Central Tower, Forest of Death – Conference Room.
Anko Mitarashi sat at the head of the table, massaging her throbbing temples.
In front of her stood two Anbu Captains wearing animal masks; the three had just finished a preliminary review of the current situation.
"The Tailed Beast Rampage was suppressed in time—hardly anything short of a miracle—and the damage was largely confined to specific areas, still within controllable limits," one Anbu Captain intoned. "But Orochimaru's appearance…"
The other Anbu Captain took over, voice heavy with worry, "That is the real headache. His target is clearly not the Chunin Exams ; his movements are erratic, his purpose unknown, and he lurks inside the Village like an Explosive Tag that could be detonated at any moment. Our present tracking… has yielded little."
Because Shukaku, the One-Tail had surfaced, Anko had never met Orochimaru, leaving Konoha still in the dark about why he had infiltrated the Village!
Anko slammed the table, irritation written all over her face, "That damned bastard! He actually dares to sneak back into the Village and pull this many stunts! Just thinking he might be spying from some corner of the forest makes me—"
She couldn't finish.
Right then, the Conference Room door creaked open.
A Chunin proctor stood in the doorway, looking rather hurried.
Anko's mood, already sour, worsened at the interruption. She lifted her head, brows knitted, and shouted, "We're in the middle of something important!!"
The Chunin proctor flinched at her outburst but still reported at once, "Sorry to disturb you, Lady Anko! It's about Team Tejima Shinichi's situation—I need to brief you!"
At the name "Tejima Shinichi," Anko and the two Anbu Captains snapped to attention.
Anko drew a deep breath, tamped down her anger, and said curtly, "Speak!"
"Their team has reached the Central Tower and cleared the second exam."
"Huh? That's it!?"
Anko wasn't surprised; everyone knew how frighteningly strong the boy was. Had nothing gone wrong, he might well have broken the record.
"No… the important thing is," the proctor paused, expression odd, "they didn't arrive as three, but… as four."
"Four?" Anko blinked.
"Yes. Tejima Shinichi… brought back an extra Genin from Kusagakure named Uzumaki Karin. According to him, the girl voluntarily renounced her Kusagakure identity and asked to join Konoha, and now he demands we report this to the Third Hokage!"
The air in the Conference Room froze.
Anko and the two Anbu Captains exchanged glances, shock reflected in each other's eyes.
Forcibly spiriting away another Village's examinee mid-exam was no trifling matter—especially at such a sensitive moment right after Orochimaru's intrusion and the Tailed Beast Rampage.
Finally, Anko waved her hand and told the proctor, "Got it. Go settle them in for now. As for that Uzumaki Karin…"
She glanced at the Anbu Captain beside her.
The captain caught the cue and said coldly, "Lord Tejima Shinichi is a disciple personally authorized by Lord Third; his will, to a certain extent, embodies the Hokage's will. Since he took that Kusagakure examinee, he must have his reasons. We shall report this to Lord Third ourselves."
Those words sent a chill through Anko's heart.
The Anbu's stance was crystal-clear—not only would they overlook Shinichi's outrageous act, they would actively vouch for him, even elevating his personal will to the level of "representing the Hokage Faction."
This was far more than favoritism toward a prodigy; it was… the posture of grooming and supporting Tejima Shinichi as the next Hokage!
If that was the case… all rules and conventions could be bent for this heir apparent!
Realizing the gravity, Anko nodded, "Understood. In that case, that Kusagakure ninja… Uzumaki Karin, will remain under the care of Shinichi's team for now; everything awaits the Hokage's decision!"
The Anbu Captain inclined his head slightly, "Then we shall return and report the day's events to the Hokage in detail."
Anko nodded, "Thanks for your hard work."
The two captains vanished in a flicker… Night had already fallen, yet the Hokage Office remained brightly lit.
Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his spacious desk, wisps of smoke from his pipe blurring his expression.
Advisors Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu occupied the sofas on either side, making the office atmosphere rather heavy.
