Perhaps having heard movement from the yard, a young woman in her twenties stepped out of the house—she must have been Shisui's mother.
"Shisui, you've got a friend over?" she asked with a smile while drying her hands, then turned to Saitama and offered him a warm grin.
"Auntie hello! I'm Saitama, Shisui's friend!" he replied with his own smile.
"Hurry inside and take a seat. I just happen to have something to eat—surely you haven't had breakfast yet so early in the morning?"
The boy was so polite that Shisui's mother immediately took a liking to him, warmly inviting him into the house.
"Oh, okay!"
Saitama ended up eating another onigiri at Shisui's house. He realized he wasn't quite as fond of this food anymore, but he couldn't refuse such a kind gesture from Shisui's mom, so he forced himself to eat it anyway.
At the table, Saitama didn't see Shisui's father. According to Shisui, his father belonged to Konoha Military Police Force and had already gone on patrol early that morning.
After Shisui patted his stomach contentedly, Saitama called for Shisui to go outside with him.
"Auntie, we're going out to play for a bit!"
"Okay, be careful out there!"
Shisui's mother cheerfully reminded them.
She actually felt quite reassured about her son making this new friend. Judging by his behavior, Saitama seemed like a grounded kid—nothing bad could come from Shisui playing with someone like him.
"Hey Shisui, were you practicing sword techniques so early this morning?"
As they left Shisui's home, Saitama began curiously asking questions.
From his past life's memories, Saitama already knew that Shisui possessed several amazing skills—the Shifting Body Technique, throwing weapon proficiency, swordsmanship...
[Mangekyo Sharingan], known as granting the strongest genjutsu techniques!
"Mm-hmm! It was something Father instructed me to do."
Shisui sounded somewhat shy, yet proudly confident.
"Not bad," Saitama said with light praise.
For a child of this age, getting up early every morning was already impressive enough, not to mention maintaining persistence through tedious sword training routines.
Deep down, Saitama genuinely admired Shisui.
Reaching such incredible accomplishments later in life definitely wasn't something ordinary people could casually achieve!
Brushing aside other thoughts, Saitama reminded himself he too was a genius. There'd be no need envying others—he could surpass everyone using only his effort and his "secret cheat ability"—the ultimate talent!
Both boys were the same age, though Shisui had been born during the Kamizuki month, making him two months older than Saitama.
Yet regarding speech and conduct, Saitama completely overshadowed the still-inexperienced Shisui.
"So where shall we go play, Saitama?"
Following behind Saitama as they left the house, the two walked aimlessly toward the outer edges of the Uchiha clan compound.
Although their territory spanned considerable space, shops and amusements remained insufficient. Naturally, they both headed outward.
"Haven't decided yet. Just wandering around—we can get some dango for lunch!"
Saitama carelessly responded, occasionally glancing about with curious eyes observing the passing villagers.
It was already eight or nine o'clock when they exited Shisui's house. The Hidden Leaf village had fully awakened; merchants lined the streets while ninja bustled about everywhere.
So off they went, each carrying a small wooden practice sword slung over their shoulders, confidently strolling throughout Konoha!
"Look, are those kids from the Uchiha clan?"
"Pfft, can't you see their emblem?"
Before long, people had started whispering about the two boys.
Truth be told, at this time, the Uchiha clan was indeed the number one prestigious family in Konoha.
Therefore, all clan members had developed an air of arrogance. Commoners naturally felt mixed emotions toward them, especially with the Uchiha controlling Konoha's Military Police Force.
The Konoha Military Police Force was basically equivalent to Saitama's version of a police station from his past life, so ordinary citizens definitely felt some fear toward this clan.
Even though he wasn't a ninja yet, Saitama could still catch the whispers circling around them.
Turning his head, Saitama saw two aunties sitting at a breakfast shop eating their morning meal.
"Be quiet!"
One aunt elbowed the other and quickly lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with Saitama.
Saitama: "..."
"Saitama, what are you looking at?"
Shisui hadn't heard anything and asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing much."
Saitama realized that being from the Uchiha clan had made him feel like an oddity on display.
He quickened his pace forward, while Shisui hurriedly chased after him.
"Wait for me, Saitama!"
Letting others keep staring and gossiping just wasn't Saitama's style!
The Uchiha name definitely had divided opinions in Konoha - these proud clansmen had become so domineering that they didn't have any allies!
It was currently Konoha year 44, and tensions between villages were rising, with war ready to erupt at any moment.
"Saitama, look!"
Shisui was like a curious child, always eager to share his "amazing" discoveries with Saitama.
With a helpless glance in the direction Shisui was pointing, Saitama suddenly froze, his mind screaming curses.
He wore a jonin flak jacket, with long hair flowing casually over his shoulders. Purple eyeshadow extended all the way to the bridge of his nose, and two hoop earrings sparkled in the sunlight, swaying with every movement of his head.
Hmm, kind of emo?
As if sensing Saitama's gaze, that figure cast his eyes toward them.
Instantly, Shisui felt like his throat had been gripped by fate itself, and Saitama's scalp prickled with unease.
What are you yelling for, Shisui? You really don't understand who you're dealing with, do we even have the power to challenge someone like him?
Saitama mentally scolded Shisui.
