Early the next morning.
Konome Taketori and Might Guy arrived at the Hokage Tower.
The first floor bustled with life.
A wide, bright hall, crowded with shinobi and villagers alike. Voices overlapped in a steady hum.
In Konoha, whether you needed to issue missions, register shops, or secure housing, everything went through this place.
"Good morning, honored shinobi. I'm Sawada Fuka, the clerk on duty. Please follow me to handle the adoption paperwork."
The one who greeted them was a tall beauty with snow-white skin and golden hair. Smiling as she spoke, she guided Guy and Konome toward the counter. The hem of her fitted black office skirt swayed with each step, pale thighs shifting smoothly, leaving behind a fragrance like blooming roses.
Konome followed silently behind Guy, cane in hand, nearly invisible at his back. Around them, men's eyes followed the clerk and sometimes Guy. Admiration, envy, jealousy… and in a few odd cases, reversed.
Ignoring the heated gazes of a few muscle-bound shinobi, Konome kept her steps light. All she needed was to finish the adoption process, then proceed directly to register at the Academy.
Her mood today was excellent.
She was about to secure a stable growth period. With training and the natural increase of age, her strength would inevitably leap.
In ten years' time, Otsutsuki Kaguya would be freed from her seal and revived through Uchiha Madara. To prepare for that world-ending threat, she had to reach Six Paths level at the very least.
She considered the shinobi hierarchy with a wry smile. It really did resemble the levels in a xianxia novel:
Academy student, genin, chūnin, tokubetsu jōnin, jōnin, elite jōnin, Kage, super Kage, Six Paths.
Ten ranks in all.
The first three, in truth, were just stages of the same growth, like elementary, middle, and high school. Standard progression, unless you dropped out like Might Duy.
Tokubetsu jōnin were small talents, the upper half of the middle tier.
Jōnin were village managers, part of the ruling class, often holding official posts.
By her current ability, even unleashing everything, Konome estimated herself at jōnin level though heavily specialized.
Above them stood the elite jōnin, the core of each village, each with their own unique epithet. Many had strength on par with Kage.
Beyond them were the Five Kage themselves.
Then Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara super Kage.
Finally, in the later era, Naruto and Sasuke, who reached Six Paths level. And Kaguya, who surpassed even them.
Konome ticked off the gap on her fingers. Between her and Kaguya, at least a hundred thousand Kakashi stood in the way.
Time to work.
She set herself a small goal.
Before graduating from the Academy at age twelve, she would have the strength of a versatile elite jōnin.
Just then, Guy, who was filling out the form, turned back with his pen in hand.
"Hey, Konome, what's your family name?"
The question caught her mid-daydream. Her mind raced.
Taketori? Hyūga?
Impossible. Either name would explode like thunder in the shinobi world.
Seeing her hesitate, Guy suggested, "How about taking my name? Might Konome has a good ring to it."
No thank you.
After a moment of thought, Konome answered firmly, "No. My surname is Juzhiri Chasing the Sun."
Juzhiri Konome.
She fused Taketori and Hyūga, drawing one sound from each. It carried both her past and present, while declaring her ambition.
Kaguya was the progenitor of chakra, the moon goddess. Konome would surpass her, to become the most radiant sun.
Like the giant Kua Fu chasing the sun, never turning back.
In shinobi terms: this was her nindō.
"Juzhiri… Konome."
Guy respected her choice. He wrote the name on the form and blew the ink dry. Even in those four characters, he could feel the force of her will.
Born blind into darkness, yet vowing to pursue the sun?
"This is youth!"
Moved to tears, Guy leapt up, his booming declaration startling the clerk into stiff silence, her polished smile faltering. Around them, both staff and citizens turned to stare.
"Konome, you're too youthful!"
Oblivious, Guy continued to bounce around, spouting hot-blooded slogans, while Konome wished the ground would swallow her. She tugged her hood down hard, hiding her face from the gawking crowd.
The clerk, Sawada Fuka, stifled her laugh behind one hand. Watching the brash foster father and the steady little girl, her smile softened into something genuine.
"Truly, Konome, I'm so inspired!"
"If you like it that much, Guy," Konome muttered darkly from under her hood, "why don't you take my surname instead?"
"How can a father take his daughter's name!?" Guy yelped like a frog in boiling water.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not right!"
"If you keep yelling, I'll stop giving you allowance."
"Sorry!"
…
"All done," Fuka announced at last, teeth flashing in a perfect smile. "From today, you are family."
Guy accepted the report she handed over, his feelings tangled. Just yesterday, he hadn't even had a girlfriend. Now, somehow, he had a daughter. Life felt like a train that had skipped every scenic stop and barreled straight to the terminus.
Father, I've become a father myself.
"Keep that safe. Let's go register at the Academy."
Konome wasted no time. Tapping her cane against the tiles, she strode toward the doors.
She could hardly wait.
For all her raw combat strength, she was still a half-trained shinobi who knew only the Three Basic Techniques. What a waste of talent.
Now she had stability. Now she could think of the future.
Chakra nature transformation, shape manipulation, hand seals, fūinjutsu, genjutsu, medical ninjutsu fields sprawling and complex. Ordinary shinobi needed only one to survive.
But Konome aimed for the Six Paths. Each discipline mastered would bring her one step closer.
Lay a solid foundation before building a tower.
Her shortcomings were many, the road long. But she was ready.
For the path of chasing the sun, she would endure everything.
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