19. Chapter 19, Building Momentum

It was still early evening, and Ye Yuexin had already fallen asleep.

In the Konoha meeting room, the final discussions were still underway. "Very well, that is the only way."

"Due to our current shortage of manpower, this plan will be postponed by three days. Ensure that every border patrol squad in the Land of Fire is notified so they can prepare to handle any crisis at a moment's notice."

"Coincidentally, Minato Namikaze's team will return from their mission in three days. The task of eliminating the Rock Ninja assault squad will be left to him." After some deliberation, the Third Hokage delivered the final decision.

Upon receiving the order, an Anbu operative hidden in the shadows immediately departed to carry it out.

Just as the meeting was nearing its end, a sudden knock sounded at the door.

Generally speaking, the meeting room was a place of great importance, especially while a session was in progress.

If someone knocked at such a time, it was either a matter of extreme urgency or they had received prior instructions.

The Third Hokage said, "Come in." A figure wearing black ninja attire and a mask appeared—a member of the Anbu.

After entering, he knelt on one knee and held out a scroll. "Third Hokage, the autopsy report is ready."

Only when the Anbu mentioned this did the Third Hokage recall his earlier request. He said, "Bring the report here for me to see."

The Anbu handed the report to the Third Hokage.

As the Third Hokage read through it, his pupils widened involuntarily. Such a look of astonishment rarely appeared on his face.

The autopsy report, based on an analysis of the wounds, detailed the ninja's capabilities with great clarity. It was precisely because of this that the Third Hokage was so shocked.

In the verbal report Ye Yuexin had given him, he had described Lin Mu's strength as that of a Chunin.

Furthermore, he claimed it was only through working with Itachi Uchiha that they had managed to take him down.

Itachi Uchiha was responsible for drawing the enemy's attention, while Ye Yuexin hid in the shadows to deliver the fatal blow.

All of this had been pre-arranged between Ye Yuexin and Itachi.

After explaining the potential dangers of telling the truth, Itachi Uchiha had agreed to the deception.

After all, what he had done was simply too unbelievable. A fresh graduate from the Ninja Academy had taken down an elite Jonin.

It was far too flashy. Moreover, Ye Yuexin did not believe he had reached the level of a Jonin himself.

There were many reasons for their victory in this battle, most of which were the result of Lin Mu being overly impatient and underestimating his opponents.

Under normal circumstances, an elite Jonin's strength would have been more than enough to drag the fight out until Ye Yuexin collapsed from exhaustion.

The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be broken by the wind; Ye Yuexin did not want to be singled out before he had truly grown.

However, he likely never expected that the Konoha Anbu would be so highly skilled that they could even measure the chakra reserves of a corpse.

"It seems Konoha has produced a genius," the Third Hokage sighed after a long silence.

The first to notice that something was wrong with the Third Hokage was his old teammate, Danzo. After the Third Hokage spoke, Danzo was the first to ask, "What happened?"

"Take a look for yourselves." With that, the Third Hokage placed the scroll on the table. The three elders looked at it simultaneously.

For a moment, there was dead silence.

After a while, Danzo was the first to speak. "So, you're saying the true strength of that Rock Ninja, Lin Mu, was that of an elite Jonin??"

"And, according to the information in the report and the feedback from the rescue squad, this was taken down by a Genin who just graduated from the Ninja Academy!!" His voice rose into a question. Even Danzo, who had seen his fair share of storms, couldn't help but lose his composure.

After calming down, he said sternly, "If this is true, his talent might already rival that of Minato Namikaze."

Minato Namikaze's reputation was now nearing its peak, largely due to the decisive battle against the Sand Ninja, which had earned him the title of the Yellow Flash of Konoha among his enemies.

Intelligence from the front lines indicated that the battle on the Sand Ninja front had already concluded under the leadership of Tsunade and Minato Namikaze.

Hearing Danzo say this, the other two elders nodded in undeniable agreement.

Changing the subject, Danzo said, "Sarutobi, hand him over to me. Minato Namikaze is already a qualified successor. Root currently lacks a talented individual to cultivate as a successor. Ye Yuexin will undoubtedly become the Hokage's most excellent assistant in the future."

Looking at the report on the table, many thoughts raced through Danzo's mind.

But before Danzo could finish his fantasies, he was met with the Third Hokage's opposition. "Impossible, Danzo. Ye Yuexin is a civilian with a clean background. Given the current situation, it is more important to cultivate him in the public eye." "The Third Great Ninja War has brought too much pain to these civilians. What they need now is a new star to reignite their hope, representing the eternal flames of Konoha—a new spark of hope that has begun to burn."

"I intend to focus on cultivating Ye Yuexin among this batch of graduates."

"Agreed."

Hearing the Third Hokage speak this way, the two elders, aside from Danzo, thought for a moment before echoing their support.

"Sarutobi! Don't be too..." Seeing the one-eyed Danzo glaring with rage, the Third Hokage immediately waved his hand to cut him off.

This was not the first time. Every time, Danzo would complain in this manner.

However, it was true. Danzo had indeed done many things that were difficult for him as Hokage to handle; otherwise, those dark deeds would not have been possible.

"Danzo, as compensation, I agree to your previous proposal for Shisui Uchiha to join Root," the Third Hokage said calmly.

Although the Third Hokage could treat the Uchiha clan fairly, when it came to choosing between Shisui Uchiha and Ye Yuexin, the Third Hokage chose Ye Yuexin without hesitation.

Hearing this, Danzo's expression softened slightly.

"Hmph."

Still, he let out a dissatisfied grunt.

Afterward, the Third Hokage turned to the Anbu who had delivered the report. "Pass down the order: spread the deeds of the Genin Ye Yuexin among the civilians. Afterward, send a report to the ninjas on the front lines as well." "Yes, Third Hokage." The Third Hokage was now clearly building momentum for Ye Yuexin.

The growth of a genius may require immense talent and unceasing diligence. However, the growth of a hero requires more than just that.

For a hero, the most important aspect of growth is fame—that is, reputation.

Originally, the Third Hokage had intended to cultivate Kakashi Hatake, both out of guilt toward the White Fang of Konoha and because of the boy's own exceptional talent.

However, ever since Kakashi joined the Anbu for training, his personality had undergone a drastic change. It was as if he had gone astray.

The current Kakashi Hatake, before any changes could be made, was no longer suitable for the kind of influence needed for a positive public image.

For a hero beloved by the common people, besides talent and strength, the most important trait is being approachable.

Therefore, the Third Hokage decided that after Minato Namikaze, the focus for the next generation of Konoha's pillars would be placed on Kakashi and Ye Yuexin.

As the Hokage, one must think long-term. He would absolutely avoid any gap in the succession of talent.

Of course, the reason he could decide so easily was that both of their backgrounds were relatively clean. Naturally, other unstable factors would still need to be investigated later.

But for now, it was still possible to tilt the scales in their favor slightly.

[New book released... I suggest adding it to your library first... let it grow before binge-reading. I need your support... thank you everyone.] It is two o'clock in the morning now; I've been working the night shift lately. Wishing you all sweet dreams.