In the middle of an empty training ground in Konoha.
Hiroki stood there, waiting quietly.
He had already received a message from the Third. Someone was coming to have a little "chat" with him.
But the Third's message had been rather subtle.
"Don't kill them."
What did that mean?
On the surface, it seemed the Hokage wanted Hiroki to hold back. But there was no reason to take his words so simply.
After all, the people about to arrive were Sarutobi Hiruzen's former colleagues and teammates: Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
They were Konoha's two elder advisor and, according to the official guidebooks, possessed wisdom and strength on par with the Third.
But everyone knew that what was written in the guidebooks and what happened in reality were two different things.
If they were really that strong, they wouldn't have been nowhere to be seen during the Konoha Crush Plan or the Fourth Shinobi World War! Even an elderly shinobi like Ōnoki had fought in the war, and the Third had been brought back with Impure World Reincarnation—
Yet no one seemed to care whether these two elder advisors from Konoha lived or died.
The only explanation was that, in terms of both strength and perspective, they were probably no more than thoroughly mediocre elite jonin. They might not even have reached Kage Level.
Let's return to the question from earlier: why did Hiroki think the Third's message might not be so simple?
The answer was simple.
If the Third truly wanted to protect these two elders, he could have simply ordered Hiroki to do him a favor and avoid clashing with them. Or he could have stepped in personally to mediate.
After all, the Third was still Konoha's Hokage. In terms of both strength and authority, Hiroki couldn't possibly