Chapter 146

Twenty days later, Leo, as usual, strolled around the village with Tenzo.

However, his wandering was no longer about sightseeing. Instead, he was looking for the Konoha jonin scattered around the village, each training their disciples for the upcoming finals.

For example, he would seek out Guy for some taijutsu sparring, have heart-to-heart talks, and praise the might of his Eight Gates technique. He would also subtly gather intelligence on the precautions and details to note when training in the Eight Gates.

In addition to Guy, there was his old friend Kakashi. Kakashi knew ninjutsu of all five chakra natures but was most skilled in Lightning and Earth Release. Given their good relationship and the Third Hokage's introduction, Kakashi didn't hesitate to share his knowledge of Lightning and Earth Release. 

Of course, techniques like Chidori, Raikiri, and certain other jutsu were off-limits for Leo.

Next was Asuma, who was adept at Wind and Fire Release. As a close friend of Master Chiriku, Asuma was very earnest in his guidance to Leo regarding Wind and Fire techniques.

He even gifted Leo the scrolls for his self-created jutsu, Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning and Wind Release: Dust Cloud Technique, which caught Leo a bit by surprise.

Furthermore, Leo didn't miss out on asking Kurenai, who had a good rapport with Asuma, for advice on genjutsu.

Lastly, of course, there was the most formidable, the Third Hokage. While others might have a few elemental jutsu, like Kakashi, who knew all five, each of their techniques operated separately. Only the Third Hokage could simultaneously cast jutsu of different natures, combining them into more powerful composite jutsu.

However, the Third Hokage was usually too busy, making him hard to meet.

Overall, every day, Leo managed to find a jonin to learn from, fully exploiting the Third Hokage's earlier promise to the fullest extent.

Yet, no one seemed to dislike him.

First, because of his status as a prince and a disciple of Chiriku, second, because the Third Hokage had instructed them beforehand, third, because of the good image he had built up and the good deeds he had done for Konoha.

The fourth and most important reason was that, in addition to seeking out the jonin to learn ninjutsu knowledge and experience, he also volunteered to act as a sparring partner for their disciples for free.

Using his master-level combat skills, he taught them techniques for generating force and executing moves during a fight.

And crucially, if they trained too hard and got injured, Leo could heal them with a single healing spell, allowing them to save a lot of recovery time.

So, whenever Leo appeared, the genin of Konoha were always very welcoming.

Moreover, because he had consulted each jonin on different elemental ninjutsu, everyone discovered something shocking: Leo was a natural-born genius with all five chakra natures.

"Huh, it's Hayate Gekkō!"

While passing through the main street of Konoha, Leo saw the second-round proctor, Hayate Gekkō, buying flowers with a purple-haired woman at a flower shop. Both of them had happy smiles on their faces.

It reminded him of when he and Wanda had just gotten married.

According to the original storyline, Hayate Gekkō would be killed shortly after the second exam by Baki, the elite jonin from the Hidden Sand Village, while pursuing the Konoha traitor Kabuto.

However, due to Leo's presence, Sasuke hadn't been cursed in the Forest of Death, and Kabuto hadn't infiltrated Konoha Hospital to reveal his identity, so naturally, Hayate Gekkō hadn't received the secret mission to track Kabuto.

But he didn't pay much attention to this. He had no relationship with Hayate Gekkō, so whether he lived or died was of no importance to him.

...

At noon, after wandering around with Asuma, Tenzo suddenly spoke up:

"Chuan, let me treat you to some ramen?"

"Tenzo, why the sudden offer to treat me to ramen? This is quite rare."

Leo looked Tenzo up and down, showing a hint of surprise.

After more than a month of getting to know each other, their relationship had been quite good. However, possibly due to his status and duties, Tenzo rarely spoke up, and this was the first time he had offered to treat him to a meal.

Tenzo scratched the back of his head and smiled:

"You've been treating me to all sorts of things. After today, I'll be heading out on another mission, so consider this a thank-you. If you don't like ramen, we can go eat something else."

Last night, after reporting the situation to the Third Hokage, Tenzo was informed that his surveillance and protection mission had ended. He was to lead a part of the Anbu to patrol around the village for ten days until the end of the Chunin Exams.

After the second exam, the Third Hokage had called a meeting with the advisors and all the jonin.

The main topic was discussing Orochimaru's appearance in Konoha—whether it had anything to do with their alliance and whether there were other plans beyond targeting Sasuke in this Chunin Exam.

After so many days of observation, the Third Hokage had grown to trust Prince Leo enough. Given his considerable strength, he decided to reassign the elite jonin Tenzo to areas where he was more needed.

"You're going on another mission, then…"

Leo had a good idea of what was happening but still showed a hint of doubt on his face.

Tenzo, of course, couldn't tell Leo the truth and only explained:

"Lord Hokage believes you're now quite familiar with Konoha and know many of the jonin, so you shouldn't need a guide anymore. Also, with your strength being comparable to mine, you don't need my protection."

"Is that so? Well, then let's go to Ichiraku for some ramen."

Leo nodded, not appearing too disappointed or anything. He and Tenzo were just casual friends; they hadn't reached that level, and overacting would seem fake.

In fact, without Tenzo by his side, he would have much more freedom in his actions, which was a good thing.

The two of them walked to Ichiraku Ramen and found it already occupied by some customers, one of whom was a familiar face.

"Naruto, eating ramen again, I see!"

Leo sat down and greeted Naruto, who was slurping ramen nearby. His eyes involuntarily shifted to the tall, white-haired man with the "oil" kanji on his forehead sitting next to Naruto.

With such distinctive features, it was easy to recognize him as none other than Jiraiya, the Toad Sage and one of the Legendary Sannin.

If you had to ask which of the Sannin was the strongest, he believed it was undoubtedly Jiraiya.

Tsunade's powerful punches were formidable, but she was more inclined towards medical and healing techniques. Orochimaru had a plethora of modified and bizarre ninjutsu, and while strong, his primary focus was on survival.

Only Jiraiya was the strongest in terms of raw strength among the three, and he was also the best teacher among them.

"Brother Chuan, you and Uncle Tenzo came for ramen too!"

Naruto's spirits were evidently high, as he could eat his favorite ramen today without spending his own money.

Tenzo replied somewhat irritably:

"Naruto, don't call me uncle. Call me Brother Tenzo. I'm only in my early twenties."

"Okay, Uncle Tenzo."

Naruto nodded nonchalantly and then introduced:

"Brother Chuan, this is the Pervy Sage. He's guiding my training right now!"

...