Naruto: Hidden Hokage

Yorin soon met Yūhi Mahiru.

Mahiru sat on the living room sofa, his face stern. Dressed in black fitted clothing and a green Jōnin vest, he exuded an air of authority.

Yorin remembered that Mahiru tragically died during the Nine-Tails attack.

"Sit."

Mahiru nodded slightly and gestured toward a seat.

"Thank you, Uncle Mahiru," Yorin replied politely.

"From now on, you'll live here. I'll teach you genjutsu," Mahiru explained. "This is an order from the Hokage."

The Hokage?

Yorin's mind raced. Could it be related to the 'Innate Full Soul' perk?

"Eh?" Yūhi Kurenai, who had been listening nearby, tilted her head in surprise.

"Why?"

"Yorin is naturally suited for genjutsu."

Mahiru had double-checked Yorin after receiving the order from Sarutobi Hiruzen and confirmed his potential.

"Better than me? You always say I'm talented at genjutsu!"

Kurenai puffed up her cheeks and planted her hands on her hips, her defiant expression making her look adorably fierce.

Yorin chuckled.

In the original story, Kurenai had a strong personality. Her love for sake and vodka hinted at her boldness.

"Kurenai, you're already a student at the Ninja Academy. How can you compare to Yorin?" Mahiru replied with a soft cough.

While not lying, Mahiru knew that even among geniuses, there were varying levels of talent.

"Isn't he a student too?" Kurenai blurted out.

"Not yet," Mahiru explained, recalling the information provided by the Hokage.

"He's never been exposed to ninja training."

"I see."

Kurenai turned her gaze toward Yorin.

Her first impression of him was that he looked incredibly delicate, like a finely crafted doll.

"Alright!"

Suddenly, Kurenai raised her voice and patted her chest.

"From now on, I'll take care of you!"

Her attempt to act like a bossy elder sister only made her look cuter due to her doll-like face.

If Mahiru weren't present, Yorin would've been tempted to pinch her cheeks—they looked irresistibly soft.

But how should I address her? Kurenai-chan? Red-chan?

No, that sounds like a senior citizens' club name...

Mahiru, noticing the interaction, smiled like a proud father.

He turned his attention back to Yorin.

"First, we'll eat. Then I'll teach you some basic ninja knowledge."

"Isn't Yorin going to school?" Kurenai asked instinctively.

"Yes," Mahiru confirmed.

"The Hokage has arranged for him to join your class as a transfer student."

"Yay!"

Kurenai's excitement was palpable.

To her, Yorin was now her little follower—someone to boost her status among her peers.

Yorin, however, was deep in thought.

Who else is in Kurenai's class?

The timeline in the original series was chaotic, making it hard to pinpoint.

After eating, Yorin followed Mahiru to the small courtyard outside the house. Kurenai tagged along, claiming she wanted to "reinforce her basics," though her real motive was curiosity about Yorin's talent.

"The first lesson for a ninja is chakra extraction," Mahiru explained, standing opposite Yorin.

He broke down the concept of chakra, referring to the Book of Formation.

Chakra was the mixture of physical energy and mental energy, also known as stamina, the foundation of taijutsu.

By extracting chakra, a ninja could mold it through hand seals to achieve nature and shape transformation, eventually releasing ninjutsu.

"Any questions?" Mahiru asked, noting Yorin's focused expression.

Chakra extraction was typically taught at the academy, though many students started early—especially those from ninja clans or with ninja parents.

For instance, Kakashi Hatake in Kurenai's class was already practicing Earth Release while others struggled with basic transformation jutsu.

This wasn't just talent; it was access to resources, courtesy of his father, Sakumo Hatake, the legendary White Fang.

"No questions," Yorin replied, shaking his head.

"Then give it a try," Mahiru encouraged.

"Usually, it takes a month to extract chakra, but geniuses can do it in three days."

"I did it in three days!" Kurenai eagerly raised her hand, proud of her achievement.

Could she really be a genius?

On reflection, Kurenai was indeed a genius. Her unimpressive combat record in the series stemmed from unfortunate encounters with monsters like Itachi Uchiha, who overwhelmed 99% of shinobi.

In short, Kurenai was a normal genius in an abnormal world.

Yorin exhaled deeply and began focusing on the energy within his 130 trillion cells and the mental strength enhanced by his 'Innate Full Soul' perk.

In the original series, mental energy was linked to accumulated training experience. However, thanks to his perk, Yorin had an innate surplus of mental energy.

"That was fast!" Mahiru suddenly exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.

"What's fast?" Kurenai blinked, confused.

"He's already extracted chakra," Mahiru said, his tone tinged with astonishment.

"How is that possible?!"

Kurenai froze in place, completely dumbfounded.

Three days to extract chakra made one a genius.

Three seconds? That made Yorin a monster.

At that moment, Yorin's body trembled with excitement as new text appeared in his vision.

[New Perk Unlocked.]

[E-Rank Talent Perk: Ninja.]

Trigger Condition: Successful chakra extraction.

Effect: Increases chakra extraction speed by 10%.

Note: Can be combined through two pathways.

Path 1: Combine with E-Rank perks Three Basic Jutsu and Shuriken Throwing to create D-Rank perk Ordinary Genin.

Path 2: Combine with E-Rank perks Three Basic Jutsu, Shuriken Throwing, and Top Student to create C-Rank perk Genius Genin.

Yorin quickly grasped the system's logic.

New perks seemed to be triggered by specific actions, encouraging experimentation for surprises.

Moreover, special perks could be combined into advanced ones.

The Ninja perk was evidently one such example.

The system's freedom in offering multiple pathways exceeded his expectations.

It was clear that Genius Genin would be far superior to Ordinary Genin, though achieving it would be challenging—especially with Kakashi in his cohort.

But Yorin wasn't about to settle for mediocrity.

Being average is not an option.

I'm a man with a cheat system!

Exiting his meditative state, Yorin glanced at Kurenai and froze.

The little girl before him looked like a withered flower, her slightly curled hair drooping in defeat.

Adorable.

"Congratulations, Yorin," Mahiru said with a broad smile.

Yorin had been entrusted to him by Sarutobi Hiruzen, and with such talent, he was practically a guarantee of their family's bright future.