Hiruzen Sarutobi's Astonishment

At that moment, Kakashi's first thought was whether someone had disguised themselves as him, infiltrated the village, and done something.

That would undoubtedly be a serious matter, but he was not panicked. He had indeed been at home the entire time, and whatever had happened, he could withstand any investigation.

"Been at home the whole time?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused with his teacup in hand and looked at Kakashi in surprise. Kakashi did not seem to be deliberately playing dumb.

After a moment of astonishment, Hiruzen Sarutobi made a gesture. An Anbu ninja swiftly appeared in the office. Turning to him, he said in a low voice:

"Call the patrol squad over. Have them report last night's patrol situation."

"Yes."

The Anbu ninja quickly vanished.

A short while later, several masked Anbu appeared in the office and began their report.

Kakashi occasionally spoke with the reporting Anbu ninja. After comparing their accounts, it was confirmed that he had not left home last night.

Once it was confirmed that Kakashi had not killed the Hidden Mist Village scout, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked puzzled. He thought carefully, but he did not recall Hatake Sakumo ever teaching Hatake Swordsmanship to anyone else.

"Kakashi, did Sakumo ever take on any disciples or teach anyone his swordsmanship?"

"I don't know."

Kakashi shook his head.

Hatake Sakumo had once been the captain of Konoha's Anbu and the frontline commander-in-chief during the Second Great Ninja War. He rarely spoke with Kakashi about such matters.

Kakashi asked doubtfully, "...Lord Hokage, what exactly happened?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then briefly explained what had happened earlier.

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's description, Kakashi was briefly stunned. Then he quickly thought of something, his eyes widening slightly and his mouth falling open.

Noticing Kakashi's expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "What did you think of?"

"That... um..."

Kakashi hesitated. He had already guessed that Feng Ye had most likely done it, but he was unsure whether to say so.

Seeing that Kakashi clearly knew something, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "Report everything you know to me in detail."

Kakashi thought that Feng Ye had not told him about this yesterday, so perhaps he had not intended for Kakashi to conceal it for him. Thus, he said, "If that's the case, I might know who did it."

"Who?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kakashi.

"...My older brother, Feng Ye."

Kakashi answered quietly, silently repeating to himself that this had nothing to do with him.

Hearing Kakashi's answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi was immediately taken aback. He asked in astonishment, "Who did you say?"

Kakashi silently repeated it.

At this answer, not only Hiruzen Sarutobi, but also an Anbu squad captain standing to one side of the office and a Jonin waiting to make a report showed stunned expressions.

"...Feng Ye?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Kakashi in astonishment. "Are you sure, Kakashi? That was an elite scout from the Hidden Mist Village, and the battle was over in one minute."

Since he had already sold Feng Ye out, Kakashi simply said, "I don't know the exact course of the battle, but he really could have done something like that. My older brother has always been stronger than me."

Cough!

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help coughing as he sat down.

Kakashi could not possibly be lying in this situation. There was no point in lying; all they had to do was summon Feng Ye and verify it. He simply needed time to process this information.

Feng Ye... was stronger than Kakashi?!

It was perfectly normal for an older brother to be stronger than his younger brother, but when it came to Feng Ye and Kakashi, it was anything but ordinary!

Kakashi was a genius Konoha had not seen in years, like Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang, in his younger days!

If all of this was true, it meant that Feng Ye, an eight-year-old boy, had taken down an elite Chunin from Kirigakure within one minute. His talent might even surpass Kakashi's!

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and took a deep drag. Only after exhaling the smoke did he say, "Go bring Feng Ye here."

"Yes."

An Anbu responded and vanished with a whoosh.

Ninja Academy.

Today was the final day before the end-of-term exams.

Feng Ye's class was gathered on the training field, standing in lines. In an open area before them, two students were engaged in an intense fight.

Clang, clang, clang!

Kunai constantly collided, accompanied by crisp sounds and scattering sparks.

"Yaaahhh..."

Obito Uchiha let out an all-out shout as he fiercely slashed down with his kunai, forcing his opponent back with sheer strength. He immediately threw his kunai, forcing his opponent to retreat another step.

Then, his hands rapidly formed seals.

"Fire Style! Great Fireball Technique!"

This time, the ninjutsu did not fail. It was successfully unleashed, and a massive fireball blasted forward in an instant. The student's face filled with terror as he found himself unable to dodge in time.

Whoosh!

Seeing this, the Chunin instructor flashed forward, his hands swiftly forming seals.

"Water Style! Water Formation Wall!"

Crash!

Water surged forth and collided with the Great Fireball, hissing as it swallowed and extinguished the fireball Obito Uchiha had unleashed.

After putting out the Great Fireball, the Chunin instructor let out a breath, straightened up, and directly announced, "Obito Uchiha wins."

"Ooooooh!!!"

Obito Uchiha shouted in wild excitement.

At last, he had not embarrassed himself this time.

When he turned around, he saw Rin Nohara and the other students applauding him. He immediately felt thoroughly satisfied. As he headed back toward the crowd, he raised his chin at Feng Ye.

Feng Ye did not react at all to Obito's provocation. He simply stood there calmly applauding, his eyes somewhat deep and unreadable.

"Feng Ye, are you in a bad mood?"

Kurenai Yuhi had noticed early on that Feng Ye was acting strangely today. Once the applause ended, she could not help asking him quietly.

"No."

Feng Ye shook his head. "I was just thinking about something..."

As Feng Ye stared into the distance, lost in thought, the Chunin instructor on the field took out the roster and called out the names of the next pair of students.

"Next group: Feng Ye versus Hokumon Hyuga."

At those words, the nearby students immediately turned their gazes toward Feng Ye and Hokumon Hyuga.

Hokumon Hyuga stepped out from the crowd and said calmly, "This is a pretty good matchup. Let me show you the strength of the prestigious Hyuga clan, Feng Ye."

He was somewhat dissatisfied with Feng Ye over what had happened before, but not enough to act like a child and directly cause him trouble. Now that they had been paired together for this sparring match, it was naturally the best possible outcome.