Mu Feng's rise and the leadership's response

Konoha.

The Hokage Building.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stared gravely at the documents in his hands. Beside him, Danzo sat quietly, his expression impassive, betraying neither joy nor sorrow.

"Whew... Has this information been confirmed?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"It has!" Danzo replied. "The Chunin Ninja Exams are almost upon us. Genin from several other villages will also be coming to take part."

"The situation outside isn't looking good right now. Kumogakure and Kirigakure, at the very least, won't let this opportunity slip by!"

After speaking, Danzo took a sip of water.

"Hmm..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment.

Konoha's current situation was indeed just as Danzo had described. Things were not looking good.

Throughout the Shinobi World, the great nations were showing increasingly clear signs of preparing for war. Apart from the Land of Fire, the other four great nations were plainly dissatisfied with their territory and resources. After launching several wars in smaller countries, they still were not satisfied and had turned their sights on the Land of Fire, the richest in resources.

The first battles in this struggle between the great nations-and the most crucial-would be fought between their ninja villages.

Konoha would bear the brunt of it.

"We cannot cancel the Chunin Ninja Exams. Security will need to be tightened during this period!"

"Keep a close watch on Kirigakure and Kumogakure's movements as well!"

"As for the information you brought, I'll have someone deal with it!"

After considering the matter for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.

Danzo said nothing more. He simply rose to his feet, preparing to leave the Hokage Building.

Just then.

A ninja entered the Hokage Building.

"Lord Hokage, something terrible has happened! Young Master Asuma was beaten up!"

The ninja was none other than the Chunin who had fought Mu Feng earlier. He rushed into the Hokage Building shouting, but quickly noticed Danzo was there too and immediately fell silent.

"Lord Danzo!"

Upon hearing that Asuma had been beaten up, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and took a puff of his pipe.

To him, this was a trivial matter right now.

Still, Asuma was his son!

"Tell me what happened!"

"It was Young Master Asuma's classmate, Mu Feng Uchiha..."

The Chunin glanced at Danzo, then ultimately recounted everything that had happened, including his own attempt to intervene.

Although he altered some of the wording, his account was essentially true.

But when Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo heard that Mu Feng had held his own against the Chunin, awakened the Sharingan, and could even copy other people's ninjutsu, their eyes lit up.

"All right, I understand what happened! From now on, just keep an eye on Asuma and make sure he doesn't cause trouble!"

With a clack, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe and continued speaking.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

At that, the Chunin left the Hokage Building.

Inside the Hokage Building, however, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo fell silent. After a moment, Danzo spoke first.

"A genius of the Uchiha Clan. He must have already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. What do you intend to do with him?" A gleam flashed in Danzo's eyes as he continued, "Last time, you refused to let Kakashi join Root, but this Mu Feng Uchiha..."

"Not yet! This is a critical time!" Hiruzen Sarutobi cut him off.

"Danzo, you'd best put those little schemes of yours aside. He belongs to the Uchiha Clan. Even if he's only an orphan, now that he's awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, the Uchiha will certainly take him seriously!"

"Do you think Fugaku and the Uchiha would agree to let him join your Root?"

"I'll consider where to place him! Besides, before that, we need to assess his strength!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew thoughtful.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Danzo's eyes, but he did not let it show. Instead, he stood and left the Hokage Building.

After Danzo had left, Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his desk a few times.

The next moment, a masked Anbu ninja appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Go investigate this Mu Feng Uchiha!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Meanwhile, Danzo walked out of the Hokage Building, and two subordinates who had been waiting outside fell in behind him.

"A genius of the Uchiha Clan... Mu Feng Uchiha?"

Danzo murmured the words, then quietly gave instructions to the two people beside him.

At the same time, inside the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Uchiha Fugaku had also received word that Mu Feng had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.

"Are you certain it was the three-tomoe Sharingan?"

The one who had brought Fugaku the news was the Anbu member who had intervened in the fight between Mu Feng and the Chunin.

That Anbu member belonged to the Uchiha Clan and had also seen Mu Feng's three-tomoe Sharingan.

"There's no mistake, Clan Head. After returning, I checked the records! He should be Mu Feng Uchiha of our clan, in the same year as Obito!"

"The same year as Obito? Then he's only seven or eight?"

Uchiha Fugaku was somewhat stunned!

Awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan at seven or eight-what did that mean?

No one understood better than the Uchiha Clan just how absurd a feat that was!

After all, in the original story, Uchiha Itachi had awakened his Sharingan at eight and was already hailed as a genius. But Uchiha Itachi had only awakened the one-tomoe Sharingan, while Sasuke had been thirteen by the time he awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.

Yet now, someone had gone straight to awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan at just seven or eight.

Someone like that had a very strong chance of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Most importantly, he had somehow failed to notice such a genius before.

For a moment, Uchiha Fugaku sank into thought, but then delight began to well up within him.

As the head of the clan responsible for Konoha's police force, Uchiha Fugaku also knew something of the developments in the Shinobi World.

A great war was imminent, yet the Uchiha Clan had produced no noteworthy geniuses. (At this point, Shisui was only four or five, Itachi had not yet been born, and Obito ranked at the bottom of his class.)

The once-renowned Uchiha Clan had actually entered a period devoid of geniuses. Meanwhile, White Fang's son Kakashi was making a name for himself as a prodigy, which left the rather proud Uchiha clansmen feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

But now, Mu Feng had appeared.

As the Uchiha Clan Head, Fugaku felt as though he could see hope again.

Moreover, as long as a genius emerged within the Uchiha Clan and earned distinction on the battlefield, the clan could secure more power within Konoha, and even put forward one of its members to become Hokage.

"Clan Head, should I call Mu Feng over now so you can confirm it yourself?" the Uchiha clansman opposite him asked.

Fugaku thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"No!"

"It would be best not to entangle him in too many of the clan's affairs!"

"But I will have our clansmen protect him from the shadows!"

"Lord Hokage needs a genius who does not belong to the Uchiha, and we Uchiha also need a genius who can compete for the position of Hokage!"

A keen light flashed in Fugaku's eyes as he spoke calmly.