Naruto: By lying low and hiding, he eventually became the leader of the Legendary Sannin.

His concealed strength led Hiruzen Sarutobi to misjudge the difficulty of the battle from the very beginning.

Simply put, this success was more due to luck than to ability.

Looking at the children before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a wave of weariness wash over him, and shook his head, saying:

"Although Kagura used some tricks, he still won in the end."

This is the world of ninjas; they don't care about the process, only the result.

He paused, glanced at Jiraiya who was still tied to the stake, and continued:

As for the three of you...

Although Tsunade and Orochimaru still have many shortcomings, I have seen their progress.

But Jiraiya, you don't even have the awareness of a ninja!

Therefore, I hereby announce that Kagura, Tsunade, and Orochimaru have passed this test.

As for you!

At this point, he pointed at Jiraiya and said:

"As an unqualified person, I will be tied up here for one night as punishment."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi announced the results, the other three left immediately.

Although they were told they had passed the test, Tsunade and Orochimaru did not look particularly excited when they left.

There was nothing they could do; Kagura had dealt them a devastating blow today.

Only today did they realize that Kagura had never taken them seriously at all back in school.

That tiny difference was just something I imagined.

As for Kagura, having read the original story, he naturally knew the purpose of this assessment.

This wasn't meant to test everyone's abilities, but rather to awaken everyone's team spirit through the remaining loser.

However, due to his own actions, the atmosphere has completely changed, and Sarutobi-sensei can no longer continue with the original script.

Since that's the case, there's no point in staying where I am; I might as well go home and check out the system rewards.

Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, Jiraiya lost his earlier shouting momentum and instead lowered his head like a dejected rooster.

Seeing his dejection, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said:

"What's wrong?

Were you discouraged after witnessing the true strength of your companions?

Jiraiya replied in a buzzing voice:

"That Kagura is too cunning; she has been hiding her strength all along."

"Furthermore, Tsunade and Orochimaru are far more powerful than me."

Seeing the student who had lost confidence, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down beside him, seemingly recalling the past as he offered words of comfort:

"Jiraiya, in the world of ninjas, there is never a shortage of geniuses."

But being a genius doesn't guarantee you'll become a strong person.

Hearing this, Jiraiya finally raised his head and looked at his teacher, asking:

"Then how can one become strong?"

Sarutobi smiled and replied:

"Effort, luck, and talent."

Most importantly, you need a resilient heart.

Everyone has their own talents. You don't need to force yourself to compare yourself to others; staying true to yourself is more important.

Listening to his teacher's encouragement, Jiraiya's eyes slowly regained their light.

He smiled confidently and said proudly:

"That's right, I just had an off day today."

My ninjutsu is the strongest in Konoha!

"Every time I use my teleportation technique to spy on people at the bathhouse, I've never failed!"

Looking at the shameless disciple before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi smirked but said nothing.

After a long silence, a voice rang out.

"Call me next time you go to the bathhouse."

"...Teacher, you're such a pervert."

"Shut up!"

On the way back, Kagura hummed a song in a good mood.

He had planned to claim the reward from the system after returning home, but faced with the temptation of the tailed beast, he couldn't wait to click to claim the reward halfway there.

After confirming in his mind, none of the strange changes he had imagined occurred.

He turned his head and examined himself carefully, only to find that nothing had changed.

Finally, after focusing on the system, I noticed the changes in the attributes:

Eye Technique: (Double Tomoe Sharingan), Progress 14.2%.

Physical skills: (Fourth gate, Injury gate), progress 90.1%.

Chakra: (Chunin level), progress 42.1%.

Tailed Beast: One-Tailed Beast, Fusion Rate 1%

How did these attributes increase so much?

It seems that fighting against a Kage-level powerhouse is extremely beneficial to one's growth.

Based on Kagura's previous experience, it would take at least one to two weeks to achieve this level of improvement through self-training alone.

The newly added category of Tailed Beasts in the attributes also caught his attention.

"One tail?"

He muttered to himself, pondered for a while, and then turned his attention to his own body.

Just as he had expected, after a careful examination, he discovered that a tailed beast had appeared inside his body at some unknown time.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a Shukaku!

Unlike the ferocious form I had in mind, this one was pure white all over.

Its chubby face looked rather cute, and it was fast asleep inside its own body.

Seemingly sensing Kagura's gaze, it rubbed its eyes with its paws, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

Is this really a tailed beast?

Could it be some kind of mascot?

Several question marks appeared above Kagura's head.

However, the system wouldn't answer his questions, and he had no way to verify them now.

Left with no other choice, Kagura had to temporarily put the issue aside.

Alright, since the tailed beast seems to be somewhat different from what I imagined, I'll just extract the ninjutsu.

After all, this is the only thing that can truly enhance one's abilities.

Just as the turntable in the system started, Kagura, who had been walking slowly along the roadside, suddenly stopped.

His keen senses told him that there was an enemy!

And he was watching him from not far away!

Chapter 8 Look Me in the Eyes

Takeshi Watanabe, a member of the first generation of the "Root" organization.

Although he was only a Chunin, he was honored to be selected as a member of "Root".

His ancestors were all ninjas, and he had followed the Senju clan for a long time.

After years of warring states period, the war finally came to an end thanks to the unparalleled genius, Hashirama Senju.

He still remembers the heartfelt excitement of his parents on the day Konoha Village was founded, when he was just a child.

However, this period of peace was short-lived. With the death of Hashirama Senju, the nations began to stir again.

Soon after, the First Ninja War broke out.

Upon returning from a mission, he found his parents' bodies covered with white sheets.

He didn't shed a tear then, because he knew in his heart that this was the fate of a ninja.

But from then on, he worked even harder to complete each of his tasks.

But the brutality of this war exceeded people's imagination.

On the eve of the final peace, the seemingly omnipotent second-generation leader died after being injured in a shameless ambush.

After returning to the village, Danzo, who had followed that person, decided to carry on that person's will and established the "Root" organization.

As a follower of the Senju clan, he joined Root without hesitation when Danzo extended an invitation to him.

"We are the guardians who grow deep into the darkness beneath the shadows of Konoha."

Watanabe Takeshi always remembered the idea that Lord Danzo told everyone when he first joined.

After joining the organization, he never left the village again.

He became the eye in the darkness, monitoring everyone who posed a threat to the village as instructed by Lord Danzo.

This afternoon, a mission suddenly came from Lord Danzo.

His mission was to begin today to monitor a child from the Uchiha clan named Kagura.