The ANBU visited three more times that week. Always at night. Always watching. Never approaching. My parents noticed nothing, but I felt every instance of their surveillance. On the seventh night, they finally dropped down beside me. "You're not a normal child," a distorted voice said. "Show me why."
I'd been expecting this. After the first sighting, I'd prepared what I'd say, how I'd act. The key was to appear gifted but not supernatural, impressive but not impossible.
The ANBU operative stood before me in our backyard, the bird-masked figure now close enough that I could make out details. The mask was a sparrow design, I realized. Female body type, medium height, carrying standard ANBU equipment.
"You've been watching me," I said, keeping my voice steady despite my heart hammering. A four-year-old speaking clearly was unusual but not impossible. I couldn't slip into casual adult speech patterns.
"Yes." The voice was feminine, modulated through some kind of filter that made it hard to place her age. "You've been training. Alone. At night. With chakra."
No point denying it. "I wanted to be strong."
"Why?"
"Because..." I hesitated, then decided on honesty—or at least, a version of it. "Because I don't want my parents to worry about me. If I'm strong, I can protect them."
The ANBU was silent for a moment. Then she crouched down to my level, which somehow made her more, not less, intimidating.
"Show me what you can do."
This was a test. Show too much, and I'd draw Danzo's attention. Show too little, and she might report me as a security concern anyway. I needed to hit the exact middle ground: impressive for a civilian child, but explainable.
I walked to where I'd left a leaf from earlier practice. I picked it up and placed it on my forehead. Then, carefully, I channeled chakra.
The leaf stuck.
It was the most basic of exercises, something Academy students learned in their first year. But for a four-year-old civilian with no formal training, it was remarkable.
"How did you learn this?" Sparrow asked.
"I watched ninja," I said truthfully. "And I felt something inside me. Energy. I practiced moving it around."
"By yourself? No one taught you?"
"My parents don't know. They're civilians. I didn't want to worry them."
Sparrow stood slowly. I could feel her evaluating me, trying to determine if I was a prodigy, a security threat, or something else entirely.
"What do you know about chakra?" she asked.
This was the crucial question. How much should I reveal? I settled on textbook knowledge, the kind a bright child might have picked up from observation.
"It's the energy inside ninja," I said. "It comes from... um... from the body and the spirit mixed together. Ninja use it to do jutsu. Amazing things."
"That's correct." She paused. "You're self-taught?"
"I don't know any jutsu," I admitted. "Just... moving the energy. Making it stick things. Is that bad?"
Another long silence. Then Sparrow reached up and removed her mask.
I blinked in surprise. She was younger than I'd expected—mid-twenties perhaps, with sharp features and dark hair tied back in a practical style. Her eyes were kind, but there was steel behind them.
"My name is Suzume," she said quietly. "Sparrow is my codename. I'm going to ask you a very important question, and I need you to answer honestly. Do you understand?"
I nodded.
"Has anyone else approached you? Anyone offering to teach you, to train you in secret?"
Danzo. She was asking about Danzo.
"No," I said truthfully. "Only you."
Relief flashed across her face. "Good. Kenji-kun, you have a choice to make. I can report what I've seen to two people: the Hokage, or someone else. The someone else is... not kind. He uses children. Makes them into weapons. The Hokage is different. He helps children like you grow safely. Who should I tell?"
She was giving me a choice. Why?
"The Hokage," I said immediately. "Please. I want to help people, not hurt them."
Suzume nodded approvingly. "That's the right answer." She crouched down again. "I'm going to teach you something, Kenji-kun. Not jutsu—you're too young. But how to hide your chakra signature. What you're doing is like... like shouting in a quiet room. Any sensor within a block can feel you training. I'm going to show you how to whisper instead."
Over the next hour, she gave me my first real ninja lesson. How to suppress chakra, how to mask my signature, how to practice without broadcasting my presence to every sensor in Konoha.
It was invaluable knowledge, and I absorbed every word.
When she finally left, she ruffled my hair. "Tomorrow, you and your parents are going to be summoned to the Hokage Tower. Don't be scared. Hiruzen-sama is a good man. He'll help you."
Then she was gone, leaving me alone in the backyard with a head full of new techniques and the knowledge that my life was about to change dramatically.
The Hokage Tower was even more impressive in person than it had appeared from a distance. My parents had received the summons that morning—a polite request delivered by a chunin, asking them to bring me to meet the Hokage.
