"Is that so?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and nodded. "That is what I think as well."
He unconsciously tapped his fingers on the desk and spoke again. "Go and retrieve Sora's file."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Whoosh!!!
The Anbu who had just delivered the report immediately responded, leaving the office with a Body Flicker Technique.
A short while later, the Anbu delivered Sora's file.
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened the document and began reading it carefully.
"Sora, discovered at the border by Anbu Team Hei Go at age five, brought to the Konoha Orphanage. Original village located in the border region between the Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Water, destroyed by Mist ninja..." Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured to himself. "The reason for the village's destruction was... Uzumaki bloodline?"
Nara Shikagure leaned over to take a look and said thoughtfully, "The Uzumaki clan? No wonder his physique is different from ordinary people, able to withstand high-intensity taijutsu training. However, his bloodline should be quite diluted."
Pure-blooded Uzumaki clan members all have distinctive red hair. Kushina's nickname "Red Hot Habanero" was derived from this.
But Sora's hair is a silvery white, identical to Kakashi's. Even if he has Uzumaki clan bloodline, it must be very diluted.
However, one cannot judge the concentration of his bloodline based on hair color alone.
Just like Kushina in the original story, who was chosen by Konoha to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The purity of her Uzumaki bloodline is beyond doubt. Yet, her child with Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Naruto, has blond hair like Minato's.
Logically speaking, Naruto has half Uzumaki bloodline.
It's just that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Nara Shikagure, both carrying preconceived notions, focused only on Sora's white hair. Combined with his low chakra aptitude, they directly concluded that Sora was a distant Uzumaki relative with a diluted bloodline.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "The Uzumaki clan, no wonder his physique is exceptional. A pity. If his bloodline were purer, he might have become an important combatant for the village."
Nara Shikagure smiled and said, "Even so, his potential should not be underestimated. Being able to spar with a Chunin at age six, when he grows up, he is at least a candidate for an Elite Jonin."
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment and made a decision. "Alright then. After he graduates from the Ninja Academy, promote him directly to Chunin and bring him into the Anbu for training."
Nara Shikagure nodded and added, "Also, this Might Duy can be considered for promotion to Chunin."
"Although that guy's ninjutsu and genjutsu are a mess, his taijutsu is indeed formidable."
"The Eight Inner Gates?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the desk, silently pondering for a moment, then nodded and said, "Fine, it's decided."
"Additionally, arrange for a Jonin to observe that Sora covertly. I want a detailed report."
Logically speaking, promotion to Chunin requires passing a series of tests, like the Chunin Exams for Naruto's generation in the original story. But in Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen is the logic.
...
Training Ground.
At this moment, Sora was still contemplating the other abilities of the Azure Dragon Fruit.
Although he knew the Anbu would investigate soon, he was unaware of the conclusions Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other had drawn about his identity at this very moment.
After arriving in Konoha and entering the orphanage, Sora soon began his Saitama-style training. But Sora, being an adult mentally, did not pay attention to what the normal daily limit of training for a child should be.
He merely set his training volume based on the feedback from his own body. And slowly increased it bit by bit beyond his daily limit.
If Sora had paid attention to comparing himself with other children in the orphanage, he would have discovered that his body was indeed different from normal.
Because ordinary children simply could not withstand that Saitama training regimen.
After all, it was 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day.
It must be understood that a child's bones and muscles are not fully developed. Even though children in the Naruto world develop faster, and even with the existence of chakra, it is impossible to reach Sora's training intensity in just half a year.
In the world of One Piece, it might have been possible.
Seen in this light, Sarutobi Hiruzen's inference that he possesses the Uzumaki bloodline is not wrong.
Sora indeed has the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan. It's just that he, having transmigrated, did not know this. After all, when he transmigrated, the original consciousness had long since dissipated. He did not inherit the original's memories like many other transmigrators.
However, Sora's bloodline is not as diluted as Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other suspected. His father, just like Kushina, was a direct-line member of the Uzumaki clan. His body, like Naruto's, is also half of a Uzumaki Sage Body.
But precisely because of this half Uzumaki Sage Body, it became part of the reason for him being called a "taijutsu genius" by Might Duy. The other part is the physical enhancement brought by the Azure Dragon Fruit.
Unfortunately, the soul that transmigrated into Sora has defects. This directly resulted in insufficient mental energy needed to synthesize chakra, ultimately making his chakra aptitude exceptionally low.
-----
[TRANSLATOR: And the cause of all this will be explained in future plot. .]
------
…
Hah!
Sora let out a long breath, stood up, and then mimicked the hand seal sequence that Uchiha Takumi had just taught him.
Deliberately slowing his movements, he slowly formed the seals with his hands in the order "... Mi (Snake), Mi (Ram), Saru (Monkey), I (Boar), Uma (Horse), Tora (Tiger)."
It looked like he was doing it properly, but in reality, there was no fluctuation of chakra within his body. That tiny, weak chakra had already been mostly depleted during the earlier training.
When the final "Tora" seal was formed, Sora's Adam's apple moved slightly, as if he were really mobilizing the chakra in his throat.
The next second, he tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth towards the empty space not far away. A burst of orange-red flame "whooshed" out.
The flame was about the size of a basketball. It hovered in the air for half a second before dissipating on its own. It lacked the scorching impact of a Great Fireball and had no scattering sparks. It was even inferior to Uchiha Ryota's Great Fireball.
"Hmm, just as I expected. It looks no different from the Great Fireball Technique."
Sora watched the slowly dissipating fireball before him, a flash of understanding passing through his eyes.
The Boro Breath ability of the Azure Dragon Fruit he had just invoked was not even one ten-thousandth of its power. He had deliberately suppressed the flame's temperature and explosive force, only imitating the most superficial form of the Great Fireball.
Fire Release powered by chakra carries an earthy smell, while the flame from the fruit ability is purer. This subtle difference is impossible to detect without careful observation.
Sora released his hands. As the hand seals dispersed, he deliberately shook his wrist a couple of times, panting as if he had exhausted his chakra.
"This should be about right."
Sora muttered to himself. In the future, if he needed to use flame abilities, he would just need to form a few proper-looking seals beforehand and then release this "half-baked Great Fireball" level Boro Breath. Anyone would think he was a taijutsu ninja who, having received some instruction from the Uchiha, had barely managed to learn Fire Release.
As for the increasingly powerful effects in the future?
Naturally, he could attribute it to the Uchiha. After all, the Uchiha clan is renowned for Fire Release. One more "odd genius they taught" would actually make it less suspicious.
Of course, the premise is to try to avoid the Hyuga clan as much as possible.
When they activate their Byakugan, it's practically a 360-degree, no-blind-spot surveillance. They can not only see external movements but also internal details like muscles, chakra pathways, and chakra flow within the body.