After leaving the Detention Center, the two of them headed straight toward the riverside. When they arrived, the young man—who had been stared at by Isamu the entire way—finally spoke.
"Are you confused about why I was the one who released you?"
Isamu shook his head.
"Whether you released me or not doesn't really matter to me. I'm already used to this kind of treatment."
"I just want to know who you actually are. You look very familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
The young man burst into laughter after hearing that.
"Hahaha! I didn't expect you to be so open-minded. Your identity really does put you in a difficult position, but you can't be blamed for that. After all, no one gets to choose how they're born, right?"
"As for the familiarity you mentioned… maybe I just have a common face."
Isamu looked at him with surprise.
"You're definitely different from the others in the village. Most people don't even want to talk to me, let alone look me in the eye."
"Now I'm even more curious about who you really are."
The young man smiled and introduced himself.
"Let's get acquainted. My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi. I'm twenty years old, a Jonin, and your future captain."
"This is my first time leading a newcomer, so please take care of me from now on."
When Isamu heard the name Hiruzen Sarutobi, he froze on the spot.
So it's him…
The future Third Hokage, known as the "Professor" of Ninjutsu—the man once called the God of Shinobi.
No wonder he looked familiar.
The image Isamu had always associated with Hiruzen was the elderly, white-haired Hokage from the future.
He hadn't expected him to be this young.
Although his strength probably hadn't reached its peak yet, compared to the aged Third Hokage who fought Orochimaru years later, his current strength might actually be similar—or even greater.
"So it's you… Hiruzen Sarutobi, disciple of the Second Hokage," Isamu said slowly.
"But what do you mean by 'my future captain'?"
Hiruzen looked slightly surprised.
"I didn't expect you to know I'm Nidaime-sama's disciple."
"Well then, let me explain."
Hiruzen began describing the situation in detail.
"It's like this. Starting today, Hokage-sama has decided to completely remove the restrictions placed on you."
"You're now free to learn Ninjutsu and leave the village."
"As for missions—earlier I heard that you defeated the veteran Genin Uchiha Yo in a fight. That means your strength has already reached the Genin level."
"I'll give you your forehead protector later, and from then on you'll be free to accept missions."
Hearing that he was now free, Isamu didn't look happy at all.
Instead, he frowned.
He understood Senju Tobirama's personality far too well.
Given Tobirama's prejudice against Madara, would he really release him so easily?
Impossible.
He must be planning something.
Failing a Genin-level mission might not be a big deal.
But if he ever became a Chunin or Jonin, failing a mission could easily become an excuse for Tobirama to execute him.
And if he happened to die during a mission…
Tobirama would probably laugh in his sleep.
Thinking about this, Isamu cursed inwardly.
That old schemer definitely has bad intentions. All this talk about freedom is probably just a way to get me killed sooner.
He looked at Hiruzen suspiciously.
"Is that really all?"
"Of course," Hiruzen replied casually.
"Go home and get some rest today. Tomorrow morning we'll meet here again."
"I'll start helping you improve your strength properly. Once you're strong enough, I'll take you out on missions."
After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi simply left, regardless of what Isamu thought.
Not long after, Isamu also returned home.
---
"Sigh… finally back."
As soon as he entered the house, Isamu collapsed onto the bed.
He looked around the small home his mother had left behind.
Running a hand across the bed, he saw a layer of dust.
"I've only been gone a few days and the house is already dusty."
"Since Mom passed away… living alone really is a hassle."
Thinking about his mother inevitably reminded him of Madara.
And once he thought about Madara, his temper flared immediately.
"You bastard, Uchiha Madara!"
"I'm your son, you know! If you were going to leave Konoha, you could've at least taken me with you!"
"Instead you leave me here to live this miserable life. You jerk!"
"Don't think I don't know you're still alive. You're definitely hiding somewhere in some corner of the world right now."
"Just wait. If I ever run into you, I'll definitely teach you a lesson."
"Even a small pot can still be made of iron!"
After cursing Madara for a while, Isamu began thinking about meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi the next day.
From their earlier conversation, it seemed that Hiruzen had not yet accepted the Sannin as disciples.
Thinking about the Sannin, Isamu suddenly launched into another round of complaints directed at Madara.
"Look at Senju Hashirama—he already has grandchildren!"
"And you? You only have one son, and you don't even bother taking care of him!"
"No wonder you lost to Hashirama."
"Serves you right!"
After venting all his frustrations, Isamu brushed off the dust, leaned back against the bed, and slowly fell asleep.
---
The next morning, sunlight shone across Isamu's face.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked out the window.
"No matter where I go, I still can't fix my habit of sleeping in."
After getting up, he washed, changed clothes, and left the house.
Soon he arrived at the riverside where he had agreed to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Looking at the empty riverside, Isamu thought,
It's already eight o'clock, and the sun's getting hot. Looks like I arrived earlier than Hiruzen.
Two hours passed.
Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared.
"Oh, Isamu. Have you been waiting long?"
Isamu looked at Hiruzen's relaxed expression and sighed helplessly.
"The sun's already high enough to burn someone's backside."
Hiruzen scratched his head awkwardly.
"Hahaha… sorry, sorry."
"There's been a lot going on lately, so I accidentally slept a bit longer."
"Anyway, I'm here now, so it's fine."
Isamu's face immediately showed pure disbelief.
Yeah right.
You probably stayed up late peeping somewhere and now you're making excuses.
"Alright, alright, let's get down to business!" Hiruzen said quickly after noticing Isamu's mocking look.
"First of all, since you never attended the Ninja Academy, I don't actually know your real strength."
"So today, following ninja tradition, we'll conduct a Bell Test."
Hiruzen pulled out two small bells and shook them.
"Since there's only one of you, I won't require you to actually take the bells."
"As long as you can touch them, you win."
"How about it?"
"Fine," Isamu replied calmly.
"Let's begin."
The moment he finished speaking, Isamu pushed off the ground and jumped into the forest to hide.
Watching him disappear into the trees, Hiruzen nodded slightly in approval.
He knows he can't win head-on, so he's hiding and waiting for an opportunity.
Not bad.
"Your hiding skills are pretty good," Hiruzen called out.
"Fine. Since you won't come out, I'll come find you."
Just as Hiruzen prepared to move—
A sudden sound came from behind him.
Reacting instantly, he jumped sideways.
Whoosh!
A kunai embedded itself into the ground exactly where he had been standing.
Isamu stepped out of the forest.
"The strength gap between us is too big," he said calmly.
"Hiding would just waste time."
"But since I can't give up on taking the bells, I might as well fight you head-on."
As he spoke, he drew out his own kunai.
The reason he had come out so quickly was simple.
While he was hiding earlier, the system had issued a new mission.
[Ding! System Mission Issued: Fight Hiruzen Sarutobi head-on for five minutes.]
[Completion Reward: 1,000 points.]
[If you last ten minutes, you will receive an additional reward: one Sharingan upgrade.]
[Mission Failure: Choose between obliteration or losing your "little brother."]
When Isamu heard the rewards, he didn't hesitate for even a moment.
Ten minutes for 1,000 points and a free Sharingan upgrade?
I'm taking that deal.
Hearing Isamu's declaration, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded approvingly.
"Very good."
"Being able to clearly recognize the strength gap between yourself and your opponent is an excellent quality."
"But your mission is to take the bells."
"Isn't charging straight at me basically suicide?"
As he spoke, Hiruzen reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out eight shuriken, throwing them toward Isamu.
At the same time, his hands began forming seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The eight shuriken instantly multiplied into twenty-four, all flying toward Isamu.