Naruto: legacy of the lightning

Here's the translation into English:

In the Hokage's office, two elder men were arguing with each other.

"That orphaned boy must be under my command. With you, old monkey, he'll only become a wasted talent," one exclaimed forcefully, anger dripping from his words.

"Danzo, if you take him, you'll provoke the Uchiha clan," replied that "old monkey," Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. "Besides, she's no ordinary Uchiha—she's the cousin of the future clan leader."

Danzo had come to the Hokage's office to claim and demand the boy, arguing that his brutal and inherently lethal fighting style made him perfect for Root missions or as bait.

"Hiruzen, he's just a war orphan—not an Uchiha for that evil clan to even claim," Danzo snapped, striking his staff in frustration.

"No matter what you say, I won't risk Konoha's stability because of your desire for new Root talent just when he's under the Uchiha's care. I've let you take children from other clans, but leave this one. Give it up." Hiruzen slammed his desk, yelling at Danzo.

"If we secretly kill that Uchiha woman and take the boy, there'd be no problem," Danzo retorted.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage."

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen."

Danzo stormed out of the office in fury, slamming the door behind him.

This kind of scene had repeated many times between the Third Hokage and Danzo, so Sarutobi was unfazed. He brought his pipe to his lips and picked up the profiles of the recent graduates from his desk.

"Furukawa Kenji, war orphan with unknown ancestry. The surname was given to distinguish him from the Uchiha clan, due to his striking resemblance. Said to be found beside an ancient river, adopted by Hinako Uchiha—widowed a year after losing her child to illness…" He set the papers down and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"So that's what happened. A mother who lost her child ended up adopting another. How cruel the world is." He gazed out the window overlooking the village. As Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, he thought to himself: "Just another orphan from this war. If only he had someone to support him… I could mentor him, teach him the Will of Fire, guide him onto the right path."

By the way, when he saw Kenji's exam response about his own achievements—"closing underground casinos" and "making Danzo obey him"—Hiruzen was stupefied.

"What do you mean that's all my achievements?"

POV: Kenji

Two days passed after the exam before the results were posted on the ninja academy board.

My mother was searching for names until she finally looked up and saw mine. "First place: Furukawa Kenji," she read, her eyes widening in surprise and delight.

"Well done," she said, patting my head and smiling—then her expression went back to normal.

"Ha, at least I saw her smile," I thought to myself with pride.

A teacher called us into the hall to receive our headbands. Another teacher brought a mobile platform carrying a glass box.

"All right, everyone, here are your ninja headbands. But first, fill out these forms so we can register you properly as true ninjas."

We completed the forms and finally received our headbands.

"All right, from today onward, you're ninjas," the teacher said, smiling as he handed them out one by one.

POV: General

Meanwhile, in the Third Hokage's office, Hiruzen was observing everything through his crystal ball. He saw Kenji with his mother, and noticed how Kenji's expression shifted whenever she smiled, even slightly.

This gave Hiruzen hope that Kenji could be guided toward the right path—if he had a guiding light in his life, it meant the Will of Fire could take root.

"This boy must go toward the light, away from Danzo's shadow," he thought, smiling at the idea of one day recruiting him for his faction.

But the moment was shattered when Danzo burst into his office again.

"Hiruzen, he's officially a ninja now. You really won't hand him over?" Danzo's brow was furrowed and his voice thick with frustration.

The Third Hokage also frowned. "Danzo, we've been through this—leave the boy alone."

"Seriously, Hiruzen? In your hands he'll just become a failure. With me, he could be as deadly as a Sannin," Danzo retorted, a mocking smile on his lips.

"You're saying I only raise failures?" Hiruzen slammed his desk in frustration.

Danzo just smirked. "What about Tsunade? She's a medical ninja who's afraid of blood. Or Jiraiya—always talking about some prophecy child, and trying to spy on women's bathhouses like you?"

Hiruzen's face turned red with rage and shame—Danzo's words were justified.

"And Orochimaru—he lost his student Nawaki and stopped taking missions to focus on weird experiments."

"DANZO!!! I AM THE HOKAGE!!!" he shouted in fury, a clear "shut up" veiled in his tone.

Danzo only smiled dismissively. "You'll regret this, Hiruzen." He stormed out again, slamming the door. But before leaving, he glared into the crystal ball and caught a glimpse of Kenji smiling with his mother.

"So that's it, hahaha," Danzo muttered to himself, cane in hand, scheming.

Inside, Hiruzen ground his teeth—being reminded of his students' fates didn't sit well with him. He exhaled in frustration and handed a sealed scroll to a nearby ANBU.

"This team will keep him on the right path," he murmured, continuing to watch through the crystal ball.

Danzo strode down the dark corridor of the Hokage Tower—his cane echoing like a drum. With every step, his resolve hardened.

