"His growth has been rather fast, hasn't it?"
The Third Hokage muttered around his pipe, taking a slow drag. His expression was hard to read, hidden behind a cloud of smoke. But the thought crossed his mind-it might be time to hold him back a little.
Koharu Utatane exchanged a subtle look with Homura Mitokado, who nodded in agreement.
"Sarutobi,"
Homura began, adjusting his glasses thoughtfully. "Koharu's concerns aren't entirely without merit. She doesn't mean to stifle Usagi Xin's growth, but we can't ignore the fact that he carries the bloodline of the Uchiha.
"And the Uchiha have always wanted to draw him back into the fold."
After two rejections, do you really think he can keep turning them down forever?
The Third Hokage looked up at Homura, who continued. "No one understands the Sharingan like the Uchiha."
Xin might be indifferent to the Uchiha now, given the past-but can you guarantee he won't ever return to them?
His Sharingan had already reached the three-tomoe stage. If he wanted to develop it further, he'd eventually need the Uchiha's resources. The Uchiha could easily offer him something- maybe ask for his return in exchange for certain... advantages. They might even dangle the forbidden techniques of the Uchiha before him.
Homura didn't believe Xin would be able to resist such an enticing offer.
"Sarutobi, we've carried on our master's will. We need to ensure that it continues," Koharu interjected, adding fuel to the fire.
If mentioning the Uchiha wasn't enough to sway him, invoking Tobirama Senju would certainly do the trick.
Sure enough, as soon as Tobirama's name came up, the Third Hokage's expression turned serious.
"What exactly are you suggesting?" He asked.
Homura and Koharu shared a glance.
"Well, with the war going on, there's been a backlog of missions in the village," Homura hinted.
The implication was clear-if they couldn't suppress Xin's power, they could restrict his battlefield achievements. No matter how many accomplishments he'd already racked up, they could limit his future contributions by keeping him off the frontlines and assigning him to mundane missions in the village.
Over time, his fame would gradually fade.
"The new academy students are graduating soon, aren't they?" Koharu added. "Xin's a prodigy himself. Surely, he's the best person to train new talent."
"Minato is Jiraiya's student, and Nawaki is Orochimaru's disciple. They can go to the frontlines under their teachers' guidance. There won't be any issues there, right?"
In other words, they saw no need for Xin's team to stay intact. By assigning him as a jonin instructor, he'd be tied up in the village and unable to participate in the war.
Minato and Nawaki could be sent to the frontlines with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, effectively scattering Xin's team.
It was clear that Koharu and Homura had spent a lot of time crafting this plan to break up Xin's group.