Shinji nodded.
"Then be careful."
Kurenai Yuhi didn't say anything more and stepped aside to clear the path.
Shinji nodded at her and glanced at Hinata.
Hinata was watching him, her white eyes shimmering with a hint of moisture, yet she forced a smile.
"Shinji-kun."
She whispered, "You, you can definitely do it. I will, I will be cheering for you."
Shinji looked at her and suddenly felt a gentle prick in a certain part of his heart.
It was painful. It was soft.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he just nodded.
"Thank you."
Then he took a step, walked past them, and continued toward the Hokage Building.
Behind him, he faintly heard Inuzuka Kiba muttering, "I really don't know what Hinata sees in him."
Then came Hinata's urgent defense, but her voice was too soft to make out what she was saying.
Shinji didn't look back; he just walked forward with his head down, the stone path beneath his feet shifting backward piece by piece.
Snatching Hinata away. Thinking back on that original thought, he suddenly found it a bit ridiculous.
With the way he was now?
A loser who wasn't even a Genin, a dead-last who couldn't even perform the Three Body Technique properly, a fringe person who could only be listed as "Pending Assignment" on the registration form.
What did he have to stand before the Hyuga Main Family? And what right did he have to have Hinata stand by his side?
Just by those little gestures of "being good to her"? Just by the advantage of knowing the plot?
Ridiculous.
But he remembered the back Hinata had turned to him earlier when she blocked his path. Small, thin, yet trembling as she tried hard to protect him.
If he still had a chance to gain enough power.
In the future, he must protect this gentle girl who worried for him and felt sad for him.
Shinji took a deep breath and quickened his pace.
The Hokage Building was just ahead.
Sandaime was still waiting for him.
...
Hokage Office.
Sandaime sat behind the desk, blue smoke curling up from his pipe.
"Has the invitation to Hidden Mist been sent?" Sandaime asked at the time.
Anbu knelt on one knee, his voice very low:
"Yes. In the name of observing the joint Chunin Exams, we have officially sent an invitation to the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī."
"What was her reaction?"
"There is no official reply yet. But according to intelligence, Mei Terumī has been consolidating internal power for the three years since she took office, purging the remnants of the Fourth's era.
She should seriously consider this invitation.
Hidden Mist needs to display a new stance to the outside world, and Konoha's invitation is a suitable opportunity."
Sandaime took a puff of his pipe: "What kind of person is that Fifth Mizukage?"
Anbu paused: "According to messages from our undercover agents, Mei Terumī possesses two Bloodline Limits and has a strong hand.
But to be able to survive the Blood Mist era and climb to the top, she must have a very deep mind. She appears glamorous on the surface, but is actually suspicious and cautious. And..."
Anbu's voice dropped even lower: "She seems interested in Konoha's Will of Fire, especially our methods of training new recruits.
If she really accepts the invitation, this will be her first official visit since taking office as Mizukage."
Sandaime nodded, his expression unclear through the swirling smoke: "Understood. Continue to monitor their movements, and report back immediately if there is a reply."
"Yes."
Anbu vanished.
A few minutes later, Shinji entered the office.
Sandaime looked at the twelve-year-old boy in front of him.
Black choppy hair, ordinary features—the kind of ordinary that you absolutely wouldn't be able to pick out in a crowd.
The only thing not ordinary was his eyes. They were too calm.
Calm in a way that didn't seem to belong to someone of his age.
"Shinji."
Sandaime spoke, his voice gentle: "Sit down."
Shinji sat down, his back straight.
"You might have guessed it; I called you here today regarding team assignments."
"Hokage-sama, it didn't work out again, right?" Shinji took over the conversation, "For the fourth time."
Sandaime was silent for a moment, then nodded.
He looked at the boy in front of him, feeling actually quite conflicted.
This child wasn't lazy; on the contrary, he worked harder than most of his peers.
His theoretical knowledge was solid, his tactical mind was clear, and his familiarity with the Ninja Code even surpassed many Chunin.
There was only one problem.
Chakra.
A pitiful amount of Chakra. So little that he couldn't even perform the most basic Three Body Technique properly.
"Shinji," Sandaime said, choosing his words carefully, "have you considered other options?"
Shinji tilted his head: "Hokage-sama, do you mean to say there's a way to solve my low Chakra level problem?"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough."
Sandaime was choked by the smoke and began to cough violently: "I mean... the Staff Office or the Intelligence Analysis Department might be more suitable for you. They don't require much Chakra and value intellect more."
As he spoke, he himself felt that these words were a bit pale.
An eleven or twelve-year-old child—who would want to go directly into logistics?
"Never mind."
Sandaime waved his hand: "Currently, there really isn't a suitable new team that can accept you. Stay in the Village for now, run errands for clients occasionally, and wait for an opportunity."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Shinji stood up and bowed: "I will go prepare for the Chunin Exams."
"What?"
"I said, I will go prepare for the Chunin Exams."
Shinji repeated, his expression serious: "Since I don't have a team anyway, rather than just waiting around, I might as well take the Chunin Exams. I remember that individual registration is allowed?"
"You..."
Sandaime opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but looking at those calm eyes, he finally just sighed.
"Go ahead. Be careful."
Shinji nodded, turned, and left. The door closed gently behind him.
Walking out of the Hokage Building, the sun was already setting behind the mountains.
He walked aimlessly along the street.
Passing the training ground, shouts and the dull thud of Kunai hitting targets came from inside.
Passing Ichiraku Ramen, there was a line at the door, and that golden head was at the very front, excitedly ordering.
Passing the Memorial Stone, a few Anbu were offering flowers.
Shinji suddenly felt something; he stopped for a moment in front of the Memorial Stone, looking at the names carved into the stone—all Ninjas who had died in war.
Thinking of his current strength, never mind surviving the Fourth Ninja World War and Pain's attack on Konoha in the future.
He would probably be killed by the aftershocks of Orochimaru and those Sand Ninja Tailed Beast incidents during the Chunin Exams in a month.
When he first transmigrated, he had wanted to become the Hokage!
But now he couldn't do anything; he could only become a foil.
After a long while, Shinji took a deep breath, shook the messy thoughts out of his mind, and turned to leave.
By the time he returned to his remote, dilapidated little shack in the Konoha slums, it was already completely dark.
He washed up briefly and lay on the bed, preparing to rest and start training for the Chunin Exams early tomorrow morning.
However, as soon as he lay down.
A clear and cold voice resonated directly in his mind.
As if it had finally torn through a long-standing barrier, it emerged completely:
[Supporting character conditions met. Marginalization confirmed.]
[Cognitive threshold breached. Carrier mental state stable.]
["Dream Life Simulator" binding complete.]
[World loading: "Naruto"]
[Identity loading: Shinji (Konoha Orphan)]
[Core rules: Experience, Choice, Shaping. Each of your simulations will accumulate traits and influence the real world.]
[Newbie tutorial simulation is about to begin.]
[Wish you a pleasant game.]
On the simple bed board, Shinji opened his eyes abruptly, and the information belonging to the system flooded his mind instantly.
Deep within his eyes, the dormant light finally lit up sharply.
"I have finally... awakened my cheat!!!"