The Anbu Captain who had reported in the Forest of Death earlier knelt in the center of the office, having just finished a detailed report on every incident of the day—
from Shukaku, the One-Tail's rampage suppression, to Orochimaru's appearance and attempted strike, to Team Tejima Shinichi's early arrival at the Central Tower, and… the interlude of bringing back Uzumaki Karin.
"…That concludes all of today's events within the Forest of Death," the captain finished.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke and waved his hand, "Understood. You're dismissed. Keep monitoring every movement inside and outside the Forest of Death, especially… any traces Orochimaru might have left behind."
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu Captain accepted the order and vanished.
Only the Village's three top decision-makers remained in the office.
After a brief silence, Utatane Koharu spoke first, her tone grave, "Hiruzen, Orochimaru infiltrating the Village at this juncture cannot have a simple objective. Worse… he even moved against that boy, Shinichi!"
Homura Mitokado adjusted his glasses, eyes sharp behind the lenses, "More crucially, he now knows Shinichi wields true Wood Release. Given his obsession with forbidden techniques and Kekkei Genkai, Shinichi has likely become one of his prime targets. We must heighten our guard!"
Hiruzen nodded quietly; he was already well aware. Orochimaru's threat did worry him as a teacher—but only a little!
After all, his disciple's strength was solid as bedrock!
Naturally, the topic shifted to Tejima Shinichi.
Homura looked at Hiruzen, his tone complex, "Hiruzen, only after learning about that boy today do we truly understand why, at this stage of your life, you were so impatient to take him as a disciple, fold him into the Hokage Faction, and devote every effort to training him!"
Koharu continued, voice tinged with incredulous emotion, "Wood Release… the very power First Hokage used to quell the chaos of an era. We thought that with the first Hokages' passing, that power had become legend. Never did we imagine it would reappear in a twelve-year-old boy, and… reach a level capable of suppressing a rampaging Tailed Beast head-on!"
She paused, looking straight at Hiruzen, "Now we fully comprehend your decision. With such power, such potential, his very existence is the future safeguard of Konoha. Establishing him as the next Hokage candidate is reasonable—even necessary. Only… his methods seem more… forceful and uncompromising than we anticipated."
She was referring to his forcibly abducting a ninja from another village—normally enough to spark a diplomatic incident… but when Tejima Shinichi's value and power overturn common sense, all rules seem open to renegotiation!
Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth, a satisfied smile blooming across his face—the finest vindication of his original decision!
"Because his future holds limitless potential, we must guide him without reservation and support him completely—before he fully matures."
"A few unconventional actions can be tolerated when the very cornerstone of the Village's future is at stake. As for that Kusagakure shinobi... Shinichi must have taken her in because her family name is Uzumaki!"
"Since Shinichi has spoken to protect her, let her stay. An Uzumaki with a unique ability is hardly a bad thing for the Village."
Having said that, he looked toward his two old friends, his gaze profound.
"What we must do now is not bind him with outdated rules, but ensure his power and loyalty serve Konoha. As for Orochimaru..."
A cold glint flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
"Since he dares to set his sights on Shinichi, if he shows himself before me again, I will make him pay—no matter what!"
As if recalling something, Hiruzen added pointedly, "No matter who he is—!!"
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu exchanged a knowing look.
They knew exactly whom Hiruzen meant—the old man stripped of all positions and now confined to his clan's estate: Danzo Shimura!
A brief silence fell over the office; the earlier talk of internal threats had made the atmosphere oppressive.
Utatane Koharu exhaled softly and steered the conversation toward another pressing issue to lighten the mood, "Still, Hiruzen, after this incident, that boy Shinichi... will find it hard to stay out of the spotlight. With so many eyes watching in the Forest of Death, spies from every nation have surely sent the news home."
Homura Mitokado nodded in full agreement, highlighting the crux of the matter, "Soon the entire Ninja World will know that Konoha has produced a twelve-year-old who awakened true Wood Release and single-handedly subdued a rampaging Tailed Beast—a 'monster' prodigy."
