The news spread quickly through the village:
Shimura Kizaru would apply for early graduation at the end of his first year, take the special assessment, and fight a jōnin examiner.
The moment the Shimura clan released that information, the discussion around Kizaru surged once again.
After all, ordinary students applying for early graduation only had to face a chūnin examiner.
Kizaru, on the other hand, was challenging a jōnin.
The difference in difficulty was enormous.
Very soon, a new topic began circulating throughout the village:
Did six-year-old Shimura Kizaru truly possess the strength of a jōnin?
The voices supporting him were naturally led by shinobi aligned with the Shimura clan.
According to them, Kizaru possessed monstrous physical ability, chakra reserves so absurd they were practically inhuman, had already mastered nature transformation, and could use high-level Wind Release ninjutsu with ease. Judging from those facts alone, they argued that Kizaru already had the strength of a jōnin—perhaps even that of an elite jōnin.
The loudest opposition came, unsurprisingly, from the Uchiha clan.
They first cast doubt on the claim that Kizaru had improved those ninjutsu himself, then pointed out that he had no real combat experience. No matter how gifted he was, they argued, fighting an elite jōnin with years of battlefield experience was a completely different matter.
In actual combat, Kizaru would never be able to bring out all of his power. At most, they said, his talent was promising—but his real combat ability was nowhere near jōnin level, much less elite jōnin.
The Uchiha clan's hostility toward Kizaru wasn't really because they were jealous of his talent.
Nor was it because he had already beaten members of their younger generation.
At the root of it, it was much simpler than that.
They hated Danzō.
Danzō, who had inherited the Second Hokage's distrust of the Uchiha and taken it even further, had been suppressing them for years.
Naturally, that had left the Uchiha full of hostility toward him.
And as Danzō's clan—and his firmest supporters—the Shimura clan was dragged into that hatred as well.
Faced with the Uchiha's questioning, Danzō didn't bother responding in person.
He simply took out his little notebook and added another silent mark beside the Uchiha clan's name.
Uchiha, hm? Questioning my nephew now? Jumping around this much? At a glance, they already look like future rebels. One day, they'll need to be dealt with.
Although his dislike for the Uchiha deepened a little more, Danzō had no time to bother with them for now.
His attention was elsewhere.
Recently, his main concern had been selecting Kizaru's future instructor.
With talent like his eldest nephew's, an ordinary teacher simply wouldn't do.
Danzō gave the matter serious thought, and after weighing every angle, he narrowed the choices down to two candidates.
The first was Hatake Sakumo.
An elite jōnin, highly skilled with a blade, experienced, steady, and battle-tested.
The second was Orochimaru.
His old friend's pupil. A genius among geniuses, much like Kizaru himself, and a shinobi proficient in every chakra nature.
Danzō found it difficult to choose between the two.
One had overwhelming experience.
The other had greater breadth and talent.
Both were among Konoha's finest.
And Danzō wasn't the only one concerned about Kizaru's future instructor.
Sarutobi Hiruzen cared about it just as much.
Kizaru's talent was simply too absurd. As long as nothing unexpected happened, he would one day become a Kage-level powerhouse—and very likely a future Hokage candidate.
Naturally, Hiruzen couldn't leave a child like that to grow unchecked.
If such a talent developed in the wrong direction, it would be a tremendous loss for the village.
As far as Hiruzen was concerned, the ideal choice for Kizaru's instructor was obvious.
Orochimaru.
Of course, Hiruzen also had his own private motives.
Danzō might have been his longtime friend and political ally, but the two of them were not truly alike. Their philosophies overlapped in some places, but in others they clashed sharply.
Over the years, the two had maintained their partnership largely because both internal and external pressures had forced them to stand together.
But now that Danzō's clan had produced a talent like Kizaru, Hiruzen naturally wanted to guide that child himself—no, rather, to have him shaped by someone who would carry on his ideals.
If Kizaru graduated early and was then placed under Orochimaru, the bond between teacher and student might gradually influence him.
Under that guidance, Kizaru could be steered toward what Hiruzen considered the proper path—and kept from being led too far astray by Danzō's more extreme thinking.
That had been Hiruzen's true purpose all along when he had publicly suggested Kizaru's early graduation back on the Academy grounds.
And so, in order to secure Orochimaru as Kizaru's instructor, Hiruzen had invited Danzō to his office for a private discussion today.
Standing from his chair as he waited, Hiruzen slowly walked to the window.
He pulled out his beloved old pipe, packed it with tobacco, lit it, and took a long, slow drag. As the smoke drifted from his lips, he gazed out over the village streets below and quietly considered how best to persuade his old friend to accept Orochimaru as Kizaru's instructor.
Danzō didn't keep him waiting long.
By the time Hiruzen had taken his third puff, the office door opened and Danzō stepped inside.
"Hiruzen, what is it?" Danzō asked directly as he shut the door behind him.
Hiruzen tapped the ash from his pipe, turned around with a smile, and looked at him.
"Sit first," he said calmly as he returned to his seat.
Danzō sat down across from him. Seeing the smile on Hiruzen's face, he could already guess why he had been summoned.
"Danzō," Hiruzen began in an almost casual tone, leaning back in his chair, "have you chosen anyone yet to be Kizaru's instructor?"
The corner of Danzō's mouth lifted slightly.
He was suddenly in a very good mood.
So his old friend had indeed come for exactly this reason.
"There are two candidates," Danzō said. "The first is Hatake Sakumo."
He deliberately paused there, hoping to catch some change in Hiruzen's expression.
But Hiruzen's smile didn't shift in the slightest.
Seeing no reaction, Danzō continued.
"The second is your student—Orochimaru."
When Hiruzen heard the first name, his expression remained unchanged, but inwardly his heart tightened.
It wasn't that he thought poorly of Hatake Sakumo.
Quite the opposite.
Hiruzen admired Sakumo greatly. He was an excellent shinobi—arguably close to flawless.
But that was precisely the issue.
Sakumo was well suited to being a shinobi.
He was not suited to being a leader.
He could become an unmatched blade in the village's hand, but not a torch capable of lighting the way for others.
To place someone like Kizaru under Hatake Sakumo would, in Hiruzen's eyes, be a waste.
Then he heard Danzō's second choice.
And that made him genuinely pleased.
The smile on Hiruzen's face grew noticeably warmer.
As expected, his old friend still understood him well.
Inwardly, Hiruzen gave Danzō quiet praise.
"Sakumo is heavily burdened with missions," Hiruzen said tactfully. "I'm afraid he may not have the time to properly serve as Kizaru's instructor."
Danzō immediately caught the meaning behind those words.
He gave a faint nod and said, almost as if reluctantly accepting it, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Hiruzen."
"I'm sure Orochimaru would be delighted to take on a student as gifted as Kizaru," Hiruzen said at once, helpfully making the decision on Orochimaru's behalf.
"Hahaha." Danzō let out a modest laugh. "Kizaru is also looking forward to becoming Orochimaru's student."
Inside the office, the two old schemers smiled at one another, both thoroughly satisfied with how the arrangement had turned out.
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