Hiruzen Sarutobi's Concern

Having already guessed something, Yun Yan no longer had any misgivings. He stopped dwelling on why his house was so clean, simply shut the door behind him, and settled down to rest in peace.

After running around outside for several years, he had finally made it home safely.

No matter what, this was his own nest, the place he knew best. Only upon returning here could Yun Yan feel truly at ease from the bottom of his heart. Only here could his mind finally settle.

And so, having returned home, Yun Yan officially gave himself a vacation and planned to rest properly for a few days first.

That was how things stood for Yun Yan, but Kakashi was in an entirely different situation.

After leaving the vicinity of the Uchiha Clan compound, Kakashi swiftly returned directly to the Hokage's office. Appearing before Hiruzen Sarutobi, he dropped to one knee and remained motionless and silent.

Seeing that Kakashi had returned, Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose expression remained unchanged, raised his head slightly and asked, "Kakashi, you're back. How did it go? Did Uchiha Yunyan show any unusual behavior?"

Kakashi answered honestly from below, "He did not show any unusual behavior. After leaving the Hokage Building, Yun Yan first walked around the shopping district, ate a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen, and then returned directly to the Uchiha Clan compound after finishing it.

"Also..."

After hesitating briefly, Kakashi still chose to be frank. "While eating ramen, Yun Yan happened to run into Naruto, who had also come for ramen."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately grew serious. He lifted his head and looked at Kakashi kneeling before him. "Naruto? That child ran into Uchiha Yunyan at Ichiraku Ramen? Was it a chance encounter, or was there some ulterior motive?"

"It should have been by chance. Yun Yan arrived at Ichiraku Ramen first. At the time, he was the only customer there. Naruto arrived later."

"I see..." Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed somewhat relieved, but he continued asking, "Did the two of them have any interaction? Did they speak? Did Uchiha Yunyan show any particular inclination toward Naruto?"

To be honest, Kakashi was not surprised that Hiruzen Sarutobi had such concerns.

But when he actually saw Hiruzen Sarutobi being so vigilant and suspicious, Kakashi still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Being wary and suspicious of Yun Yan was one thing, but clearly that was not all. The Third Hokage was obviously also wary and suspicious of Naruto.

But... Naruto was only a child under ten years old. His circumstances until now had been so miserable. What could he possibly do?

That little thought lasted only an instant, and Kakashi merely felt uncomfortable for a moment.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi asked those questions, Kakashi immediately answered, "There was no interaction between them, nor was there any conversation.

"At most... after finishing his ramen, Yun Yan glanced at Naruto a few times. He seemed to have recognized Naruto's identity. I don't know whether that counts as some kind of inclination.

"But that was all. He only looked at him a few times before leaving immediately. It seemed that he had little interest in Naruto."

"I see..."

Nodding, Hiruzen Sarutobi began to think.

He was still willing to trust Kakashi's words.

As for Yun Yan's behavior on the way home, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not noticed anything unusual either.

Perhaps the most unusual thing was Yun Yan's chance encounter with Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen. But the two had not even spoken; Yun Yan had merely looked at him a few times. Hiruzen Sarutobi had no basis for suspecting anything from that alone.

Looking at it this way... this kid had behaved quite normally, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was pondering, Kakashi spoke again from below. "Lord Hokage, there is one more unexpected matter."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"When Yun Yan returned to the Uchiha Clan compound and was about to enter, he... he suddenly gave me the middle finger behind his back!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer remain calm. "So he discovered you!?"

Kakashi looked somewhat ashamed and lowered his head even further. "I'm afraid that is correct."

"How did he discover you?"

"I... I don't know."

"Then when did he discover you?"

"I... I'm not too sure about that either."

After roughly three seconds of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly could not hold it in any longer. "Could it be that he discovered you from the very beginning? Could all that normal behavior he showed afterward... have been an act he deliberately put on!?"

Kakashi slumped for a while, looking utterly helpless. "I don't know."

Seeing Kakashi unable to answer a single question, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help but feel a headache coming on.

To be honest, he truly wanted to reprimand Kakashi for being more of a hindrance than a help.

