The Third Hokage kept his voice very low, a note of gravity in it.
"It could even affect the safety of the entire village. There are no outsiders here now. You can speak."
Xin stood where he was without speaking immediately.
He turned his head, his gaze sweeping seemingly casually over several dark corners of the office and the lush tree outside the window.
"Lord Hokage, as I just said, I mean a truly private report."
Xin stressed the word "private."
He gave a cold laugh.
"There are quite a few flies pricking up their ears in this office of yours."
His words were aimed directly at the Anbu hidden in the shadows, and possibly even Root's spies.
The Third Hokage's expression shifted slightly. Naturally, he understood what Xin meant.
He was just about to order all the Anbu guarding the office in secret to withdraw.
"Hahaha!"
A hearty burst of laughter suddenly came from outside the window.
Immediately afterward, a tall figure vaulted straight over the windowsill and landed firmly in the center of the office.
The newcomer had long white hair, wore a red outer coat and wooden sandals, and had a devil-may-care smile on his face.
It was none other than Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin.
"If it's something that concerns the village's safety, how could you leave out the Toad Sage!"
Jiraiya strode casually over to Xin and patted his shoulder.
"Kid, you don't mind if I listen too, do you?"
Xin looked at Jiraiya and raised an eyebrow.
"This concerns not only Konoha, but even the survival of the entire Shinobi World."
Xin's tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable certainty.
"One more person listening won't hurt."
Seeing this, the Third Hokage pondered for a moment, then nodded solemnly in agreement.
Jiraiya dropped his frivolous expression and grew solemn.
His hands instantly blurred as he rapidly formed hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Solitary Yang Formation!"
Jiraiya slammed both palms onto the floor.
Hum!
A translucent, pale golden barrier instantly rose, enclosing the entire Hokage's office without a gap.
"All set."
Jiraiya stood up and clapped his hands.
"This barrier blocks all sound and chakra sensing. Even the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan can't see through it. No one outside can possibly spy on us."
Jiraiya looked at Xin.
"Now you can speak without worry."
Looking at the two of them, now fully prepared, Xin gave a mysterious smile.
"Before we get to the matter at hand, there's something I want to show you."
Xin slowly closed his eyes.
The Third Hokage and Jiraiya held their breath, their eyes fixed on Xin.
The next second.
Xin snapped his eyes open.
His pitch-black pupils instantly turned scarlet.
Three black tomoe spun rapidly in his eyes, then abruptly joined together, forming an intricate, sharp five-pointed star pattern.
A terrifying, heart-stopping surge of ocular power instantly filled the office.
The Third Hokage and Jiraiya looked as though they had been struck by lightning.
Both widened their eyes and drew sharp breaths in unison, instinctively stepping half a pace back.
"Th-this is!"
Jiraiya cried out involuntarily, his face filled with shock.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Even the Third Hokage's voice trembled. He stared fixedly at the five-pointed star patterns in Xin's eyes as a sheen of cold sweat instantly formed on his forehead.
He knew all too well what those eyes meant.
This was the ultimate power spoken of only in the Uchiha Clan's legends, a symbol of calamity and destruction.
"Xin... you've actually awakened the Mangekyō!"
The Third Hokage hurriedly pressed him, undisguised panic in his voice.
"What are your dōjutsu? Don't tell me you have Kotoamatsukami like Shisui, powerful enough to control people's minds!"
The Third Hokage was genuinely afraid.
If Xin possessed a dangerous ability like Kotoamatsukami, he would undoubtedly be a time bomb beyond Konoha's control.
Seeing the two looking as though they faced a formidable enemy, Xin was secretly amused.
"No need to be nervous, Lord Hokage."
Xin began explaining slowly, his tone relaxed.
"My dōjutsu are Amaterasu and a type of Space-Time Ninjutsu similar to the Flying Thunder God Technique, which I call 'Divine Flash.' Not Kotoamatsukami."
Hearing that it was not Kotoamatsukami, the Third Hokage relaxed a little.
But he and Jiraiya still looked thoroughly wary.
Xin wasted no more words. He decided to let the facts speak for themselves.
He turned his gaze toward the empty ceramic teacup on the desk.
The five-pointed star pattern in his right eye rotated slightly.
"Amaterasu."
Whoosh!
An inky-black flame ignited on the teacup without warning.
The black flames gave off no heat, yet radiated an aura of all-consuming destruction.
The teacup did not last even a second beneath the black flames, instantly crumbling into a pile of ash. The black flames even began spreading across the wooden desktop.
"What is this!"
Jiraiya's face changed dramatically as he pointed at the black flames and cried out.
"I've seen these flames from Uchiha Itachi! These are black flames that can burn even fire itself to nothing. They can't be extinguished!"
Jiraiya hurriedly formed hand seals, preparing to use Fire Sealing Method: Flame Seal to contain the fire.
Xin merely shook his head lightly.
He slowly raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
The pitch-black flames that had been raging across the desk instantly vanished, leaving not even a wisp of smoke.
Jiraiya's hands froze in midair, halfway through his hand seals.
His eyes widened as he stared at Xin as though looking at a monster.
"You... you can actually control both the ignition and extinguishing of Amaterasu?"
Jiraiya swallowed.
As far as he knew, when Uchiha Itachi used Amaterasu, he could only release it, not withdraw it at will.
This kid's control over his dōjutsu actually surpassed Itachi's!
Xin did not answer and continued his demonstration.
"Next is Divine Flash."
Before his words had finished.
Xin vanished from where he stood without warning.
No hand seals, no afterimages.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More than a dozen figures of Xin instantly appeared throughout the office.
He flickered rapidly between the room's corners, the ceiling, and the windowsill.
His speed had reached the absolute extreme.
The Third Hokage and Jiraiya strained their eyes wide, yet could not track Xin's actual movements at all.
At first, both thought this was the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique.
But Jiraiya soon noticed something amiss.
"That's not right!"
Jiraiya shouted, his face filled with horror.
"He hasn't thrown any specially made kunai, nor has he left Flying Thunder God technique markings anywhere!"
The Third Hokage noticed this as well, his heart filled with amazement.
Space-Time Ninjutsu that allowed instantaneous movement without any markings.
In actual combat, this was nothing short of an absolute killing move that could not be defended against!
Whoosh!
Xin's figure came to a stop before them again, without so much as a heavy breath.
He deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan, his eyes returning to their normal black.
Looking at Xin before him, the Third Hokage let out a long, stale breath.
He found that although Xin's dōjutsu were absurdly powerful, they were not an almost impossible-to-guard-against brainwashing ability like Kotoamatsukami.