Adopting Naruto Uzumaki

The gazes of over a dozen Anbu were fixed upon the eerie, white-glowing eyes of Shi Xiu. Everyone was shocked and incredulous, especially Kakashi.

It was common knowledge that in Konoha, the Hyuga Clan maintained an extremely strict control over the Byakugan, valuing it even more than the Uchiha Clan valued the Sharingan.

Back in the day, the only reason his own Sharingan had been preserved was because the Hokage had defied public opinion, bearing the immense pressure from the Uchiha family to barely manage to protect it.

Yet, at this very moment, the young man standing before them was clearly not from the Hyuga Clan, and for him to possess such a pure Byakugan was truly mind-boggling.

Shi Xiu swept a cold glance over the dozen or so Anbu who were acting as if facing a formidable enemy, the corners of his mouth curling into a disdainful sneer. He then turned his gaze toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, who stood not far away, and spoke in a tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Monkey, oh monkey, I never expected you to become such a coward in your old age. To come see me, you actually brought along nearly half of the Anbu. What? Are you afraid that Danzo might seize the opportunity to win over the hearts of the people and become the Fifth Hokage?"

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could respond, an Anbu in the ranks could no longer suppress the fury in his heart. He stepped forward and shouted at Shi Xiu, "Insolent! How dare you be disrespectful to the Hokage!"

Hearing this, Shi Xiu slowly turned his head, his icy gaze piercing the insolent Anbu like a sharp blade.

Just then, a shocking scene unfolded—Shi Xiu's originally clear, white eyes began to take on a blood-red hue. The crimson color spread rapidly until the entire eyeball was stained a deep, scarlet red.

At the same time, the Three Tomoe in his eyes seemed to be pulled by some mysterious force, beginning to rotate slowly until they finally merged into a strangely shaped triangular pattern.

A dull thud followed, and the Anbu collapsed to the ground like a kite with a broken string, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The other Anbu witnessed this scene and were instantly seized by trembling fear, Kakashi most of all.

Beneath his mask, Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Shi Xiu smiled and explained, "Don't worry, he has simply fallen asleep."

"He not only possesses the Byakugan but also the Sharingan? This... how is this possible!" Kakashi muttered to himself, his voice raspy with terror.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had remained silent, let out a slow sigh and waved his hand, ordering the Anbu to retreat.

"Lord Shi Xiu..." Hiruzen Sarutobi began, but he was ruthlessly interrupted by Shi Xiu raising a hand.

"Stop! Enough with the chatter. Tell me, what exactly do you plan to do next?" Shi Xiu stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi expressionlessly, his gaze so cold it sent shivers down one's spine.

As he spoke, Shi Xiu cast a glance at the Anbu, adding in an unusually calm tone, "But rest assured, I will erase their memories of this time afterward."

Hearing this, the Anbu retreated another step, terrified to the core. Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed helplessly once more.

"Since Lord Shi Xiu has asked, I will no longer hide it." Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head slightly, eyes half-closed, brows furrowed, and lips pressed thin, as if he had frozen in place.

Time ticked by, and the surrounding air seemed to grow heavy.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly opened his eyes, a subtle glint flashing within them, as if he had finally organized his thoughts.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and said in a low, firm voice, "After careful consideration, I have decided to resume the position of Hokage. Furthermore, I plan to quietly leak information that the Uchiha Clan was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident. At the same time, I intend to delegate some power to the Konoha Military Police Force. Additionally, I will select several talented and powerful young descendants from the Uchiha Clan to be carefully groomed for the Anbu."

Shi Xiu, listening quietly from the side, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

As expected! First, sow discord between the Uchiha Clan and the villagers, then delegate power to cause the Military Police Force to gradually grow antagonistic toward the villagers, and finally, absorb the elite Uchiha youth into the Anbu to serve his own ends. In this way, the Uchiha Clan will inevitably be completely isolated.

Thinking of this, Shi Xiu had to marvel that Hiruzen's grasp of the human heart had reached an absolute, masterful peak.

In his past life, Shi Xiu had heard people describe Hiruzen as a deep-seated schemer, and it seemed that assessment was not unfounded.

