Chapter 21: Haru's Troubles

Haru wasn't pretending to be impressive; he didn't have the strongest illusion system and didn't need to show off in extravagant ways. He was simply stating the facts with a calm demeanor.

Although he initially proposed going to the ninja school, a large part of it was due to the process and the system's mission location.

Even according to his original plan, Haru intended to graduate early.

If he continued to stay in the ninja school, going through the motions of attending classes and waiting to graduate alongside Naruto, by then, Orochimaru would almost be ready to attack Konoha.

At that point, no matter how powerful he became, he would still be just a lowly genin.

He definitely wouldn't be able to compare to someone like Jiraiya or Tsunade.

Looking at the timeline in Konoha, the death of the Third Hokage would undoubtedly be the easiest time for someone to become Hokage.

However, Haru never expected that during his fourth task, he would receive the Wood Release bloodline limit.

He thought it would take some time to obtain such a valuable thing.

During that time, studying ninjutsu at the ninja school wouldn't have been a bad idea.

But now, that was no longer necessary.

"Speaking of which, it seems that the abilities of the Konoha 12 weren't learned at the ninja school," Haru couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Naruto's two major moves, the Rasengan was learned from Jiraiya, and the Shadow Clone Technique was stolen from the sealing scroll.

Sasuke's Sharingan was innate, and Raikiri was taught by Kakashi.

As for the others, they either had family secret techniques or learned from higher-ranked instructors.

The only practical techniques from the ninja school were the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique.

But now, with his bloodline limit, he had the Wood Release clone technique.

The Transformation Technique was a low-level ninjutsu that he could master with just one glance.

Even if he graduated early now, there would be no loss.

In fact, regardless of whether the reward for his fourth task was Wood Release, Haru planned to use this opportunity to discuss the matter with Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Graduating early and being guided by a jōnin was obviously the most suitable path for him.

Moreover, graduating early wasn't unprecedented.

For example, Uchiha Itachi.

He graduated early and became a genin at the age of seven, and by the time he was Haru's age, he was already a captain in the Anbu.

His peers had only just graduated recently.

If Uchiha Itachi could do it, why couldn't he?

Just because he was an Uchiha?

Haru was still a member of the Senju clan!

Just because he had a Mangekyō Sharingan?

Haru had a System!

Even if Uchiha Itachi suddenly summoned a Susanoo, Haru could calmly ask him, "Do you want to dance?"

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't respond directly to Haru; he sat in his chair, remaining silent for a moment.

While this caught Hiruzen off guard, it was still more plausible than the name change.

Moreover, what happened yesterday had already proven that Haru's strength far surpassed that of his peers.

He might even exceed that of some jōnin.

Allowing Haru to graduate early and then have a jōnin mentor him seemed like a reasonable decision.

"I will consider it."

After a long pause, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke slowly, "There are still more than two months until the next graduation. Until then, continue studying in Iruka's class."

"Mm." Haru nodded.

Although Hiruzen didn't give a direct answer, his intention was clear.

If Haru could pass the graduation exam in two months, he could graduate early.

At the same time, if any changes occurred during those two months, Hiruzen would have room to maneuver.

After all, he was still contemplating.

But Haru believed that the issue was not significant.

"By the way…"

Suddenly, Hiruzen stood up, as if remembering something. "How about we go see Hinata?"

"Hinata?"

"Yes. After being kidnapped by the Cloud Ninja, she was merely scared. After some adjustment, she's fine now, but due to the ongoing situation, she's resting at home under the guise of sick leave."

Hiruzen had no intention of hiding this matter.

According to the intelligence he had, Haru was the one who saved Hinata that day.

He probably understood the details better than Haru himself.

Furthermore, he was quite satisfied with Haru's performance; with proper training, even if he couldn't become the next Hokage, he could wholeheartedly inherit the Will of Fire and protect Konoha!

Getting him to interact with the Hyuga clan in advance was certainly beneficial.

Most importantly, it would give Haru a chance to strengthen his relationship with the Hyuga clan.

"Coincidentally, I also need to visit the Hyuga clan. Why don't we go together?"

Hiruzen invited Haru as he casually picked up his Hokage hat and placed it on his head.

"That works."

Haru nodded. He figured that Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't someone who would engage in pointless actions.

Look at Naruto, who was like a corporate slave, busy every day when he became the seventh Hokage.

Comparing that to the Third Hokage, his daily workload seemed to consist of strolling around the village and making house visits.

Even though they were both Hokage, how big could the difference really be?

They said Sarutobi Hiruzen had Danzo, but Naruto also had high-level support like Sasuke and Shikamaru.

Based on these relationships, Haru felt that Hiruzen was using the excuse of visiting Hinata to invite him along.

In reality, it was likely that he wanted to discuss how to deal with the troubles brought by the Cloud Ninja with the Hyuga clan.

On the other hand, he probably wanted to help Haru build a good relationship with Hinata.

After all, the distinctions between the main and branch families in the Hyuga clan were very clear, and Hinata, as the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, was undoubtedly their future successor.

If he could be cultivated as the new Hokage while ostensibly visiting Hinata, it was indeed a rare opportunity.

However...

All of this was merely Haru's personal speculation. Only Sarutobi Hiruzen truly knew his real intentions.

"Let's go." Hiruzen prepared briefly and brushed past Haru before opening the door to his office, heading toward the Hyuga compound.

Seeing this, Haru quickly followed.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how Naruto and Hinata's relationship is at this time."

"No matter what, I'm the hero who saved the damsel in distress. What if Hinata falls for me..."

Haru recalled that Hinata liked Naruto because he helped her during her difficulties.

That was when she gradually developed feelings for him.

In other words, a shy person like Hinata was actually very likely to develop feelings for someone who treated her well.

But she was also very devoted...

"Sigh."

Lost in thought, Haru couldn't help but sigh. A man as outstanding as himself had no girls liking him, which felt abnormal.

But what if too many girls liked him? How would he handle that?

"I just want to gain mission rewards, grow stronger, and become Hokage; I don't want to waste my energy on women!"