Inside the Central Tower, in the room assigned to Tejima Shinichi's team.
It was already the fifth day—also the final day—of the second phase of the Chunin Exams.
Tejima Shinichi sat cross-legged with eyes closed, refining chakra, while Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū performed basic taijutsu drills to stay loose.
In a corner, Uzumaki Karin hugged her knees, watching the three in hushed awe, afraid to make a sound.
These past few days had felt like a dream.
No beatings, no bites, no one even paying her much attention at all!!!
Tejima Shinichi had simply told her to tag along and given no further orders.
Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū kept their distance, but only because they barely knew her; they never made things hard for her.
Such calm was something she had never experienced.
Yet the quieter it was, the more uneasy she became, not knowing what fate ultimately awaited her.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocks shattered the room's stillness.
All three occupants froze and looked toward the door.
Kobayashi Takeshi stepped forward and opened it.
Outside stood a Chunin proctor wearing a grave expression.
Kobayashi Takeshi was surprised. "Proctor, sir? Has the exam period ended?"
The proctor shook his head, his gaze sliding past Kobayashi to lock on Tejima Shinichi, who had just opened his eyes.
"Not yet—but today is the last day." He stated his business, "I'm here for Tejima Shinichi."
Hearing this, Shinichi rose and walked to the doorway.
"For me?"
The proctor regarded him with deference and nodded.
"Yes. Orders of Lord Third Hokage. Please come with me… Lord Shinichi."
The title of "Lord" made Kobayashi and Satō blink, though it felt only natural given what Shinichi had shown in the exams.
To them, his performance had already shifted how every Ninja in the Village viewed him.
Karin, however, was bewildered; her status in Kusagakure had never let her grasp Shinichi's real identity—she only knew he was strong!
Shinichi gave a slight nod and asked nothing more.
He glanced at Kobayashi and Satō.
"Stay here," he said, his gaze flicking to Karin in the corner as well.
"Understood!" the two replied in unison.
When Karin realized the order included her, she obediently nodded too!
Shinichi followed the proctor out of the room… and, guided through the Central Tower, arrived at a spacious meeting-room door.
The proctor halted, stepping aside.
"The Hokage is inside. Please enter."
Shinichi pushed the door open.
Rather than a conference packed with Jonin, only Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at the head of the table.
He still wore the official Hokage robe, though the collar of his combat vest peeked out. His pipe lay on the table; seeing Shinichi, his stern look melted into a gentle smile.
"Shinichi, you're here," he said, beckoning warmly. "Come, sit."
Shinichi approached and bowed slightly.
"Sensei."
He took the seat indicated beside the Hokage, his posture relaxed yet poised.
Hiruzen picked up his pipe, slowly packed fresh tobacco, lit it, inhaled, exhaled a wisp of smoke, then asked with concern, "Have you rested well these days? Any trouble after your clash with the One-Tail?"
"Thank you for your concern, Sensei. I'm fine."
Hiruzen nodded, his expression turning serious as he came to the point. "Regarding the incident in the Forest of Death, the Anbu and I have just about finished our investigation. Orochimaru infiltrated the Village with two main targets."
He paused, his eyes sharpening as he looked at Shinichi.
"One was Uchiha Sasuke.... the other… was you."
To his surprise, Shinichi showed no shock—only a calm nod.
"I know."
That reply froze the words Hiruzen had meant to add. He blinked, then chuckled around his pipe, smoke curling from the corner of his mouth.
"Oh? So you'd already guessed?"
Shinichi met his gaze.
"When he ambushed me, his words made it clear he wanted my body. What he seeks is to research—or steal—powerful Kekkei Genkai."
"Among the genin in this exam, the bloodlines worth his attention are the Uchiha's Sharingan, the Hyuga's Byakugan, and the Wood Release I displayed."
Hiruzen listened, staring into those all-seeing eyes of his disciple, and a torrent of emotions surged through him as he reflected on his long teaching career.
What had he done to deserve this…? In the twilight of life, after betrayal by a student, estrangement from friends, and repeated calamities befalling the Village, fate had sent him such a pupil!
Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru—the legendary Sannin he had poured his heart into—each had astounded the Ninja World.
Yet for all their power, one was a "pervert," one a "gambler," and one a—
—each carried flaws that had caused him no end of worry.
Now, compared with those three wayward prodigies, the youth before him was—perfect!
Perhaps "perfect" was too absolute, yet to Hiruzen, Shinichi embodied the ideal successor more closely than anyone he had ever taught.
"Clever as always. Very well," Hiruzen said, relieved. "Then I needn't explain the point. With your current strength, even if Orochimaru struck personally, you might not win, but escape would hardly be impossible!"
"Still, rest assured: as long as you remain in Konoha and this old bone of mine still stands, no one will lay a hand on you!"
He spoke with ironclad certainty, every word ringing like a hammer blow.
Yet beneath that vow lay the exhaustion of recent days.
Indeed, ever since learning in the Forest of Death that Orochimaru's target was Shinichi, Hiruzen had barely slept.
He personally deployed Anbu, set up cordons, and even led searches several times, scouring the Village and its outskirts for any trace of the serpent Sannin.
Because he placed Shinichi's safety above all else and handled every precaution himself, only on this final day could he spare a moment to arrange this brief meeting here in the Central Tower.
Not for any special reason—he simply hadn't seen Shinichi in too long and felt uneasy!!!
He had staked Konoha's future, his own unfulfilled ideals, and the Village's safety on a twelve-year-old boy.
Shinichi, noting the fatigue in Hiruzen's eyes, fell silent for a moment, then nodded again.
"I understand, Sensei."
Yet beneath that calm, an almost absurd reflection flickered through Shinichi's mind.
Frankly, the way events had unfolded felt surreal even to him.
His original plan had been simple—
—create a public uproar during the first clash with Root, use questioning at the Hokage Office to pressure Hiruzen into stepping down to protect him, force the old man to choose sides between him and Danzo, and after surviving the Konoha Collapse Plan, welcome Tsunade's return!
That was why, when Danzo struck a second time, he had killed that Root Jonin despite Yamato's attempt to stop him—pure venting of rage!
Because… he hadn't trusted the "cowardly" version of Hiruzen!!!
Yet the present Hiruzen was anything but untrustworthy—Shinichi had practically become the old man's Achilles' heel!
Resources were poured in without reserve, the Hokage personally mentored him, and within three months his power had soared to the point where he could trade blows with a Tailed Beast.
That outcome differed from his original scheme by an entire sky....