"So the top graduate from the academy? Who is it? Don't tell me it's your son Asuma."
Danzo paused, frowning slightly.
Academy prodigies weren't exactly rare, but they were still seedlings with the potential to become jōnin. And in Root, jōnin weren't something you could pick off a tree—Danzo could count his own on his fingers.
The only standout he remembered after Kakashi's early graduation was Hiruzen's own son, Asuma. Surely the Third wasn't planning to throw his own kid into Root… right?
Hiruzen shot Danzo a speechless look.
As if he would ever send his own son into that pit.
"I'm not talking about Asuma. This year's first place is an Uchiha—the special admission case, Uchiha Feiyu."
The moment those five syllables landed, Danzo's face twisted with open disgust.
"Uchiha Feiyu? That late-joining, ten-year-old slacker? Why would Root want someone like that?"
"What's he going to do in Root, teach everyone how to do less work for more pay, run at the first sign of trouble, and ruin morale?!"
Danzo nearly exploded mid-sentence. Hiruzen, meanwhile, was surprised Danzo even knew who Feiyu was.
"So you've heard of him… Even if his personality is questionable, his potential isn't bad. And Root might even fix his attitude—"
"Heh. His parents died and he still hasn't awakened his Sharingan. Forget potential—someone like that? Root can't reform him."
Root's conditioning only worked on two types:
mentally unstable, easily shaped personalities
children raised from infancy in isolation
Someone who already had a fully formed worldview? Completely hopeless.
And Feiyu was even worse—he was a laid-back slacker. You couldn't brainwash someone who didn't care about anything to begin with. How were you supposed to threaten him?
Hiruzen's eye twitched.
His understanding of Feiyu came mostly from Asuma constantly complaining about him. The boy's personality was… unique, even among the Uchihas.
In a clan full of hot-blooded lunatics, suddenly producing one laid-back, non-ninja-like oddball made him stand out.
Originally Hiruzen planned to dump Feiyu into Root to appease Danzo, but apparently Danzo had done his homework.
Wait.
How did Danzo know Feiyu's background? That his parents were dead, and that he never awakened the Sharingan?
The thought flashed through Hiruzen's mind—then he dismissed it. Feiyu wasn't a core clan member, not worth a political battle.
"Fine. If you don't want to pick, then forget it. I'll approve ten more recruitment slots for Root. But stop thinking about Kakashi!"
"Daybreak, if you keep shielding him, one day—"
"I won't regret it."
Hiruzen cut him off coldly and waved him away.
"If you have nothing else, leave. The Third Great Ninja War is about to break out. Don't tell me Root has nothing better to do."
Danzo: "…"
Infuriating! Since when did Hiruzen get good at cutting him off?
After Danzo finally left, Hiruzen rubbed his temples and picked up Feiyu's file.
"This troublesome kid… where should I put him?"
"…hm. Asuma keeps shouting about defeating him. Let's just put them together."
There was another reason Hiruzen didn't voice:
With Feiyu's "safety-first" personality, he wouldn't recklessly rush into danger.
Asuma, as the Hokage's son, would never be assigned a truly suicidal mission as a genin—but his rebellious streak was worrying. Having someone cautious next to him would help keep him alive.
So the next morning, Feiyu discovered his squadmates were:
Asuma and Kurenai.
"Uchiha Feiyu! I can't believe they actually put us together! Good—now I can slowly surpass you!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just a useless Uchiha. Give it two years and I'm sure you'll surpass me."
"You—! You're doing it again! Stop brushing me off like I'm easy to deal with!"
Feiyu lazily humored the red-faced Asuma, while Kurenai watched the contrast between the calm Feiyu and the bouncing Asuma, covering her mouth as she giggled.
Feiyu, however, was genuinely surprised.
Even if he placed first, he was thirteen—significantly older than the rest. Normally, other ninja wouldn't acknowledge his talent. He didn't expect to be grouped with Asuma.
Still, being with the Hokage's kid had benefits.
At least they wouldn't get thrown into suicide missions.
No matter how impartial Hiruzen appeared, no one would dare send the Hokage's son into a nine-deaths-one-life scenario.
Of course, nothing in the ninja world was truly safe. Even a Hokage could die. But with Asuma on the team, Feiyu's odds of survival skyrocketed.
"Asuma, stop arguing already. And Feiyu, stop provoking him. Do you two know who our instructor is?"
Feiyu shook his head.
"No idea. Asuma, you should have better intel. Who's our jōnin teacher?"
Asuma puffed out his chest proudly.
"You think I'd abuse my identity as the Hokage's son to pry into confidential information?"
"And the truth?"
"…I have no idea who it is."
Feiyu rolled his eyes, hands behind his head, one leg crossed.
"Doesn't matter. It won't be an Uchiha, that's for sure. Probably someone who can't teach me anything anyway."
"You two both have clan techniques. You won't be learning much from a jōnin instructor."
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