Then he looked at Genshu, wanting to see if Genshu knew what had happened, but he was clearly just as shocked.
In fact, he didn't even notice the Hokage-sama looking at him.
Hiruzen thought to himself.
"What should I do now? I can't just say no. That would be too demotivating for everyone. And refusing him isn't good for me either. If I do, I'm 100% sure Danzo will spread rumors that the Hokage-sama lied to the academy students."
Hiruzen thought for a few more seconds and came up with a reasonable excuse. Seeing Hiruzen about to speak, Kakashi noticed and chuckled internally.
"It took Hokage-sama thirteen seconds to respond. That kid is truly something."
Hiruzen finally sighed and said, "I'm afraid I can't give you what you want, because no one can make a sword made entirely of Chakra metal."
Feng Zheng didn't know that Chakra swords weren't made entirely of Chakra metal, and he thought Hiruzen was just making excuses. His expression dimmed, and he said, "Then, a few knives made of Chakra metal would be fine too?"
Hearing Feng Zheng's new request, Kakashi's eyebrow twitched again. Seeing Hiruzen's expression, he tried hard to suppress his laughter.
On the other hand, Genshu was even more shocked.
Hiruzen replied again, "Unfortunately, even those aren't made entirely of Chakra metal."
Hearing this answer, Feng Zheng was almost angry. But he quickly calmed down and thought about what Hiruzen had said. A phrase popped into his mind.
"Not made entirely of Chakra metal."
Then it dawned on him.
"Wait, in my previous world, didn't such production require a lot of alloys or other materials? Even gold jewelry isn't 100% gold. Is that what he means?"
He asked again, "Hokage-sama, what do you mean by 'not made entirely of Chakra metal'? Do they just put a little Chakra metal in the sword and then add other things?"
Hiruzen nodded nervously, disliking the direction the conversation was going. Feng Zheng said excitedly, "Hokage-sama, then..."
However, he was interrupted by Hiruzen, who asked, "Feng Zheng, can you tell me why you absolutely need a sword made of Chakra metal?"
As he asked this question, he desperately thought, "I need to change the subject quickly! I can't let him continue with this."
Feng Zheng was a bit displeased at being interrupted and said, "I heard they help with Chakra flow. I like using swords and hope to improve my swordsmanship by using Chakra flow."
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and asked, "How do you know about Chakra flow?"
Feng Zheng did sense Hiruzen's hint about changing the subject, but he didn't pay too much attention to it. He could always 'innocently' return to the topic.
Hiruzen's negotiation skills might be a hundred times stronger, but being a 10-year-old child also had many advantages. He answered without hesitation, "Nakatani Michi-sensei."
Hiruzen looked unhappily at Nakatani Michi beside him, thinking, "That's it, I'm going to assign him to a weak Genin squad and have him only do D-rank missions for half a year. We've recovered from our losses, so losing a Chunin won't have any impact."
Then he 'kindly' explained to Feng Zheng, "Using Chakra flow doesn't require a sword made of Chakra metal; ordinary swords can also be used, but they will break if used."
Feng Zheng thought, "Yes, I know that. Get to the point."
Hiruzen continued, "Actually, there are some special swords made to assist Chakra flow. In the Land of Iron, many samurai use these swords. As for Chakra metal, it's a bit problematic and might cause you trouble."
Feng Zheng naturally knew this.
Owning a sword worth tens of millions of ryo would make him a target. That's why he intended to leave this problem to Hiruzen. He thought, "This is a reasonable concern. However, I don't believe this is his main reason for not giving me a Chakra sword. But this new information has piqued my interest. Why don't weapon shops have such swords?"
He put this question aside for a moment and asked, "Is it possible to create a sword that can assist Wind Release Chakra flow?"
Today, Feng Zheng asked a question sincerely for the first time. However, this still made Hiruzen very nervous. He thought, "Yes, it's possible. However, Wind Release Chakra metal must be used. And it will still cost millions of ryo!"
Hiruzen replied, "Yes, but you are not suitable to use such a sword right now. How about this, when you are ready, I will help you contact the right person to make such a sword."
Feng Zheng thought disappointedly, "I believe I can contact them myself very soon."
But he still nodded.
Hiruzen finally relaxed, glad that he had saved millions of ryo. He was about to speak when Feng Zheng spoke again, asking, "Hokage-sama, you said the sword you're sending me is for samurai, right?"
Hiruzen nodded, truly hoping there wouldn't be any more excessive requests. Feng Zheng continued, "Then can you ask someone to teach me samurai swordsmanship? Please."
Hiruzen thought for a moment.
On one hand, he was glad this request didn't involve tens of millions of ryo. Secondly, he noticed Feng Zheng's interest in swords. He thought, "A master swordsman skilled in Wind Release as a Sensor Ninja could be very useful. Although we can't just teach samurai swordsmanship to anyone, it's acceptable to teach it to some children."
He nodded and said, "Okay, I will assign a teacher to you."
Only then did Feng Zheng politely thank him and step back, thinking, "Being a simple child has many benefits. Although I don't think I can defeat Hiruzen in negotiations again. That old monkey has negotiation experience from three Great Ninja Wars, and the people he negotiated with were a hundred times more unreasonable than me!"
Watching Feng Zheng retreat, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief. Then he congratulated everyone and quickly left.
As he left, he decided that this would be his last year giving awards to top students.
After Hiruzen left, many teachers looked at Feng Zheng awkwardly. But he just ignored them, pretending not to notice their gazes.
After Hiruzen left, the teachers of each class handed out headbands to their students and praised them for passing the early graduation exam.
Three days later, they were asked to return to the academy.
After receiving the headband, Feng Zheng put it on. His first words after that moment were, "Wow, I'm a real Ninja now!"
---
Feng Zheng sat cross-legged in the living room, meditating. He cleared his mind and began to plan. He thought, "Academy life is finally over. Although I had to graduate two years early, it's not a big problem. The only major event about to happen is the Uchiha clan's massacre. But right now, I'm not strong enough to intervene in that matter. Although I still have two years, by then I can at most become an official Chunin."