Chương 7: The Two Little Ones

After breakfast, Dongye Hui left for work as usual. Dongye Zhen, being only four years old, was not expected to handle household chores while adults were around; thus, the task of washing the dishes fell to Dongye Jiro. Although the socio-political systems of the shinobi world were somewhat archaic, the shinobi themselves were relatively progressive, and gender equality was largely practiced.

The Dongye family were commoners rather than a great clan, and Jiro did not carry the air of an overbearing patriarch; he was quite adept at domestic tasks.

"Zhen, are you staying home to study again today?"

"Yes, Father. Is there something you need help with?"

"Well... not exactly. Since yesterday was your birthday, I came straight home and haven't reported to the village yet. Besides that, I have some private matters to attend to, so I might not be back for lunch." Theoretically, a shinobi should report to the village immediately upon returning from a mission. However, for someone like Jiro who came home early for his son's birthday, the village wouldn't be overly critical.

It wasn't wartime, and Jiro wasn't the Jonin commander of his unit; detailed intelligence reports weren't required of him. On the contrary, such deep parental affection was seen as a manifestation of the Will of Fire—a form of political correctness.

"Don't worry about me, Father. You know I can take care of myself."

"I believe that, but I think you're too solitary. you should go out more, make friends your age, and play ninja games. I think it would be good for your mental health."

"Did you play them when you were little? Were they fun?"

"..." They were fun. Thinking back, they were filled with childhood memories. But as a mature shinobi and a father, seeing his son's "look at the brat" expression made him suddenly lose the desire to answer. Precocious children truly made parenting both easy and frustrating. After his father left, Dongye Zhen sat quietly in the study, deep in thought. The fatigue from refining chakra was entirely different from the weakness caused by chakra depletion.

Since his current reserves were limited, he needed to avoid overexertion to prevent any negative impact on his physical growth. Next was the matter of his training direction. Now that he had chakra, should he rush to practice the Academy's Three Basic Jutsu or his family's techniques? Zhen quickly dismissed the idea. Only ignorant brats were desperate for flashy ninjutsu. Regarding chakra, he first needed to make the refinement process instinctive.

It would be far too inefficient if he had to sit cross-legged and weave the Ram sign every single time he needed to use it. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Simultaneously, he needed to practice chakra control. This was the most vital foundation; mastery here would make learning any ninjutsu twice as easy, including medical ninjutsu.

While Zhen didn't intend to be a full-time medical ninja, it was definitely in his plans—after all, his mother was a Special Jonin in the field. He wasn't about to waste the opportunity of having a live-in mentor. This was also why he had begun studying basic human anatomy.

Medical ninjutsu required extensive prerequisite knowledge: understanding how human tissues function, the mechanics of medical chakra, the effects of contact with different organs, pharmacology, various common toxins, and their combined chemical reactions. Of all the arts in the shinobi world, medical ninjutsu likely required the most academic preparation. Having set his course, Zhen began studying immediately.

He refined chakra first, and while waiting for the energy in his meridians to naturally dissipate, he would read. By alternating between the two, he wasted no time. As for exercises like tree climbing or water walking to train control, those could be scheduled for the near future. Jiro indeed did not return at noon. Zhen used a stool in the kitchen to cook himself a meal. If his parents had walked in, they would have noticed that the style of the food—and the flavor—didn't match this world at all.

He was cooking Chinese cuisine, a skill he had honed in his previous life. While he knew how to cook the local Japanese-style dishes of the shinobi world, his former tastes were what he truly missed. After lunch, he immersed himself back into his cycle of study and training. Time flew, and the sky began to darken. Zhen looked out the window and noticed his parents still hadn't returned. Were they out on a secret date? Just then, a rare knock sounded at the door. Within Konoha, Zhen felt no fear.

He opened the door with curiosity to find two small children standing there. A boy and a girl, both roughly his age. The girl had shoulder-length purple hair and was quite adorable, her "baby fat" making her cheeks look like soft buns. She was slightly shorter. The boy had black hair that covered his ears, with a single strand falling over his forehead. He was about Zhen's height but looked somewhat frail, his complexion not looking entirely healthy.

"Hello. This is the Dongye residence. Who are you looking for?" The girl stood behind the boy, her face flushed red—though not from shyness, as she didn't shy away from Zhen's gaze. The boy was more composed.

"Are you Dongye Zhen?"

"I am. And you are?"

"My name is Gekko Hayate."

"I'm Uzuki Yugao." Zhen blinked. So it was these two. He had actually run into legendary "plot characters," though he hadn't recognized them immediately. After all, there was a significant difference between anime and real human beings.

"Oh, hello. Is there something you need?"

"Cough, cough." Hayate coughed lightly.

"Uncle Dongye asked us to tell you to come to Yakiniku Q for dinner."

"Oh, alright. Thank you for the trouble. Wait a moment, let me change my clothes and we'll go." On the way, Zhen studied Gekko Hayate curiously. Was this guy sickly since childhood? The fact that he could still become a Special Jonin in his twenties with such a constitution meant his talent was actually quite high. Hayate felt awkward under the scrutiny; being shy and traditional, he worried he was being rude.

"Is... is there something wrong with me?" he asked weakly.

"No, nothing." Zhen replied, then looked at the two with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Little Hayate, is the girl next to you your girlfriend?" Little Hayate's face turned bright red.

"What? How is that possible? Yugao is only four, and I'm only five." Uzuki Yugao blinked her innocent eyes.

"Hey, Hayate-niisan, what's a 'girlfriend'?" Hayate: "..." Zhen: "So you're a year older than me?"

"Hey, you two! You still haven't said what a girlfriend is!" Zhen: "It's a wife for when you grow up."

"Huh? Ah!" Yugao froze, her face turning so red it looked like steam might start venting from her ears. Indeed, children in the shinobi world were universally precocious. What a tragedy. For the rest of the walk, the two "little ones" didn't speak to Zhen again. It wasn't that they disliked him, but they felt that even though he was their age, the way he spoke was like an adult's, leaving them unsure of how to interact. Soon, the three arrived at Yakiniku Q.

Zhen looked up at the sign, thinking that this was yet another famous Konoha landmark. It was a pity he hadn't awakened some sort of "Check-in System," or he might have triggered an S-rank Ninjutsu reward just for standing there.