The Hokage's Summons

The Hokage? Duanmu thought to himself. Hiruzen Sarutobi? What does he want with me?

The Anbu member brought him to the door of the Hokage's office, knocked lightly, and said in a low voice, "Lord Hokage, Student Duanmu has arrived."

"Come in." An aged yet powerful voice came from inside the room.

The Anbu member pushed the door open and made an inviting gesture to Duanmu, while he himself remained guarding outside. Duanmu took a deep breath and stepped in.

The office was far plainer than he had imagined, the air filled with a faint smell of tobacco and old paper.

An old man wearing a bamboo hat, with a long white beard, sat behind a broad desk, a pipe in his hand. Amid the curling smoke, those eyes weathered by years of hardship watched him calmly. It was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Behind him stood two Anbu members wearing animal masks. Like two statues, they gave off an aura that warned strangers away.

"Sit, child." Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at the chair in front of the desk, his voice gentle, with no anger or joy discernible in it.

Duanmu sat down as instructed, his back perfectly straight, both hands resting on his knees as he tried his best to look natural. He knew that in front of this old fox, any disguise might be seen through with ease.

"Your name is Duanmu, correct?" Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly, his gaze seeming to pierce straight through the human heart.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Duanmu answered respectfully.

"You performed very well in the practical combat class at the Ninja Academy today." Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone remained calm, but Duanmu keenly sensed that the other man's attention had already focused entirely on him.

"It was just luck." Duanmu tried to make his tone sound modest, while his mind raced, calculating how he should handle the questions that would follow.

This old fox really had come because of the Rasengan. Judging from Teacher Iruka's excited reaction earlier, word had probably reached the Hokage's ears through some means long ago.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled noncommittally, the pipe turning lightly between his fingers. "Luck? Taijutsu of that level, and the Rasengan on top of it—no matter how you look at it, that isn't something a trainee ninja could easily learn, is it?"

Duanmu was momentarily at a loss for words, his heart beginning to pound uncontrollably.

He knew that any lie at this moment could invite endless trouble. This Third Hokage was an old hand who had lived through the Warring States era, and his eyes were terribly sharp. Duanmu forced himself to calm down, his brain spinning at high speed as he tried to find a reasonable explanation.

"Lord Hokage," Duanmu raised his head and met Hiruzen Sarutobi's deep gaze, his tone carrying just the right amount of confusion and a young boy's honesty, "I didn't know that was the Rasengan either. I just thought if I kneaded chakra into a ball and made it spin, it would be more powerful, so I messed around and practiced it on my own."

He scratched his head, an innocent expression on his face that said, I was just playing around and didn't expect it to be this strong. As for the Lion Combo, he deliberately did not mention it.

Only, that was not enough to brush off Hiruzen Sarutobi, though he did not ask about the Lion Combo again either.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him deeply, the sparks in his pipe flickering in and out. He fell silent for a moment, leaving only the faint sizzling of burning tobacco in the office.

"Messed around on your own?" Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly, a trace of scrutiny hidden in his tone. "Do you know what an astonishing talent and profound understanding of chakra shape transformation it takes to highly condense chakra and give it rotational properties? Even among jonin, those who can achieve this step are few and far between."

Duanmu groaned inwardly. This old fox really was not easy to fool.

He could only bite the bullet and continue playing dumb, forcing an even more simple and honest smile onto his face. "Huh? Is it really that amazing? I just thought it was fun. Every night before bed, I'd secretly practice rubbing chakra together on my bed. At first it always scattered, but later I slowly managed to rub out a tiny little ball, and even make it spin. I didn't expect that when I used it in a rush today, it would actually seem kind of useful."

As he spoke, he secretly observed Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression. The old Hokage's brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were judging the truth of his words.

"In your clan, is there anyone skilled in such techniques?" Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the subject, finally asking the crucial question.

Duanmu had long been prepared for this and immediately showed a blank expression. "Clan? I... I don't have a clan."

"Hmm?" A trace of surprise flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. "An orphan?"

Duanmu: Are you crazy? No clan means I'm an orphan?

"Uh, I have a mother. My father passed away earlier while carrying out a mission as a ninja," Duanmu answered.

After hearing Duanmu's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi only felt awkward. He gave two light coughs. "My apologies, that was careless of me." Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, his tone softening somewhat, though his gaze remained sharp. "Then your father—which clan's ninja was he in life? What ninjutsu was he skilled in?"

Duanmu quickly calculated in his mind. He had thought about this issue long ago. He could not make himself seem completely rootless, or possessing such "talent" would instead draw even more suspicion, but he also could not fabricate a clan too prominent, lest it be exposed with ease.

"I... I'm not too sure." Duanmu lowered his head, his voice carrying just the right hint of loss. "Mother said Father was only an ordinary genin. He died during a border patrol mission, and even his body couldn't be brought back. He rarely talked to me about family matters. I can barely even remember what he looked like..."

He raised his head, a trace of moisture in his eyes—grief he had forced out. "Mother's health isn't good, and she's always been recuperating at home. The family expenses all rely on the pension Father left behind. The reason I want to become a ninja is also so I can grow strong sooner and protect Mother."

These half-true, half-false words were spoken with such sincere emotion that even Duanmu himself nearly believed them. He knew that the identity of a bereaved child, paired with filial piety toward his mother, could always earn some sympathy points and also explain why he had secretly trained ninjutsu so hard.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched him quietly, the smoke from his pipe blurring his expression. Only after a long while did he slowly speak. "I see... a child with a hard life."

There seemed to be a little less scrutiny in his tone than before, and a trace of almost imperceptible pity.

"That ninjutsu of yours, although its power is still shallow, has tremendous potential." Hiruzen Sarutobi brought the subject back to the Rasengan again. "You must not use it lightly in front of others from now on, especially before you have enough strength to protect yourself."

Duanmu relaxed inwardly. It seemed this hurdle had been temporarily passed. He quickly nodded. "Yes, I'll remember. Teacher Iruka said something similar to me too."

"Mm." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Iruka is a good teacher. At school, you must listen to him properly and work hard to learn basic ninjutsu and theoretical knowledge. Talent is important, of course, but a solid foundation is the root of becoming an outstanding ninja."

"Yes. Thank you for your instruction, Lord Hokage," Duanmu answered respectfully.

"All right, go back." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "Go home and rest well. You still have school tomorrow."

"Yes. Goodbye, Lord Hokage." As if granted amnesty, Duanmu quickly rose and bowed, then turned and walked toward the door.

Just as he was about to step out of the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice came again, carrying a trace of deeper meaning. "Student Duanmu, Konoha is one big family. As long as you hold justice in your heart and work hard to protect the village, the village will also become your strongest backing."

Duanmu's steps paused. He did not turn back, only replied in a low voice, "Yes, I understand."

Only after walking out of the Hokage's office did Duanmu discover that the clothes on his back had already been soaked through with cold sweat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, meanwhile, stood up and looked toward the Hokage Rock. As he gazed at Minato's face on the monument, just now, he had seemed to see Minato's shadow in Duanmu.