Seeing Iruka looking as though the meaning of life had left him, Xia Li decided to say nothing more.
Alright. I've already explained everything to Iruka. From now on, I can use the Shadow Clone Technique openly here instead of constantly running to the bathroom. If I went to the restroom too often and someone reported a problem there, it would be far more troublesome.
Chapter 18: The Third Hokage and the Investment in Flying Thunder God
"Iruka, what's wrong with you?"The Third Hokage looked at Iruka in surprise. Iruka had been visiting far too frequently lately; the Hokage had nearly forgotten to put away the crystal ball.
"I'm here because of Xia Li," Iruka said. "I'd like to help him apply for a library card."
The library he referred to was, of course, not an ordinary one—it was the technical archive that stored classified and advanced ninja knowledge.
"Oh?" The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden idea?"
With a helpless expression, Iruka explained Xia Li's situation in detail. He admitted that Xia Li's talent far exceeded his own ability to teach, and that granting him access to the library would be the best solution.
"Shadow Clone Technique?"The Third Hokage frowned. Unlike Iruka, he was fully aware of the risks of that jutsu.
"Yes. Xia Li has been using shadow clones for more than a day or two now," Iruka replied. "And his condition has been excellent every single day."
"…Is that so?" the Third Hokage murmured. "Does this count as talent?"
Learning the Shadow Clone Technique itself wasn't shocking—it was merely a skill that could be learned. But using it efficiently for study and training was a different matter altogether.
The only explanation was talent.
The Third Hokage had seen many gifted individuals before, but even so, he was surprised. Xia Li came from a clean background—there was no possibility of Uzumaki blood.
"Very well," the Third Hokage said after a moment of thought. "In that case, we can also allow him to study knowledge beyond ninjutsu."
Someone with a clean background, outstanding talent, diligence, and maturity—no matter which village such a child belonged to, they would receive abundant resources. They were destined to become a pillar of the village.
Soon, Iruka received the approval document for the library card.
"Have Xia Li take a photo, and upload it later," the Third Hokage instructed.
"That's wonderful!"Iruka accepted the document with both excitement and astonishment. The Third Hokage's authority far exceeded his expectations. Knowledge itself, after all, was graded.
Though shocked, Iruka was happy for Xia Li. If the Third Hokage had taken an interest in him, Xia Li's future as a student would be incredibly bright.
After Iruka left, the Third Hokage took a deep drag from his pipe and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
He had already written to Jiraiya once, but what irritated him was that the man showed no intention of returning.
Now that he had seen Xia Li's talent and diligence, the Third Hokage decided to write another letter.
Geniuses needed proper guidance—and bonds with the village. Jiraiya and Tsunade were undoubtedly the most suitable choices.
With a sigh, he handed the letter to a toad.
The next day, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage stared into the crystal ball.
Inside, Xia Li was training.
After watching for a while, he shifted the image to the Ninja Academy—but the focus remained on Xia Li.
This time, however, the Third Hokage was startled.
Naruto was standing beside Xia Li.
And they seemed to be getting along quite well.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage fell into thought. In the end, he felt the pairing was quite promising. If Xia Li grew strong enough, he could intervene if the tailed beast ever went out of control—or perhaps even use that bond to awaken Naruto.
Xia Li, of course, had no idea he was being observed.
Even if he did know, he wouldn't care. He had nothing to hide.
Soon after, Xia Li successfully obtained his library card from Iruka and entered the heavily guarded ninja library.
The result exceeded expectations.
He could directly access B-rank techniques. While actual jutsu could not be borrowed, this alone was more than enough.
With his current chakra reserves, Xia Li had no intention of learning any advanced ninjutsu anyway.
This library card was clearly not something Iruka, a mere chūnin, could obtain—especially not on behalf of someone else.
Xia Li quickly realized that he had caught the Third Hokage's attention—and had been granted considerable convenience.
He was already more than satisfied.
He never imagined that being noticed would one day lead to access to Flying Thunder God.
That was beyond even his wildest dreams.
Although mastering Flying Thunder God wasn't mandatory in his plan, its priority was extremely high.
After all, it was the jutsu that made the Fourth Hokage famous.
Most importantly, its chakra consumption wasn't particularly terrifying. Minato had no bloodline advantage and couldn't compare to chakra monsters, so even if Xia Li's chakra wasn't enough now, it would be in the future.
That said, Flying Thunder God demanded talent—spatial awareness, reaction speed, and combat instincts.
With it, the Fourth Hokage became a nightmare for enemy ninja. But the jutsu alone wasn't enough—without sufficient strength, it couldn't secure victory.
Against someone like the Third Raikage, even Minato might not inspire true fear. Breaking that defense was difficult, and dealing lethal damage even more so.
If neither side could retreat, it would be impossible to say who would win.
Thinking of this, Xia Li felt a little speechless.
