It didn't really count as putting in a good word for his own people. He was simply praising Kawaki Aoba and letting the Hokage know just how exceptional his student was. And it was all true—Kawaki Aoba had played a crucial role.
Yuhi Shinku's report was thorough in every respect, and he made sure to emphasize Kawaki Aoba's contribution.
From spotting the Sunagakure ninja tailing the spy and leading them around in circles, to making an Elite Jonin die a thoroughly frustrating death, and finally escaping from Sasori of the Red Sands, Kawaki Aoba had been instrumental throughout.
Of course, the version Yuhi Shinku reported to the Third Hokage had been polished. Every word was true, but he had glossed over certain details.
Even so, Sarutobi Hiruzen was deeply impressed.
Whether it was his constant vigilance, his terrifyingly vast sensory range, or his quick thinking in using Explosive Tags to ambush and kill two Sunagakure Chunin, none of it seemed like something an ordinary Genin could accomplish.
And that was without mentioning that Kawaki Aoba had even managed to ambush and seriously injure a Sunagakure Elite Jonin. True, the man had lost his puppets and was weakened, but it was still an impressive feat.
And let's not forget, Kawaki Aoba had also lost both his eyes.
That made it all the more astounding.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze shifted to Kawaki Aoba, settling on the white bandages covering his eyes.
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen genuinely regretted not acting sooner. If he'd known how talented Kawaki Aoba was, he would have worked much harder to bring him closer.
No, he'd known from the beginning that Kawaki Aoba was a genius. After all, he was the prodigy who had created a ninjutsu that required no hand seals before graduating.
But back then, Hiruzen hadn't realized the boy was this gifted.
Two figures flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind: his student Jiraiya's pupil, Namikaze Minato, and Hatake Sakumo's son, Hatake Kakashi.
And Kawaki Aoba was undoubtedly someone whose talent could stand alongside theirs.
Unlike those two, however, Kawaki Aoba was also a political genius.
Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled the incident in this very office, when they had teamed up to play the Hyuga Second Elder for a fool.
That alone made it clear the boy was no pushover.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts raced in every direction. Meanwhile, Kawaki Aoba, still standing behind Yuhi Shinku as little more than background decoration, was utterly speechless.
Through his Observation Haki, he could sense Sarutobi Hiruzen's emotions flickering like neon lights along a busy street.
The old man kept cycling between regret, worry, amazement, and wariness. Kawaki Aoba had never seen anyone's mood shift so rapidly.
Damn, why is he feeling guilty now?
Kawaki Aoba was completely numb to it.
It turned out Sarutobi Hiruzen had noticed his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma.
That suddenly made him realize that during the earlier Byakugan controversy, he'd focused on benefiting himself and smoothing things over, without doing much to help the boy.
But his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma, had helped—and had run around tirelessly on the boy's behalf. That bond was genuine. And with their friendship on top of it, their relationship should be solid.
Once Sarutobi Hiruzen realized Kawaki Aoba was one of their own, he felt he'd treated the boy unfairly. The earlier incident really had put him through a lot.
Only Kawaki Aoba could sense Sarutobi Hiruzen's inner turmoil through Observation Haki. To everyone else, the Hokage's calm expression revealed nothing.
By then, Yuhi Shinku had finally finished recounting how they had escaped the Land of Wind.
After hearing the full account, Sarutobi Hiruzen was convinced that the Third Kazekage had indeed been assassinated by Sasori of the Red Sand.
That was the only explanation for the Sunagakure ninja's abnormal behavior lately.
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen thought Yuhi Shinku's report was over, the other man said something that surprised him once more. "Lord Hokage, I've finished reporting the intelligence. However, my student Kawaki Aoba has some thoughts of his own.
"When I heard them, I was shocked, but I couldn't judge whether his analysis was correct. So I'd like to ask you to assess whether his ideas are reliable."
Behind him, Kawaki Aoba lifted his head slightly. He'd waited long enough. Was it finally his turn?
"Oh?" As expected, Sarutobi Hiruzen was quite interested in Kawaki Aoba's analysis. That was thanks to Yuhi Shinku's careful buildup; otherwise, Kawaki Aoba would hardly have had the chance to share his views with the Hokage in person.
"Aoba, is it? Go ahead and tell me what you think. Don't hold back. If you have a good suggestion, I'll consider it." Sarutobi Hiruzen saw through Yuhi Shinku's intentions but didn't call him out. He was also genuinely interested in the boy and wanted to understand how he thought.
Even if Kawaki Aoba's views turned out to be childish nonsense, Hiruzen wouldn't begrudge him some praise and encouragement. It was one of the privileges of being a genius.
Even though he knew Kawaki Aoba couldn't see him, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave him a kindly smile.
Yuhi Shinku quietly stepped back, leaving the chance to speak to his student.
Kawaki Aoba stepped forward at the right moment and stopped opposite the Hokage. Even speaking with the Hokage didn't make him nervous. All he had to do was feed Sarutobi Hiruzen the same made-up story he'd concocted earlier.
"Lord Hokage, I think Sunagakure may declare war on us soon. After that, the war will likely grow in scale until it becomes the Third Shinobi World War..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen listened intently to Kawaki Aoba's analysis, but little by little, the seriousness on his face gave way to a grave expression.
The outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War.
Was it a young boy's reckless alarmism, or a precise prediction of what might happen?
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't be certain, but Kawaki Aoba's reasoning left him with no grounds for disagreement.
Because of his age, Kawaki Aoba didn't know that every shinobi village had its own circumstances and internal factions. The idea that the Four Great Shinobi Villages would unite to fight Konoha was even more far-fetched.
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