Naruto had performed exceptionally well in the final assessment, easily defeating every opponent and taking first place.
Neither students from his own class nor upperclassmen had posed much of an obstacle to Naruto.
The Third Hokage found this perfectly normal. Naruto's current strength was comparable to Kakashi's and Minato's back then. Even special Jonin who specialized in combat might not necessarily be Naruto's match.
Jinchuriki naturally specialized in combat as well, and Naruto would become a powerful weapon for protecting the village in the future.
Therefore, compared to Naruto's strength, he cared more about whether Naruto truly cared for the village and for the companions he spent every day with.
Judging from his current behavior, Naruto had successfully formed bonds. Although Sasuke Uchiha was among them, that was no great concern. As long as those bonds existed, Naruto would not lose control.
This was also one of the reasons he had never made Naruto's background public.
On one hand, he worried that Naruto's growth would be restricted. On the other, having the villagers as a contrast made the bonds Naruto had built at the Ninja Academy seem even more precious, making him even less willing to lose them.
After seeing Naruto take first place in the final assessment, the Third Hokage closed the crystal ball.
He began considering what gift to bring during the next home visit and what excuse to use to brush off Naruto's questions about his background.
But those were matters for the future. The most urgent issue was still the troublesome Uchiha problem. The Uchiha's preparations for a coup had already reached the point where they made no effort to hide them.
If the Uchiha truly launched a coup, the village would suffer enormous losses, and his position as Hokage would be difficult to keep.
Stepping