Sarutobi Hiruzen was a very busy man. Even though he delegated most of his tasks, he liked to stay on top of things and supervise from a distance. This was true both in the academy and during the Chunin Exams. For this reason, anyone who needed to see him or had business with him was summoned to his office. This time, however, Sarutobi had gone to see someone himself.
"I apologize for the intrusion."
"Not at all, Hokage-sama," Mitsuro replied respectfully, having just finished his class. He glanced at Hiruzen, who, as always, was wearing his Hokage robes.
"Mitsuro, what do you think about the Chunin Exams?"
Mitsuro was taken aback. "I don't understand your question, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen simply stated, "I'm asking if you'd be willing to serve as a proctor for the third stage of the exams."
Mitsuro paused for a moment. "Hokage-sama, that's a great honor, but we're nearing midterm exams, and as I recall, Gekko Hayate was supposed to be in charge of the third stage."
The Hokage nodded. "I know, but I don't think it will take up much of your time. Besides, Hayate has another mission. I'm concerned these two tasks might be too much for him… He is a bit unwell, after all. So, what do you say?"
Mitsuro secretly didn't want to accept this mission because it would interfere with his plans, but he didn't know how to refuse the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama, this is so sudden… I…"
The Hokage looked at Mitsuro. "Mitsuro, you've been back for over a year and a half now, but you've been very passive… Don't you think you've become too much of a recluse? You've even handed over most of the classroom lessons to Iruka and only kept the ninjutsu training for yourself."
So that was it! Hiruzen thinks I'm up to something! He doesn't suspect me yet, but he's clearly felt that something is off. I thought I could move freely around the village, just like Jiraiya does whatever he wants, but it looks like that's not the case for me.
Mitsuro thought for a moment and said, "Alright, Hokage-sama. I'll be the proctor for the third exam."
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a short chuckle, showing he was pleased with Mitsuro's answer. "Good! Very good! This will be better for Hayate as well. I'll let him know. Though he will likely accompany you during the preliminary rounds."
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he added, "Oh, before I forget… Konohamaru would like you to train him a bit… I know he can be a little mischievous, but he's a good kid… I'd appreciate it if you could make some time for him."
Huh? The Hokage himself is proposing this? This is great!
Even so, Mitsuro didn't accept right away, pretending to think. "I have no problem with it, Hokage-sama. After all, Konohamaru is my student at the academy, but wouldn't this be bad for Ebisu-san? He's Konohamaru's guardian and clearly wants to teach him a lot of things."
Hiruzen replied, "You don't need to worry about Ebisu. You're not stealing his student; it's just a little training… You know, Konohamaru really admires you."
"As you wish, Hokage-sama."
...
Inside the Hokage's office,
Hiruzen Sarutobi had just returned to his office when he suddenly looked to the side. "Yamato!"
An ANBU appeared behind Sarutobi. "Hokage-sama."
"I have a mission for you. Reinvestigate Mitsuro's background."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"Also…" Yamato waited.
"The orphanage he visits so often… investigate that as well."
Hiruzen usually had a sharp nose for things. He didn't suspect Mitsuro, but he had a bad feeling lately, a sense that he was hiding something.
"I hope I'm just overthinking this."
...
Mitsuro was walking down the main street of Konoha when he saw Konohamaru. The boy's head was down, and he seemed sad.
"Konohamaru!"
The boy jumped and smiled when he saw Mitsuro. "Mitsuro-sensei!"
Mitsuro waved for him to come closer. Konohamaru ran toward him. "What's wrong? Why the long face?"
Konohamaru looked down and sighed. "It's nothing… It's just that Naruto-niisan has signed up for the Chunin Exams and doesn't have time to play ninja games with us anymore."
Mitsuro looked at Konohamaru and said, "Come with me."
Konohamaru asked, "Where are we going?"
Mitsuro answered without looking at him, "Didn't you want me to teach you? The Hokage asked me to give you a little training… Now, follow me."
Konohamaru excitedly replied, "Awesome! I can finally become strong!"
They walked together toward Training Ground Seven, where the smell of damp soil and fresh grass filled the air. Mitsuro walked in silence, and Konohamaru talked excitedly about his dreams of becoming strong.
When they arrived at the training ground, Mitsuro stopped and turned to Konohamaru. "So you want to become strong, right?"
"Of course!"
Then Mitsuro simply said, "Then run."
Konohamaru asked with confusion, "Huh?"
"I said run! Run around the training ground at top speed, and don't you dare stop until I tell you to!"
Konohamaru, surprised, accepted the command and started running. Mitsuro didn't even look at him. With his eyes closed, he listened to the sound of Konohamaru's footsteps, which grew heavier with each passing moment. Half an hour later, Konohamaru was breathing heavily and looked like he was about to collapse at any moment. He fell to his knees, barely managing to keep from throwing up.
"You didn't even last half an hour," Mitsuro said in a normal tone.
Konohamaru answered with a choked voice, "Sensei… Why do I have to run? I want to become strong!"
"And how do you think you'll become strong?" Mitsuro asked.
"I… with more powerful jutsu!"
"You said Naruto signed up for the Chunin Exams, right? Tell me, how many jutsu does Naruto know?" Mitsuro opened his eyes and stared at Konohamaru. "Let's ignore the three basic jutsu… Besides the Kage Bunshin, what else does he know?"
Konohamaru fell silent. He hadn't thought about that.
"Today is your first day. From today, for one month, you will only run for two hours every day! You don't have to run as fast as you did just now, but you have to run for two hours…"
Konohamaru protested, "Two hours?! I'll die!"
"You won't die. When you think you can't go on, that's when you're getting stronger. Now, get up and come here."
Konohamaru struggled to his feet and went to Mitsuro. Mitsuro gestured for him to sit next to him.
"Close your eyes. Try to slowly circulate chakra through your body, just like when you're about to perform a jutsu. Now feel it… Try to feel the direction your chakra moves in, moment by moment."
Konohamaru listened to him. At first, he felt nothing, but after a few minutes, he felt a warm, calm current in his veins.
Mitsuro began to explain, "Gain full control over your chakra and get to know your body… You don't need to learn a technique all at once… Someone who doesn't know how to control their chakra can't use ninjutsu… When you're ready, you can be sure you'll learn a lot, but first, you must improve your physical stamina and control."
He stood up and said, "And remember not to skip your academy classes… You have to show what you've got in your ninjutsu class."
The target is 100 POWER STONES for the BONUS CHAPTER!