Nip It in the Bud

Hokage Office Building

"Old Man, I need to tell you something."

Tsunade stood on no ceremony. She pushed open the door to the Hokage's Office and walked in to find the Third Hokage frowning over a scroll.

"Oh, it's you, Tsunade... What is it?"

Seeing her, Hiruzen Sarutobi set aside his worries for the moment and asked what she wanted.

He had long since grown used to Tsunade barging in without knocking. At least she was more polite than Danzo; she didn't call him by name the moment she opened the door.

"It's about that kid Ryuuzaki Eiji."

Tsunade rubbed her brow. The mere thought of it left her speechless.

"Didn't they change this year's Ninja Academy Graduation Exam into a combat assessment? He wants to take part."

"What? Why?"

Hiruzen was puzzled. Did the boy want to graduate early?

"I know what you're thinking. He doesn't want to graduate early. He just wants to take the exam."

"Well..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was at a loss for words. Was the boy kidding?

That morning, he had been brooding over reports that other nations were massing troops along their borders. How long had it been since the last Shinobi World War ended?

Only a few years had passed since Teacher Tobirama's death, and there was going to be another war already?

The last war had dealt Konoha a heavy blow. This time, Konoha had Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade to hold the fort, with Hatake Sakumo as another formidable fighter. But since Hiruzen could not leave the village to face the enemy himself, Konoha was still short on strength.

Still, Konoha had to show what it was capable of. That was why he had changed the Ninja Academy Graduation Exam into a practical combat exam: to raise morale.

He wanted to give the villagers confidence and let them see Konoha's strength for themselves!

"Tsunade, you know what this exam is meant to accomplish. Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire will be attending. If Eiji competes..."

"I know. He says he's prepared. I can't tell you the specifics of what he can do, but I can promise you this: once he steps into the arena, first place is his!"

She's that confident!?

Hiruzen had wanted to probe for information about Ryuuzaki Eiji's abilities. As for those eyes, all he knew was that Eiji had named them the "Six Eyes," and even that was the only detail he had managed to get from Tsunade.

The Great Families had come up with all sorts of theories about Eiji's eyes. As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen had his own ideas, but without seeing them up close, they remained guesses.

If Tsunade was so confident Eiji could take first place, there was no harm in letting him compete. He could also use the boy's victory to bolster the Daimyo's confidence. If that brought in more funding for the war, all the better.

More importantly, Hiruzen wanted to use this chance to get a good look at Eiji's Ninjutsu.

Yes, two birds with one stone.

Eiji was one of Konoha's own, but no one yet knew how powerful this new Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai might be. If it really could rival the Sharingan and the Byakugan, Hiruzen would need to arrange a few more marriage prospects for him.

He had heard that the Great Families had already begun making their moves after yesterday's Forest Explosion Incident. Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of falling behind.

I need to rally the young women of the clan! Otherwise, everyone else will beat us to it!

He might be the Hokage now, but there was no telling who would hold the position in the future. His clan could not rely on him forever. If Ryuuzaki Eiji had boundless potential, there was nothing wrong with giving him more resources.

Surely that didn't count as using his office for personal gain? He was cultivating future talent for the village!

And so, they happily settled the matter of Ryuuzaki Eiji competing in the Ninja Academy Graduation Exam while still a student.

As Tsunade left the office, she felt something was off. Had the Old Man changed his ways?

Why had he suddenly become so easy to talk to?

Is he setting a trap for me? No, I don't think so.

Unable to make sense of it, Tsunade decided to ask Eiji when she got back.

After spending the past few days with him, Tsunade had realized the little brat was often smarter than she was, despite her being the adult.

Over time, she had stopped paying attention to Eiji's age when they talked. Treating him like an adult always brought out some fresh perspective.

Her own little brother, on the other hand...

She had no idea whom he had inherited his looks from, and he went around grinning like an idiot all day. Just thinking about it left her speechless.

Raikage's Office, Kumogakure

"My lord, here is the intelligence our spy in Konoha has gathered over the past few months."

The Third Raikage A took the Intelligence Scroll from the Anbu Ninja and skimmed it with an air of indifference. Then his brow furrowed at the name Ryuuzaki Eiji.

According to the report, Eiji was only a Second Year child at the Ninja Academy, but he had tremendous potential.

Despite his young age, he had developed a Ninjutsu with considerable destructive power and awakened an entirely new Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai. Opinions varied on what exactly it could do.

"A Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai..."

Damn it. Wasn't it enough for Konoha to have the Sharingan and Byakugan? Now they had another set of eyes with unknown powers!

Was there something in the soil or water?

Was Natural Energy more abundant around Konoha, causing people's eyes to mutate?

To build momentum ahead of the coming war, Konoha planned to turn the upcoming Ninja Academy Graduation Exam into a series of one-on-one battles.

Mito Uzumaki had even arranged for Eiji to take part in the exam to build his reputation. The list of competitors had already been made public throughout Konoha, so the intelligence agents had no trouble sending that information back to Kumogakure.

"If you haven't figured out his abilities, keep investigating. But for now, focus on that Uzumaki Orphan. She's Konoha's future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"

The Third Raikage watched the Anbu Ninja leave, his feelings mixed.

I hope that kid Ryuuzaki Eiji isn't too talented. If his eyes are as powerful as the Uchiha's or the Hyuga's, he'll be a major problem for Kumogakure. In that case, we'll have to nip that threat in the bud!

Konoha

News that the Ninja Academy Graduation Exam would be held in the Circular Arena spread through Konoha like wildfire. Aside from gambling and the pleasure trade, the Shinobi World offered few ways to have fun.

The Spectator Area could hold all of Konoha's residents at once, while a VIP Area had been set aside for prominent figures.

For villagers who rarely got to watch Ninja fight, it was a novelty. On street corners and in alleyways, people often debated whether a Uchiha or a Hyuga Clan prodigy would take first place.

It was only natural that the villagers did not see the full picture. For the prominent Ninja Families, however, Ryuuzaki Eiji's last-minute addition to the list of competitors raised questions.

Was this Mito Uzumaki's personal decision? Or did the Village Leadership intend to cultivate Ryuuzaki Eiji and use this tournament to make a name for him?