The word 'monster' carried no insult; such dazzling, fearsome feats were bound to send enormous waves across the shinobi world.
Listening to his two old friends' worries, Hiruzen's smile not only lingered but deepened in meaning.
"No matter."
"What Shinichi has lacked was never strength or intellect, but the matching fame and deterrent power. To become Hokage requires more than the Village's approval—every corner of the Ninja World must tremble at the mere mention of his name."
He slowly returned the pipe to his lips, took a puff, and let the blue smoke curl upward.
"This unexpected storm, his clash with a Tailed Beast and the rogue Orochimaru, is the perfect stage to announce himself. The illustrious reputation forged through raw power will be one of the firmest cornerstones of his future path."
"Let the news spread. Let Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure... let everyone know that the First Hokage's Wood Release has not vanished. Konoha's next generation already possesses a new pillar strong enough to guard the Village."
"And upon that foundation... he will ascend to the seat of Hokage!!!"
Meanwhile.....Danzo Shimura's estate!
A dim oil lamp pushed back a small circle of darkness, throwing uneven light across Danzo's wrinkled, half-bandaged face.
He sat alone on the couch, his single visible eye fixed on the scroll that had just arrived.
The words on the scroll seemed to burn; every character scorched his vision.
'Tejima Shinichi,' 'Wood Release,' 'subdued Shukaku,' 'drove back Orochimaru'...
Hah... hah...
Heavy breathing echoed through the silent room.
Danzo's fingers trembled from the force of his grip on the scroll.
Veins throbbed crimson across his left eye, a red even deeper than the Sharingan he had once coveted.
"True Wood Release... in a mere child..."
Danzo ground the words through clenched teeth.
He had spent half a lifetime, squandered countless resources, and allied with Orochimaru to perform inhuman experiments—all for a sliver of power, especially the Wood Release of the 'God of Shinobi,' Hashirama Senju.
Yet what had he gained?
Only Yamato, an incomplete, limited imitation.
Only records of test subjects collapsing and dying.
But now, a twelve-year-old boy—one he had tried to recruit and even considered taking by force—had silently awakened the very power he dreamt of.
And not a flawed version, but the true, complete Wood Release capable of suppressing a rampaging Tailed Beast.
How could he accept that?!
Why did that indecisive Hiruzen always get everything? First the title of Hokage, and now an heir with true Wood Release delivered right to his door!!!
"Hiruzen... you...!!!" Danzo snarled, his chest heaving with rage.
He could almost see Hiruzen puffing contentedly on his pipe, the imagined smile now nothing but mockery.
Trembling, Danzo pulled the brief profile on Tejima Shinichi from beneath the scroll.
When the sheet bearing the boy's photo appeared, his left pupil contracted sharply.
The youth in the picture looked tender in years, but the amber eyes held an indifferent calm, as though nothing in the world could stir his heart.
It was that face!
It was that boy!
Danzo's breathing grew ragged; fury threatened to shatter his reason.
He stared at the photo, scenes of the past surging unbidden through his mind.
From the first attempt to recruit... to his downfall and confinement in this crumbling mansion!
Every scheme, every ambition, seemed to stall the moment Tejima Shinichi appeared, thwarted at every turn.
Each action only propelled the boy higher while hurling Danzo himself deeper into the abyss.
It was as if the child had been born solely to counter him!
And now Hiruzen clearly intended to groom the boy as the next Hokage!
Once Shinichi succeeded, given their old grudges and the boy's resolute strength, Danzo's fading ambitions would be buried forever.
"Te... ji... ma... Shin... ichi..."
Danzo ground out the name syllable by syllable from the depths of his throat.
He felt trapped in an invisible net woven by the calm-eyed youth in the photograph.
Icy despair seeped through his limbs, yet it birthed an even more reckless lust to possess or destroy.
If he could not obtain it, then at any cost... he would obliterate him!
He must never allow this natural bane to truly claim that seat!!!