As everyone hurriedly gathered around Asuma, Hayato remained unexpectedly calm, not moving an inch as he quietly thought to himself.
The Anbu should be showing up soon, right?
What was strange was that they had let Asuma accidentally eat the poisonous mushroom soup.
A short while later, just as Hayato had expected, three figures appeared beside Asuma in a flash of the Body Flicker Jutsu. They were members of the Anbu.
"Who are you?" Obito, the ever-enthusiastic bystander, demanded at once, his face full of confusion.
The Anbu members didn't bother explaining themselves to the children. They moved quickly and professionally, hoisted Asuma over one of their shoulders, and vanished from sight in a flash.
"Oh no! Asuma's been kidnapped!" Obito cried in alarm, immediately preparing to chase after them.
"Idiot, they're rescuing Asuma." Kakashi hurried forward and stopped the impulsive Obito.
"What? You mean you know them?" Obito asked, staring at Kakashi in confusion, hoping to get an answer from him.
Kakashi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the group. "I think everyone can guess who they are."
At Kakashi's words, Obito froze for a moment and looked at the others. They all nodded slightly, as if he was the only one left in the dark.
So I'm the only one who doesn't get it, huh?
"As the Third's son, it's only natural for Asuma to have people protecting him," Hayato explained.
"Oh, is that it? So they're Lord Hokage's subordinates?" Obito asked, still a little confused.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
At first, they had all been frightened by Asuma's poisoning, but seeing the Anbu arrive had put them at ease.
"I don't think anyone's in the mood to keep having a picnic. Let's pack up and head to Konoha Hospital." Hayato went over to the campfire and put out the roaring flames.
Indeed, how could they be in the mood to eat and drink now? Their classmate's life was still uncertain. How could they enjoy themselves without a care?
Before long, everyone had packed up the picnic site and returned to Konoha together.
At Konoha Hospital.
Asuma was rushed into the operating room for gastric lavage.
Fortunately, he hadn't drunk much, and the Anbu had brought him to the hospital in time, so he was out of danger. After the procedure, he was transferred to a regular ward.
When Hayato and the others arrived at Konoha Hospital, they asked around and learned which room Asuma was in.
Two masked ninjas stood guard outside the ward. When they saw Hayato and the others arrive, they didn't react.
"Excuse me, how is Asuma now?" Hayato stepped forward and asked politely.
"The doctors have treated him in an emergency procedure. He's out of danger, but he hasn't woken up yet," answered one of the Anbu, who wore a fox mask.
Hearing that, the children all breathed a sigh of relief. Hayato nodded slightly, his own worries finally eased.
Inside the ward, the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat beside Asuma's bed, quietly watching over his son.
Asuma lay in bed, his face somewhat pale, but his life was no longer in danger.
"A little hardship might do you good. Maybe it'll keep you from developing too many bad habits." Hiruzen spoke calmly and, out of habit, raised his right hand to take a puff from his pipe—only to realize that he was in a hospital and hadn't brought it with him.
At the same time, he heard the commotion outside the ward, so he stood and walked toward the door.
Hayato and the others were just preparing to leave when the ward door opened gently, revealing Hiruzen. The two Anbu immediately bowed when they saw their leader come out.
"Lord Hokage," they said in unison.
The sight left Hayato and the others stunned.
Hayato was a little shaken inside, but he remembered that he'd already warned Asuma not to eat the poisonous mushrooms. Surely Hiruzen wouldn't blame him. The others were simply amazed; they hadn't expected to meet Lord Hokage here.
Obito in particular looked at Hiruzen with reverence and bowed deeply. "Good evening, Lord Hokage!"
At Obito's words, everyone called out in unison, "Lord Hokage!"
A kindly smile appeared on Hiruzen's face. "Good evening, children. Asuma is all right now, so there's no need to worry."
"But take this as a lesson. Don't go eating poisonous mushrooms just because they look bright and colorful." Hiruzen added this without the slightest hint of blame.
He already knew what had happened, and he knew that Asuma's friends had warned him beforehand. Asuma had simply been stubborn at the time.
Meanwhile, after hearing Hiruzen say that, Hayato felt much more at ease.
At that moment, Hiruzen's gaze met Hayato's.
"Hayato, is that right?" Hiruzen asked.
Is he asking who I am? What does he want? Hayato thought to himself. But he didn't panic. He simply nodded slightly. "That's right."
Hiruzen walked over to Hayato, the same kind smile still on his face. "That boy Asuma can be rebellious, but he's not a bad person. I apologize on his behalf for his reckless behavior earlier, and thank you for warning him. I hope you two can become good friends."
"I didn't take what happened earlier to heart," Hayato said softly.
He truly hadn't taken Asuma's Taunt to heart, and he was telling the truth. Whether they would become friends was another matter.
Hearing Hayato's words, Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
This boy seemed quite mature. It was hard for an ordinary child to brush off another child's Taunt.
Or was he hiding something? If so, that would be even more surprising.
Was this really just a three-year-old? Thinking back to the rumors circulating within the Uchiha clan—that this child had the mind of a demon—Hiruzen could see they weren't baseless.
"All right, children. It's getting late, so you should head home before your families start worrying. If you want to see Asuma, come back tomorrow. He may wake up then, and he needs to rest for now," Hiruzen said after their brief conversation.
The children looked at one another, then finally turned their eyes to Hayato.
Without realizing it, they had begun to look to Hayato for guidance. Perhaps it was because of his mature behavior, or perhaps they recognized his abilities.
Seeing that everyone was waiting for him to speak, Hayato didn't hesitate. "All right, Lord Hokage. We'll come back tomorrow." Then he turned and led everyone away.
Soon, the group said goodbye outside Konoha Hospital and went their separate ways, each heading home.
Hayato walked alone along the path back home, thinking about everything that had happened that day.
By a twist of fate, he had crossed paths with both the current Hokage and the future Hokage.
Thinking of Minato, Hayato murmured to himself, "He should have found Kushina by now. So how will the Third, at the height of his power, handle this kidnapping?"
Hayato looked up at the sky. The moon was already high overhead, casting a silver glow across his face and lending the night a touch of mystery and serenity.
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