Orochimaru glanced briefly at the two children nearby before shifting his attention elsewhere.
Probably just another couple of brats who recognized him.
Orochimaru gave himself that explanation.
Well aware of how famous he was in the village.
Stiffly turning around, Saitama headed in another direction.
I wonder if Orochimaru has already started his twisted human experiments by now? Please don't notice us!
Just one casual glance from Orochimaru made Saitama feel like he'd seen a snake, his scalp tingling and limbs frozen stiff.
It felt just like staring down a natural predator.
Could it be because his previous incarnation's experience with Orochimaru left such a strong impression?
Thinking this, Saitama and Shisui quickly walked away.
"Saitama, that man just now was really terrifying! One look from him and I couldn't even move!"
Shisui patted his chest and said cautiously, still looking somewhat frightened.
"You don't know that lord? One of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru."
Saitama looked at Shisui and gave his shoulder a pat.
"Woah, so it's Lord Orochimaru! I've heard about him from my father. They say he's a candidate for the next Hokage! He's an incredible ninja!"
Shisui suddenly understood.
"That's right! A Hokage candidate!"
Saitama smirked slightly.
"What an incredible era, filled with such truly extraordinary ninjas!"
Thinking back, Saitama recalled his own recent helplessness.
Power! Without strength in these chaotic times, you just can't feel safe at all!
Even though I already possess the strongest power, I still need to work hard!
Looking back, Orochimaru had already left while Konoha remained bustling with people coming and going.
"Let's go, Shisui!"
At this moment, Saitama felt full of motivation!
At noon, Saitama took Shisui to eat barbecue in Konoha.
It was a restaurant that Saitama frequently visited—generous portions at reasonable prices, but most importantly, the environment was nice without any unsavory characters around.
Having treated Shisui as promised, Saitama and Shisui went their separate ways once back at the compound, each heading home.
After all, one lived in the southern part of the Uchiha district, while the other lived in the north, almost directly opposite.
Regarding Shisui's swordsmanship, Saitama felt somewhat envious. Before parting, he asked Shisui to go home and ask his father whether he could learn together with Shisui.
Because he had just accepted Saitama's meal favor, Shisui readily agreed, but Saitama still insisted that he consult his father. After all, sword techniques like this might be secret family arts or inherited ultimate skills.
Saitama's foster parents hadn't left him any scroll regarding swordsmanship, which had long troubled Saitama who always wanted to learn.
Now that he had met Shisui, shouldn't he learn a few moves from him?
With the takeout in hand, Saitama sauntered slowly toward home.
The barbecue he brought was for Ka Po-pu. It was still quite early; likely Ka Po-pu hadn't started preparing dinner yet since he wasn't home.
"Back already, little Saitama!"
As expected by Saitama, Ka Po-pu was indeed sitting on the elderly chair in the courtyard.
"Mm, Ka Po-pu, I got you some barbecue, from that place we usually go to. I didn't put any chili on this meat."
"Oh, great!" Ka Po-pu said with a helpless smile, accepting the barbecue from Saitama's hand. "I also bought some salmon today that Saitama likes. I'm planning to make sushi for little Saitama."
"Enjoy it while it's hot, Ka Po-pu."
"Have some more, Saitama. I can't finish it all alone."
Ka Po-pu smiled kindly, her laughter lines bunching up.
"Oh, you eat first, Grandma."
Watching Ka Po-pu happily finish the barbecue Saitama brought back, after doing a simple cleanup, Saitama prepared to go upstairs.
"Grandma, I'm heading up."
"Oh, okay!"
After finishing her meal, Ka Po-pu took a nap on that elderly chair.
Now it was the end of August, and afternoons always made people sleepy, especially older folks.
Coming to the third floor once again, Saitama sat cross-legged on the tatami mat with practiced ease. This place really was perfect for training — no one ever came to bother him here.
The fullness from the restaurant meal had already faded by the time he walked home, so the seated Saitama didn't feel any discomfort.
Quietly sensing his physical condition, Saitama discovered that after half a day of conscious guidance, his Chakra reserves had noticeably increased. His body's capacity to store Chakra had also improved.
No wonder I've got the strongest talent out there!
Now that he had Chakra, the next thing to master was Hand Seals!
Understanding exactly what to do next, Saitama methodically reached over and picked up a scroll.
This was a scroll recording hand seal techniques, containing tips about forming seals left behind by his adoptive parents.
For example, how to smoothly transition between two seals while maintaining Ninjutsu, and how to optimize slightly without compromising effectiveness.
Saitama had skimmed through this scroll many times before, but had never actually tried the techniques.
[Hasty practice brings wasted effort!]
Back then, Saitama was still too young. Practicing Hand Seals too early would have placed considerable strain on his hands, which had not finished growing yet.
Since he was about to attend the Ninja Academy soon, it was appropriate to start learning these things now.
After unfurling the scroll and comparing its content to his memory, Saitama began practicing immediately.
One seal per second, then two — Saitama was slowly getting the hang of it.
Of course, this was just practice speed.
When performing actual Ninjutsu, Saitama would definitely slow down.
Ninjutsu wasn't just about forming all the seals in order!
After practicing for a while longer and confirming he had completely memorized the hand seals, Saitama stopped and resumed his cross-legged position to continue extracting Chakra.
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