Nip It in the Bud

Hokage Office Building

"Old man, I need to talk to you about something."

Tsunade pushed open the door to the Hokage's Office without ceremony. Inside, the Third Hokage sat frowning over a scroll.

"Oh, Tsunade... What is it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi set his worries aside for the moment and looked up at her.

He was used to Tsunade barging in unannounced. At least she was more polite than Danzo, who would call him by name the moment he opened the door.

"It's about that kid Ryuuzaki Eiji."

Tsunade rubbed her brow. Just thinking about it left her speechless.

"The Ninja Academy's final exam has been changed to a combat test, right? He wants to take part in the Graduation Exam."

"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 test."

"Well..."

Hiruzen was at a loss for words. Was this some kind of joke?

That morning, reports of other nations massing troops along their borders had left him deeply troubled. How long had it been since the last Shinobi World War ended?

Only a few years had passed since Teacher Tobirama's death, and war was already looming again?

The last war had dealt Konoha a heavy blow. This time, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were there to defend it, and Hatake Sakumo was a formidable fighter. But with Hiruzen unable to leave the village to meet the enemy, Konoha's strength was still stretched thin.

Even so, Konoha had to show its strength. To raise morale, he had deliberately turned the Ninja Academy's final exam into a practical combat test.

He wanted to give the villagers confidence—to show them what Konoha could do!

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

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

She's that confident!?

Hiruzen had wanted to ask about Eiji's abilities as a ninja. As for those eyes, all he knew was that Eiji called them the "Six Eyes," and even that was the sole detail he had managed to get from Tsunade.

The various clans had no shortage of theories about Eiji's eyes. As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen had ideas of his own, but without observing them up close, they remained guesses.

If Tsunade was so sure Eiji could win, there was no harm in letting him compete. He could also use the boy's performance to bolster the Daimyo's confidence in victory. More funding for the war would certainly be welcome.

Most importantly, the match would give him a chance to observe Eiji's Ninjutsu.

Yes. Two birds with one stone.

Eiji was one of Konoha's own, but the strength of this new Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai remained unknown. If it proved comparable to the Sharingan and Byakugan, Hiruzen would need to arrange a few more prospective marriages for him.

He had heard that the other clans had already begun making moves after yesterday's forest explosion. Hiruzen had no intention of falling behind.

I need to get the young women of my clan involved! Otherwise, the other clans will beat us to it!

Being Hokage gave him power now, but there was no telling who would hold the position in the future. His clan could not depend on him forever. If Ryuuzaki Eiji had boundless potential, investing more resources in him was only reasonable.

Surely no one could call that using his office for personal gain. He was cultivating talent for the village's future!

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

As Tsunade left the office, something nagged at her. Had the old man changed overnight?

Why had he suddenly become so easy to talk to?

Did he set a trap for me? No, nothing like that...

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

After spending a few days with him, she had found that the brat was often smarter than she was, despite being an adult.

Over time, she had stopped worrying about his age when they talked. Treating him as an equal always brought out some fresh perspective.

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

She had no idea whose looks he had inherited. He spent every day grinning like a fool, looking none too bright. Just thinking about it made her sigh.

Raikage's Office, Kumogakure

"Sir, this is the intelligence our spies in Konoha have gathered over the past few months."

Third Raikage A took the scroll from the Anbu Ninja and skimmed it with an air of indifference. Then he reached the name Ryuuzaki Eiji, and his brow furrowed.

According to the report, Eiji was only a child in his second year at Konoha's Ninja Academy, yet he had tremendous potential.

At such a young age, he had developed a Ninjutsu with considerable destructive power and awakened an entirely new Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai. Accounts of its abilities varied.

"A Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai..."

Damn it. As if the Sharingan and Byakugan weren't enough of an unfair advantage for Konoha, now another kind of eye had appeared, and no one knew what it could do!

Was it something in the land and water?

Was the Natural Energy around Konoha more concentrated, causing mutations in people's eyes?

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

Mito Uzumaki had even arranged for Eiji to compete, hoping to raise his profile. The list of contestants had already been made public throughout Konoha, so their agents had been able to relay the news to Kumogakure without any trouble.

"Keep investigating what you haven't confirmed. But for now, focus on that Uzumaki Orphan. He's Konoha's future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"

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

He hoped the boy named Ryuuzaki Eiji would not prove too talented. If his eyes were as powerful as those of the Uchiha and Hyuga, he would undoubtedly become a major problem for Kumogakure. In that case, they would have to nip the threat in the bud!

Konoha

News that the Ninja Academy's Graduation Exam would be held at the Circular Arena spread through Konoha like wildfire. Apart from gambling and the pleasure trade, the Shinobi World offered little in the way of entertainment.

The Spectator Area could hold everyone in Konoha at once, and a VIP Area had been set aside for prominent guests.

For villagers who rarely got to watch ninja fight, it was something to look forward to. On street corners and down alleyways, people debated whether a prodigy from the Uchiha or the Hyuga Clan would take first place.

It was natural for the villagers to miss what was going on behind the scenes. But among the influential Ninja Families, Ryuuzaki Eiji's last-minute addition to the roster was bound to stir speculation.

Was this Mito Uzumaki's doing alone, or did Konoha's leaders intend to cultivate Ryuuzaki Eiji and use this contest to build his reputation?