Three o'clock in the afternoon.
Instructor Okamoto arrived on schedule.
He swept an indifferent glance over Kanda Rokuro, then addressed the children, "Training begins now. This afternoon, we'll start with kicks, straight punches, and side jumps. After that, you'll run two laps. Once that's done, today's training is complete. If you want to rest early, then move fast!"
The children responded obediently.
They stood up and immediately began training.
Rokuro joined them as well.
Right now, his stamina was overflowing. Even training all night wouldn't be a problem.
He had already tested it—only 100 experience points were needed to fully restore his stamina. With the 400 experience points he currently had, he could easily keep training all the way until tomorrow morning.
Most of the other children had already burned through a lot of energy in the morning. Their movements during afternoon training noticeably slowed.
Only Kanda Rokuro finished all the assigned exercises within two hours.
When his training ended, he glanced at Instructor Okamoto standing at the edge of the field. After a moment of thought, he walked over and bowed respectfully.
"Instructor, I've finished my training. I'd like to train with the other classes for a while. When they're done, I'll run together with them."
Instructor Okamoto had been watching him the entire time.
Seeing Rokuro finish so quickly genuinely surprised him.
However—
As a shinobi, he didn't let it show.
He looked at Rokuro calmly. "You don't want to rest?"
Rokuro's expression turned serious. "Instructor, I don't want to go back to my old life. I want to become a real ninja—so I'll never go hungry again."
Just a kid after all.
Become a ninja… just so he wouldn't starve.
Instructor Okamoto complained inwardly, but he still nodded.
"Your training is complete. What you do next is your own choice—as long as you can still run two laps later. But let me warn you: if you don't have the stamina left to finish the run, you won't get dinner."
Rokuro bowed deeply. "Don't worry, Instructor. I understand!"
Okamoto nodded. "Then do as you like. Be back by six to join the run."
Okamoto's straightforward response made Rokuro secretly delighted.
After bowing once more, he turned and headed toward his real destination.
Training with another class wasn't his true goal.
He was here to complete a random mission.
Specifically—
He headed straight for the class where Fukada Miya was training.
When he first arrived, he naturally didn't stir up any trouble.
He needed the right opportunity to "teach Fukada Miya a lesson."
Ideally, he wanted to do it in a way where no one could pin the blame on him afterward.
His appearance drew a few curious glances from the children in Class Six.
But since everyone was in the middle of training, no one stopped. They merely glanced at Rokuro before continuing until the first training segment ended.
After each training segment, there was a ten-minute break.
During the break, a boy from Class Six walked up to Rokuro and sneered slightly. "Hey, little brat. You came to train with us, and Instructor Okamoto didn't say a word. Are you related to him or something?"
Rokuro froze for a moment, then instinctively glanced back at Instructor Okamoto.
So that's how it is…
He isn't this lenient with everyone—he's treating me differently.
Could I really be related to him?
But that made no sense.
If he were Instructor Okamoto's relative, how could his past have been so miserable?
With even a chūnin relative, he wouldn't have gone hungry.
So—
There had to be another reason.
Did he notice something special about me?
That's not good.
The children in this orphanage were all trained under Danzō Shimura's authority.
And that old schemer—if he noticed anything abnormal, he might very well investigate his soul or seize his mind.
From now on, I have to be more careful.
My abnormal stamina has probably already been exposed. I should hide my talent in ninjutsu and genjutsu for now. At least until I have the strength to resist Danzō—only then can I reveal anything more.
Having made up his mind, Rokuro turned back to the boy in front of him and replied calmly, "No. If I were related to Instructor Okamoto, do you think I'd be here? I'd already be training inside Konohagakure."
The boy from Class Six blinked, then nodded. "That's true. Looks like your talent caught Instructor Okamoto's eye. He's always been pretty attentive toward geniuses."
As expected.
Instructor Okamoto really has noticed something about me.
All the more reason to stay cautious.
Since my stamina recovery can't be hidden anymore, I'll focus purely on taijutsu for now.
After settling his thoughts, Rokuro shifted his gaze toward his mission target—Fukada Miya.
That guy…
Rokuro remembered him clearly.
Seven days ago during dinner, Fukada Miya had accidentally choked and sprayed food all over him.
He had apologized afterward and even told Rokuro his name.
That was how Rokuro remembered him.
Who would've thought—
Today, he'd be tasked with teaching Fukada Miya a lesson?
And honestly, the guy didn't seem bad at all.
The thought made Rokuro feel a little guilty.
But—
A mission was a mission.
Fukada Miya would just have to suffer a bit.
After steeling himself, Rokuro walked over, put on a friendly smile, and greeted him.
"Brother Fukada, you're training here too? Could you teach me some techniques?"
Fukada Miya recognized him immediately. He smiled and patted Rokuro on the shoulder.
"About that time I sprayed food all over you—I'm really sorry. I'll teach you properly today to make up for it!"
Rokuro was thrilled inside but kept his face calm. "Then thank you, Brother Fukada!"
Fukada Miya glanced toward Instructor Okamoto in the distance. When he noticed that Okamoto was paying attention to them, he immediately understood something.
A child personally noticed by Instructor Okamoto…
Had a very high chance of being sent to the Konoha Orphanage Headquarters for advanced training.
This place was only a branch.
Only after passing training here could one go to the headquarters and formally study ninjutsu.
If he built a good relationship with Rokuro, maybe he could benefit as well—graduate early and head to headquarters.
The thought made Fukada Miya excited.
He called out loudly, "Captain Mushi! Give me an hour off. I want to train with this kid for a bit!"
The boy named Mushi looked at Fukada Miya, then at Rokuro, and nodded.
"Fine. But you still have to complete all your training afterward."
Fukada Miya nodded quickly. "Don't worry, I know the rules!"
With that, Captain Mushi said nothing more.
Fukada Miya grabbed Rokuro and said enthusiastically, "Come on! Let's go train by the track!"
Rokuro was secretly delighted.
Being alone with Fukada Miya was exactly what he wanted.
That way, he'd finally have the chance to properly complete his random mission.
Without hesitation, he followed Fukada Miya toward a tree just outside the track.