Nowadays, when it comes to the Senju clan, aside from the First Hokage and Second Hokage on the Hokage Monument, there's only one other person.
“Who?”
Chen Yue asked, though a figure was already forming in his mind.
“Tsunade, the granddaughter of Lord Hashirama.”
Indeed, the only one who could represent the Senju clan now was Tsunade.
“Speaking of which, in the future, if you, Chen Yue, want to compete for the Hokage position, your biggest rival will be this remaining princess of the Senju clan. She's not only the granddaughter of Lord Hashirama, but also the current Third Hokage's student. She even earned the title of Sannin in the last Great Ninja War, her strength is extremely formidable!”
After finishing, assuming the little boy didn't know what "Sannin" meant, he added, “Sannin, they're the three most famous ninjas in the village, all students of the Third Hokage, and all strong contenders for the future Hokage.”
“However, they are all twenty-plus years older than you. It's still too early to talk about this. Even with your talent, kid, you'd need to wait until adulthood to truly become their rival.”
Adulthood, in this world, doesn't have a unified age standard. It's determined by the time of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
But generally, most families choose 16, 18, or 20 as the age.
Even at the lowest standard of 16, Chen Yue still had 12 years before reaching adulthood.
“My biggest rival, Tsunade, huh?” Chen Yue pondered.
That seemed to be true. If the plot didn't change significantly, it would be difficult for him to compete for the Fourth Hokage position due to his age. After all, he would only be 13 years old then, so the Fourth Hokage should still be Minato Namikaze.
As for the Fifth Hokage, his biggest rival really did seem to be Tsunade.
But he didn't plan on waiting until after the Third Hokage died to strive for the Hokage position.
Dong, Dong, Dong—
Suddenly, a long and deep bell sound came from afar.
“It's noon (11:00).”
Hearing the time-telling bell, the old man knew it was time to return. He beckoned Chen Yue, "Let's go, kid. We should head back. We'll have lunch, and in the afternoon, we'll go to the clan's territory. Starting tomorrow, you'll train with the clan's companions.”
“Yes!”
Chen Yue followed the old man's footsteps and embarked on the journey home.
As Chen Yue and Uchiha Hiken used the Body Flicker Technique to quickly return home, at the Hokage Tower, in the Hokage's office located on the top floor of the five-story castle tower...
“The former Uchiha elder took a young child to the Shadow Look-Out for a view?”
Behind the large red wooden desk, wearing a white Hokage robe and a Hokage hat, Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to the report from the Anbu in front of him, puffing on his pipe while exhaling clouds of smoke.
Born five years before the founding of Konohagakure, Sarutobi Hiruzen was only 46 years old, in his prime. His strength was still at its peak, and he had held a high position for many years, so he exuded a powerful presence even while just sitting there.
“Yes. According to investigations, the child is most likely the great-grandson of Uchiha Hiken, born four years ago.”
The Anbu ninja stood respectfully in front, reporting with his head bowed, “The most crucial point is, according to observations, the child has already mastered the Body Flicker Technique.”
This Anbu was the one who had stopped Chen Yue and Uchiha Hiken at the foot of the Hokage Monument. After they left, he immediately came to report to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
“The Body Flicker Technique?”
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed, and he asked the Anbu ninja, “Anything else? Do you know what they talked about and did at the Shadow Look-Out?”
“I apologize, Lord Hokage. To avoid being discovered, we didn't approach the Shadow Look-Out, so we don't know what they did or talked about!”
The Anbu ninja immediately bowed and apologized.
“Alright, I understand. You may retire.”
Knowing he was being too impatient, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't blame him. He waved his hand, dismissing the Anbu.
After the Anbu left, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and went to the bookshelf on the side of the wall. He searched for a while and pulled out a scroll.
The entire Hokage's office was exceptionally plain. Besides the desk for handling various documents, there were only a few chairs for welcoming guests, and a few standing bookshelves lining the walls, filled with scrolls.
He sat back down and unrolled the scroll. Soon, he found the content he was looking for: “Konohagakure Year 37, October 19th, Uchiha Chen Yue, direct descendant of the main branch of the Uchiha clan, was born. Mother, Uchiha Yue, died in childbirth due to complications.”
Even the servants in the Uchiha clan were chosen from their own tenant farmers. With such a closed environment, even the Anbu couldn't collect more detailed information.
However, through public statements from the Uchiha clan, some basic information could be collected by the Anbu.
For example, when an important figure like Uchiha Yue died, the Uchiha clan would issue an obituary.
And the birth of Uchiha Chen Yue, as well as his name, would also be announced publicly.
“Born in October of Year 37, only four years old, and he can already use the Body Flicker Technique!?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long puff of smoke, his brows even more tightly furrowed.
“Looks like the Uchiha clan is going to produce another prodigy. Quite enviable, indeed!”
He put the scroll aside and continued puffing on his pipe.
He didn't order the Anbu to do anything extra. If the Uchiha clan dared to bring the child out in public, they wouldn't be unprepared.
“The Uchiha clan will probably send him to the Ninja Academy. I'll pay more attention then!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought about it for a moment, then put the matter aside and continued with his other tasks.
Although each clan had its own school, generally, important clan members would be sent to the Ninja Academy.
This was an unspoken rule, not only to support the village's policies, but also for the sake of the children themselves.
Meeting more friends and making more companions at the academy would be beneficial to their future development in the village.
………………