The next day—Leaf Village—Hokage Office
Sunlight streamed through the windows into the office, casting mottled shadows across the wooden floor.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, holding a document with a slight frown on his face.
His pipe rested at the corner of the desk, thin smoke curling upward and slowly dispersing through the air.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Hiruzen did not look up.
Tianyi pushed the door open and entered, his pale eyes gleaming faintly in the sunlight.
He wore dark casual clothes, with several specially made kunai strapped at his waist. His steps were steady.
He stopped before the desk without sitting down, merely standing there in silence.
Hiruzen looked up at him, gave a small nod, and said, "Wait a moment. Let me finish handling this document."
Tianyi said nothing, simply standing quietly. His gaze swept across the office, over the portraits of past Hokage on the wall, past Hokage Rock outside the window, and over the craftsmen working on the rock wall.
The sunlight was lovely, and Leaf Village's morning was as peaceful as ever.
A moment later, Hiruzen put down his pen, closed the document, and set it at the corner of the desk.
He picked up his pipe and took a deep drag before slowly exhaling. The smoke blurred his face, but it could not conceal those cloudy yet sharp eyes.
"You were a great help on the Hidden Cloud Village front this time, Tianyi." Hiruzen's voice was hoarse but steady.
"This is your reward. Take a look first."
He took a scroll from the drawer and pushed it toward Tianyi.
The scroll was tied with red silk thread, its seal stamped with the Hokage's mark. Tianyi accepted it, untied the thread, and unrolled it.
Skipping directly past the