Naruto: Hidden Hokage

"It's done!"

Minato Namikaze interrupted their conversation, announcing, "Try my Fire Release Charred Perfection, Version Four!"

"There you go again, coming up with names no one understands."

Kushina Uzumaki rolled her eyes as she took the grilled fish.

"Couldn't help myself," Minato admitted, scratching his head with a sheepish grin.

Yorin silently took a bite of the fish.

Eating grilled fish is better than being fed dog food.

"How does it taste?" Kushina asked, glancing at Yorin.

During their earlier chat, she had learned about this pretty boy's situation.

A war orphan currently living with Shinku Yuhi—similar to her own tragic past.

"Delicious," Yorin said, nodding emphatically.

"Next time, you should try my cooking," Kushina said, smiling warmly.

"Sure," Yorin replied, naturally agreeing.

Meeting Kushina had been an unexpected encounter, but fostering good relations with them was undoubtedly beneficial, especially with Minato Namikaze.

In the Third Shinobi World War, having more allies meant greater security.

"Kushina," Minato coughed lightly, reminding her.

Just like last time, Kushina had sealed away her Anbu guards and sneaked out again.

Her plan? To do it again next time.

"What is it?" Kushina clenched her fists. "You don't like my cooking?"

"It's great," Minato responded instantly.

"That's more like it."

Kushina knew what he was implying, but she couldn't stand the boredom of being confined within the barrier.

Yorin felt like he had been fed another round of dog food.

The meal ended amidst laughter and chatter.

Yorin bid them farewell and returned to the Hidden Leaf Village.

The streetlights illuminated both sides of the road as night fell.

He half-expected a crow to swoop down, heralding the appearance of Itachi Uchiha.

Thankfully, the Uchiha Massacre was still far in the future, and he wasn't part of their clan anyway.

Walking leisurely, Yorin opened his trait panel.

The progress bar for E-rank Trait: Seven Ninja Tools had reached 70%.

Training with explosive tags had been surprisingly effective.

Truly, this was the power of spending money.

As the saying goes, happiness comes from setting things alight.

The E-rank Trait: Academic Prodigy was also nearing completion, waiting for the final test.

"I'm back!"

Yorin pushed open the door and began changing his shoes.

Hearing his voice, Kurenai jumped off the sofa and bounded toward him like a little rabbit.

Across the room, Shinku Yuhi's mouth twitched.

He felt like his position in the household was under siege.

"Yorin, why are you back so late?" Kurenai asked, hands on her hips. "And why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

Ah, so the latter was the real issue.

Looking at her cute, puffed-up expression, Yorin chuckled and said, "I ran into Minato Namikaze."

"Who's Minato Namikaze?" Kurenai asked, puzzled.

"You met Minato?" Shinku Yuhi exclaimed, surprised.

"At the Fourth Training Ground," Yorin lied smoothly. "He probably thought I had great potential and invited me to have grilled fish."

"Maybe the Hokage mentioned you to him," Shinku mused.

"What?" Kurenai's eyes widened. "Even the Hokage knows about Yorin?"

"What do you think?" Shinku patted her head with a smile. "After all, he sparred with Asuma."

"It was just a friendly match," Yorin corrected, feigning seriousness.

"Alright, let's talk inside," Shinku said, shooting him a look before pulling Kurenai back inside.

What's going on? Did I park a ghostly carriage outside their house?

"Shinku, I want to learn swordsmanship," Yorin said as soon as they were seated in the living room.

With Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao being younger than him and no access to Maruyoshi Kosuke, his best option was Shinku.

"Why the sudden interest in swordsmanship?" Shinku asked, surprised.

"My chakra reserves are too low to learn new genjutsu, so I want to learn swordsmanship for self-defense," Yorin replied with a prepared excuse.

Shinku nodded slightly.

It was a reasonable argument, leaving no room for refusal.

This is the mark of a genius.

With a wistful sigh, Shinku said, "I'll teach you some swordsmanship later."

"Huh?" Yorin looked skeptical.

"You brat!" Shinku huffed, "Is it so strange for a genjutsu ninja to know swordsmanship?"

Swordsmanship fell under taijutsu, one of a ninja's basic skills. For genjutsu users, it was essential for survival in case their illusions failed.

"No, sir!" Yorin quickly straightened up. "Thank you, Shinku-sensei!"

"I want to learn too!" Kurenai raised her hand enthusiastically.

"Kurenai," Shinku said gently, "learn genjutsu first, and then I'll teach you swordsmanship."

"Alright," Kurenai agreed, knowing she was far behind Yorin.

Wanting to learn everything at once could lead to learning nothing.

"Wait outside," Shinku said, heading to his room.

When he returned, he brought two wooden swords.

"The swordsmanship I'll teach you is the Leaf Style. It's basic but not to be underestimated," Shinku said, tossing Yorin a wooden sword. "With dedication, you could develop your own secret techniques."

Yorin immediately thought of Maruyoshi Kosuke, whose Leaf Style: Willow combined swordsmanship and genjutsu.

"Let's start with the basics," Shinku said, swinging his wooden sword.

"Yes, sir," Yorin replied seriously.

Night fell, and moonlight bathed the earth.

After two hours of practice, Yorin finally triggered a new trait.

[E-rank Ninjutsu Trait: Swordsmanship Ninja (Unacquired)]

Condition: Reach basic proficiency in Leaf Style Swordsmanship.Progress: 5%.

Training concluded, and after a quick shower, Yorin returned to his room.

Though tired, he didn't go to sleep right away. Instead, he picked up a pen.

After some deliberation, he began outlining a novel.

The work he chose was Taimanin.

Two days later.

As usual, Yorin jogged two laps around the village before heading to the Leaf Knowledge Bookstore.

Inside, he handed Tubo the outline and concept for Taimanin.

"That was fast," Tubo remarked. "What's your friend's name?"

"Thunderfire Sword," Yorin said after a brief pause. "That's his pen name."

"Pen name? Got it." Tubo grinned knowingly.

What exactly do you think you understand?

Yorin felt a chill, imagining how mortifying it would be if his so-called friend was exposed.

Tubo began reading, and his expression quickly turned serious before lighting up with excitement.

"Your friend is a genius!" Tubo exclaimed, his tone brimming with enthusiasm. "This ninja setting is groundbreaking. It's bound to be a hit!"