A genius like that...
He has to be dealt with.
Outside the Academy, hidden among the cheering crowd, a short middle-aged man in plain clothes watched Kizaru on the training ground with a blank expression.
On the surface, he had entered Konoha as part of a merchant caravan from the Land of Wind.
In truth, he was a spy from Sunagakure.
His mission was simple—
gather whatever intelligence he could inside Konoha.
Originally, he had assumed this trip would be the same as always. Pick up a few scraps of gossip from the villagers, gather some rumors, then send back a report that would barely count as useful.
But this time, he had stumbled right into something far more important.
Konoha's newest genius was holding his early graduation assessment.
To be honest, when he first looked at the two figures standing on the field, he couldn't even tell which one was the student and which one was the examiner.
It was only after listening to the discussions around him that he pieced things together.
Shimura Kizaru.
Not even seven years old.
Possesses a mysterious golden light-based kekkei genkai.
Abnormally strong physical ability—obvious even at a glance.
A monster of talent.
Some people in Konoha were already calling him a prodigy on the level of the First Hokage.
That alone was enough to make his body tremble.
Konoha already held the richest land, the strongest economy, and the deepest pool of talent among the Five Great Nations. That had always made the other hidden villages wary.
And now another absurd genius had appeared?
This information had to be sent back to Sunagakure immediately.
No matter what, the Kazekage had to be informed.
A child like this could not be allowed to grow unchecked.
If necessary—
the other villages would surely be willing to join hands to eliminate him.
At any cost.
After silently finishing his assessment, the middle-aged spy turned and slipped away into the crowd without drawing attention.
Meanwhile, Kizaru stood at the center of the training ground with both hands in his pockets, calmly looking around.
He had no idea that the sort of cliché line people joked about—a genius must be eliminated early—was actually about to become reality for him.
Inside the Academy, countless students were staring at him with admiration, envy, or outright disbelief.
Outside, the villagers were cheering loudly for him.
To them, the meaning of this victory was simple.
A new genius had risen in Konoha.
That meant the village's future strength had grown even greater.
It meant Konoha's ability to protect its people, its peace, and its interests had become that much stronger.
So when Kizaru defeated an elite Uchiha jōnin in such an overwhelming way, most of the villagers were genuinely happy.
This was the voice of the village.
Standing on the rooftop, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kizaru below, listening to the cheers rolling in from every direction.
A faint sigh passed through his heart.
The people have already accepted him...
Beside him, however, the expressions of the Uchiha clan head and elders had turned ugly.
And when some of the senior figures nearby began congratulating the Shimura Great Elder with smiling faces, those expressions became even worse.
They had never imagined they would lose.
Much less lose this badly.
After today, the Uchiha clan's pride had been thoroughly trampled on by Shimura Kizaru.
In no mood to hide his displeasure, the Uchiha clan head quickly excused himself with several elders, citing concern over Kensuke's injuries.
Watching them leave, the Shimura Great Elder sighed in a tone that sounded almost regretful.
"That child really went a little too far. To think he'd injure Uchiha Kensuke-jōnin that badly... it makes me feel a little apologetic."
"In a real combat assessment, injuries are unavoidable."
"Exactly. I've watched Kizaru-kun grow up since he was little. That child has always had a good heart."
The other clan heads nearly cursed on the spot.
What nonsense.
But whatever they were thinking, not a trace of it showed on their faces.
Outwardly, they all kept smiling and exchanged polite words with the Shimura elder.
Unlike the Great Elder, who was openly enjoying himself, Danzo remained as expressionless as ever beside Hiruzen.
Having personally crossed hands with Kizaru before, Danzo had never doubted that Kensuke would lose.
What interested him far more now was how to build even more momentum for Kizaru after today—
and what exactly that spinning chakra sphere Kizaru had used earlier was.
As though he could read his old friend's thoughts, Hiruzen calmly lit his pipe and turned toward Danzo.
After taking a slow drag and letting the smoke drift out, he said with a smile,
"That jutsu is called the Rasengan. An A-rank ninjutsu Kizaru developed some time ago."
Danzo turned to look at him sharply.
There was a rare hint of confusion in his eyes.
Why did this old guy know that?
Hiruzen's smile widened almost imperceptibly.
"The last time I met him, he showed it to me himself and asked me to give him a few suggestions." Hiruzen paused there on purpose, clearly enjoying the moment.
"That child's talent really is astonishing. The jutsu itself was already nearly complete. At most, I could only give him a little advice on where to develop it next."
Danzo ground his teeth inwardly.
This old bastard...
But outwardly, he only replied in a flat voice, "You've really gone to a lot of trouble for a child of the Shimura clan."
Hiruzen smiled without the slightest strain.
"No trouble at all," he said. "He's my student, after all."
Danzo's face twitched.
He was irritated—but there was nothing he could say back to that.
So in the end, he simply looked away and turned his gaze back toward Kizaru below, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Hiruzen did the same.
As he looked at Kizaru standing there on the field, his eyes were full of satisfaction—
and even deeper expectation.
Now then... let your teacher help push you one step further.
With that thought in mind, Hiruzen moved.
Under the surprised gaze of everyone on the rooftop—Danzo especially—he jumped directly down onto the training ground.
He landed beside Kizaru.
Standing there, Hiruzen first looked around at the cheering students and villagers, then turned toward the boy beside him.
With a warm, openly pleased smile, he raised a hand and patted Kizaru on the shoulder.
"You did well."
"Nothing special," Kizaru replied modestly.
"Hahaha!"
Hiruzen laughed heartily, then shifted his attention back to the crowd.
"As the Third Hokage, I hereby announce that Shimura Kizaru has passed his assessment and officially graduated early!"
The moment those words rang out, the cheers around them instantly rose to another level.
Then Hiruzen continued—
"Shimura Kizaru possesses exceptional talent and outstanding ability. From this day onward, I will personally take him as my disciple."
For one brief instant, the entire place fell silent.
Everyone present was stunned by the announcement.
The Third Hokage—
who had not taken a disciple in well over ten years—
had accepted another student.
The ordinary villagers and most of the Academy students didn't think much beyond the surface of it. To them, it was simply shocking, and envy spread at once.
Kizaru was going to become Hokage-sama's disciple?
That alone was enough to set off another wave of discussion.
But for the senior shinobi and clan leaders present, the meaning went far deeper.
They looked at Hiruzen and Kizaru standing side by side below.
Then they looked at Danzo and the Shimura elders above.
And in that moment, many of them seemed to glimpse Konoha's future.
The Fourth Hokage.
Or perhaps the Fifth.
Barring some unforeseen disaster, Shimura Kizaru had already stepped onto the path that led straight toward the Hokage's seat.
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