You Regret My Shadow

"Yes. That was Lightning Style: False Darkness."

Minato's pupils contracted.

Though he'd already suspected as much, hearing Hiroki admit it so readily still came as a huge shock.

Hiroki didn't give him much time to process it. From the moment he'd been captured, he'd known the villagers might question him, and he'd already prepared an explanation.

"After we were captured, one of the Cloud Ninja carried me over his shoulder the whole time." His voice was calm, as though he were talking about someone else. "During that time, I... awakened a Kekkei Genkai."

"A Kekkei Genkai?" Minato echoed. It was the most reasonable explanation.

"Yeah." Hiroki nodded. "It's an ability... I don't even know what to call it. I can 'feel' someone's thoughts, like reading an open book. All the knowledge of ninjutsu in his mind, all his combat experience—they were laid out clearly before me. I 'read' Lightning Style: False Darkness from him."

That explanation was entirely true.

But Hiroki had left out some details.

For instance, he really had "read" the man's thoughts, but not through perception. He'd simply opened the other man's mental file folder and accessed his thoughts, ideas, and memories.

Minato's brow furrowed as he quickly digested the vast amount of information.

"So you learned a B-rank ninjutsu on the spot while you were being held captive?"

"You could put it that way," Hiroki continued. "And it was only because of my Kekkei Genkai that I was able to fight back."

"At first, I only planned to play dead and wait for an opportunity. Then, using the same ability, I sensed your chakra drawing near. I tried to establish a mental link with you so I could pass on the information."

"I received it," Minato confirmed at once.

"But just then, the enemy captain sensed the chakra from my Kekkei Genkai. I was exposed. He was going to kill me, so I had no choice but to fight back." Hiroki sighed. "That's why I couldn't wait for you. I had to risk everything and strike before he could act, using the ninjutsu I'd just learned. To be honest, I wasn't sure I could do it."

"But whatever happened, I had to go all in and strike first."

"...According to Sawada Hiroki, once he realized he'd been exposed and was about to be silenced, he had no choice but to risk everything and strike first."

In the Hokage's office, an Anbu Ninja wearing a cat mask recited the account in an utterly flat voice. It was almost identical to what Hiroki had told Minato.

Sarutobi Hiruzen listened in silence, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.

As Hokage, Hiruzen knew far more than Minato did: Hiroki's answers during Minato's questioning, the Cloud Ninja's autopsy reports, the investigation into Hiroki's ancestors, the investigation into his parents, and the investigation into the course of his life...

But they hadn't found anything suspicious.

Sawada Hiroki had been born in Konoha. His parents had been ordinary Konoha Ninja who'd died on the battlefield. As for a Kekkei Genkai, it wasn't impossible. Hiroki's ancestors seemed to have had blood ties to the Yamanaka Clan, known for their mental techniques.

It had been a distant connection, but there was still a chance he'd inherited such a Kekkei Genkai.

Why did he know an enemy village's ninjutsu? Because his Kekkei Genkai had "read" and "copied" it.

Why could he communicate over a distance? Because his Kekkei Genkai could establish a "mental link."

Why hadn't he waited for reinforcements before acting? Because the enemy had discovered him, forcing him to fight back.

There were still a few oddities, but the Anbu Ninja's investigation showed that every answer pointed to the same conclusion: a "Kekkei Genkai."

What else could let a child of eight or nine kill two Ninja in an instant—one of them a jōnin—and seriously injure another?

The explanation was airtight. Hiruzen couldn't find a single flaw.

The Third nodded. He accepted Sawada Hiroki's explanation.

But his old friend beside him seemed to have a different opinion.

"A Kekkei Genkai that can copy other people's ninjutsu and communicate over a distance through mental links..." Shimura Danzo's hoarse voice came from the shadows, like sandpaper scraping together.

"Hiruzen, he's a weapon born for battle! He must be placed under the strictest control! Give him to me, and I'll make sure he fulfills his value as a tool!"

Here we go again.

