Chapter Thirteen: A Man Like the Wind

From the likes of Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha, who could be considered the founding shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village, to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, Kagami Uchiha, and Choza Akimichi, these individuals form the first generation of shinobi cultivated by the village. Aside from those unfortunate enough to have perished, all are currently in their prime, aged thirty-five to forty-five, and stand as the backbone of Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Third Hokage. Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, apart from heading their respective clans, also hold leadership positions within Konoha’s key departments, such as the combat divisions, and serve as elders in the Hokage’s advisory council. The Hokage is the captain, the council of elders are the helmsmen, and the jonin are the elite sailors aboard the ship. Together, they steer the Hidden Leaf Village, guiding this warship toward distant horizons.

To ascend to the rank of jonin is, for most shinobi, the ceiling of a lifetime’s achievement, marking entry into the leadership of the village. Thus, the jonin examinations in every shinobi village are solemn affairs. In any world—be it the previous one or this world of shinobi—crossing the boundary between social strata is never easily accomplished. In the previous life, to rise above one’s station, a common person had to endure ten, even twenty years of rigorous study, facing countless competitive exams. The shinobi world is even more ruthless; progress is carved out through deadly skills, and a moment’s carelessness can mean death.

The village does not casually promote a shinobi to jonin—such as a Konoha shinobi being advanced simply due to a close relationship with the Hokage; promotion to jonin follows a formal procedure. The requirements for a shinobi are assessed on various aspects, including strength, experience, and reputation, before the jonin title is conferred. Of these criteria, strength is paramount and foundational.

Kato Mikaze and his generation, from the perspective of Hiruzen Sarutobi and his peers, are the second generation cultivated by Konoha. Among them, aside from the eternally low-ranked Might Duy, most have attained at least the rank of chunin, with exceptional talents such as Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kato Dan, and Sakumo Hatake having risen to jonin status within the past year or two.

Jiraiya, despite perpetually ranking at the bottom during his academy days, benefited from an excellent teacher and was by no means lacking in shinobi aptitude. Had he truly been deficient, he would not have become the Third Hokage’s pupil, nor later one of the Legendary Sannin, famed throughout the shinobi world as the Toad Sage.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was the jonin instructor for Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya after their graduation from the academy, establishing a formal master-disciple relationship and passing down the traditions of the shinobi way.

Kato Mikaze’s own talent as a shinobi, compared to Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kato Dan, and Sakumo Hatake, was just slightly inferior, nearly on par. However, in terms of mentorship, there was a significant gap. After graduation, Kato Mikaze’s jonin instructor, though a member of Sarutobi’s generation and hailing from the prestigious Shimura clan, was a master of Wind Release techniques. Unfortunately, fate was unkind; not long after mentoring Kato Mikaze, he was summoned to the front lines during a minor skirmish between Konoha and Iwa, where he encountered the yet-to-be Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and was allegedly obliterated by a Dust Release technique, leaving no remains.

Kato Mikaze’s subsequent jonin instructor survived the battlefield, being a veteran from the Yamanaka clan. Though he made it through the First Shinobi World War, he was left frail and sickly, eventually succumbing to illness a few years ago. Compared to the first mentor, at least he died peacefully. This instructor practiced the Yamanaka clan’s secret Mind-Body Switch technique, which greatly aided Kato Mikaze in developing his spiritual strength. This is why, for his jonin promotion, Kato Mikaze asked his elder brother, Kato Dan, for a recommendation rather than his former jonin instructor.

Among his peers, Kato Mikaze was not the strongest, but he was the most well-liked—at least on the surface. He could converse with anyone, and never left conversations awkward or stalled, a trait carried over from his previous life as an ordinary worker, where strong social connections allowed him to better survive in society.

In this world, after transmigrating to Konoha in the universe of Naruto, and becoming classmates with Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, seeing the characters from the original manga alive before him, he naturally felt a sense of kinship. Coupled with his prior experience as an orphan, his habitual cultivation of relationships, and a decent appearance, his popularity among his classmates was unmatched.

Kato Mikaze had not realized that, as his time in the shinobi world grew longer, he was no longer the cautious orphan struggling for survival. In this life, he had parents who loved him—though they later sacrificed themselves, they bestowed upon him the fatherly and motherly affection that was unattainable in his former life, granting him a complete childhood.

Moreover, he was exposed to chakra, that miraculous energy allowing the manipulation of water, fire, lightning, wind, and earth—powers that, in his previous world, belonged only to mythology, movies, novels, and comics. As his strength increased, Kato Mikaze’s character became more unrestrained, as free as the wind, just like his name.

Within the bounds of his conscience, he followed his desires, sometimes even appearing bold—such as the year he graduated, when he mustered the courage to confess to Tsunade in front of the entire class on the academy training grounds. Had it been his former self, he would never have dared such a public declaration to the school’s acknowledged beauty.

After graduating from the academy, Kato Mikaze’s transmigrator's cheat arrived. Though unlike the many cheats he had read about in novels back in his previous world—unable to instantly make him invincible, nor filled with game-breaking features, nor particularly intelligent; so much so that he barely sensed its existence unless actively summoned—it still gave him a foundation upon which to stand in the shinobi world.

Recently, Kato Mikaze mastered the Spirit Cultivation Technique, his first S-rank secret jutsu, which not only preserved the original features of the Spiritualization Technique but even enhanced them. This became his unique trump card in the shinobi world, elevating him to the jonin level.

Kato Mikaze grew ever more confident and carefree. His two teammates, Yuuta Nanri and Itsuki Takenouchi, were most qualified to speak on this. Their captain had not only grown stronger, but also more self-assured, tackling missions with ease, as if no enemy or challenge could faze him. Another notable change was his increased frequency of visiting the bathhouse—not only going himself but inviting them along.

Kato Mikaze, whose name means 'wind,' was no longer the meek wage earner struggling to survive. In this life, he aimed to be a man as free as the wind: courting the most beautiful women, pursuing his desires, living freely and as he pleased.

In the shinobi world, Kato Mikaze now possessed the basic capital to stand firm. If he was once merely a pawn destined for sacrifice on the chessboard of the ninja world, now he was a piece capable of influencing the game—perhaps even a future candidate for a flag-bearing piece.

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