, prepared to see the boy cry, complain, or even beg him to teach ninjutsu.

But none of that happened.

The boy simply looked at him, suspicion filling his eyes.

Lian, puzzled, asked, "Why… are you looking at me like that?"

"Did you plan this from the start?"

"Plan?" Lian raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, the classic plan: make me beg you to teach me ninjutsu, and while you're at it, become my master."

"Eh?" Lian's mouth fell open in surprise.

"It's in every story."

The boy said calmly, "You've been watching my training this whole time. You saw I have talent, got moved, and now you're trying to find a way to take me as your disciple. So you waited for this moment to act."

This kid… has too much imagination

Lian was stunned.

He had only wanted to give some advice after seeing the boy's frustration, but now the boy was accusing him of plotting something else.

"Why would you think that?" he finally asked, still bewildered.

The boy crossed his arms and looked at him disdainfully.

"What kind of cheap stories have you been reading? That kind of plot is terribly written."

So that's how it is…

Lian couldn't help but smile. He touched his nose with a slightly embarrassed expression and asked, "Then tell me, would you like to be my apprentice?"

The boy's eyes lit up immediately.

"Do you really want to take me as your apprentice?"

"No," Lian answered sincerely.

The brightness in the boy's eyes dimmed a bit.

Noticing his reaction, Lian smiled and added, "Even though I haven't thought about taking apprentices, that doesn't mean I can't teach you something."

"Really?" the boy asked, his enthusiasm instantly returning.

He lifted his head, looking at Lian with eyes full of hope.

Seeing that look, Lian fell silent for a moment. A brief melancholic smile appeared on his face as he recalled something from his past.

"Why wouldn't you teach me?" the boy insisted.

Lian snapped back to reality, observing the young, impatient face in front of him.

"Of course."

He reached out and ruffled the boy's hair with an almost paternal gesture. His voice took on a warmer tone. "What's your name?"

"Kuro. My name is Kuro."

"Kuro… That's a good name."

"I think so too."

Lian smiled. "Then I'll teach you a jutsu now!"

"Which one?"

"A Shadow Clone Technique."

"What kind of jutsu is that? Is it powerful?"

"Oh, yes. It's amazing."

---

Hokage's Office

Hiruzen sat at his desk, watching the harmonious scene displayed in his crystal ball. His wrinkles compressed into an expression of mild satisfaction.

"Teaching the younger generation… Not bad," he murmured to himself, a smile lighting up his aged face.

He had high expectations for the new generation, and among them, Kuro stood out the most.

In him, Hiruzen saw a potential different from that of the Sannin, Minato, Kakashi, or Itachi, but no less impressive.

He frequently visited the academy and occasionally stopped by the Ninth Training Ground after classes to observe Kuro's practice. He even answered some of the boy's questions when he saw him stuck in his progress.

Hiruzen was well aware of Kuro's strength, and it worried him.

Despite his young age, Kuro already possessed the skills of a formal ninja. Recently, aside from lacking combat experience, he had all the qualities necessary to be a full-fledged ninja.

Keeping him in the academy seemed like a waste of talent, but at the same time, it wasn't a time of war, and Konoha didn't urgently need more combat power.

Allowing Kuro to graduate early would greatly increase his risk of death.

Hiruzen recalled what had happened with Itachi.

At only five years old, his teacher had insisted that his continued attendance at the academy was unnecessary due to his abilities.

Although Hiruzen initially opposed the idea, pressure from the Uchiha clan and the advice of others led him to approve Itachi's early graduation.

Itachi's experience was an example that geniuses could overcome great challenges, but it didn't eliminate the risks.

Why take an unnecessary risk?

With Kuro, Hiruzen didn't want to make the same mistake. However, he also couldn't ignore the boy's talent.

The ideal solution would be to find a ninja who could teach him directly, but that ninja would have to be skilled enough to harness Kuro's potential.

It couldn't be just anyone, as an inadequate teacher could waste the boy's talent.

Additionally, asking an experienced ninja to forgo missions to dedicate themselves to teaching would result in significant losses for the village.

Now that Lian had found purpose in teaching Kuro, this resolved much of Hiruzen's concern.

Although Lian wasn't top-tier, he had been an ANBU squad captain and a member of Root. His skills were exceptional and sufficient to guide Kuro at this stage.

Hiruzen decided he needed to speak with Iruka to ensure Kuro would be allowed to take time off from the academy to dedicate himself to formal ninjutsu training.

After all, learning ninjutsu would require time.

---

Kuro's Dojo

Kuro lay back on the tatami, explaining Hiruzen's likely reactions to his "performance."

Lian, kneeling in front of him, frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.

"I don't know if your assumption about the Hokage is correct, but… how do we confirm that we've really fooled him?"

"It's simple. Tomorrow, I'll ask Iruka-sensei for permission to take two months off."

"Two months?" Lian raised an eyebrow. "That's too long; the school shouldn't approve it."

"Exactly," Kuro nodded with a smile. "But if we've fooled the Hokage, he'll personally grant me that time to train and make sure Iruka knows."

!

Lian's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're right…"

Kuro looked at him with a mischievous smile. "By the way, I must say your acting skills are quite impressive. Your emotions and expressions look so natural that no one would suspect you were faking."

"Though, if the Hokage had been spying in person instead of using his crystal ball, he might've noticed I was acting."

Lian remained silent.

The truth was, he hadn't been acting.

He had genuinely been moved by the energy and passion of Konoha's young students.

That scene had reminded him of his original intent in joining Root: Everything for Konoha.

________

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