Jingu Forest Field Hospital

It was midnight, yet the Hokage's office remained brightly lit.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, rubbed his temples while surrounded by mountains of scrolls and documents, showing no intention of resting.

Ever since taking on the heavy responsibility of leading the village, Sarutobi had grown accustomed to this grueling lifestyle.

Compared to the days spent by Tobirama's side, where his only concern was honing his personal strength, the complex and tedious daily administration now consumed the vast majority of his energy.

So much so that the Third Hokage had to repeatedly extend his working hours to ensure he could handle both personal combat readiness and internal governance—both hands had to be firm, and both had to be strong!

With this superhuman work ethic, Sarutobi Hiruzen could even multitask, sparing energy to focus on the education of Konoha's new generation.

As he listened to the report from Nara Motonari, the increasingly imposing Hokage merely lifted his eyes slightly, signaling for the other man to pause.

"Motonari, we are old acquaintances. Entrusting Team Five to you was a decision made after considering many factors, but fundamentally, it is because the advisory council—myself included—believes your abilities are more than sufficient for this post."

"Therefore, regarding the education of Team Five, you may make your own decisions. Do not feel constrained by anyone's status. I do not wish to see anyone using any pretext to engage in favoritism within the village during this critical period."

The Third's words were brief; distilled to their essence, they were the usual platitudes about "leadership trust" and "treating everyone equally."

But much of this empty talk was merely for show—after all, if things were truly fair and impartial, the three members of Team Five would never have been placed in the same squad to begin with.

However, Nara Motonari was no longer a cynical teenager of seventeen or eighteen.

Far from feeling resentment toward this "hypocrisy," he actually felt a sense of empathy for the Third Hokage.

A leader may hold supreme power that others envy, but as a responsible head of state, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been forced to sever ties with his former self from the day he took office, stripping away human sentiment from his iron-willed resolve.

Setting aside utopian fantasies of absolute fairness, if Hiruzen were not the Hokage, then with the power of the Sarutobi Clan, a genius like Erina, who was so well-versed in incantations, could have lived safely behind the scenes, far from the dangers of the battlefield! Why would there be any need for this elaborate charade of appointing Nara Motonari as a squad leader to protect those three children?

Furthermore, Hiruzen could have acted like some of the other power-brokers in the village, using high-sounding rhetoric to protect his clan's vital strength while watching from the sidelines, indifferent to the outcome!

But in reality, there are no "what-ifs."

As members of the privileged class, the Sarutobi Clan certainly gained supreme glory from the Hokage's position, but the price paid for it was equally sigh-worthy.

"Lord Sarutobi, I did not mean to deliberately praise Erina; I was simply reporting the current progress of their training in the most objective way possible. In terms of ninja talent, Miss Erina's future is indeed the brightest of the three, and her development is the most worth anticipating."

"And yet, according to the Anbu report, the boy named Yamada Soji not only perfectly repelled tonight's surprise attack but even used his bloodline limit to make you suffer a significant loss." The Third did not look up, instead pulling a file from the neatly stacked piles on his desk.

"This child was discovered by Tanaka Masanari a year ago, and later used his extracurricular internships to study medical ninjutsu at Konoha Hospital. Uchiha Fugaku's recovery half a year ago was only possible thanks to his assistance... Do you not think that compared to Erina, this young man appears to have a more promising future?"

"With all due respect, Lord Third..."

"Yamada Soji's current personal ability is indeed outstanding, but aside from his medical ninjutsu and bloodline secret arts, his fundamental attributes—taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and chakra reserves—cannot be compared to Miss Erina."

Nara Motonari picked up the file Hiruzen had specifically pulled from the desk. Looking at the photo of young Soshi taken during his ninja registration on the cover, he stood by his previous assessment.

"Surely you are well aware that at this age, a ninja's various skills are in a period of rapid growth."

"Experience, technique, and even combat awareness can be compensated for through training, but innate ninja talent is difficult to change."

"Moreover, Yamada Soji's bloodline limit currently appears to be an isolated case of ancestral awakening. Lacking a systematic inheritance, the benefits of a single secret technique will soon reach their limit..."

"Once the world sees through his depth, the many problems previously masked will emerge one by one."

"Motonari, talent is not as simple as it appears on the surface." Having said this, the Third finally set aside his work, interrupting Nara Motonari's report.

"Although his base stats are not ideal, that boy possesses a seasoned maturity and a clever, intuitive intelligence that belies his age."

"I do not deny that, it's just..."

Before Motonari could finish, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped him again: "I am not referring to his social intelligence, but his ability to develop and learn ninjutsu."

The Third lifted his chin slightly, signaling for Motonari to look closely at the file in his hand.

"Perhaps you have already witnessed the secret arts Yamada Soji performs using his bloodline, but there is one thing I must add—whether it is the Filth-Licking Technique that saved Fugaku's life, or the Rain Woman's Heart technique that caused you trouble, or even the special glass threads used to execute them, none of these results came from family inheritance. They are the fruits of Yamada Soji's own research..."

Sarutobi lowered his voice, but every word was clear: "The child is still half a month away from turning twelve. From the awakening of his bloodline to today, only a short year has passed."

"...!?"

Nara Motonari was stunned.

As a key member of the Nara Clan, he knew well that inheritance and innovation were two tasks of vastly different difficulty.

What so-called secret art was not the precious wealth left behind by predecessors who had spent years exploring and experimenting?

Even a veteran Jonin like himself, in most cases, only made adjustments to existing secret arts based on his own characteristics.

As for blazing a new trail and creating a school of his own, most people wouldn't even dare to imagine it...

Yet, according to the Third, Yamada Soji had not only walked this most difficult path but had also developed two new techniques within a year, both with different functions and remarkably high completion rates!

Such talent was not so much enviable as it was frightening...

The worldview he had built over many years made him instinctively unwilling to believe such an absurd thing could happen.

But when Nara Motonari's gaze met the Third's in mid-air, he finally confirmed the Hokage's words through this silent exchange of information.

At this, the surprise on Motonari's face gradually dissolved, replaced by a hint of bitterness and self-mockery.

"Hearing such a thing is enough to make one's skin crawl... He truly is an incredible character."

He subconsciously brushed his cheek where he had been struck earlier, his hidden emotions becoming even more complex—while he hadn't gone all out during the surprise attack, it seemed his student hadn't shown his full hand either...

"Lord Hokage, I suddenly feel that I might not be qualified to serve as the lead Jonin for Team Five..."

"Do not be like that. Even if Yamada Soji is a piece of unpolished jade, he still lacks the guidance of a mentor and the tempering of the battlefield at this stage. To prevent him from going astray, there is no one more suitable to be their teacher than you."

The Third Hokage brushed aside Nara Motonari's concerns and continued, "The construction project for the Jingu Forest Field Hospital is an excellent opportunity. I hope that you and your three disciples can truly coalesce into a cohesive unit through this mission; it will be of great benefit to the inheritance and development of the Will of Fire."

"Very well, this subordinate will do his best..."

Nara Motonari left while sucking his teeth in frustration, but Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated behind his desk, did not immediately turn his attention to other matters.

In reality, the report he had just handed to Nara Motonari was incomplete.

Setting aside the analysis of the boy's individual capabilities, the Anbu organization, which reported directly to the Hokage, had actually uncovered intricate, tangled connections between Soji and Inoue Hisahide.

For Hiruzen, who was gradually transforming into a political animal, the contents of this report were even more baffling than the previously mentioned research into ninjutsu development.

To the point that, for a moment, he saw the shadow of his teacher, Tobirama, in Soji...

"An anomaly, indeed."