The office fell silent for a moment.
"Yes, Lord Third."
Kakashi Hatake acknowledged the order, raised a hand in salute, and turned to leave the office.
The door closed softly behind him. The corridor was empty, with only his own footsteps breaking the silence.
Tomorrow afternoon, once everyone's assessment is over, I'll take that child to the training ground for a separate test.
The hand tucked into his pocket tightened slightly.
The Third had already paved the way this far. All Kakashi had to do was make tomorrow's test count and get a clear measure of the boy.
The Ninja Academy.
The dismissal bell had only just rung, and Uzumaki Hayashi had yet to finish packing his bag when someone blocked him at his seat.
"Hayashi!"
Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka stood on either side of him, hemming him in completely.
"Huh?"
Uzumaki Hayashi looked up. Before he could figure out what they wanted, his gaze met Ino Yamanaka's eyes.
They were red-rimmed, with tears swimming in them.
"Hayashi." Ino Yamanaka's voice trembled a little. "After the genin exam, you... you're not going back to where you came from, are you?"
Uzumaki Hayashi: "..."
Back to where he came from?
His clan had been wiped out long ago. Where was he supposed to go back to?
Across the entire shinobi world, the Uzumaki Clan now had only four survivors, however he counted them-Karin, Naruto, Nagato, and himself.
But he couldn't tell them that.
He put on a puzzled expression and blinked.
"I don't think so," he said meekly. "Grandpa Third told me to stay in the village."
"Really?!"
The two girls' voices overlapped. The next instant, they both threw themselves at him and hugged him tight, their cheers nearly lifting the roof.
"That's great!"
"I told you he wouldn't