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After sufficient idle chatter, the two advisors—having failed to produce any substantive suggestions regarding Kirigakure—felt uncomfortable lingering and excused themselves, leaving the space entirely to Danzō and Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, this approach hardly resembles your usual style." With the advisors departed, Danzō finally had opportunity to confront Hiruzen.
Forcing me to acknowledge Feng Bai's existence before both advisors—that Hiruzen—
Hiruzen merely shook his head upon hearing this, not bothering to set down his pipe. He hadn't anticipated his pressure tactics proving so effective, or perhaps everything had proceeded too smoothly—Danzō had actually admitted Feng Bai was his son: "Hehe, Danzō, you're no different."
"However, Koharu and Homura spoke correctly—as Feng Bai's elders, we indeed should visit him." With both advisors completely gone, Hiruzen unhesitatingly lit his pipe.
Detecting the secondhand smoke, Danzō's expression became exceptionally unpleasant. This fellow—early he doesn't smoke, late he doesn't smoke, but precisely when I'm alone with him—
The person I despise most is definitely this guy before me!
"Spare me, Hiruzen. Feng Bai is my son. A weak-willed person like you should stay away from him. I'll cultivate him into a true shinobi!" Unwilling to inhale Hiruzen's secondhand smoke indoors, Danzō rose and moved to the doorway, rejecting Hiruzen's overture.
"Your method of raising children is what's truly problematic, Danzō." Hiruzen cheerfully tapped ash from his pipe at the table's edge.
"Someone who dumps everything on Biwako has no qualification to say such words." Danzō's retort struck directly at Hiruzen's heart, causing him to halt his actions.
"You're too extreme, Danzō! That's because of the Hokage's duties!" Recalling his own family education, Hiruzen's expression grew uncharacteristically grim.
"I am Feng Bai's father, Hiruzen!" Danzō waved his sleeve, unwilling to continue this topic.
Hiruzen instinctively blurted: "You—you'll regret this, Danzō!"
Both men then fell into contemplation.
This scene—why does it feel familiar, even somewhat reversed?
Meanwhile, Feng Bai followed Aburame Ryōma to a two-story house.
The house's location was excellent, situated at Konoha's very center—in his previous life, this would qualify as Beijing's Second Ring Road area.
Pushing open the main gate and entering the courtyard, another unfamiliar figure appeared before Feng Bai.
"My name is Aburame Ryōma. This is Yamanaka Zen. From today forward, we're responsible for your security and training." Seeing Zen's arrival, Ryōma performed introductions.
"Hello, Ryōma... uncle? Uh, Zen-uncle?" Observing the two faces before him, Feng Bai tentatively spoke.
"Cough." Hearing this address, Ryōma visibly stumbled.
"Just call me Ryōma." Inexplicably placed in Danzō's generation, Ryōma hastily waved his hands in refusal.
If this spreads—that I'm addressing Lord Danzō as a peer—I'll probably disappear from Konoha by tomorrow.
Zen also displayed complete resistance, attempting to dissuade Feng Bai from this notion: "Right, just call me Zen."
"That might be somewhat impolite..." Looking up at the two considerably taller men, Feng Bai wanted to say more but was directly interrupted by Ryōma: "Enough, Feng Bai. Lord Danzō wants us to guide your cultivation. Don't obsess over such trivial matters as forms of address."
"Yes, sensei." Sensing the pressure Ryōma emanated, Feng Bai immediately stood at attention.
Sensei it is—at least better than calling them uncle.
Yamanaka Zen touched his smooth face, mentally comparing whether he or Danzō's weathered visage appeared younger.
"During your time in Kirigakure, did you receive systematic training?" Aburame Ryōma posed his first question.
"No, though I did refine chakra according to a scroll my mother left behind." Feng Bai shook his head, answering honestly.
Learning Feng Bai possessed a scroll, Ryōma inquired about its whereabouts: "And that scroll?"
"Left in Kirigakure. After all, that place wasn't friendly toward shinobi, so..." Given Kirigakure's hostile environment, I was fortunate to retain a kunai as a keepsake—at least I could claim I found it.
As for the scroll... Sorry, I haven't lived enough yet and don't wish to be killed by Kirigakure villagers with tools like Haku's mother.
Therefore, after hastily understanding chakra circulation and refinement, Feng Bai had hidden the scroll away. It didn't contain many jutsu anyway, so losing it wasn't heartbreaking.
"I understand. First, refine some chakra for me to observe." After learning the situation, Ryōma nodded, then shook his sleeve, summoning a swarm of black insects.
Feng Bai obediently closed his eyes, formed the Tiger seal, and refined his internal chakra.
Using his insects, Ryōma observed Feng Bai's chakra flow patterns. Confirming the cultivation method posed no problems, he instructed Feng Bai to stop: "Enough."
"Your chakra cultivation method is fine—continue practicing this way. However, because you're still young, such training cannot be prolonged. Refining chakra when physically exhausted will place enormous strain on your body, especially given your current physical condition, which lags far behind peers your age."
Feng Bai nodded. It's all about bloodlines—I understand.
"So..." Ryōma clenched his fist, recalling Danzō's instructions.
"Just train that boy using Root methods." When Ryōma inquired about training Feng Bai, Danzō had replied coldly.
Root methods would mean throwing Feng Bai among death row prisoners for combat, but such approaches obviously couldn't apply to Danzō's son.
Then only one answer remained.
Before Feng Bai could react, Ryōma struck with his fist.
"First, try confronting me."
???
Shouldn't this begin with running and other foundational exercises?
Inexplicably punched away, Feng Bai nearly cursed aloud.
Three hours later.
After being knocked into the wall once again, Feng Bai was dragged out by Yamanaka Zen, who applied Mystical Palm Technique to heal his injuries.
"Ryōma-sensei, perhaps we should pause?" With several broken ribs now healed, Feng Bai raised his hand, signaling for a halt.
I'm a child who isn't even genin-level, fighting a jōnin—I can't even see your movements. What am I supposed to practice?
Are you certain you didn't accept this assignment due to some grudge against Danzō?
And the neighboring residents are remarkably tolerant—I've nearly collapsed their courtyard wall, yet they haven't made a sound.
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