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"Lord Hokage, this is the list of graduates for this cohort."
—Hokage Office—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, leisurely reviewing the list Iruka had submitted.
"Among them, Hatoyama Yukio performed the best…"
"Where's Naruto?"
Interrupting Iruka mid-report, Hiruzen flipped straight to the final page.
There it was—Uzumaki Naruto, listed second-to-last in the rankings. His physical and weapon proficiency were average. As for ninjutsu, aside from the Transformation Technique, he had failed the other two—Substitution and Clone Techniques.
"Naruto is unlikely to graduate this year," Iruka said with a sigh.
The graduation requirement this year was the Clone Technique. Naruto…
Recalling the way Naruto's clones always looked like bloated corpses, Iruka shook his head.
"Is that so?"
Hiruzen nodded and turned back to a different page.
"And uchiha ying ? How did he do?"
"Excellent as well. He'll be able to operate independently in the field before long."
If Naruto was the most mischievous student in class, then uchiha ying was easily the most well-behaved and quiet.
Iruka had a very high opinion of him.
"You really like that boy, huh?"
"Anyone would, after meeting him..."
**Knock knock.**
"Lord Hokage, Lord Danzo is requesting an audience."
Just as Iruka and Hiruzen were speaking, a knock came from the door.
Danzo…
Hiruzen paused. He already knew why he'd come.
He had seen everything in his crystal ball moments ago. ANBU had also delivered their report.
But to think Danzo would come knocking first—before he could even summon him.
Still, Hiruzen's expression didn't change.
"Let him in," he said, then glanced at Iruka.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Iruka gathered the student records and quietly exited the office.
——
Only after the purple-haired kunoichi walked away did uchiha ying finally unclench the bitterness hidden in his sleeve.
Though just a false alarm, the unease had ruined his entire day.
> "I need to find something to keep these two old relics busy so they stop fighting over every detail in the village. They're going to get me killed at this rate."
As long as Hiruzen and Danzo were around, it didn't matter how low-key he acted—danger would always loom.
uchiha ying sighed.
These two old watchdogs practically monitored every inch of Konoha. It was enough to keep anyone up at night.
——
"This... is where you live?"
At the edge of the Uchiha District, uchiha ying led Naruto to the clan compound.
Looking at the crumbling streets and scorched homes, Naruto felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He'd heard about the Uchiha Massacre, but standing here… this was beyond imagination.
The place looked haunted. Even someone as isolated as Naruto felt a rare pang of empathy for uchiha ying .
"Everything's been destroyed, except for the main mansion up ahead. That's where we live."
Walking through what was once a bustling clan district, uchiha ying headed for the deepest courtyard.
"Oh..."
Naruto scratched his head. He wanted to say something comforting, but it all felt too late.
Still, he knew better than to act carefree now. Quietly, he followed behind.
It wasn't until they stepped into the house and found Sasuke in the kitchen, frying eggs in an apron, that Naruto finally relaxed.
"Ha! Sasuke, I didn't expect you to be cooking in an apron!"
"You damn loser..."
Seeing Naruto burst into laughter, Sasuke nearly crushed the frying pan in rage.
"Why are you bringing outsiders into our clan compound?"
Sasuke's cold glare was directed at uchiha ying , like he was ready to start a fight.
"He had nowhere to go. No food, no money. So I brought him here."
Truthfully, uchiha ying had been in a good mood today—and Naruto was… pitiful.
But more importantly, he thought Naruto could be useful. A loud, clumsy assistant to balance the gloom.
> "Can't be scowling every day. Maybe Sasuke will open up a bit too."
"Next time, don't bring strays home!"
Despite the scolding, Sasuke made another egg without complaint.
"I'm not a stray..."
Naruto looked like he wanted to argue but caught himself.
This wasn't his house.
So, with a soft grumble, he sat down quietly and drank the tea uchiha ying served him.
——
"Routine nonsense again—Yu Zhibo's brat is a danger to the Nine-Tails!"
The moment Danzo entered the Hokage's office, he began shouting accusations.
"Oh? Did Sasuke get into a fight with Naruto again?"
Hiruzen feigned innocence.
"Not Sasuke—uchiha ying ."
"uchiha ying ? What's he done now?"
Calmly, Hiruzen picked up the crystal ball on his desk.
Danzo followed his gaze and realized—Hiruzen already knew everything.
But that didn't stop him.
"That boy being so close to the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki… it's a risk. We can't afford a repeat of the Nine-Tails' rampage."
Danzo struck the floor with his cane.
"And uchiha ying ? He's nothing but leftover trash. A blind failure! He couldn't even awaken a single tomoe of his Sharingan! He's dead weight."
> "His name's even 'Ying'—shadow. He must have ambitions. I should've killed him the day of the massacre!"
"Back then, he survived suspiciously. That alone should warrant his execution!"
"Enough!"
Hiruzen slammed his desk with both palms.
Had uchiha ying not been found among the Uchiha corpses, terrified and blood-soaked, even he might have doubted the boy's identity.
But over the years, uchiha ying had proven to be respectful, obedient, and average at best.
He reminded Hiruzen of Uchiha Kagami—a loyal shadow, not a threat.
"You accuse him without evidence. What right do you have to threaten a loyal citizen of the Leaf!?"
"Even without his Sharingan, what threat could he pose to the Nine-Tails?"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
This wasn't about uchiha ying . It was about Naruto. Danzo had been meddling again.
"I already told you—ANBU's surveillance is enough. Root is not to interfere with Naruto or his surroundings."
Danzo clicked his tongue, refusing to back down.
"This clan should've been wiped out completely. They're rotten to the core."
"Enough!" Hiruzen shouted again.
"For years, I've regretted how we handled the Uchiha clan—not because of their deaths, but because we lost a blade that could have defended Konoha."
"But if you ever touch Naruto or uchiha ying again..."
Hiruzen leaned forward, voice colder than steel.
"I'll dismantle Root myself."
Danzo glared at him in silence—then stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
> "If I were Hokage... Konoha would be ten times stronger. But you—"
> "You protect enemies and betray your own."
——
"uchiha ying ..."
Alone once more, Hiruzen leaned back and stared at the portraits of past Hokage.
"Why does that name feel familiar...?"
He dug through the archives for over an hour.
Eventually, he found it.
A single forgotten report from decades ago—when the First Hokage had passed on his duties.
It was written in the Second Hokage's hand.
*'The infant rescued by Madara's younger brother was named "Ying." He was brought into the village by the First Hokage himself...'*
Below that line, the words were crossed out.
> "Why would Tobirama strike that out?"
Hiruzen traced the handwriting with a frown.
> "And if he was brought in back then... why don't I remember seeing him until now?"
He shook his head.
Too much time had passed. Maybe it was just coincidence.
There were probably dozens of kids named 'Ying' in the village.
As he shut the archive room, his gaze lingered on the door to the Forbidden Scrolls chamber.
> "Naruto still needs to grow. And Sasuke..."
> "The perfect Jinchūriki of Kumogakure has the whole world's attention."
And Hiruzen—Hiruzen couldn't help but envy that.
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