Leaning heavily on his cane, Danzō listened in silence as his subordinate finished the report.
When the man stopped speaking, Danzō's brow furrowed.
"What is Hiruzen thinking?" he asked coldly. "Why would he suddenly promote a child? That boy doesn't look special at all."
"Danzō-sama," the subordinate said cautiously, "what's strange is that Kakashi Hatake took that child with him on a mission outside the village."
Danzō's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Hiruzen…" he muttered. "Don't tell me he's trying to cultivate another Fourth."
He had never forgiven the Third Hokage for handing the title to Namikaze Minato.
In Danzō's mind, aside from himself, no one in Konoha had ever been truly qualified to sit in that chair.
The moment Minato's name surfaced, his vigilance sharpened.
"Who exactly is this child?" Danzō asked. "According to the file, there's nothing remarkable about him."
"Then why would Hiruzen allow Kakashi to take him out of the village?"
"Hiruzen must know something we don't."
The more Danzō thought about it, the more unsettled he became.
The situation felt too familiar.
Arata's registered jōnin instructor was Honmoto Tōichi—yet he had gone out on a mission with Kakashi instead.
And the moment the mission ended, Arata was promoted to chūnin.
Worse, there had been no explanation to the upper ranks.
Yes, the Hokage had the authority to do it.
But with Hiruzen's temperament, he would normally provide at least a token justification—especially when a promotion so blatantly violated standard procedure.
Arata's mission record didn't even come close to qualifying.
So if procedure wasn't the reason…
Only one explanation remained.
Arata's strength must be exceptional—so exceptional that Hiruzen felt confident ignoring all objections outright.
But that didn't match the public record at all.
Arata's academy performance had been painfully ordinary.
Linking all these contradictions together, Danzō arrived at a chilling conclusion.
Hiruzen had allowed the boy to appear mediocre.
In reality, Arata's true ability was far stronger—possibly already beyond what a newly promoted chūnin should possess.
Otherwise, none of this made sense.
Simply being "chūnin-level" would never justify such a decisive promotion.
There was only one remaining possibility.
Arata's strength might already be at the jōnin level.
In peacetime, even among the Five Great Villages, true jōnin were rare.
They were elite combat assets.
And Arata was only twelve.
A twelve-year-old with jōnin-level strength, a clean background, and no clan backing…
That description reminded Danzō far too much of Namikaze Minato.
Danzō's expression darkened.
He tightened his grip on his cane.
"Hiruzen… Minato was enough," he said in a low, dangerous voice.
"I will not let you cultivate another Namikaze Minato."
He turned slightly.
"Yamanaka Fū."
One of his closest guards stepped forward.
"Bring that boy to me," Danzō ordered. "I want to see what he's truly capable of."
Fū didn't hesitate. He bowed once—and vanished into the shadows of Root.
The Ino–Shika–Chō Meeting
That same night, within the Yamanaka clan compound, Yamanaka Inoichi stood quietly in his study.
Behind him sat two familiar figures.
Nara Shikaku.
Akimichi Chōza.
The older generation's Ino–Shika–Chō had gathered for one reason only:
The Third Hokage's sudden decision.
To Arata himself, becoming a chūnin was a minor matter.
But among Konoha's major clans, it had sent ripples of unease.
This was peacetime.
Arata was civilian-born.
His mission count was nowhere near sufficient.
Under those conditions, the promotion was impossible to ignore.
What disturbed them most was the silence.
The Hokage hadn't explained anything—not even to his own faction.
Ino–Shika–Chō had been aligned with Hiruzen for decades.
They sensed immediately that something was different.
"What is the Third planning?" Inoichi asked. "Is he really trying to cultivate that boy?"
Shikaku replied gravely, "Today, I asked Shikamaru about him. And honestly… if the Third wants to cultivate him, it wouldn't surprise me."
Inoichi turned. "What did Shikamaru say?"
Shikaku relayed everything—Shikamaru's impressions from six years at the Academy, Arata's low presence, and scattered details pieced together from others such as Yamato and classmates who barely remembered him.
The information was incomplete.
But it was enough.
Chōza frowned deeply.
"Tōichi's student… actually endured that man's killing intent?"
"Then he truly has ability," Inoichi said slowly. "And he showed none of it. That level of restraint is frightening."
Inoichi couldn't imagine a child that young possessing such patience.
What he didn't know was the simpler truth:
Back then, Arata really had been average in practice.
He hadn't hidden anything—he simply hadn't cared to stand out.
But the clans didn't see it that way.
Chōza spoke again, voice heavy.
"The Third wouldn't do this for someone with only chūnin-level strength."
"I'd bet he's already jōnin-tier."
"And Kakashi is likely his real mentor—not Tōichi."
Chōza's eyes narrowed.
"Someone like that… reminds me of the Fourth."
Chōza had fought alongside Minato before.
He recognized the pattern immediately.
The Third's attitude was unmistakable.
He intended to cultivate Arata the same way he once cultivated Minato.
Promotion was only the first step.
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