Hiruzen sighed inwardly.

He knew his old friend too well. Danzo wanted to turn anything useful, whether person or object, into a tool in his hands.

But Ninja weren't tools. They were people.

And when dealing with people, one had to consider how other Ninja would feel. After all, they weren't as powerful as the First, who could reshape the order of the entire Shinobi World by himself.

"Danzo, we can't do that." The Third stared at him, his voice low and firm.

He fixed Danzo with a sharp gaze. "He's still a child—a child who protected his comrades in a desperate situation! He's a hero of Konoha! Your so-called 'training' would only turn him into a killer with no feelings."

If even a child who'd saved his comrades was sent to Root, how could Konoha ever prosper?

"Besides..." Hiruzen paused, intending to downplay Hiroki's value.

"This Kekkei Genkai isn't as powerful as you imagine. According to the report, his mental link is extremely unstable and easily detected by sensory Ninja. It's far inferior to the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques. The Cloud Ninja seems to have realized Hiroki was still conscious because he communicated with Minato."

"As for copying ninjutsu, isn't the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan even more convenient?! They only need to see a technique once to copy it!"

"If you send him to Root today, what will the Uchiha Clan think? What will the Yamanaka Clan think? You can't consider only the impact of this one matter. You also have to consider the village's situation!"

Sarutobi stood and walked to the window, looking out at Kage Rock. "Konoha doesn't belong to us alone! Konoha belongs to everyone!"

"Softhearted fool!" Danzo snorted as he rose from the shadows. He didn't believe a word of it.

As far as he was concerned, training could overcome any weakness, while potential was what mattered most. A Kekkei Genkai was proof of superiority.

Besides, Hiruzen talked as if joining Root were the same as dying. But which clan didn't have people working in Root, apart from the Uchiha? He'd only used the Cursed Seal of Rōshō to prevent them from revealing secrets. Otherwise, he'd imposed no restrictions at all!

Root was absolutely not a bad choice!

"Hiruzen, you're always like this! By your logic, everyone should just shout about love and peace, and then Konoha would become the greatest Ninja village? Ridiculous!" Danzo sneered. "You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"

"I'm the Hokage, Danzo!" Hiruzen retorted.

"Then tell me, what should we do? The village needs fresh blood right now. We can't leave it to Jiraiya and Orochimaru to handle everything on the front lines!" Danzo asked with a sneer.

At that, the Third couldn't help frowning.

That much was true. Since the Second Hokage's death, the Shinobi World had enjoyed a brief period of peace. But as a result, Konoha had entered an unusually quiet stretch of time. There weren't even any low-intensity battlefields where they could hone their skills.

In the past, it had been normal for children to go to war at five or six.

Hiruzen thought it over. He hesitated, but finally spoke. "Sawada Hiroki and Namikaze Minato have both demonstrated abilities in this incident that far exceed the level of students at the Ninja Academy. Keeping them in school any longer would indeed be a waste of time."

Danzo's eyes shifted as he immediately understood Hiruzen's intention.

In the end, he'd compromised.

"You mean... let them graduate early?" Danzo raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly," the Third said with a nod. "But to convince everyone and assess their potential more accurately, we need to arrange a graduation exam and see what they're truly capable of."

So that was it. A compromise, but not a complete one.

He wanted to use the exam to buy time.

Danzo sneered inwardly. He knew Hiruzen was probably waiting for his student Jiraiya to return to the village, so he could bring these children—especially Sawada Hiroki—under his wing.

Still, it was a good idea.

After all, Orochimaru would need some time to return to the village, too.

"Fine." Danzo settled back into the shadows, his voice calm once more. "Then we'll need to carefully discuss who should serve as their examiner."

Once Orochimaru returned, the best course would be to have him take the children as disciples and, through gradually getting to know them, bring them into Root to serve Konoha.

If they couldn't be brought into Root... Danzo narrowed his eyes. Then he'd have to find a way to eliminate this unstable threat.