The Nara Clan

It was one thing that Konoha needed the Uchiha and Hyuga right now, but what would the other clans in the village think if he made a move against either of them?

And what would the old man who had unconditionally supported him becoming Hokage think?

So he simply ignored Shimura Danzō's words.

"Hmph! Hiruzen, it seems the power of the Hokage has made you soft! Sooner or later, you'll regret this weakness born of power.

"You can even tolerate something that openly challenges the Hokage's authority... You... You... Heh."

Shimura Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, then lowered his head and spoke quietly. He left the rest of his words unsaid.

Scenes from the Land of Lightning kept resurfacing in Shimura Danzō's mind.

If... if he had been the first to speak back then... Teacher Tobirama...

"Enough, Danzo. I'm the Hokage."

Looking at Shimura Danzō with his head bowed, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally knew what was on his mind. But... some things simply couldn't be explained.

For the moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only speak sternly and make Shimura Danzō face reality.

This... was only to keep his friend from going down the wrong path.

"Yes... you're the Hokage. But I can see what the future holds after this choice, Hiruzen. You'll regret it."

At those words, Shimura Danzō raised his head as though seeing his old friend for the first time. He studied him for a while, then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi impassively and spoke softly before turning to leave.

Watching Shimura Danzō walk away, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He simply took another drag from his pipe.

The red ember flickered in and out through the drifting smoke.

"Sigh..."

Ninja Academy.

The scene that had just unfolded drew all the students' eyes to Uchiha Gen. Now, it wasn't just the girls looking at him—even the boys' gazes were fixed on him.

As the center of attention, Uchiha Gen could only accept the fact in silence.

As for the other main character in the commotion, his younger brother had already taken him home.

That afternoon.

Ino Sarutobi led all the students out to the training field.

"This afternoon's lesson is shuriken throwing. Many of you probably received some training before enrolling.

"But some of you surely haven't. Listen carefully! To start learning how to throw shuriken, we first need to understand what a shuriken is. Look..."

Ino Sarutobi took out several shuriken and carefully explained everything to the students, including how to put force into their wrists and some basic throwing techniques. As she explained, she also threw a few shuriken to demonstrate.

"That's how it's done. Now it's your turn to practice. Five shuriken each. I'll record your scores this time and compare them with your results in the next throwing lesson. Shikaku Nara, you're first."

Ino Sarutobi clapped her hands with a serious expression, glanced at Shikaku Nara, who looked utterly uninterested among the students, and called on him.

"Yes, sorry for the trouble... Why do I have to go first?"

Shikaku Nara answered listlessly and stepped out of line, walking over to Ino Sarutobi.

Once he was in position, he saw a wooden target set up ten meters ahead.

He picked up one of the specially made practice shuriken lying to the side and weighed it lightly in his hand.

"What a drag. Pops, Pops, I think you tricked me. This class doesn't seem as easy as you said. What kind of school starts teaching this stuff right after enrollment? Shouldn't they start with Konoha's history and that Will of Fire?"

Looking at the shuriken in his palm, Shikaku Nara flicked his wrist. The shuriken shot toward the wooden target.

And then...

"Missed the target! Keep going."

"Four points, three points, two points, one... one point?"

Looking at the shuriken stuck in the wooden target, Ino Sarutobi glanced at Shikaku Nara standing beside her, the corner of her mouth twitching.

Given a score like that, and what she knew of the Nara Clan's nature, it was hard not to wonder whether the boy in front of her, wearing an expression that said, "Teacher, why haven't you called the next person yet?" was deliberately hiding his abilities.

"Next."

"The Ino-Shika-Cho of this generation, the parents of the Konoha 12, are weak, but their shuriken-throwing fundamentals are solid.

"Was he not recognized by the Mist Space because he hasn't learned his clan's inherited techniques yet? Or... is he just too lazy?"

In the crowd, Uchiha Gen watched Shikaku Nara finish throwing with an expression that said, "Finally, it's over." When it came to shuriken, no one could beat the Uchiha.

He could tell that Shikaku Nara was indeed hiding his abilities.

"The Nara are smart... Maybe I can approach him. The Uchiha really could use a few more brains."

Watching Shikaku Nara return to the crowd, Uchiha Gen gave a faint smile.

What he planned to do would require capable people, and the Nara Clan had plenty of people with exceptional intelligence.

"That's amazing! Nine points every time! He was just a little short of a perfect score."

As Uchiha Gen watched Shikaku Nara, an excited cry rang out from the crowd. He turned to look and saw Minato Namikaze standing before the wooden target.

"Not bad. You've got a great sense of aim. Judging by the way you hold the shuriken, this must be your first time. That's excellent accuracy for your first throw."

Looking at the blond boy, Ino Sarutobi smiled and nodded.

As a jōnin, Ino Sarutobi could tell at a glance that Minato Namikaze was perfectly mimicking her posture as he held the shuriken.

Considering Minato Namikaze's civilian background and remembering the Third Hokage's instructions, Ino Sarutobi was in a very good mood and praised him.

"Finding civilian-born geniuses, huh? I didn't expect her to find one so quickly."

"You can go back now. Forty-five points—currently the highest score. Next, Uchiha Gen."

"Uchiha shuriken..."

Holding the class roster, Ino Sarutobi looked at Uchiha Gen.

Ino Sarutobi felt helpless about Uchiha Gen. He had beaten every student in his class on the first day, then beat the Hyuga clan's heir at noon, nearly sparking a fight between Uchiha and Hyuga shinobi right there at school.

A student like that was far beyond what anyone could explain away as a troublemaker.