The Third Raikage was already a monster among mortals. The Fourth Hokage's early death was truly regrettable.
If Minato had lived, he could have developed techniques like the Rasenshuriken to compensate for his lack of raw attack power.
What had he been afraid of back then? The Third Raikage?
Moreover, in Xia Li's estimation, the side effects of the Rasenshuriken wouldn't even affect Minato.
At the moment of detonation, Minato could simply use Flying Thunder God to escape—its accuracy far higher than Sage-thrown techniques, though slightly weaker than a fully condensed Sage Rasenshuriken.
Minato was also skilled in Sage Techniques. Though not proficient, he could store natural energy and release it briefly.
Not practical—but useful in emergencies.
A Rasenshuriken plus Flying Thunder God ambushing a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki?
…That would be refreshingly brutal.
Xia Li narrowed his eyes.
The Fourth Hokage's unfinished legacy—he would complete it someday.
(Fourth Hokage: I never said I wanted that.)
Still, Xia Li worried whether he truly had the talent to master Flying Thunder God.
Even Obito or Kakashi only wielded similar abilities due to bloodline circumstances—not innate aptitude.
From beginning to end, only the Second and Fourth Hokage—the creators of the technique—had fully mastered it.
Bloodline inheritors were bloodline inheritors. Their talent didn't represent his own.
Even so, Xia Li's gaze remained firm.
He trusted that his talent would be enough.
Now—back to work.
Integrating library knowledge into his current plan felt fulfilling and exhilarating. He could clearly sense himself growing stronger day by day.
Even his chakra reserves increased visibly.
Chapter 19: Sage Mode
On the weekend, after preparing thoroughly, Xia Li headed to the training grounds.
Today, he didn't create any clones.
His body had taken over a month to fully recover from the last strain—forcing limits at this age was clearly excessive.
Still, for the sake of the plan, he had to push through—with full preparation and no wasted chakra.
As expected, he saw Lee again.
On holidays, Lee's appearance rate at the training grounds was nearly one hundred percent.
But today, something felt off.
Lee greeted him briefly, without his usual eagerness to fight.
Xia Li had no intention of sparring today either, though Lee usually couldn't resist challenging him.
Their win rate was about fifty-fifty.
With chakra and basic techniques, Xia Li had the advantage.
Without chakra, his odds strangely increased.
Seeing Lee's low spirits, Xia Li sensed something had happened—but couldn't find the words to comfort him.
Better to handle his own matters first.
Today's training was far more intense than usual.
Sweat poured down, salt crystallizing on his skin.
Finally—the barrier loosened.
Xia Li clenched his teeth and broke through once more.
He didn't stop immediately, finishing stretching before collapsing cross-legged at his resting spot.
This breakthrough felt harder than usual—but he had no energy to analyze it.
His mind was exhausted.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, fought off sleep, and slowly calmed himself.
If he couldn't succeed this time, he'd have to wait another month.
But his resolve was unwavering.
Failure didn't matter.
Sage Mode was supposed to be difficult.
If not now—then next time.
If not next time—then the one after that.
He would succeed.
He had already mastered immortality, after all.
In this mindset, his body finally settled.
The restless sensation faded.
For the first time, his body felt truly relaxed—silent.
His overly active soul finally grew still.
Soul and body slowly merged.
He glimpsed a mountaintop—
—and then returned.
Xia Li opened his eyes, stunned.
He had succeeded.
Even if only briefly.
That meant it would happen again.
Eventually, the threshold would lower.
One goal:
Before obtaining the Sage scrolls from the Three Sacred Lands, he must enter that state without special preparation.
Yet he frowned.
He felt no natural energy.
Nothing.
Only heightened perception.
Invincible Mode?
That wasn't in the records.
Probably normal. He'd need tools like toad oil later.
Step by step.
Xia Li sighed—then smiled.
Today's gains were incredible.
As he stood, he frowned.
Lee was gone.
He hadn't even trained.
That worried him.
But something else came first.
Xia Li looked toward a tree.
"Are you planning to keep hiding?"
"Hahaha! Impressive, kid—you actually noticed me!"
A man in a green Konoha jōnin vest stepped out.
Might Guy.
"Hello. Can I help you?" Xia Li asked.
Guy had been observing for days.
He admired Xia Li—but today's overtraining alarmed him.
"That kind of exercise can damage your body," Guy said seriously.
"I know," Xia Li nodded. "Normally, I don't overdo it. Today was special. I'll return to normal tomorrow."
"That's good." Guy nodded. "Then I'll be going. Keep burning your youth!"
He slapped Xia Li's shoulder.
Xia Li nearly collapsed—but managed to nod.
"I will."
Guy flashed a dazzling smile and left.
Xia Li watched him go, smiling faintly.
Guy was incredibly useful.
As his body developed, guidance like this would be invaluable.
And with Guy's help, he could walk this path far more safely.
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