At a wide window on the second floor of the Ninja Academy's main teaching building.
The group, having concluded their high-level meeting, stood quietly here, overlooking the scene on the training grounds below.
Leading the group were Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kazuma, alongside Konoha high-ranking officials such as Hyūga Kawa, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Chōza.
The afternoon sun poured through the clean glass window, bathing the hallway and illuminating the vibrant training grounds outside.
From this vantage point, the layout of the entire training field and the students' figures were clearly visible.
"It seems we've arrived just in time." Kazuma smiled, his gaze sweeping over the students on the field. "This is the future hope of Konoha. They are all very spirited."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with his hands behind his back, a genuine smile of satisfaction spreading across his face as he looked at the vigorous, youthful faces below.
"Indeed, children are always full of life," he said slowly. "Looking at them gives one a sense that the future is full of hope."
"By the way, Lord Hokage, I heard..."
Kazuma seemed to recall something suddenly, asking in a seemingly casual tone, "That during the Akatsuki attack on Konoha, the school's teachers and students were gathered in the shelter, and..."
"They were subjected to a targeted attack by the enemy? I wonder if this is true, and if the children were all safe afterward?"
At this, the smile on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face instantly stiffened. Although it was fleeting and he quickly returned to normal, that momentary pause did not escape the eyes of several observant people present.
"Lord Kazuma is well-informed."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stated frankly: "It was my dereliction of duty as Hokage, failing to protect the village's most valuable future."
"Fortunately, Jonin Kawa arrived in time and stepped forward to protect all the teachers and students in the shelter from harm. Otherwise, the consequences..."
Instantly, everyone's gaze focused on Hyūga Kawa.
Hyūga Kawa stood in a slightly recessed position, his expression calm. Feeling the converging gazes, he merely smiled slightly: "Lord Third gives me too much credit."
"Protecting every villager of Konoha, especially the children, is the bounden duty of every Konoha ninja."
"The situation was critical at the time. I merely did what any Konoha ninja in that position would and must do."
"Jonin Kawa is truly..." Kazuma opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to offer more praise.
However, just then, a burst of shouts came from the training ground below.
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn, and they subconsciously turned to look out the window.
They saw that in the target practice area on the east side of the training ground, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke had just completed an astonishing round of shuriken throwing.
Whether it was the precision and power of Naruto simultaneously throwing multiple shuriken, or Sasuke's almost artistic throwing technique, both far exceeded the level of ordinary students.
Kazuma glanced at Sasuke, his eyes lingering on Naruto for a moment, an imperceptible faint light flickering in the depths of his eyes.
"To possess such advanced shuriken throwing skill and technique at this age?"
He directed his gaze toward Sasuke, asking with keen interest: "That black-haired child is..."
Seeing that he seemed to have taken an interest in Sasuke, Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart immediately "skipped a beat."
The Uchiha clan's identity was sensitive, and their Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit) was of paramount importance. They absolutely could not be recruited by the Daimyō's court.
He immediately said: "That is a child of the Uchiha clan. He is indeed one of the most talented children in this current class."
"I see, the Uchiha clan..." Kazuma drew out his words, a clear hint of disappointment flashing across his face.
His gaze barely paused before immediately turning to Naruto next to him, asking, "Then, what about that blond child next to him? His performance also seems equally impressive."
"..."
At these words, the atmosphere in the second-floor hallway instantly became awkward and stagnant.
Behind the two, the Konoha high-ranking officials who knew Naruto's true identity, such as Nara Shikaku, Utatane Koharu, and Mito Kadomatsu, involuntarily let their gazes flicker.
They either slightly lowered their eyes or exchanged complex looks.
Hyūga Kawa's expression remained calm, but a hint of a smile flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into a brief silence, his throat subtly bobbing as he clearly organized his words, weighing the significance of every single syllable.
He could not allow Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to be exposed.
Finally, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke slowly: "That child, in a sense, is my grandson."
"Oh?" This answer seemed to catch Kazuma slightly off guard. He raised an eyebrow and pressed further, "A child of the Sarutobi clan?"
"...Yes."
After another moment of silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed: "His parents were both heroes of Konoha who unfortunately died in the line of duty. Before they passed, they entrusted this child to my care."
A subtle silence fell upon the hallway. The expressions of the people behind him instantly became peculiar.
They naturally understood that this was an expedient measure to cover up Naruto's true identity, but this excuse...
"I see." Kazuma's face showed a look of sudden realization. "No wonder I felt the child's features were somewhat familiar. His parents must have been highly renowned ninja, I presume?"
Seeing him continue to press, Sarutobi Hiruzen was secretly annoyed, but kept a composed demeanor, answering vaguely: "The child's parents were indeed two dedicated Jonin."
In previous great Shinobi World Wars, Konoha was only able to win because of the full support of the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. Otherwise, given Konoha's logistical capacity, it would have been impossible to win a war against multiple opponents, and it would have been dragged down.
