Hatake Sakumo watched the two children bicker, in a good mood.
Kakashi had matured too early and usually did not act like a child his age.
Now that he had Fang Xu as a rival, he had actually become a little more boyish.
That was not a bad thing.
He clapped his hands.
"All right, that's enough sparring for today."
"Since Fang Xu has become my student, the Hatake Family has gained a new disciple."
"Come on. I'll take you out for barbecue to celebrate."
Fang Xu's eyes immediately lit up.
"Barbecue?"
Lightning Body Tempering burned stamina, Taijutsu training burned stamina, and sword training burned stamina too.
Just hearing the word barbecue almost made his stomach react.
Kakashi glanced at him.
"You were acting so composed a moment ago."
Fang Xu was perfectly matter-of-fact.
"Being composed and eating meat aren't mutually exclusive."
Hatake Sakumo laughed heartily.
"Well said."
The three packed up their things, left the riverbank, and headed toward Konoha Shopping Street.
The setting sun bathed the streets in warm colors, and the roadside shops began turning on their lights one after another.
Walking beside Hatake Sakumo, Fang Xu was still taking in the fact that he had become his student.
From today onward, he was no longer just a Ninja Academy student the Third Hokage had invested in.
He also had Hatake Sakumo as his teacher.
He had someone to teach him Kendo.
He also had Kakashi as a rival to spur him on every day.
Most importantly, the risks he faced had been reduced considerably.
Fang Xu knew very well that truly strong people were not made in a day.
Exchange Talent also needed time to cool down.
What he needed most right now was time to grow.
This connection with Hatake Sakumo had come just in time.
As they reached an intersection, Hatake Sakumo did not stop walking, but his peripheral vision swept discreetly toward the Hokage Building.
The sensation of being watched through a Jutsu Formula was faint.
An ordinary ninja might not have noticed it at all.
But he was Hatake Sakumo.
The instincts that had kept him alive on the battlefield were far more reliable than many ninjutsu.
The Telescope Technique.
Hatake Sakumo still wore a smile, but inwardly, he felt somewhat displeased.
What an improper technique. It should never have been developed in the first place.
Spying on the enemy was one thing, but using it to watch the village's children and comrades was uncomfortable no matter how you looked at it.
Especially Hiruzen Sarutobi.
A Hokage using a Crystal Ball to watch a child who had just become someone's student-what was that supposed to be?
Hatake Sakumo did not call him out. He simply withdrew his gaze and continued leading Fang Xu and Kakashi toward the barbecue restaurant.
Inside the Hokage Office.
The image in the Crystal Ball slowly dissipated.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, his brows slightly furrowed as wisps of smoke rose from his pipe.
He had seen it very clearly just now.
Hatake Sakumo had taken Fang Xu as his disciple.
That move had come too quickly.
So quickly that even he had been caught somewhat off guard.
Only last night, he had increased Fang Xu's war-death compensation and given him the Incomplete Cloud Lightning Body Tempering Technique.
He had originally intended to bring the child under his watch first, then slowly build a bond with him.
Yet today, Hatake Sakumo had simply taken him as a student.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe, his expression remaining tense.
Hatake Sakumo was not someone to underestimate to begin with.
The name White Fang of the Leaf had been built on the lives of his enemies.
He wore the Hokage half-sleeve robe and commanded the Anbu, possessing prestige, strength, and seniority alike.
Many young ninja in the village regarded him as a true hero.
Danzo had mentioned more than once that Sakumo's prestige had grown too great.
A force like the Anbu remaining in Sakumo's hands for so long was no small matter.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had not fully taken those words to heart before.
He needed Sakumo, and Konoha needed Sakumo too.
The Third Shinobi World War could erupt at any moment, and new intelligence arrived from the borders every day.
Moving against Hatake Sakumo at a time like this would be like cutting off his own arm.
Even if he was wary of him, he could not break this blade now.
But what had happened today had deepened Hiruzen Sarutobi's wariness another degree.
Fang Xu had considerable potential.
Lightning-Attribute Nintaijutsu, talent for Kendo, and a steady temperament too.
If a child like this sided completely with Hatake Sakumo, he would become more than just an ordinary disciple in the future.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, opened a drawer, and took out a file.
Fang Xu's name was written on its cover.
He had already read through it once.
This time, he examined it more closely.
Father, Fang Naoto, deceased Jonin.
Mother, also killed on a mission.
The first few pages were all quite ordinary.
Then Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand stopped at the section on his ancestry.
There was an inconspicuous entry in the old records.
Descendant of a Senju branch family.
Changed their surname several generations ago and integrated into Konoha's ordinary household system.
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and turned a few more pages.
The information was not particularly complete.
After all, the Senju had voluntarily integrated into the village in its early years, and many branches no longer used the Senju surname.
But the bloodline origins recorded in the file were enough to make things clear.
Fang Xu was no ordinary civilian. He was a Senju descendant.
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped lightly on the desk.
No wonder Fang Xu had swordsmanship notes at home.
Not everything the Senju left behind back then was necessarily out in the open.
If this child had managed to teach himself the basics from a set of notes, perhaps it wasn't just good comprehension. It might also have something to do with certain foundations in his bloodline.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow slowly relaxed a little.
If he was a Senju descendant, there was still room to turn things around.
Hatake Sakumo had indeed gotten a step ahead by taking him as a disciple first.
But there was someone else in Konoha who held a natural appeal for Senju descendants.
Tsunade, the First Hokage's granddaughter.
The most prominent public figure of the Senju.
And his disciple as well.
Looking at the name on the file, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly made his decision.
Since Fang Xu had the Senju Bloodline, he would have Tsunade approach him, preferably taking the child as her disciple too. Even though Fang Xu had already become Sakumo's student, the blood ties of the Senju line would be enough to win him over to his side.
Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed a file toward the front of the desk.
Opposite him, Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, her face full of impatience.
"Old man, you called me back specifically just to have me take a disciple?"
She scoffed.
"Forget it. I'm not interested."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not surprised. With his pipe between his teeth, he said, "Don't be so quick to refuse. Look at the file first."
Tsunade did not even touch it.
"I said I'm not taking one."
Her tone was firm.
"I've seen enough of all this infighting in the village. You, Danzo, and those elders-whoever you want to win over, whoever you want to groom, leave me out of it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly.
"Tsunade, he's only a child."
"All the more reason you people shouldn't be setting your sights on him."
Tsunade looked up at him, her voice growing a little colder.
"I was already planning to leave the village soon to clear my head, and now you want me to take a disciple? Old man, are you afraid I won't leave decisively enough?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a moment, then pushed the file another inch forward.
"Fang Xu, six years old, a Ninja Academy student."
"Both parents died on missions. Old belongings from the Senju line remain in his home."
"Tracing the records reveals that he's a descendant of a Senju branch family."
Tsunade's fingers went still.
Her face had been full of impatience, but at the word "Senju," her gaze still fell on the file.