"Prepare the Root squad. I want detailed intel on Hinako Uchiha's movements. No mistakes, no traces left. The slightest error will be punished."

The shadow beside him nodded and melted away.

"That boy's light must be snuffed out," Danzo murmured, wicked delight etched across his face.

POV: Kenji

After receiving our results and headbands, we were led to a classroom to receive congratulations and hear our assignments to our jōnin teachers. To be honest, I had no clue who would be mine. I don't know if Minato's a jōnin now or if Kushina wants to teach.

I don't care much—I'm not even sure I deserve the talent. I always wondered, when watching the anime, how Kakashi ended up teamed with Rin and Obito before they graduated—did they wait for graduation before putting them together?

"All those named will go with their jōnin teachers, but in Kenji Furukawa's case, the Hokage mentioned your teacher is currently on a mission. You'll wait until they return. As compensation for graduating first, you may go to the Hokage's office to see the Scroll of Seals."

Oh.

Well, since my jōnin is busy, I'd better head to the Hokage's office directly. I stood and walked toward that old voyeur.

Hokage's Office

Knock knock

"Come in," came Sarutobi's voice.

I opened the door. There sat the Third Hokage, wearing a kind, grandfatherly smile.

If I didn't know the story of this world, I'd believe it—but I know he's a cunning conspirator. Any benefit he offers is political; a plot twist. I may dislike him, but since he's known as "The Teacher," I'll use his agenda to learn all I can.

"Kenji, I've noticed your outstanding performance on the written exam and the basic jutsus, and that you have a unique fighting style…" his speech continued.

I thought only his Will of Fire speeches were long, but after just a few minutes, I was already sick of it.

"The Will of Fire in your heart burns like a flame…" There it goes again—his Will of Fire sermon. I remember something about leaves and burning everything... I never paid attention. Too much text.

About Half an Hour Later

"So, due to your achievements—mathematical progress and new combat techniques—I grant you the right to choose any technique from the Scroll of Seals," he finished smiling.

I was surprised he hadn't even grabbed a glass of water after all that talk—he must be used to it. If I could charge him per word, I'd have enough for an army... or that casino-amusement park Bender joked about.

"Understood," I replied, nodding, and opened the Scroll of Seals.

Let's see... there are several sealing jutsus, plus some advanced ones in a separate section.

Scanning through, I skipped most. Edo Tensei… I'd like to learn it, but I know it's imperfect—I'll wait for Orochimaru to refine it.

Multi-Tag Technique and Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu… I'm not suicidal, and I'd need Edo Tensei to really pull off the tag one—and clones?! I'm not an Uzumaki or jinchūriki with bottomless chakra like Naruto.

The Multi-Tag could be funny—run in shouting "Allahu akbar"—but I can't choose it just for laughs.

Note from the author: I'm Arab; I have the right to make that joke.

"I choose the Flying Thunder God Technique."

It's almost the only one worth learning now. The others need combos, Hokage favors, or further development.

"Are you sure you want this technique?" he asked, mirroring my serious face.

"Yes," I confirmed, expression unmoved.

But the Third Hokage's face hardened. "Explain why you chose that technique over all others."

I knew this would happen.

"The others are powerful, but at my age, they aren't suitable—my chakra reserves haven't matured, and this technique suits my fighting style."

I paused to gauge his reaction—it wasn't just a reward; it was a test. Just as the Third Hokage intended.

"For techniques like the Second Hokage's water dragon, I don't have a water nature, so they're useless to me. Edo Tensei interests me, but notes say it's flawed. Spiritual techniques are too deadly. Sealing jutsus might be easier, but I'm not interested—at least not from a scroll without real guidance."

The Third Hokage looked at me for moments, then laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha. You're smarter than I thought," he said. I didn't know how to react, honestly.

"I had high expectations, and you've far exceeded them." Another pause. "Read the technique and memorize it. If you have questions or want to review it, don't hesitate to return."

A move to test my memory—and to brainwash me with the Will of Fire. Well played.

I read the technique and memorized it with mnemonic keywords. I even took out a small notebook and wrote in a code I'm sure even no one in Konoha understands. I used my old-life note-style—Spanish in Cyrillic letters.

Showing my notebook to the Third Hokage stunned him—he'd never seen handwriting like that. After ensuring I didn't just copy it, he let me go.

I suppose he thought, "If I, the Hokage, don't know this cipher, no one else in Konoha does."

Exiting the Office

I walked out and saw an elderly man with a cane. Seeing his X-shaped scar on the chin and bandages, I recognized him immediately—and my heart skipped a beat.

"Heh heh, boy, if you want to be a real ninja and gain strength, you know where to find me."

Danzo… with that macabre smile. Even a "good morning" from him feels like a threat.

So now I'm on his radar... Well, I expected it, but I didn't imagine it this soon.

I nodded, trying to keep my expression steady, and walked away. But since seeing him, I've felt watched all the time.