"Naruto!"
At those words, Hiashi jolted in shock, rising straight to his feet and fixing Danzo with an unblinking stare.
The two elders also took it upon themselves to check for anyone eavesdropping nearby.
Danzo, meanwhile, continued calmly drinking his tea.
"..." Hiashi quelled his shock and sat back down. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said," Danzo replied. "The Third Naruto is about my age. By the time he retires, I will probably be too old to serve as Naruto myself. But my disciple can."
As he spoke, Danzo set down his teacup, his expression turning serious. "Otherwise, why do you think I would favor a child I picked up outside the village? Why would I pour so many resources into him?"
Well, he actually had not intended to invest so much at first. He had thought the child's body would soon reach its limit.
Danzo, too, felt that it came down to timing and fate. He had Orochimaru to thank for this.
Naturally, the Hyuga Clan knew nothing of what Danzo and Orochimaru were plotting. Recalling the resources Danzo had poured into that "Black Boy" over the years, the Hyuga present found themselves instinctively accepting his explanation.
After a moment, Hiashi asked, "Then... Elder Danzo, when you adopted Waterbird River Xue Ge... you saw his potential back then?"
Danzo nodded without hesitation.
The Hyuga understood. Danzo truly had a discerning eye. Even a disabled orphan he had casually picked up on the battlefield could become Konoha's rising genius.
With the way Danzo was training him, the child would certainly become quite powerful. Perhaps he really could compete for the Naruto position.
At that thought, Hiashi suddenly hesitated. "But... no matter how you look at it, Waterbird River Xue Ge came from outside the village. He isn't a