Danzo had almost never imagined that Uya could win and kill Uchiha Kan instead.
Uchiha Kan was at least an elite chunin!
In his imagination, either Uya would be killed,
or, at the last moment, the Root ninja he had sent to hide in the shadows would rescue the dying Uya, then bring him back for treatment and implant a special secret technique to control him.
Uya would become his tool.
Yet neither outcome had happened!
What had happened was the third, most unlikely outcome!
"That brat... to think he grew this much in just three short months!"
At that moment, even Danzo felt somewhat horrified.
Uya's talent was simply too terrifying!
Calling him a genius was not enough. He was an absolute monster!
Still, fortunately, he remained within controllable limits.
Taking a deep breath, Danzo slowly calmed down, an uncertain light beginning to flicker in his eyes.
Not far from Konoha.
An isolated base.
Orochimaru had built this place himself specifically to conduct certain experiments.
"Has Uya's corpse arrived, or... did that child turn everything around?"
"Reporting to Lord Orochimaru, Uya killed Uchiha Kan."
As the ninja spoke, his eyes still held a look of utter shock that would not subside for a long time.
Hearing this, Orochimaru was also slightly surprised, then revealed an eerie smile.
"As expected, that child is far from ordinary. The Uchiha Clan, Danzo, and Teacher Sarutobi all underestimated him."
"Things will become more interesting from here."
Orochimaru wore a faintly sinister expression. No one knew what he was thinking.
At his age, Uya had defeated an elite chunin.
Although that was enough to shock countless people, it was still within the realm of comprehension.
After all, the original story had featured a monster like Kakashi Hatake, who graduated from the Ninja Academy at five and became a chunin at six.
The Hokage's office.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat there.
Even now, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes still held a shock he could not suppress.
"Simply... unbelievable!"
"Yes, that child really did open everyone's eyes."
Someone softly responded.
Beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, another person stood quietly.
He had silver hair and wore the proper uniform of a Konoha elite jonin.
However, his identity was not as simple as that of an elite jonin.
He was Kakashi Hatake's father, Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo!
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, only calming down after a long while.
"Sakumo, what should we do next?"
"I think... that child can graduate early. Then, how about having him join the Anbu?"
Hatake Sakumo considered it briefly before speaking calmly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly. "After this incident, I fear the Uchiha Clan won't let things rest. Besides, that child Uya is exceptionally perceptive. How could he fail to guess that I..."
"Lord Hokage, forgive my bluntness, but there's really no need to consider so much."
Hatake Sakumo looked calmly at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Uya is exceptionally perceptive. Perhaps he can guess what happened behind the scenes, but even if he knows... it doesn't matter."
"He is a Konoha ninja. If he leaves Konoha, he has nowhere to go."
"What he must face now is the Uchiha Clan, as well as Danzo."
"Precisely because he is exceptionally perceptive, he will certainly understand that the best path before him now is to become a member of the Anbu directly under your command, Lord Hokage."
Hatake Sakumo's words made Hiruzen Sarutobi see the light.
Indeed.
Uya had nowhere to go.
Even if he understood that Hiruzen had abandoned him this time, his only choice was still to rely on Hiruzen.
"But..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi still hesitated slightly. "I'm worried that after this incident, his thoughts might..."
"It's all right," Sakumo said calmly.
His tone revealed intense confidence.
"As long as I'm here, he is a Konoha ninja. That will never change."
"Besides..." A faint smile appeared on Sakumo's face. "Hasn't Tsunade already established a very good relationship with Uya?"
"Whew, that's true."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, finally revealing a faint smile.
Hatake Sakumo was Konoha's current Anbu Captain!
With Sakumo there, he could rest easy about Uya joining the Anbu. Even once Uya grew stronger, as long as Sakumo was there, Uya would always remain under control.
Besides, Tsunade was his student.
Now, Tsunade seemed to have already established a master-disciple relationship with Uya.
With that connection, even if Uya felt dissatisfied with him over this incident, it should eventually fade with time.
"Then, next we'll submit an application for his early graduation, and then... make him an Anbu candidate for the time being."
After considering it briefly, Hiruzen Sarutobi made his decision.
"Only a candidate?"
"Yes. In terms of combat, he defeated Uchiha Kan, so there's nothing to dispute. But he's still too inexperienced. It would be better to train him some more."
"Indeed."
Hatake Sakumo nodded as well.
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked over to the window and looked down over all of Konoha from the Hokage Building.
All was peaceful.
A trace of complexity and wistfulness appeared on his face.
He was the Hokage.
What he bore on his shoulders was the entire village.
So he had to consider the bigger picture in everything.
As long as the result moved Konoha in a better direction, then, to him, anything could be done!
This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's Will of Fire.
For Konoha, anything could be sacrificed!
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had always turned a blind eye to Danzo's efforts to seize various powers.
Even in the original story, he had forgiven Danzo after Danzo tried to assassinate him.
This was Hiruzen Sarutobi, a Shinobi Hero of his generation.
A street corner.
Around a few alleys lay Uya's home.
Uya had defeated Uchiha Kan in their duel to the death, but it had not caused any great upheaval in Konoha.
Only Konoha High Command knew the news.
Naturally, the Uchiha Clan would not deliberately publicize the matter. It was utterly humiliating; they could hardly hide it quickly enough.
At that moment, Uya sat at home, looking thoughtfully at the few items on his table.
On the table lay a ninja forehead protector, a document, and a scroll.
Inside the scroll was the training method for Monstrous Strength that Uya had just obtained.
As for the ninja forehead protector, Uya had suddenly received notice that the Ninja Academy had approved his early graduation.
The forehead protector had not been awarded to Uya by Hiruzen Sarutobi, nor handed over by a chunin instructor. Instead, an Anbu member had delivered it to him.
It went without saying that Hiruzen Sarutobi must have issued the order directly because Uya had defeated Uchiha Kan.
Seriously, if he could defeat an elite chunin, continuing as a Ninja Academy student would be rather strange no matter how one looked at it!
He had graduated early and become a genin.
Without Uya even needing to apply, it had simply been issued to him as a notification.
Of course, this was of little importance to Uya. The status of genin was not particularly useful.
What truly concerned Uya was the document delivered along with the forehead protector, now lying on the table.
This document was an acceptance notice from Konoha's Anbu-the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad!