Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

"Heiyan, go back and prepare well. This time when we head to Shikkotsu Forest, if everything goes smoothly, you may have to stay there for over a year."

After finishing their meal, Mito Uzumaki said to Heiyan.

"For that long?"

Heiyan was surprised upon hearing this—he had only spent less than half a month training in Sage Art at Mount Myoboku before.

"As I told you before, the Sage Art of Shikkotsu Forest is different from others—it's extremely difficult to master. Hashirama was the only human who ever did it. He trained there for fifteen full months, and only after he came out did he undergo a complete transformation—one that allowed him to bring peace to a warring age."

Mito smiled softly as she recalled the memory, finally encouraging Heiyan with, "I believe you can do it too."

"Thank you, Lady Mito, for granting me this opportunity. Heiyan will do everything in his power to live up to your expectations."

Heiyan responded humbly with deep gratitude.

Just then, he suddenly remembered the last time he had seen Mito, so he asked her with concern: "The Nine-Tails...has been staying quiet lately, right?"

"Don't worry. Ever since you disciplined the Nine-Tails last time, it's been obediently asleep and hasn't bothered me again."

Mito gently touched her abdomen, feeling completely at ease.

"That's a relief," Heiyan nodded.

"Also..."

Mito Uzumaki hesitated briefly, looking troubled as she spoke, "Heiyan, I truly am sorry about what you mentioned regarding the Nine-Tails jinchūriki candidate..."

"Lady Mito, I was just throwing out an idea back then—you don't need to take it seriously."

Heiyan interrupted, smiling to show he didn't mind.

This outcome had already been expected.

Among the village's high-ranking elders, Hiruzen Sarutobi would most likely refuse to allow Heiyan to become the Nine-Tails jinchūriki—after all, jinchūriki were rarely welcomed anywhere, seen more as burdens than blessings. Especially in the case of the Nine-Tails, which once attacked Konoha, leaving lasting trauma among many villagers. On top of that, Heiyan carried the ominous reputation as the "Omen of Misfortune." If he became a jinchūriki, life within the village would become unbearably difficult.

As for Danzo, he'd certainly cast an immediate vote against it as well—but his reasoning differed from Hiruzen's. Viewing Heiyan as a thorn in his side, his true intention was to prevent Heiyan from obtaining the Nine-Tails' power.

And the Nine-Tails itself, sealed within Mito, would rather die than end up in the hands of Heiyan—the "great villain" it loathed so deeply.

So if things stood like this, then forget it.

For Heiyan, his top priority now was mastering the Sage Art of Shikkotsu Forest and unlocking his full Sage Transformation potential.

It was just too bad for Kushina...

Heiyan looked at Kushina joyfully playing in the courtyard, completely unaware of what lay ahead, and sighed inwardly.

Moreover, through Mito, he also learned that Kushina—who had originally been scheduled to accompany him to Shikkotsu Forest—had her plans canceled at the last minute.

Because after meeting Kushina, Mito had personally confirmed that although this little girl was extraordinarily talented, her physical constitution did not reach Heiyan's or Hashirama Senju's level and thus did not meet the conditions required to practice Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Art.

Therefore, in Mito's own words, she wanted to take advantage of still having one or two years left and send Kushina to attend the Ninja Academy, allowing the latter to make more friends and enjoy a happy childhood.

Actually.

Heiyan knew in his heart that sending him to Uzu Country to pick up Kushina was mostly just a pretense. Her true intention was likely to strengthen her own relationship with the Uzumaki clan.

Perhaps Mito Uzumaki also sensed the crisis threatening the Uzumaki clan, so she approached Heiyan, placing great hope and expectations upon him.

Thinking about this made Heiyan feel heavy-hearted. If the day of national destruction and clan annihilation really arrived, should he step forward? Could he alone save the entire Uzumaki clan?

He shook his head, momentarily pushing the thought to the back of his mind. Before leaving, Heiyan volunteered:

"Lady Mito, I happen to pass by the Ninja Academy on my way back. How about letting me accompany Kushina to school?"

"Then I'll leave her in your hands," said Mito as always, wearing a kind and gentle smile.

Half an hour later.

Heiyan carried a backpack in one hand while holding young Kushina's curious little hand, arriving at the grand entrance of the Ninja Academy.

At the school gate, students gathered in groups of three or five. Some were merely five or six years old, others as old as eleven or twelve. Laughing and joking, they entered through the main gates one after another.

This place was where the Will of Fire [Konoha's core philosophy of perseverance and unity] got passed down. Whether they were noble heirs from prestigious clans or children born into humble families, everyone received identical education without distinction of social status. Their purpose was to mold students from all shinobi families into unified members of Konoha's ninja forces, instilling a core belief:

That each person was first and foremost a Konoha ninja before becoming representatives of their respective families; village interests always superseded personal or familial considerations.

The academy curriculum included shinobi history, Ninjutsu (ninja techniques) theory, and basic techniques like the Three Core Techniques [Body Flicker, Clone, and Substitution]. Regular students graduated after six years, though exceptionally gifted ones could skip grades and apply for early graduation after completing coursework ahead of schedule.

"Let's go."

With these words, Heiyan took Kushina inside to complete enrollment formalities at the office, then handed her the backpack.

After the teacher led Kushina away, Heiyan departed for home to pack luggage in preparation for heading toward Shikkotsu Forest.

Next, he visited his mentor Kosuke Maruboshi and friend Might Duy, then arranged dinner plans with Fugaku and Hiashi. After all, since this trip might keep him away for quite a while.

By dusk, school ended.

From afar, Heiyan immediately spotted Kushina walking slowly out of the school gate with her head hanging low, clearly in a gloomy mood.

"How was your first day at school?" Heiyan asked with a half-smile, pretending ignorance when he already knew the answer.

"Not good at all." Kushina gritted her teeth. The other kids made fun of her round, chubby face, teased her wild red hair, and even gave her the embarrassing nickname of "Tomato."

What made things even worse was that during the break, a few guys actually cornered her and tried to pick on her.

Kushina had finally had enough. She snapped and beat the crap out of them until they were left with black eyes and bloody noses—but she ended up getting scolded by the teacher as well.

It had truly been a frustrating day.

After hearing about Kushina's experience, Heiyan wasn't at all surprised.

After all, in the original Naruto storyline, Kushina was famously known as "The Red-Hot Habanero" during her school days—a name she earned from constantly getting into fights, making her the uncontested queen of the place.

Just then, Heiyan suddenly spotted a familiar blonde figure and waved him over:

"Minato, come over here."

Minato Namikaze heard someone calling his name. When he saw it was Heiyan, his face lit up with joy and he immediately sprinted over.

"Hmph."

But when Kushina saw Minato, she gave a faint snort and turned her head away, pointedly ignoring him.

"What? You two already know each other?"

Heiyan asked curiously, looking between them.

Hearing this, Minato scratched the back of his head awkwardly and gave a nervous smile.

Earlier in class, when Kushina introduced herself to everyone, she boldly declared that one day she would become Hokage—only to be met with laughter from the entire class.

Only Minato didn't laugh. He actually encouraged her, saying that he too wanted to become Hokage—to earn everyone's respect in the village.

At first, Kushina thought Minato was a decent guy. But then...

When she was surrounded and being picked on later, she shot him a desperate look for help, but he pretended not to see and turned his head away.

That's why she now refused to spare him even a glance.

Heiyan watched the whole thing unfold with a quiet smile on his face. Then he turned to Minato and asked how things were going lately—whether he'd encountered any difficulties during training or studies—and offered some advice and encouragement before patting Minato on the shoulder and letting him go.

"What do you think of Minato Namikaze?" Heiyan asked Kushina while watching Minato walk away.

"He's nothing but a boring, weird, and kinda silly coward," Kushina harshly criticized without holding back, clearly showing her disdain. "Dreaming of becoming Hokage? If *he* ever becomes Hokage, then I'll be… his mother!"

"Kids shouldn't talk like that," Heiyan frowned slightly, about to scold Kushina a bit, but then thought better of it—truthfully, what she said wasn't far off.

After all, she really did end up becoming the Hokage's mother—at least for now.

Kushina clearly didn't have a good first impression of Minato, showing quite a bit of condescension toward him. This kind of opinion probably wouldn't change until much later—until the time when Akagakure tried to kidnap her.

Thinking about this, Heiyan considered helping Minato out somehow, hoping to reverse Kushina's negative impression of him. So he said to Kushina,

"You shouldn't underestimate Minato Namikaze—he's actually my protégé."

"What?! No way!" Kushina exclaimed in shock. "Him?!"

"Minato's task is to graduate from the ninja academy within six months. If you don't like it, you can challenge him."

Heiyan grinned, turning to Kushina. "If you win, I'll personally teach you the Sealing Technique."

"Deal!"

Kushina's eyes sparkled with excitement, her earlier gloom instantly vanishing.

After taking Kushina home...

At seven p.m., Heiyan hurried to an izakaya for dinner with Fugaku and Hiashi.

"What? You're going into seclusion and training for a whole year?"

When Fugaku and Hiashi heard that Heiyan would be heading to Shikkotsu Forest for long-term cultivation, they felt sudden and surprised.

"You two are both descendants of immortals and have already awakened your eyes, so you possess limitless potential. If I don't work hard too, I might fall behind."

Heiyan replied with a smile.

His words weren't false humility—he truly meant it. The Immortal Eye developed more rapidly than Sage Transformation during the early to mid stages.

After awakening their eyes, Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi entered a period of rapid strength increase.

"Then... see you after one year!"

Upon hearing this, both men also became excited. In that private booth at the izakaya, the three made a one-year agreement, promising to meet again next time for another fierce battle to determine supremacy once more.

Both Fugaku and Hiashi were full of confidence in their Sage Eyes. They were convinced that if they pushed their eyes to the limit, they'd have a real shot at beating Heiyan!

The banquet didn't wrap up until well past midnight, and the three went their separate ways, none of them wanting to leave.

The next day.

Early the next morning, Heiyan strapped an enormous scroll—white paper and black shaft—to his back and made his way directly to the home of the First Hokage.

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