My mother had nearly fainted. My father's hands had shaken as he'd gotten dressed in his best clothes.
"It's okay," I'd said, trying to comfort them. "I haven't done anything wrong."
"Of course not," my father had said, but his voice was tight with worry.
Now we sat in an antechamber, waiting. My parents looked terrified. I was nervous too, but for different reasons. This was Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Professor, the God of Shinobi, one of the most powerful ninja in history.
And I was about to meet him as a four-year-old child claiming to be self-taught in chakra control.
"The Hokage will see you now," an assistant said, opening the door to the office.
The office was exactly as I remembered from the anime—large, papers everywhere, the view of Konoha stretching out behind the desk. And sitting there, smoking his pipe, was Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.
He looked tired, I thought. The weight of leadership showed in the lines of his face. But his eyes were sharp and kind as we entered.
"Yamamoto-san, Hana-san," he greeted my parents warmly. "Thank you for coming. And this must be young Kenji."
My father bowed deeply, nearly pulling me off my feet. "Hokage-sama, we're honored. If our son has caused any trouble—"
Hiruzen held up a hand. "No trouble at all. Quite the opposite. I've heard some interesting reports about young Kenji's abilities. I wanted to meet him myself."
He stood and walked around his desk, kneeling down to my level with surprising grace for a man his age.
"Hello, Kenji-kun," he said gently. "I've been told you have a talent for chakra control. Is that true?"
I nodded, suddenly shy in the face of this legendary figure.
"Would you show me?"
This was the moment. Everything I'd prepared, everything I'd calculated, came down to this demonstration.
I performed the leaf exercise again, making it look slightly harder than it actually was. Let him see effort, not mastery.
Hiruzen watched with interest. Then he produced another leaf.
"Can you do it with two?"
I placed the second leaf on my other hand. Both stuck.
"Remarkable," Hiruzen said softly. "And you taught yourself this?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I watched ninja and I... I felt something inside. I practiced."
"And your parents didn't know?"
I glanced at my mother and father, who looked stricken. "I didn't want them to worry."
Hiruzen stood, addressing my parents. "Your son has an exceptional gift. Chakra control at this level, at age four, with no formal training, is virtually unprecedented. He has the potential to become an extraordinary ninja."
My mother made a small sound. My father's face was a mask of conflicting emotions—pride and terror warring for dominance.
"However," Hiruzen continued, "I want to assure you that no one will force Kenji into anything. This is your family's decision. I can offer early Academy enrollment when he turns five, or if you prefer, private tutoring under a jonin instructor. Or nothing at all, if that's your choice."
The kindness in his voice was genuine. This was why people followed Hiruzen, why the Will of Fire resonated. He actually cared.
"What... what do you recommend, Hokage-sama?" my father asked quietly.
Hiruzen considered. "I recommend the Academy. Kenji needs structure, needs to learn among peers. He's special, yes, but he should grow up as normally as possible. The Academy will provide that."
I spoke up, surprising everyone. "I want to go to the Academy. I want to learn, and I want to have friends."
Hiruzen smiled. "A wise answer." He looked back at my parents. "There's one more thing. I'm assigning an observer to check on Kenji periodically—Sparrow, from ANBU. Not for surveillance, but for his safety. A child with his talent might attract... unwanted attention. I want to ensure he's protected."
My parents nodded, overwhelmed.
"Additionally," Hiruzen said, walking to his desk and pulling out a book, "I'm giving Kenji this training manual. It covers basic chakra control exercises. No jutsu—he's too young—but techniques that will help him develop safely."
He handed me the book. It was well-worn, clearly used extensively.
"This was my copy when I was a student," Hiruzen said. "I hope it serves you as well as it served me."
I stared at the book, genuinely moved. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
As we left the Hokage Tower, I clutched the training manual to my chest. The System chimed with multiple notifications:
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: "Caught the Hokage's Eye"]
[REWARD: 1,000 Fate Points]
[NEW QUEST CHAIN AVAILABLE: "The Hokage's Observation"]
[WARNING: You are now in multiple character's "Person of Interest" lists]
[NEW ENTRY: Shimura Danzo - Interest Level: Moderate]
That last line made my blood run cold.
Danzo. The man who'd steal Shisui's eye and orchestrate countless atrocities. He knew about me now.