Sarutobi Hiruzen: Qingyu is one of us

It wasn't exactly private goods, but rather praise for Kawaki Aoba, letting the Hokage know just how outstanding his disciple was. These were all facts, and Kawaki Aoba had indeed played a key role.

Next, Yuhi Shinku's report was comprehensive, and he made sure to highlight Kawaki Aoba's contributions.

From discovering the Sunagakure ninja tailing the spies, to leading them in circles and causing an elite jonin to die in utter frustration, all the way to their final escape from the hands of Sasori of the Red Sand, Kawaki Aoba's achievements were monumental.

Of course, the version Yuhi Shinku reported to the Third was polished. While every sentence was true, he selectively glossed over certain details.

Even so, Sarutobi Hiruzen was deeply moved.

Whether it was his constant vigilance, his terrifyingly exaggerated sensory range, or the quick-wittedness he displayed by using an Explosive Tag to take out two Sunagakure chunin during an ambush—none of these feats seemed like something a mere genin could accomplish.

Not to mention, Kawaki Aoba had actually relied on an ambush to severely wound an elite jonin of Sunagakure. Although that elite jonin had been stripped of his puppets and weakened, it was still an outstanding feat.

And let's not forget, Kawaki Aoba was someone who had lost his sight.

That made it even more stunning.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze drifted toward Kawaki Aoba, fixing on the white bandages covering his eyes.

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen truly felt a pang of regret. If he had known sooner that Kawaki Aoba was a genius, he would have certainly started courting him more closely.

No, he had known from the start that Kawaki Aoba was a genius; after all, this was a prodigy who could create a ninjutsu without hand seals before even graduating.

But back then, he hadn't expected this little guy to be a genius to such a degree.

The figures of two people, one large and one small, flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind: Namikaze Minato, the student of his own disciple Jiraiya, and Hatake Kakashi, the son of Hatake Sakumo.

The Kawaki Aoba before him was undoubtedly a talent on par with those two.

And unlike those two, Kawaki Aoba was also a political genius.

Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled the day in this very office when they had teamed up to play the Hyuga Second Elder.

It was easy to see from that incident that this kid was definitely not someone easy to fool.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts raced, dwelling on many things, while Kawaki Aoba, who had been standing behind Yuhi Shinku like a piece of background furniture, was speechless to the point of death.

In his Observation Haki, in just this brief moment, the emotional fluctuations on Sarutobi Hiruzen were flickering like neon lights on a busy street.

He kept switching between regret, worry, amazement, and wariness; the frequency of his emotional shifts was the highest Kawaki Aoba had ever seen in his life.

Damn, why did it turn into guilt again?

Kawaki Aoba expressed that he was already numb.

It turned out that Sarutobi Hiruzen had noticed his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma.

This made him suddenly realize that as the Hokage, during the previous Byakugan incident, he had only focused on securing his own benefits and smoothing things over, without giving this kid much help.

But his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma, not only had, but had also run around back and forth for this little guy during that time. That bond was real, and coupled with their friendship as partners, it should be secure.

Once he realized that Kawaki Aoba was "one of his own," Sarutobi Hiruzen felt he hadn't acted very honorably, and that he had indeed wronged the boy in the previous incident.

Aside from Kawaki Aoba, who could sense it through Observation Haki, no one else could detect a ripple of emotion beneath Sarutobi Hiruzen's calm, placid exterior.

At this moment, Yuhi Shinku finally finished reporting the entire process of their escape from the Land of Wind.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen was now thoroughly convinced that the Third Kazekage had indeed been assassinated by Sasori of the Red Sand.

Only then did the recent abnormal movements of the Sunagakure ninja make sense.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen thought Yuhi Shinku's report had concluded, the man spoke again, saying something that took the Hokage by surprise: "Lord Hokage, my report is finished, but my disciple, Kawaki Aoba, has some humble opinions of his own.

I was shocked when I heard them at the time, but I couldn't judge whether his analysis was correct. Therefore, I must ask Lord Hokage to help determine if the things this kid analyzed are reliable."

Behind him, Kawaki Aoba lifted his head slightly. After waiting so long, was it finally his turn to take the stage?

"Oh." As expected, Sarutobi Hiruzen was indeed very interested in Kawaki Aoba's analysis. This was thanks to the groundwork Yuhi Shinku had laid; otherwise, there would have been no opportunity for Kawaki Aoba himself to present his views to the Hokage.

"Aoba, is it? What are your own views? Feel free to speak them boldly. If it's truly a good suggestion, I, as the Hokage, will adopt it." Sarutobi Hiruzen saw through Yuhi Shinku's intentions but chose not to call him out. Moreover, he was very interested in this little guy, Kawaki Aoba, and wanted to understand his way of thinking.

Even if Kawaki Aoba's views were those of a naive child, he wouldn't be stingy with his praise and encouragement; that was the privilege a genius deserved.

Even knowing Kawaki Aoba couldn't see, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave him a kind smile.

Yuhi Shinku stepped back silently, leaving this opportunity to shine to his disciple.

Kawaki Aoba stepped forward two paces at the right moment, arriving opposite the Hokage. Even when speaking to the Hokage, he didn't feel the slightest bit of nervousness. All he had to do was repeat the nonsense he had fabricated earlier in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen:

"Lord Hokage, I believe that Sunagakure is very likely to declare war on us next, and after that, the scale of the war will gradually expand until it evolves into the Third Shinobi World War..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to Kawaki Aoba's analysis very seriously, but gradually, the serious expression on his face was replaced by one of gravity.

The outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War.

Was this the alarmist talk of an arrogant youth, or a precise prediction of what might come to pass?

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but the analysis in Kawaki Aoba's words left him unable to find a reason to refute it.

Although, due to his age, Kawaki Aoba didn't know that the environment of each ninja village was different, and that there were various factional oppositions within them—making the four great ninja villages work together to fight Konoha was a fantasy.