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In the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffed on his pipe, his eyes fixed on the crystal ball resting on his desk.
Within the crystal ball was the image of Kanda Rokuro. Hiruzen watched the boy walk all the way back to the inn and disappear into the underground base. Only then did the image fade.
Finally, Hiruzen broke the silence.
He turned to the masked Anbu ninja standing beside him.
"Well? This little guy is the Taijutsu prodigy Danzo just recruited into Root?"
"He is indeed a prodigy," the masked ninja replied calmly.
"To have mastered Kuro's Tyrant Body Style at such a young age is incredible. Furthermore, his overall talent seems quite high. He has the potential to surpass Kuro in the future."
Hiruzen exhaled a thick ring of smoke and looked out the window at the village.
"You know that's not what I'm asking."
The masked ninja remained silent.
After a long pause, Hiruzen shook his head.
"Forget it. I won't put you in a difficult position. I noticed this little guy seemed very interested in the Ninja Academy. Go speak with Danzo. Tell him I want the boy enrolled in the Academy."
The masked ninja hesitated for a moment.
"Lord Hokage... his combat strength is already bordering on Chūnin level. Putting him in the Academy with normal children hardly seems appropriate. Moreover, I highly doubt Elder Danzo will agree to let him go."
Hiruzen, of course, knew Rokuro possessed Chūnin-level strength.
His goal in sending the boy to the Academy had nothing to do with education.
It was about creating bonds.
He glanced at the masked ninja, tapping his pipe.
"Don't play dumb with me. You've never wanted to get involved in the politics between us old men, and I've never forced you to, right? Just do as I ask. Whatever Danzo says, report his exact words back to me."
The masked ninja didn't argue further.
He nodded, and with a swirl of smoke, vanished from the office.
Once he was alone, Hiruzen sighed, staring blankly over the bustling village of Konoha.
The Third Great Ninja War had only recently ended. The current peace in the village was fragile, a calm on the surface hiding turbulent undercurrents.
When a seedling with this much talent appeared, of course he wanted to nurture it.
He wanted the boy to truly take root in the light of Konoha, not rot in the darkness of Root.
Naturally, if Rokuro were just averagely talented and destined to peak as a normal Chūnin, Hiruzen wouldn't care nearly as much.
But Rokuro was a monster.
As long as he didn't die prematurely, he was guaranteed to become an elite Jōnin.
And one elite Jōnin was worth a thousand Genin or a hundred Chūnin on the battlefield.
So, Hiruzen had to make his move.
He had to try and win the boy's heart over to his side.
---
Meanwhile, in the underground base.
Rokuro had returned to his suite and immediately started his training routine.
He didn't care much about what had happened on the surface.
As for whether he had been followed or monitored?
He wasn't stupid! Of course he knew he was being watched.
That was exactly why he hadn't done a single suspicious thing all day.
Even chatting with Rock Lee wouldn't raise any red flags. Right now, Lee was just a talentless failure at the Academy. Who could possibly predict how terrifyingly strong Lee would become in the future?
While Rokuro was sweating it out in the training room, a tense meeting was taking place in Danzo's office.
The masked Anbu ninja from the Hokage's office stood before Danzo, bowing respectfully.
"Lord Danzo. Lord Hokage sent me to inform you that he wishes for Kuro's disciple, Kanda Rokuro, to attend classes at the Ninja Academy."
Danzo let out a cold, sharp snort.
"That bastard Hiruzen. Trying to poach my people again."
The masked ninja remained perfectly silent.
Danzo calmed his anger, his single eye narrowing as he looked at the messenger.
"Go back and tell Hiruzen this: Kanda Rokuro was cultivated using Root's resources. I will not simply hand him over for free."
The masked ninja immediately understood.
Danzo meant he was willing to negotiate, provided Hiruzen offered a steep enough price in exchange.
"Understood, Lord Danzo. I will return and report to Lord Hokage."
"Dismissed," Danzo waved a hand impatiently.
---
The moment the Hokage's messenger left the room, Danzo summoned the Root operative who had been shadowing Rokuro.
"Report everything Kanda Rokuro did in the village today," Danzo commanded sharply.
"Do not omit a single detail!"
The Root operative knelt.
"Lord Danzo, Kanda Rokuro spent the entire day wandering the commercial districts. There was no unusual activity. In the late afternoon, he sat by the gates of the Ninja Academy and watched the students leave. He exchanged a few words with one of the children."
Danzo frowned.
If there was no unusual activity, Hiruzen wouldn't have deliberately sent his personal Anbu to demand the boy.
"The child he spoke to," Danzo pressed.
"Is he a core member of one of the major clans?"
"No, my Lord," the operative shook his head.
"Just an ordinary civilian orphan. In fact, he is known as the worst student in the Academy. The boy has a physical defect and cannot use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu at all. He only practices Taijutsu."
Danzo shook his head in disgust.
A child who couldn't even use basic Jutsu? What kind of ninja was that?
Clearly, Hiruzen hadn't taken an interest in Rokuro because of a conversation with a worthless failure.
Then what was the reason?
Danzo drummed his fingers on his desk, the rhythmic tapping echoing in the quiet room.
Suddenly, he stopped and glared at the operative.
"Think carefully. Are you absolutely certain you haven't missed a crucial detail?!"
The operative flinched.
He lowered his head, desperately racking his brain.
After a long, tense silence, he looked up hesitantly.
"Lord Danzo... if there was one strange occurrence... perhaps it was that Kanda Rokuro casually demonstrated the Clone Jutsu in front of that boy?"
The Clone Jutsu?
Danzo's eye widened with a flash of realization.
According to Kanda Rokuro's file, the boy had only just unlocked his Chakra. He didn't know any of the Three Basic Jutsu.
If that brat used a Clone Jutsu perfectly enough to catch Hiruzen's eye... his talent for Ninjutsu must be just as monstrous as his Taijutsu!
"Go!" Danzo barked, standing up.
"Bring Kanda Rokuro to me immediately!"
"Yes, my Lord!"
The operative nodded and scrambled out the door to find Rokuro.
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