However, although Shi Xiu remained calm on the surface, the Anbu members behind Hiruzen could not remain as composed.

Especially Kakashi, whose heart was in turmoil. The deep guilt he felt for his former close friend Obito left him in extreme conflict upon learning that the Hokage was about to move against the Uchiha Clan.

Shi Xiu nodded slightly after hearing this, indicating he understood the situation.

Then, he turned his gaze toward the row of Anbu members standing behind Hiruzen.

Shi Xiu's Mangekyo Sharingan began to rotate slowly, emitting a mysterious and powerful wave of energy.

In an instant, the dozen Anbu members swayed as if struck by an invisible force and collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep slumber.

However, Shi Xiu kept a secret intention; for the others, their memories of today were indeed completely wiped, but for Kakashi, Shi Xiu merely sealed the memories away for the time being.

After finishing this, Shi Xiu whispered in his heart, "Copy Kamui." As soon as he finished speaking, a crisp notification sounded in his mind:

Ding! Copy successful!

Hiruzen, who had been nervously watching the situation unfold, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

But before Hiruzen could fully relax, Shi Xiu turned his gaze back to him and said, "So, Monkey, how exactly do you intend to settle Minato's orphan?"

In truth, Hiruzen had already thought long and hard about the future arrangements for Naruto Uzumaki. Konoha's strength was not what it used to be; if he were to rashly expose Naruto's dual identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, the village's current power would likely be unable to protect the Nine-Tails.

Moreover, this lord before him was unwilling to interfere in Konoha's affairs; otherwise, Lord Tobirama would not have died in battle back then, nor would that tragic First Shinobi World War have been triggered.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen felt a heavy pressure surge in his heart.

"I intend to conceal the identity of Naruto Uzumaki as the orphan of the Fourth Hokage..." Hiruzen had barely finished this sentence when Shi Xiu suddenly erupted with a powerful surge of chakra, using his immense strength to instantly shatter the sturdy prison door into pieces.

The next second, Shi Xiu's figure moved like a ghost, teleporting before Hiruzen in the blink of an eye.

"Monkey! Say that again!" Shi Xiu said in an icy tone, staring fixedly at Hiruzen.

Hiruzen was so startled by this sudden turn of events that his heart nearly jumped out of his throat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly recalled that Lord Shi Xiu seemed to have had an excellent relationship with Minato and Kushina.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen felt a lingering fear, and beads of sweat the size of beans began to roll down his forehead.

Hiruzen Sarutobi swallowed hard and said with a trembling voice, "I... I was only doing this for Naruto's safety..."

However, Shi Xiu did not buy his explanation at all. He let out a cold snort, strode up to Hiruzen, and said in an icy tone.

"For his safety? Monkey, don't think I don't know what kind of scheme you're cooking up! From now on, Naruto Uzumaki is under my care. And you had better behave yourself—do not try any petty tricks in front of me, or I will send you to the Pure Land to see Hashirama and Tobirama right now!"

With that, a chilling aura radiated from Shi Xiu, causing Hiruzen to shiver involuntarily.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly in agreement, while discreetly tucking away the small schemes that had just sprouted in his mind.

He had originally intended to recruit Naruto into the Anbu once the boy reached adulthood.

In doing so, he could better control the Nine-Tails sealed within him, turning that immense power into a true trump card for Konoha.

Just then, Shi Xiu turned and strode toward the exit without hesitation. However, halfway there, he suddenly stopped and looked back, his gaze fixed directly on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"The room I used to live in should still be there, right?" Shi Xiu asked, his tone so calm that it was impossible to discern his emotions.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's body trembled uncontrollably. With a look of trepidation on his face, he hurriedly nodded and replied, "It... it is. It has been kept exactly as it was."

Shi Xiu nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Good. Remember to send Naruto to my house in a while, and furthermore, publicly announce Naruto's true identity to the village!"

Having said that, Shi Xiu did not linger a moment longer. He walked straight out of the Anbu prison and soon vanished into the vast, dark night.