Just as Mochizuki Hui had expected, news of his performance during the graduation exam spread like wildfire throughout Konoha, leaving many people utterly dumbfounded.
“No way! Sure, Mochizuki Hui is cute, hardworking, and likable, but I’ve never heard that he’s that strong! My kid told me he was just average in their class.”
“Impossible, absolutely impossible! That little runt, Mochizuki Hui? If he managed to graduate early, I’ll jump off this building!”
“This has to be a joke. I can believe he graduated early, but single-handedly taking down all the other examinees? No way! Some of those kids were top talents!”
“Hmph, only an idiot would believe something like that.”
At first, the villagers were full of doubt. The idea that a six-year-old kid could outshine older, more experienced students and dominate the exam seemed ridiculous.
But when the official list of graduates was posted, confirming the truth, people had no choice but to believe it.
“Wow, this is unbelievable! He really did it!”
“So it’s true! That kid, Mochizuki Hui, is way stronger than we thought.”
“He must have been hiding his strength all along!”
“Amazing! He took down every other early graduation applicant by himself!”
“Well, technically, they can retake the exam…”
“Ahhh! Hui-kun is so handsome!”
“I need to find Hui-kun! Where is he? Has anyone seen him?!”
“Mochizuki Hui… he seems to embody the Will of Fire. Coupled with his talent, this kid’s future is really something to look forward to.”
Just like that, Mochizuki Hui became the talk of Konoha. He had already been a local celebrity due to his good looks, but now he was known far and wide as a prodigy.
Fortunately, Mochizuki Hui had the foresight to avoid his home and went straight to the Senju clan’s compound. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a moment of peace from all the attention.
At Tsunade’s house, she was sulking, her back turned, cheeks puffed out in frustration. “Hmph, you lied to me! I’m mad!”
Mochizuki Hui saw this and immediately put on a serious expression, speaking in a sad, melancholic tone:
“Sigh... I thought you would notice the changes in me, Tsunade. You know, I’ve been waiting for you to figure it out on your own. But it seems like you never really cared. You didn’t even notice such huge change in me…”
He dramatically sighed again, turning away as if deeply hurt. “It’s fine. I guess I’ve always been alone, carrying this burden by myself…”
As he counted silently in his head—One, two, three…
Sure enough, Tsunade panicked. She rushed over and hugged him tightly, saying, “That’s not true! I’ve been watching you closely this whole time. I, I…”
Her voice cracked, and tears started welling up in her eyes.
Seeing that his plan had worked, Mochizuki Hui allowed a small smirk to appear, but he quickly masked it. Gently, he pried her hands off and turned around, pulling her into a comforting hug. “Alright, alright. I believe you.”
“Ahem! Hui-kun, are you bullying my little Tsunade again?” came a voice pretending to sound stern.
Tsunade jumped in surprise and quickly let go of Hui. The voice belonged to none other than Uzumaki Mito.
“Of course not! I would never bully Tsunade, Grandma Mito. You’ve got the wrong idea!” Hui replied, immediately putting on an exaggeratedly innocent face. He was a master at playing the cute card.
“Alright, alright, stop pretending,” Mito said with a laugh, covering her mouth. “I have to say, Hui-kun, you’ve really become quite impressive.”
“I’ve always been impressive! Soon enough, I’ll be the number one ninja in the world,” Mochizuki Hui declared proudly, his tone full of confidence. His smug expression earned another round of laughter from Mito.
“Oh? Well, I’ll look forward to seeing that. Now, come on, future number one, it’s time for dinner!”
For a moment, the house was filled with the warmth of family and laughter, a perfect picture of happiness.
However, deep within Uzumaki Mito, a far more ancient being was stirring. The Nine-Tails, the most powerful of the tailed beasts, had sensed something odd.
Moments ago, the fox had felt a mysterious energy entering that little brat’s body—Mochizuki Hui. The energy was faint, so faint that the Nine-Tails had wondered if it had made a mistake.
But no. The more it focused, the clearer it became. Mochizuki Hui was indeed absorbing some kind of mysterious power.
What was even more alarming to the Nine-Tails was that there was a strange familiarity about it. It wasn’t the same kind of energy as its own, but there was something… similar. As if Mochizuki Hui was slowly transforming into an entity like itself, a collection of energy rather than just a human.
“How interesting. I’ve never encountered a human before. I wonder what he’ll become…” the Nine-Tails muttered to itself within Mito’s seal.
Then its tone turned darker. “Not that it matters. If he becomes something other than a human, all the better. Humans… such despicable creatures. I’d love to kill them all.”