Inside the main conference room of the Hokage Tower, the Third sat at the head of the table, while several of his old friends and senior officials sat along either side.
"Hiruzen, why did you summon us so formally? What's going on?"
Utatane Koharu glanced at those present, somewhat surprised. It was rare for several senior officials to gather for a meeting like this!
Mitokado Homura and Danzo exchanged looks. Neither had received any special news. Although the border situation was tense, it remained under control. There did not seem to be anything major happening.
This meeting had been called so suddenly, and with such formality. It clearly was not about a minor matter!
As the Third watched his old friends take their seats, he did not beat around the bush and explained directly. "It concerns a proposal from Hyuga Iwa. I'm having trouble making a decision, so I wanted to hear your opinions."
The Third then recounted Hyuga Iwa's words to them.
"Science," "comprehensive university," "flying ninja tools"—one unfamiliar term after another came from the Third's mouth, leaving them all astonished.
What surprised them was not the terms themselves, but how Hyuga Iwa knew so much!
He was only a teenager!
Even if he had begun studying in the womb, he had only had eleven years. How could he know so much?
Generally speaking, knowledge was invisible and intangible, but it required time to accumulate!
Could he be a genius born with innate knowledge?
Otherwise, where had he learned all this?
Could he be a spy from another village?
But that possibility existed in their minds for less than a second before being dismissed.
Leaving aside Hyuga Iwa's past, his identity as a member of the Hyuga Clan alone meant he could not possibly be a spy—the Byakugan was