I'll definitely teach them a good lesson!

He continued swimming toward the opposite bank. After more than half an hour, he finally reached the other side.

Kawaki Aoba climbed onto the riverbank and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

He was soaked to the bone and shivering from the cold. His strength had been completely drained; he did not even have the strength to lift a hand.

In the top-floor office of the Hokage Building, night had fully fallen outside. Only the antique oil lamp on the desk gave off a warm yellow glow, stretching the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's shadow long across the portrait of Hokage Rock behind him, making the scene seem especially solemn.

Kawaki Aoba stood before the desk. His clothes were still stained with dust and sweat, and his breathing from the earlier run had not fully settled, his chest rising and falling slightly. Yet he maintained a respectful posture, his gaze fixed on the Third Hokage's wrinkled yet still sharp eyes.

The Third Hokage lightly tapped his fingers against the desk, producing a soft "tap-tap."

For a moment, that faint sound was the only thing left in the office, and the silence felt somewhat oppressive.

After a long while, he finally spoke slowly, his voice carrying the weight of years. "Aoba, think carefully again. Before you were attacked by the Sunagakure ninja, did you encounter anyone unusual or overhear any strange conversations?"

Kawaki Aoba frowned slightly, closed his eyes, and began to recall everything carefully.

He had actually been pondering the matter the entire way back. Now that the Third Hokage had asked, scenes from the day immediately surfaced in his mind.

He opened his eyes and said seriously, "Lord Hokage, when we rested in the forest near the border during the day, we saw someone wearing a black cloak. He