"Do not use that jutsu again."
"Yes, Sensei."
Sitting on a hospital bed, Suzuki let out a heavy sigh. His chakra exhaustion had been cured relatively quickly after a brief rest and some basic medical ninjutsu, but the headache from Hiruzen's lecturing was going to last a lot longer.
The Third Hokage had materialized at the hospital the moment he got word of the incident, and he had naturally proceeded to scold his new disciple for recklessly detonating a highly experimental, wildly dangerous jutsu during a simple sparring match!
Suzuki wasn't sure exactly how long the old man had been yelling, but it felt like hours.
As for Hinata, Shino, and Kurenai? They just stood quietly in the corner of the hospital room, not daring to interrupt the Hokage. Honestly, watching the normally unflappable, hyper-competent Suzuki get thoroughly chewed out by an angry grandpa made them feel strangely comfortable.
"..."
Suzuki just accepted his fate. It was normal for them to be a little annoyed with him, especially since he had actually managed to burn his own lips.
He hadn't made a calculation error. The Manager had optimized the oxygen-to-chakra ratio perfectly. The problem was simply that the thermal output of the Azure Flame was far too intense for his twelve-year-old body to handle safely. Furthermore, he had been totally caught off guard by Kurenai's failure to dodge. He had been forced to aggressively cut off the jutsu mid-breath and ignore the searing pain in his mouth to physically tackle her out of the way, otherwise, she would have been instantly turned to ash!
His blue flame, even though it was physically small, was lethal. Any competent Jonin should have instantly recognized the danger and either dodged or countered it with a massive Water Release.
No one in the modern history of Konoha had ever produced a naturally occurring blue flame. While most of the medical staff gossiping in the halls assumed the boy possessed some incredibly rare, dormant Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit), Hiruzen knew the truth.
His new disciple was just terrifyingly smart. Suzuki had literally found a way to weaponize the basic physics of a BBQ grill, using forced oxygen flow to push a standard fireball into complete destruction.
Regardless, Hiruzen leveled a stern glare at the boy. "I am absolutely forbidding you from using that jutsu unless I am personally supervising you."
"What about my other experimental jutsu, Sensei?" Suzuki asked carefully.
"...As long as they do not pose an immediate danger to your own safety, you can continue your research," Hiruzen sighed.
If Hiruzen completely banned Suzuki from experimenting, it would crush the boy's creativity. So, instead of shutting him down, Hiruzen was simply implementing safety protocols.
Frankly, Hiruzen treated Suzuki significantly better than he treated his own son, Asuma, or his grandson, Konohamaru. With his actual family, Hiruzen was always the Hokage first, and a father second. But with Suzuki? He had taken the boy under his wing specifically as the Hokage. He could afford to prioritize the boy's growth because, as cruel as it sounded to his own bloodline, Hiruzen saw the true future of the village in this orphaned civilian.
He saw someone who could flawlessly inherit the Will of Fire.
Of course, what Hiruzen didn't know was that while he thought Suzuki was a gentle, kind-hearted boy filled with warm, heroic energy... the truth was heavily redacted. But Suzuki was far too smart to expose his true nature. He had successfully embedded himself directly into the Hokage's lineage, and he absolutely wasn't going to waste this chance!
"I understand, Sensei," Suzuki said, bowing his head respectfully.
"Good." Hiruzen nodded, letting out a long sigh of relief.
It would be counterproductive to stay angry at the boy, especially when Hiruzen fully recognized the destructive power of the Azure Flame. "Now, didn't you mention you wanted to study Genjutsu? Kurenai here is arguably the most skilled female Genjutsu specialist in the village. If you have questions regarding the application of illusions, you should rely on her."
Hiruzen turned to the Jonin. "You do not mind, do you, Kurenai?"
"Of course not, Hokage-sama."
Kurenai bowed her head respectfully. She vastly preferred the idea of teaching Suzuki traditional Genjutsu over letting him accidentally incinerate the training grounds again. Besides, she was incredibly curious about the "Heat Mirage" jutsu he had used earlier. She assumed it was some highly classified technique Hiruzen had secretly taught him, so she didn't dare ask about it directly.
"Study hard, alright?" Hiruzen smiled, his anger completely evaporating.
"Yes, Sensei."
His disciple was almost too talented. Hiruzen was simultaneously exhausted and overjoyed. He was also deeply curious about the physics behind Suzuki's heat mirage, but they could discuss the theory of thermal refraction later in private. The fewer people who knew the mechanics of Suzuki's survival technique, the better.
"And you are Hinata and Shino, correct?"