But Kakashi had clearly done his best. He should not have revealed any flaws himself, yet Uchiha Yunyan had still discovered him. That proved it was not Kakashi's own fault.

Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always maintained his image as a generous and benevolent man. He would not go so far as to reprimand or punish a capable subordinate like Kakashi over this matter.

With a sigh, Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone softened once more. "Forget it. Since he may have discovered your presence from the very beginning, this matter was beyond your abilities. You cannot be blamed."

Kakashi immediately bowed his head submissively. "Thank you for your leniency, Lord Hokage."

"Still... this makes things even more troublesome. If that guy could discover you, then his strength is definitely no less than yours."

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe in hand and stared directly at Kakashi. "Kakashi, do you think... Uchiha Yunyan may have already reached the Kage level?"

At that moment, Kakashi's heart skipped a beat at the question.

After silently pondering for a few seconds, Kakashi chose the most useless but safest answer. "This subordinate does not know."

That answer was not beyond Hiruzen Sarutobi's expectations. He nodded slightly. "Yes, who could possibly guess something like that?

"From beginning to end, that kid never displayed his full strength. His explanation for killing those two Root shinobi was that he defeated them one at a time, and discovering your surveillance cannot prove anything conclusively either.

"Still... it is precisely this evasiveness that makes me uneasy."

Hearing this, Kakashi could not help but grumble inwardly, Lord Hokage, is Yun Yan hiding things from you really the only thing making you uneasy?

Probably not. The real reason is likely your fear of Yun Yan's true strength.

If Yun Yan really is a Kage-level powerhouse, then matters will slip beyond your control. That is what you truly cannot accept.

Besides, Yun Yan is an Uchiha.

Kakashi only kept these thoughts to himself.

He neither dared nor intended to voice them. Hiruzen Sarutobi was standing right in front of him.

So what sort of attitude did Hiruzen Sarutobi truly hold toward Yun Yan at this moment?

Overall, it was one of wariness and speculation. It had not yet reached the point of hostility or enmity.

Even if the other party was evasive, even if the kid was troublesome, even if he belonged to the Uchiha Clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not yet reached the point where he wanted him dead as soon as possible.

Right now, he desperately wanted to determine Yun Yan's true strength.

If Yun Yan's strength had not reached the Kage level, Hiruzen Sarutobi could set part of his mind at ease. In the future, he would only need to watch Yun Yan more closely and remain vigilant against the kid slipping completely beyond his control.

If Yun Yan's strength had reached the Kage level... then things would become troublesome.

That would mean Yun Yan had already reached the same level as Hiruzen Sarutobi. He would be qualified to play the game with him and could no longer be treated merely as a junior or subordinate.

Konoha had gained another Kage-level powerhouse, and that person was an Uchiha. This would have a significant impact on Hiruzen Sarutobi's future authority and position.

As for whether that impact would be good or bad... Hiruzen Sarutobi held a pessimistic view.

As he had said, that kid's personality was simply too unruly. Hiruzen Sarutobi could not control him, and the feeling of things slipping beyond his grasp made him deeply uncomfortable.

Putting aside all those twists and turns for now, after struggling for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly decided what he needed to do at present.

While remaining vigilant and prepared, he would uncover Uchiha Yunyan's true strength as much as possible, then make judgments and responses based on the actual circumstances.

Also, he needed to pay closer attention to the Uchiha Clan. With a sudden new Kage-level powerhouse among them, the Uchiha Clan would certainly make some moves!

Those people, once they got carried away with pride, who knew what they might do?

Thinking this, the old fox Hiruzen Sarutobi silently began to scheme.

At the same time, he waved his hand, signaling for Kakashi, who was kneeling on one knee before him and awaiting orders, to withdraw.

This was exactly what Kakashi had been waiting for. Upon receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's signal, he immediately vanished from before him in a Body Flicker, returning to the ANBU ranks hidden nearby as guards.

As far as Kakashi was concerned, today's matter was over.

But for Hiruzen Sarutobi, it clearly was not.

After scheming silently for quite some time, Hiruzen Sarutobi still failed to come up with a good solution.

With no other choice, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of someone else.