"What?"
Danzo Shimura's expression shifted slightly when he heard the explanation.
"A descendant of the Senju? You mean… one of those clansmen our teacher dispersed into the civilian population back then?"
So… some still remained?
He had always assumed they had all been used up in the previous Wood Release experiments.
"So one slipped through? What a pity…"
Danzo sneered inwardly.
Back then, he had handed a full list to Orochimaru. Yet someone had survived.
Unfortunately, now that this child had already caught the attention of both the Hokage and the White Fang, acting rashly was not an option.
For now… he would wait.
"Correct."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded calmly.
"Shiro Akira's grandfather was from the Senju clan. He showed no talent before, but recently awakened—his chakra has increased dramatically. There's no mistake."
"So I will never hand him over to you."
In truth, Hiruzen had already decided—
Shiro Akira would become one of his future pillars.
Danzo immediately countered, dissatisfaction evident.
"Then he shouldn't be left with Sakumo Hatake either."
"Do you even realize how high his reputation has become? There are already voices in the village calling for him to become Hokage!"
"If such a genius must be trained, better under me than under him."
"I can shape him. Remove Sakumo's influence entirely."
He already knew Hiruzen wouldn't agree.
But that wasn't the point.
This was about planting seeds.
Driving a wedge.
And sure enough—
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
He took a few slow puffs from his pipe before speaking firmly:
"That's enough. Sakumo is a hero of the village. A man of merit. He has done nothing wrong."
"Do not attempt to stir conflict without reason."
"..."
Danzo sneered internally.
He understood perfectly.
Hiruzen had listened.
That was enough.
Because Hiruzen Sarutobi—
Was the most hypocritical of them all.
"Hero? No wrongdoing?"
That simply meant—
As long as Sakumo made no mistake, Hiruzen couldn't act.
And when that time came…
Danzo would handle the "mistake" for him.
That had always been their unspoken arrangement.
Turning, Danzo cast one last meaningful glance.
"Hiruzen… you will regret this."
Then he left.
…
After he was gone—
Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his temple.
"Danzo's reach is growing too wide…"
"No matter what, the Ninja Academy is my domain. I won't allow him to interfere there."
That… was one of his bottom lines.
Hatake Residence
At the same time—
Sakumo stood quietly, watching.
His gaze rested on Shiro Akira.
The boy was practicing swordsmanship in the yard.
"Hmm?"
Sakumo's brows lifted slightly.
"Such rapid progress… his talent truly is extraordinary."
In just days—
Shiro Akira's swordsmanship had already caught up to that of Kakashi Hatake.
Then—
Something changed.
Crackling blue lightning began to gather around Shiro Akira's body.
And then—
He began infusing it into his sword.
Sakumo's eyes widened.
He stood up instantly.
As Shiro Akira repeated the motion—
Again.
And again.
The technique grew smoother with each attempt.
Until finally—
It began to take shape.
"A genius…"
"A true genius."
Now Sakumo understood.
This was how Shiro Akira had created his lightning body technique.
Pure talent.
Nothing else.
Nearby, Kakashi had already stopped training.
He stared blankly.
"…What is this?"
"We're both training swordsmanship…"
"So why are you doing this?"
The gap felt unreal.
"Clap! Clap!"
After Shiro Akira finished—
Sakumo stepped forward, applauding.
"You never fail to surprise me."
"To think you would create a lightning-infused kenjutsu right before my eyes… If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it."
"Hehe…"
Shiro Akira scratched his head.
"Not really… I just built on existing ideas and added some of my own. It's still very rough—I'll need time to refine it."
(Of course, this was also part of his plan—
To give Thunder Breathing a believable origin.)
"Modest, aren't you?"
Sakumo chuckled.
"Your talent speaks for itself. If you have questions, ask me anytime."
"I do have some experience with lightning-style kenjutsu."
Shiro Akira immediately shook his head.
"Sensei, that's too modest! Anyone who's heard of you knows your lightning-style swordsmanship dominates the battlefield. The name 'White Fang' wasn't given lightly."
"HAHAHA!"
Sakumo laughed heartily and pointed at him.
"You brat… 'dominates the battlefield'? Don't exaggerate."
"There are countless hidden experts in this world. Even among the known ones, many surpass me."
Still—
He was smiling.
Because this time—
The praise wasn't empty.
It came from a student—
Whose potential…
Might one day surpass even him.