"...Target shows no abnormal contact, no unusual behavior. His main sphere of activity remains the secluded streets within the village and his residence..."
Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the Hokage's Office in a golden-red hue.
The air was filled with the faint scent of tobacco and the distinctive smell of paper and ink. A mountain of scrolls and documents occupied most of the desk, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.
A figure wearing an Anbu mask knelt on one knee before the desk. Though his face was obscured, his signature silver-white hair and that listless, dead-fish eye clearly identified him.
It was Hatake Kakashi.
"However, due to the increasing rumors within the village recently, his emotional state remains low. His health shows no obvious abnormalities, but his nutritional intake is below the standard line..."
Kakashi's voice, muffled by the mask, was as calm and businesslike as possible, as if he were reciting a document unrelated to himself.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in his Hokage robes, sat behind the desk, the spark in the pipe gently rotating in his fingers flickering on and off. He quietly listened to the daily guardian report concerning Naruto.
"..." His brow furrowed slightly, and he murmured, "Rumors of the Nine-Tailed Fox?"
The source of these rumors was unknown, and he wasn't sure if someone was deliberately spreading them, but he instinctively thought of Danzō.
However, Danzō's energy was currently focused on the Uchiha clan, making it unlikely he'd do something he knew would anger Hiruzen.
"So, is it just spontaneous action by the villagers?" Hiruzen thought to himself.
Just then, Kakashi's voice paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.
He slightly raised his lowered head, his visible eye meeting Hiruzen's. His gaze still lacked ripples, but a subtle emotion seeped into his tone:
"This morning, the target, on the village's main thoroughfare, unexpectedly collided with a member of the Hyūga Branch Family, Hyūga Kawa."
Hearing this, Hiruzen's finger, gently tapping his pipe, imperceptibly paused. A wisp of ash silently drifted down.
"Subsequently, Hyūga Kawa actively engaged with the target. Their conversation touched upon the villagers' rejection of the target due to his identity."
Kakashi continued to narrate in his uninflected tone: "Hyūga Kawa publicly refuted the rumors targeting the subject and took the subject to Ichiraku Ramen for a meal."
"The meal lasted approximately thirty minutes. After the meal, Hyūga Kawa personally escorted the subject back to his residence."
"..."
When the words fell, the office fell into a brief silence.
Only the faint "sizzle" of tobacco burning in the pipe could be heard.
A moment later, Hiruzen slowly lifted his eyelids, his seemingly murky eyes meeting Kakashi's single eye through the rising wisps of smoke.
"So."
His voice was low and steady, yet carried an invisible pressure, as he asked: "Kawa actively approached Naruto?"
"No." Kakashi's reply was concise and to the point, without any undue bias. "Hyūga Kawa does indeed go to Ichiraku Ramen at that time every day recently."
"According to my Anbu colleagues, his route hasn't changed from before. Naruto, agitated by the villagers' words, panicked and stumbled into him."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly, a movement that deepened the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
"During the interaction, what exactly did Hyūga Kawa say and do?" His voice remained steady, but Kakashi could sense the undercurrents swirling beneath the calm surface.
Kakashi faithfully recounted the situation, including how Kawa questioned the villagers, emphasized "trust and family," and the details of taking Naruto to ramen and escorting him home.
He described it as objectively and calmly as possible, without any personal emotional color.
Until he finished speaking, a deep silence fell.
"Hoo..."
Hiruzen slowly took a drag from his pipe, letting the acrid smoke swirl in his lungs before slowly exhaling. The rising wisps of smoke blurred his eyes, making them deep and unfathomable.
Kawa, that child...
From his actions and words, there seemed to be nothing wrong.
Given his current favorable impression of Kawa, if anyone else had been helped by Kawa, he wouldn't have had the slightest doubt.
But when it came to Naruto, the very special Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, he couldn't help but overthink.
Was it simple overflowing compassion?
Or, was there an ulterior motive?
No, that's not right. Given Kawa's personality, doing these things and saying these words isn't strange.
Moreover, Kakashi and Yamato's stealth wouldn't be able to hide from Kawa's eyes. If he truly harbored any ulterior motives, he could easily find other opportunities to contact Naruto alone.
So, was it sympathy and dissatisfaction with Naruto's current plight?
Numerous thoughts flashed through Hiruzen's mind instantly.
"...I understand."
After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly, his voice carrying a subtle weariness and depth: "Continue the guardianship mission. Record the daily details of Naruto, no matter how small."
"Also, unless necessary, do not interfere."
"Yes." Hatake Kakashi quietly sighed in relief, lowering his head to accept the order.
"Additionally, two more points."
Hiruzen's gaze drifted towards the window, and he spoke softly: "Regarding the rampant rumors of the demon fox lately, issue appropriate warnings to those villagers spreading them. Do it discreetly."
"And, regarding Naruto's nutrition..."
At this point, he suddenly paused. Hatake Kakashi, who hadn't heard anything for a while, looked up and asked: "Third Hokage-sama?"
"It's nothing," Hiruzen sighed. "I'll go personally. These past years, due to the constant unrest outside, I have indeed neglected Naruto."
He had originally intended for Kakashi to set aside a portion of his monthly stipend, to be given to Naruto under the guise of "orphan's allowance," to moderately improve Naruto's meals.
