The Fiftieth Duel Between Might Guy and Kakashi

"Kakashi." Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his eyes, his gaze piercing as he asked, "What do you think should be done?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was more interested in the situation of his subordinates.

Kakashi hesitated only for a moment before speaking, "Hokage-sama, I believe we should suspend the Chunin Exams and prioritize capturing the culprit."

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt neither disappointment nor surprise at this standard, by-the-book answer.

Perhaps it was his age, but he had grown fond of lecturing the younger generation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen said indifferently, "Kakashi, your suggestion is quite good; it protects the village and the villagers. However, have you considered the deeper implications, such as the big picture?"

Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Kakashi looked at him in confusion.

The big picture? Wasn't the suggestion he just made based on the perspective of the big picture?

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the puzzled Kakashi, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

His tone carried a hint of condescension, "Kakashi, do you know why I said you haven't considered the true big picture?"

Kakashi, watching Sarutobi Hiruzen play games, was already growing impatient.

However, since the power dynamic was what it was, he had to suppress his discomfort and say, "Please enlighten me, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi Hiruzen first took a slow, deliberate puff of his pipe, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke that filled the office with the scent of tobacco.

He walked to the window, turning his back to Kakashi to look out at the bustling streets of Konoha.

"If this were an internal Chunin Exam, your suggestion would be perfectly fine. But we are currently holding a joint Chunin Exam with the other major ninja villages."

"Kakashi, you must understand that this Chunin Exam is not just a selection of talent; it is a game of chess between nations. The nobles from the Daimyo Palace and the wealthy merchants from every country are all watching us."

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around, his tone carrying the standard, inflammatory rhetoric of a politician, "If we announce a suspension now just because three bodies were found, how will the outside world view us? They will say that Konoha cannot even secure its own territory, that the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages was scared out of its wits by a mere attacker. If that happens, we won't just lose mission commissions; we will lose the prestige Konoha has spent decades building."

Kakashi's brow furrowed tightly. He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, blurred by the smoke, and his voice turned raspy, "Hokage-sama, if it really is Orochimaru, those children participating in the exams will have no chance of fighting back. Even their team leaders might meet with misfortune, and the civilians who are about to watch the public matches will also..."

"Sacrifice is an indispensable part of the process."

Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe, the tap-tap sound echoing in the room, "The Will of Fire teaches us to protect the young sprouts, but if we damage the village's reputation to protect them before the storm even arrives, that would be a true dereliction of duty. If Orochimaru has truly returned, his target is likely this old man. Until we confirm his intent to launch a large-scale attack on civilians, we need to appear relaxed on the outside while remaining tense on the inside."

"Besides, Orochimaru might just be your personal assessment. What if it's just an ordinary ninja?"

Kakashi felt a chill run through him at Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked to his desk and picked up a document, stamping it with the seal of the Hokage's office.

"As for the bodies, the Anbu must keep the news strictly contained."

"The Chunin Exams will continue. But you are to notify the Military Police Force—the Uchiha—and have them increase patrols, especially on the perimeter. Since Orochimaru wants to play, we will play along with his little performance."

"If something goes wrong during the exams, it's an accident. If we stop the exams ourselves, that is 'incompetence.' Kakashi, that is politics."

Kakashi swallowed hard at Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, forcing himself to nod despite his deep discomfort.

"Understood, Hokage-sama. I will pass on the orders."

With that, he turned and left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sensed his dissatisfaction, but he didn't take it to heart.

As long as his decisions were carried out, that was all that mattered.

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his head toward an Anbu member nearby and said, "Notify Kakashi to take his leave early. You go and carry out my orders."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

No sooner had Kakashi left than he was caught up by an Anbu operative.

The Anbu's tone was polite yet brooked no argument, "Captain Kakashi, leave the rest to me."

Kakashi turned to look at him, his dead-fish eyes conveying a sense of pressure, "Is this the Hokage's intent?"

The Anbu did not answer directly, only saying coolly, "Please go home and rest, Captain Kakashi."

Kakashi gave him a long, deep look before silently turning away.

The Anbu member finally let out a sigh of relief as he saw Kakashi choose to comply.

On his way back, Kakashi was intercepted by a strange man in a green spandex suit with a bowl cut.

"Kakashi, let us have our fiftieth duel."

Kakashi looked at his friend, his dead-fish eyes revealing a hint of helplessness.

He nodded and immediately rolled up his sleeve, extending his fist.

Might Guy also wore a serious expression.

Kakashi swung his arm, "Rock, paper..."

Before he could finish, Might Guy raised his hand to signal a pause.

"No, no, no! You, Kakashi, will definitely use your Sharingan to cheat."

Kakashi retracted his hand, feeling awkward, and feigned helplessness, "Then what do you propose?"

Might Guy cupped his chin, "How about we have an eating contest? Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen."

Hearing that it wasn't a sparring match, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief.

"No problem, no problem at all," he said hurriedly.

Meanwhile, the Anbu agent who had taken over Kakashi's duties had already located several of Kakashi's subordinates.

He presented the documents directly and said, "You may continue with your own missions; leave the rest to me."

The few Anbu members were more than eager to get rid of this hot potato as soon as possible.

They nodded quickly to indicate there was no issue.

After taking over, he went straight to the person in charge at the time and said indifferently, "This news is forbidden from spreading. Otherwise, you all know the rules of the Anbu."

He showed them the documents.

The person in charge nodded hurriedly and replied, "Understood, My Lord Anbu."

After he left, several Chunin gathered around and whispered, "My Lord, are the Anbu always this arrogant?"

The Special Jonin shrugged helplessly and said, "There's no helping it. Who else but the Hokage manages the Anbu directly? They represent the will of the Hokage."

One of the younger Chunin asked tentatively, "My Lord, are we just going to give up on such a dangerous matter?"

Looking at the young Chunin, the Special Jonin sighed helplessly.

He asked, "Are you a newly promoted Chunin who hasn't participated in a war?"

The young Chunin nodded with some hesitation.

He asked in confusion, "Senior, how did you know?"