Watching Sasuke depart, Kakashi gently shook his head.
Though Sasuke was arrogant and rude, there was one thing Kakashi greatly admired: Sasuke possessed a purity that others could scarcely match.
Whatever was on his mind, Sasuke didn't bother to conceal, and this trait put Kakashi at ease.
In contrast, Kakashi found Shinji somewhat inscrutable. Thus, despite both Shinji and Sasuke being Uchiha clan survivors, he clearly favored Sasuke more.
At that moment, a tall figure approached Kakashi, chuckling, "Letting that kid give it a try isn't such a bad idea."
Kakashi bowed respectfully, "Jiraiya-sama!"
Jiraiya waved dismissively before saying, "This assessment revealed quite a few issues, didn't it?"
Kakashi replied softly, "Any results?"
"Mhm." Nodding, Jiraiya grew more serious. "The Root shinobi who attacked Uchiha Shinji's team have been re-interrogated by the Anbu. According to the intelligence analysis team, the enemy's assault plan was near perfection. Twenty simulated battles yielded consistent results!"
Though Kakashi had vaguely suspected something, he couldn't help but ask, "The results of the simulated battles were…?"
"Twenty simulated battles, and every one ended with Uchiha Shinji's team completely wiped out!" Pausing, Jiraiya added, "And the attacking Root shinobi suffered zero losses!"
"This…"
Though Kakashi had anticipated the simulated results would be unfavorable to Shinji's team, he hadn't expected such a stark disparity.
Jiraiya continued slowly, "The identities of the Root shinobi involved in the attack have been thoroughly verified by the Anbu. Every one of them was an elite with at least five years of mission experience! The intelligence team's simulations have an accuracy rate of 82%, so the conclusion is clear…"
Kakashi's expression tightened. "There's an issue with Uchiha Shinji's team's strength!"
"Exactly!"
Jiraiya nodded.
The attackers' strength had been confirmed, and the simulation's accuracy was undeniable. Thus, the only reason for the discrepancy in the results was that the defending team's combat power had been severely underestimated.
Kakashi pondered for a moment before saying, "Among Shinji, Haku, and Karin, at least one of them is hiding their strength—or perhaps all three are. To defeat the Root's assault without a single injury, the strength they're concealing must be significant! But that's not the key issue. The real question is why are they hiding their strength?"
Jiraiya said, "Haku is a survivor of the Mist's Yuki clan. He was allowed into the shinobi academy because the Advisory Council wanted to settle the score for the Mist's attempt to unleash the Three-Tails in the village."
Kakashi analyzed, "The Yuki clan was entirely eradicated during the Mist's Bloodline clan rebellion. It's highly unlikely Haku is a spy sent by the Hidden Mist Village."
"Mhm!" Jiraiya agreed, then continued, "Karin was brought back to the village by me. She's a wandering Uzumaki clansman and has always been well-behaved in the village. The likelihood of her being a spy is low."
Kakashi nodded. "Since neither of them grew up in the village, their sensitive backgrounds make it understandable that they'd hide some of their strength."
In ruling out Haku and Karin as spies, Kakashi realized their origins were far from ordinary. It wouldn't be surprising if they were concealing awakened Bloodline Limits.
Jiraiya said, "The intelligence team's analysis aligns with yours. Those two likely aren't a major concern. The one we need to focus on is Uchiha Shinji! Why is he hiding his strength? And just how much strength is he hiding? Those are the questions we need to answer!"
Kakashi understood the village's concerns.
The Uchiha clan's destruction was deeply tied to the village's leadership. Beyond Danzo, others, including the Third Hokage, bore responsibility.
Thus, no one could guarantee whether Uchiha Shinji harbored malice toward the village's higher-ups.
Moreover, for a twelve-year-old boy to conceal such strength—where did it come from? Could he be connected to forces outside the village?
These were matters the village leadership had to investigate thoroughly!
After all, Shinji was already the First Chair of the shinobi academy. Barring any major issues, he was destined for a high position in the future. If such a person harbored deep-seated malice toward the village, it would undoubtedly spell disaster!
Understanding this, Kakashi asked, "How does the village plan to handle this?"
Jiraiya replied, "The 'First Chair' position was our own creation. Since Uchiha Shinji has earned it, we must respect him as the First Chair, so acting recklessly is out of the question. The old man's idea is to have the academy students test Uchiha Shinji's team through sparring matches!"
"Test them!?"
"The probing of Haku and Karin has already begun!" Pausing, Jiraiya added, "But the real target is Uchiha Shinji!"
Kakashi hesitated. "And us?"
Jiraiya grinned. "We just watch!"
At a training ground in the village.
Thud, thud, thud…
With a series of muffled sounds, four or five figures were sent flying, sprawling across the ground and groaning in pain.
Standing in the center of the field, Haku said, "Are you all okay?"
The group helped each other up and bowed to Haku in unison. "Second Chair, thank you for the lesson!"
Haku, ever gentle, returned the bow. "Thank you for the lesson!"
On a tree in the distance.
Having observed the match, two Anbu exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"Pity. We still couldn't draw out his Bloodline Limit!"
"Students of this level can't probe his true strength. Report to the higher-ups—we need stronger opponents!"
After a brief exchange, the two Anbu vanished.
The assessment's benefits weren't limited to Shinji alone. As part of the victorious team, Haku and Karin had earned the titles of "Second Chair" and "Third Chair," respectively.
Unlike Shinji, who was already well-known, Haku and Karin weren't as prominent, so in recent days, students frequently challenged them to make a name for themselves.
The village seized this opportunity to observe, hoping to uncover Haku and Karin's hidden cards. Yet, after several challenges, both handled the fights with ease, revealing nothing the village wanted to see.
Soon, the report reached Tsunade's hands.
"Defeated with taijutsu again?"
She frowned slightly.
While sparring at the shinobi academy stage typically revolved around taijutsu, this clearly wasn't achieving the village's goal of probing.
Thus, Tsunade pulled out the list of academy students, her finger gliding over the names until it stopped on one.