Senju Renjiro's eye twitched. Genshu was terrified!
Inoichi Yamanaka, Inuzuka Tsume, Kurama Hikaru, Anbu guards, Jonin Sensei, and Chunin senseis were all dumbfounded. They asked in confusion,
"Is there a reward? Since when did Hokage-sama start giving rewards?"
The Hidden Mist Genin were also confused.
"Konoha's Genin get rewards for such trivial matters?"
The Hidden Mist Genin looked at Hiruzen, their eyes full of longing. Their own Kage was hunting them, while Konoha's Kage rewarded his own Genin. They thought to themselves,
"The difference between the two Kage is like the difference between heaven and hell!"
Everyone else wondered curiously,
"Are there rewards for breaking records?"
Mieko and Hodaka also stared at Feng Zheng. Mieko frowned.
"I never heard of Itachi getting any rewards. Hmph, I am from the Uchiha Clan, I don't need any rewards."
Hiruzen was also dumbfounded, but his expression remained unchanged, though he was speechless for a moment. Genshu exclaimed in his heart,
"Even Hokage-sama is speechless!"
Hiruzen began to recall the scene when Feng Zheng asked him for a Chakra metal sword. His eyebrow twitched, and he thought,
"Last time he asked for a Chakra metal sword. What does he want this time? A house made of Chakra metal?"
Hiruzen didn't know how far he was from guessing the truth. If he did, who knew what his reaction would be!
He was about to refuse, but then he saw Mieko, who was standing beside Feng Zheng, frowning. He thought,
"Is she also expecting a reward? The relationship between the Village and the Uchiha is deteriorating. I can use this opportunity to reward her and repair the relationship slightly. If this can improve relations, it would be very good for Konoha."
Just as Feng Zheng expected, Hiruzen decided to reward them. He was about to answer when he felt a chill down his spine!
Hiruzen was a veteran of all three Great Ninja Wars! He had fought many battles on the front lines and spread fear among his enemies. However, this feeling only occurred when he was about to step into a trap!
His gaze returned to the Genin standing beside Mieko, who had an innocent smile and an expectant look on his face. He said,
"Yes, your team will receive a reward for breaking this record."
He smiled kindly.
"On the day of the third round, you will receive your rewards in front of everyone."
This left everyone dumbfounded again. Feng Zheng was also speechless.
"What? He's going to reward us? But this means we can't ask for any specific rewards? That's ridiculous!!!"
Feng Zheng smiled and bowed, saying,
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
However, his thoughts were quite the opposite.
"Sigh, I still underestimated him. The old fox didn't give me any chance to ask for a special reward. This way, he can both enhance his image and give us something that costs him nothing."
He looked back at Hiruzen, thinking,
"Monkey summoning doesn't suit him! He should switch to a fox!"
The Chunin and Jonin were completely bewildered by what had happened. Genshu was shocked again, thinking,
"Hokage-sama actually agreed to reward them?"
Renjiro and the others wondered,
"What exactly happened here?"
Itachi, one of the four Anbu, thought,
"I didn't get any rewards last year."
But then he realized,
"Is Hokage-sama rewarding Uchiha Mieko to ease the relationship between the Village and the Uchiha Clan?"
Just as everyone was confused, Hiruzen looked at Inoichi. Inoichi Yamanaka noticed him and said,
"Since there are no more questions, you are dismissed. Make good use of this month and prepare well for battle."
The Jonin Sensei began to take charge of his Genin. Renjiro walked up to his students and said,
"Follow me."
Feng Zheng, Hodaka, and Mieko followed him.
The group headed to their usual Training Grounds. Upon arriving there, Renjiro looked at Feng Zheng and asked,
"What was that?"
Feng Zheng asked back,
"Sensei, what are you referring to?"
Renjiro narrowed his eyes and said,
"The reward."
Feng Zheng tilted his head and said,
"Hmm, we get rewards when we rank first in school. I guess it's the same this time."
Veins immediately popped on Renjiro's head. He thought,
"I need to properly educate this kid."
He put the matter aside for now and said,
"Congratulations on entering the third round. However, I don't think this should be a surprise. I will now decide how to train you over the next month."
He looked at Mieko and Hodaka and said,
"I've spoken to your parents, and they said they would personally train you next month. They will spend the entire month training the two of you."
Mieko and Hodaka immediately became excited.
Renjiro smiled when he saw their reaction. He said,
"Both of you train hard. I'd be happy to see all my students make it to the finals. You can go now."
Both of them thanked him. Before leaving, Mieko looked at Feng Zheng and said,
"You have to win those two matches and fight me. This time, I will definitely defeat you."
Feng Zheng laughed and said,
"Don't worry, I'll win the entire competition."
She was a little annoyed by Feng Zheng's confidence, but she also smiled in response. Hodaka and Mieko both left.
Renjiro looked at Feng Zheng and asked,
"So, do you have a training plan for this month?"
Feng Zheng shook his head. Renjiro smiled and asked,
"Are you ready for a month of hellish training?"
Feng Zheng grinned and said,
"Of course."
Renjiro asked,
"Before we start, is there anything you want to try, or do you have any questions?"
Feng Zheng thought for a moment and said,
"I don't have any new ideas to try, but I do have a question. Do you know about the training rooms on the second floor of the Forest of Death Tower?"
Renjiro thought for a moment and replied,
"I haven't used them, but I've heard of them. Is there a problem?"
Feng Zheng said,
"There's a Wind Attribute Training Room, an Earth Release Training Room, and other attribute training rooms there. I checked these rooms and found that each room has a crystal containing a concentrated energy of that attribute. Can you tell me what those crystals are?"
Renjiro was very surprised by this question. He replied,
"Those are elemental crystals. They are called Fire Crystals, Wind Crystals, etc. They can help us increase our affinity with that attribute. It would be very helpful if you meditate in such a room. However, they are very rare and expensive, so they are not widely used."
Feng Zheng thought to himself,
"Only increase attribute affinity? No, I did feel a slight increase in my Chakra volume. So why didn't he feel it? Either he didn't tell me everything, or his Chakra refinement speed is too slow to feel anything. After all, I can only feel it when its energy utilization rate increases several times!"
Feng Zheng asked,
"How rare and expensive are these things?"
Renjiro chuckled and said,
"Only the Hokage and the major clans can afford them, that's how rare they are. As for the price, each crystal costs millions of ryo!"
Feng Zheng was shocked and said,
"Millions of ryo?"
Renjiro chuckled at his student's reaction. However, he soon heard him sigh and mutter,
"I was planning to ask Hokage-sama for a few thousand Wind Crystals as a reward."
Renjiro froze when he heard that.
"A few thousand?"
He looked at Feng Zheng and asked,
"Do you think they grow on trees?"
Feng Zheng turned back, deliberately glanced, and deliberately made an expression as if asking, "Don't they grow on trees?"
Renjiro's face was once again covered in black lines!