Kurenai Yuhi

In Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, dropping out was a minor matter, but the repercussions were significant.

He was not afraid of Xiu dropping out. He was afraid that other Uchiha clan members would follow his example.

As a bloodline shinobi clan that had endured for a thousand years, it was no exaggeration to say that there might be people in the Shinobi World who had never heard of Konoha, but there was absolutely no one who had never heard of the Uchiha.

Good looks, blood-red eyes, cold personalities, and flashy Fire Release—the clan practically fulfilled every ordinary person's fantasy of shinobi. They were the Shinobi World's top stars, and if word got out, plenty of people would come knocking with money in hand.

Thus, once the Uchiha left Konoha's shinobi ranks, they might quickly realize that it was not raining in the outside world at all...

They could even enter noble circles directly as retainers, vassals, or guardian shinobi.

For example, if the Land of Fire's daimyo spoke up and wanted to invite several former Uchiha shinobi to protect him, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have no way to refuse. Otherwise, he could forget about receiving military funding the following year.

When they met again in the future, he might even have to address them as Lord Uchiha.

Without using the village's power, Konoha could only act like a helpless husband, watching the nobles legally and respectably lure the Uchiha away.

And the war had only ended a few years ago. The village had yet to recover from it. If the Uchiha chose this moment to walk away, the Anbu would be the ones worked to the bone...

In other words, at least for now, the Uchiha could do without Konoha, but Konoha absolutely could not afford to lose the Uchiha!

Ideas like "as long as you have ability, you do not necessarily have to become a shinobi" absolutely could not spread through Konoha!

Especially not among bloodline clans like the Uchiha. They absolutely could not be allowed to develop such ideas!

"This is really difficult..." Hiruzen Sarutobi scratched his head in distress. "That brat has truly given me a huge problem."

It seemed Xiu really had to graduate after all.

Fortunately, while the outcome could not be changed, it was still more acceptable than him dropping out.

Besides, graduating meant entering the shinobi ranks. Regardless of what Xiu was thinking, at least in name, Konoha's shinobi were all under the Hokage's authority. That gave him plenty of room to maneuver.

Having sat in the Hokage's seat for decades, Hiruzen Sarutobi had quite a bit of experience when it came to pulling strings behind the scenes.

"How about this, Iruka? Go back first and have the two children prepare. I'll head over shortly."

"Yes." Iruka gave a slight nod, did not ask further questions, then turned and left.

"Elephant."

After Iruka left, Hiruzen Sarutobi called out a name. An Anbu wearing a mask instantly appeared outside the window behind him. "Have Special Jonin Kurenai Yuhi come to my office."

"Yes." Elephant nodded slightly, then vanished in a flash.

Before long, the office door was knocked on again, and a tall, curvaceous, alluring mature woman entered the room.

Though she looked mature, judging by her features, the woman was only in her early twenties.

Her long black hair curled slightly, while her wine-red eyes resembled two precious rubies, giving her a touch more sensuality and charm than others her age.

"Third Hokage." Kurenai Yuhi nodded politely. "You sent for me?"

"Mm..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He held a file containing Kurenai Yuhi's personal information. "Kurenai, you were promoted to Chunin at thirteen, correct?"

"Yes." Kurenai Yuhi nodded.

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe. "If I recall correctly, the Ninja Academy had not yet been reformed back then. It was still a five-year program, right?"

"Yes. I graduated at nine, and my friends all graduated around nine or ten as well. That was one or two years earlier than students today." Kurenai Yuhi thought back for a moment.

"Mm. It was wartime, after all. Konoha was fighting on multiple fronts and desperately short on manpower. Many children were sent to the battlefield not long after graduating, unlike today's graduates, who spend their days catching cats and chasing dogs."

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily. After laughing for a while, the smile on his face gradually faded. "Come to think of it, that was also this old man's failure."

"Not at all!"

Faced with her old superior's self-criticism, Kurenai Yuhi immediately defended him. "You did not start the war. Those who started it were the ones at fault. Besides, the Ninja Academy reforms were also something you pushed through despite all opposition."

"Hahaha, you do not need to indulge this old man's feelings so much. I simply feel that young people should grow up under the sunlight and enjoy the best years of their lives."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "But even so, sometimes there are unavoidable circumstances... I called you here because of one such matter."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not beat around the bush and directly explained Xiu's situation to Kurenai Yuhi.

Kurenai was somewhat surprised when she learned of it. "Graduating at six? The Uchiha really do produce geniuses."

"Mm, that is true. But likewise, their clan has no shortage of troublesome thorns."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat helpless as he explained all of his concerns to her.

Unlike a cannon fodder Chunin like Iruka, Kurenai was a Special Jonin and one of the village's upper-tier combat forces.

Because of her rank, she naturally knew more than Iruka. Moreover, he had a mission for Kurenai Yuhi, so he had to explain the relevant intelligence clearly.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not mention that Xiu wanted to drop out.

The idea of walking away was still too radical—so radical that he would rather directly ignite the Uchiha situation than allow such thinking to spread.

"Although I admire that child's filial piety, the Uchiha issue must also be considered. So I hope you will serve as Xiu's graduation examiner and put as much pressure on him as possible."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished, Kurenai Yuhi nodded.

She understood. He wanted her to take Uchiha Xiu down a peg.

Still, she did not quite understand. "If that is all, would not any Chunin do?"

"That child has already awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan. He even used Genjutsu purely on instinct, which shows just how gifted he is. That is also why I chose you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. The Sharingan was famous, but unless one had truly faced it, one could not understand how troublesome it really was.

Insight, hypnosis, copying—experienced shinobi often made them sound like nothing special.

As long as you did not look directly into their eyes, you would not fall under Genjutsu. As long as you were fast enough, the Sharingan could not react. The Uchiha had no talent for Water Release, so even copied techniques would not be very powerful.

There was nothing wrong with those claims in theory, but once one actually faced them, they would find that things were completely different!

After all, even Shadow Clones could use the Sharingan. You might avoid looking into their eyes, but could you fight with your eyes closed?

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know Xiu's true strength, but he had seen Itachi's talent. If he casually found some Chunin, there was a good chance things would truly go wrong.

"There is another reason as well... I want you to be Xiu's Jonin instructor!"