But perhaps out of his own guilt towards Naruto, or perhaps out of a ruler's instinctive desire for control, he still wanted to become the person Naruto relied on, while compensating him.
For a child who had long been ostracized and yearned for warmth and companionship, facing sudden kindness would undoubtedly be clung to like a lifeline.
Even if this current scene wasn't what he wanted to see, since it had happened, he still needed to utilize it.
"Naruto also seems to be of academy age," Hiruzen thought to himself. "He should be able to make friends once he enrolls."
Lost in thought, he waved his hand, and Kakashi's figure silently vanished from the office.
Hiruzen sat alone in his chair, gazing out at the peaceful Konoha outside the window, yet his brow remained tightly furrowed.
Although he genuinely didn't want to suspect Hyūga Kawa, Kawa's interaction with Naruto felt like a thorn in his heart.
He certainly wasn't suspecting Kawa of doing anything to Naruto, but he suddenly felt that he wasn't close enough to Kawa. In recent years, he had indeed neglected to foster closer relationships with the younger generation.
Given Kawa's current talent and strength, even if he didn't plan to take him as a disciple, their relationship shouldn't solely be that of superior and subordinate.
"Should I have him join the Anbu?"
Hiruzen's gaze flickered slightly, and he suddenly recalled that Uchiha child, and also Danzō's recent movements.
The Root had discovered a spy secretly collaborating with Kirigakure. Danzō intended to use that spy to test Uchiha Itachi's caliber.
As the Hokage, he was naturally aware of this matter; Danzō had just borrowed Uchiha Shisui from him.
That spy was, after all, a Jonin and also an Anbu ninja. Having Itachi alone might not be stable, so adding Shisui was understandable.
And the spy's name was...
"Kohinata Mugen."
Hiruzen murmured the name, thinking: "Danzō's minor actions are increasing lately. Perhaps I should have Kawa participate in the mission as well, to see what Danzō is truly planning."
Kohinata Mugen was a distant relative of the Hyūga clan. Although he hadn't awakened the Byakugan due to diluted bloodline, he was still a blood relative.
This way, it could also test Hyūga Kawa's loyalty to the village, whether he had truly abandoned clan prejudices, and if he was qualified to join the Anbu and continue to be specially groomed...
With this thought, Hiruzen made a decision in his heart.
It was decided: Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, Hyūga Kawa.
These three would go together to deal with Kohinata Mugen.
Just then, he seemed to think of something else and took out a crystal ball from his drawer, forming a hand seal and channeling chakra into it.
It was the Telescope Jutsu.
A scene gradually appeared in the crystal ball, showing the inside of Uzumaki Naruto's home.
In the image, Uzumaki Naruto lay on his bed, breathing steadily, drool pooling on his pillow. He was sleeping soundly, with no abnormalities...
Bang! Bang!
The office door was suddenly knocked forcefully, the intensity making Hiruzen frown.
He knew that unless it was an important matter, no one would be so disrespectful. He decisively said: "Enter."
The moment his words fell, an Anbu ninja pushed the door open and stepped in, his chest heaving violently.
"Third Hokage-sama! Emergency military intelligence!"
The Anbu ninja knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse and urgent, with unconcealed horror, even a slight tremor. He presented a sealed scroll stained with mud and blood.
Hiruzen's heart immediately sank. All his thoughts were forcibly suppressed by this sudden turn of events. He abruptly stood up and snatched the scroll.
He quickly unsealed it and yanked the scroll open.
The intelligence on the scroll was written in an extremely sloppy, even panicked, handwriting.
Hiruzen's gaze rapidly scanned the characters, his face visibly turning ashen and grim, finally becoming one of stark horror.
Hanzō had attacked Sunagakure's rear outpost, using power far exceeding his youth, completely devastating that area. Now, he was declaring war on Konoha and Sunagakure again?
And, a meteorite had torn through the clouds without warning, precisely crashing into the core area of the Land of Rain battlefield?!
The meteorite impact caused a super-large scale shockwave and earthquake, almost completely annihilating Konoha and Sunagakure ninjas in the center of the battlefield, regardless of ally or enemy, leaving no remains?!
Only a few scout teams and logistics personnel on the very edge of the battlefield miraculously survived, but they were too far away and suffered severe mental trauma, bringing back extremely limited and chaotic intelligence?
"Meteorite? What a joke, how is that possible?"
Hiruzen's fingers, clutching the scroll, turned white from the excessive force, veins bulging on the back of his hand. His voice, with an imperceptible tremor, asked: "The source of the message, confirmed?"
"Confirmed, Third Hokage-sama!" The Anbu ninja's voice was hoarse. "The intelligence was sent by the surviving intelligence personnel on the battlefield's edge. Other survivors also... also corroborated it..."
By the end, his voice trailed off.
Hiruzen's body swayed, almost losing his balance. He steadied himself by grasping the corner of the desk, feeling as if the scroll in his hand weighed a thousand pounds.
The situation had been so favorable just moments ago, and now, suddenly, the entire force was annihilated.
The culprit, a meteorite?
Why? Why such a coincidence?
Was it man-made?
But how could anyone do such a thing??
In a daze, Hiruzen raised his extinguished pipe, intending to light it, but found his fingers trembling uncontrollably.
Finally, he put the pipe down dejectedly, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, letting out a heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the entire village.
"How... could this happen..."
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