To solidify Suzuki's standing within his new squad, Hiruzen turned his warm, grandfatherly attention to the two clan heirs. He genuinely liked both of them, especially since they were destined to eventually lead the Aburame and Hyuga clans.
"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama!" "H-Hokage-sama..."
"There is no need to be nervous around me," Hiruzen chuckled softly. "I am very happy that the two of you were placed on his team. Please take good care of him, alright? As you can see, he can be a little reckless."
"...." Suzuki kept his face perfectly blank.
"However, he protects his comrades fiercely. If you take care of him, I know he will protect you in return. You three are a team now. You will fight together and grow together. I truly hope you become like a family."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the three Genin replied in unison.
He really is incredible at public relations, Suzuki thought, analyzing Hiruzen's charisma. Having the Hokage's personal support was a great thing for his social life.
When Suzuki thought about Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, he could only shake his head. Those three had completely failed to utilize Hiruzen's overwhelming political capital. They had just used his kindness as a safety net to excuse their own shortcomings.
And as for Naruto... well, considering the Nine-Tails had literally killed Hiruzen's wife, the fact that the Hokage still took the time to personally visit the boy despite Danzo's constant political sabotage was genuinely impressive.
"Alright, I must return to the office. Do not cause any more explosions today, Suzuki," Hiruzen ordered, vigorously ruffling the boy's hair.
"Are you going back to do more paperwork, Sensei?" Suzuki asked.
"Ughh...." Hiruzen's face instantly morphed into an expression of profound, soul-crushing depression. He nodded slowly. "Yes. I will likely be trapped at my desk until midnight..."
"Do you need my help?"
"...You want to help me file paperwork?" Hiruzen blinked, genuinely startled.
"I manage the logistics and accounting for my business," Suzuki offered logically. "I'm very good at organizing spreadsheets and filtering data. I might be able to take some of burden off your shoulders, Sensei."
"..."
Hiruzen was entirely at a loss for words. He actually felt a little teary-eyed. No one ever offered to help him with the paperwork!
He took a deep breath, offering the boy a gentle, immensely grateful smile. "Do not worry about it, Suzuki-kun. This is the burden and responsibility that I must bear as the Hokage. Ah, I almost forgot."
Hiruzen reached into his robes and pulled out a thick, heavily sealed scroll, handing it to Suzuki. "Here are the foundational instructions for basic Sealing Jutsu (Fuinjutsu). Study the theory well before attempting to apply chakra to the ink."
Suzuki was momentarily stunned by the casual handover of such highly restricted knowledge. He quickly bowed his head. "Thank you, Sensei."
"Study well." Hiruzen ruffled the boy's hair one last time, exchanged a few final pleasantries with Kurenai and the clan heirs, and vanished in a swirl of leaves to face his mountain of paperwork.
Left alone in the hospital room, Suzuki packed up his new scrolls, ready to be discharged.
"Are you sure you are completely fine now, Suzuki-kun?" Hinata asked, stepping closer, her pale eyes filled with genuine worry.
"I'm perfectly fine," Suzuki nodded, offering her a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry I made you worry."
"You're just..." Hinata bit her lip, looking down nervously.
Watching her flustered expression, Suzuki felt a bit helpless. He honestly couldn't see how the canon timeline ever forced a girl like this to end up with a hyperactive idiot like Naruto. But they were all still twelve years old. Analyzing childhood romance was a waste of processing power.
"How about we all go get dinner? We can consider it our official Team 8 welcome party," Suzuki suggested smoothly. "It's my treat. Kurenai-san, do you mind joining us?"
"...You are going to pay for your Jonin instructor's dinner?" Kurenai asked, completely speechless.
"Yes," Suzuki nodded casually. "I might not be from a noble clan, but I have a good amount of money."
"How?!"
Suzuki just smiled. "We can discuss my business over dinner. Come on, Shino, let's go."
"Yes," Shino replied instantly.
Shino was already incredibly satisfied with this team arrangement. Unlike almost everyone else in the village, Suzuki never ignored him or forgot he was there, despite his notoriously low presence.
And so, the newly reformed Team 8 walked out of the hospital together. They were definitely heading in a vastly different, far stronger direction than the original timeline intended.
But for now, it was time for Suzuki Tanaka to take a break, enjoy a meal, and temporarily log off.
It was time to sync with the next Suzuki.
Or rather, since this specific variant was born in South Korea, his name wasn't Suzuki Tanaka at all. It was Kim Min-jun.
And as for what universe Min-jun was currently trying to survive in? That was obvious.
---
A bit sudden, but here is the Solo Leveling!