oruha had just finished speaking—
When suddenly—
Bang!
A giant python shot up from beneath his feet, coiling into the air like a divine dragon and wrapping itself tightly around him, binding him in a crushing grip.
"Haha! You brat—just a Genin and already so arrogant,"
Anko laughed triumphantly.
"Don't underestimate a jounin of Konoha. That kind of mistake can cost you."
But then...
She noticed something odd.
Yoruha didn't panic.
He didn't even struggle.
Instead, he looked… calm. And even a little amused.
A second later—
Poof!
A puff of white smoke erupted.
The "Yoruha" that had been caught in the snake's grip turned into a log—a substitution jutsu!
"What?!"
Before Anko could react—
A soft voice came from behind her.
"Sensei Anko," Yoruha said leisurely, the bell now dangling from his fingers, "I think you might be misunderstanding something about the situation in Konoha..."
"It's the Genin you should be careful not to underestimate."
Anko's whole body froze.
She turned her head stiffly, expression twitching in disbelief.
"You… No way… How did you know where I hid that snake underground?!"
Yoruha gave her a relaxed smile, then shot her a meaningful look.
"You're asking when I noticed it?" he said softly.
"In front of these eyes… did you really think a sneaky little trap like that would work?"
Even a hidden snake? That was child's play.
What's more…
In the treetops off in the distance, there were two elderly figures watching the fight unfold in secret.
Yoruha had known they were there, too.
Up in the trees, a short distance away—
The Third Hokage exhaled a long smoke ring, a smile of satisfaction forming beneath his mustache.
"To use something as basic as the substitution jutsu so cleanly in real combat… impressive," Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, clearly pleased.
"Yoruha really is a remarkable seedling."
"If he's properly nurtured, he could become an elite jounin in no time."
Beside him stood Shimura Danzo, watching the scene below with his arms crossed and his face grim.
"Substitution jutsu might be basic," Danzo said coldly, "but judgment and battlefield awareness like that are extremely rare."
"Still... how the hell did he figure out where Anko's trap was?"
Flick.
Hiruzen took a final drag of his pipe and puffed thoughtfully.
"Haiichi from the Yamanaka clan mentioned something to me before," the Third Hokage said, "Yoruha isn't planning to inherit the Ino–Shika–Cho legacy."
"Instead, he's developed a unique approach using Yin Release and some of the clan's hidden techniques. It's not surprising that he's refined his perception skills this much."
Danzo waved away a cloud of second-hand smoke with a scowl, his expression filled with thinly veiled contempt.
This damn geezer. How's he still puffing away like this without dropping dead?
Danzo narrowed his eyes, gaze lingering on Yoruha below.
"Hiruzen," he said flatly, "Yamanaka Yoruha is a rare talent. I recommend you hand him over to me."
"I guarantee I can cultivate him into a shinobi on par with Uchiha Itachi."
Hiruzen gave the old man a sidelong glance and nearly scoffed.
"Train him into another Itachi?" he muttered to himself, clearly unimpressed.
"Don't joke with me."
The Yamanaka clan had long been staunch supporters of the Hokage.
There was absolutely no chance Hiruzen would let Danzo shape Yoruha into some dark-ops tool.
"Danzo," Hiruzen said with deliberate calm, "I've allowed you to restructure the Root division quietly. I've looked the other way."
"But stay away from Yoruha. He's not suited for your 'dark will.'"
"His path aligns with the Will of Fire, not your version of it."
Without waiting for a reply, Hiruzen turned and began walking back toward the Hokage Tower.
In his heart, he had already made a decision.
Yoruha is strong. Gifted. He has the charisma and brightness that inspires others. The clans trust him. He's close to the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. He might even become the Hyuga clan's son-in-law someday.
He's everything a future Hokage candidate should be.
Danzo?
Entrust him with that kind of potential?
What a joke.
There was no way in hell the Third Hokage would let Shimura Danzo corrupt a boy like Yoruha.