In other words, the fiercer the war, the more crucial the Daimyō's role became.
Konoha was currently facing both internal and external difficulties, and various future operations required the Daimyō's cooperation. Therefore, Sarutobi Hiruzen truly did not want to create conflict with the Daimyō.
Just as the two were engaging in this silent war of words, all the students on the training field below had gathered in the central area under the command of Iruka.
Iruka held a roster and began randomly calling names for one-on-one Taijutsu practice battles.
"First match: Akimichi Chōji versus Inuzuka Kiba!"
As Iruka's voice fell, Akimichi Chōji, holding a bag of chips, and Inuzuka Kiba, with his white ninja dog on his head, walked into the center of the field.
The two faced each other and raised their hands, extending and crossing their index and middle fingers.
This was the Sign of Confrontation.
Seeing this, the surrounding students immediately cheered and jeered.
"Kiba! Go for it!"
"Chōji, don't lose to that guy!" Yamanaka Ino shouted.
Soon, Chōji seized an opening, executed a clean close-body charge, knocking Kiba down, then lightly struck his neck with a hand chop, ending the match.
Akimichi Chōji reached out and helped the grimacing Inuzuka Kiba up. The two faced each other and formed the Sign of Reconciliation by completing the Sign of Confrontation.
"Winner, Akimichi Chōji!" Iruka announced. "Second match: Nara Shikamaru versus Aburame Shino..."
Upstairs in the teaching building, the conversation between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kazuma temporarily ceased due to the Taijutsu practice below, and the atmosphere relaxed slightly as they watched the battles.
Match after match took place. The students' skill levels varied, and they mostly didn't use Ninjutsu, at most using the Three Basic Jutsu, but the overall atmosphere was quite good.
During this process, Kazuma pointed to some ordinary students on the field and asked questions. Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude became much more cooperative, no longer being vague, but patiently introducing them one by one.
"That child is..."
"He is called... his clan is..."
"Hmm, that child has a solid foundation and a good temperament."
Seeing that Kazuma seemed to shift his attention to other well-performing students on the training ground, Sarutobi Hiruzen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the Daimyō's emissary was no longer obsessed with inquiring about Naruto and the children with Kekkei Genkai, he was eager for the other party to finish selecting candidates and leave quickly.
This relatively "harmonious" observation lasted for some time.
"Sixth match: Hyūga Hinata versus Uchiha Sasuke..."
Hearing the surname "Hyūga," Kazuma's gaze turned to the center of the field, where he saw the pale-faced, expressionless Byakugan girl slowly walking into the area.
The girl's forehead was smooth, without the "Caged Bird" cursed seal.
Kazuma slightly tilted his head, looking at Hyūga Kawa beside him, and asked: "Clan Head Kawa, is that child a member of the Main Family?"
"Yes."
Hyūga Kawa's gaze also rested on Hinata. He nodded lightly, a trace of an imperceptible sigh in his voice: "She is Lord Hiashi's eldest daughter, the Young Mistress of the Main Family."
"So she is the eldest daughter of the former Hyūga Clan Head?"
Hearing this, Kazuma's face showed a perfectly appropriate look of regret and sympathy, lamenting, "To suffer such a misfortune at such a young age is truly..."
However, his words were cut short.
Boom!!
A dull, extremely impactful sound suddenly exploded from the center of the training ground below!
Everyone on the second floor was startled and instantly focused all their attention downward!
They saw smoke and dust billowing in the center of the field, with a wave of chakra fluctuation and a faint flash of fire light emanating from within!
"What's going on?"
"What happened?"
Utatane Koharu and others' faces changed drastically. They subconsciously stepped half a pace forward, nervously watching the scene below.
But soon, the smoke and dust quickly dispersed, revealing the scene on the field.
In the center of the field, veins bulged around Hyūga Hinata's eyes, giving her somewhat pale small face a nearly distorted, ferocious look.
Chakra fluctuations still remained in front of her palms. The explosion clearly originated from there!
Standing opposite her, Uchiha Sasuke also frowned deeply, his Sharingan already activated, the three tomoe slowly rotating.
But the most shocking sight was the third figure that had appeared in the field.
—Uzumaki Naruto.
Behind him, two solid golden chains extended out. One firmly bound Hyūga Hinata's waist, and the other bound Uchiha Sasuke's arm.
A powerful force forcibly dragged the two backward a distance, away from the dangerous center of the explosion!
"..."
The second-floor hallway fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the two slowly swaying golden chains behind Uzumaki Naruto, their expressions varied.
Just then, a cold voice broke the suffocating silence.
"Lord Hokage..."
The smile had completely vanished from Kazuma's face. He slowly turned, his gaze sharp as a knife, stabbing directly toward the stiff-faced Sarutobi Hiruzen next to him.
"Pray tell, since when did the Sarutobi clan learn the Adamantine Sealing Chains of the Uzumaki clan?"
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