Hokage's Office
After confirming the ninja teams and the assigned guiding Jonin, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Namikaze Minato, Yuhi Shinku, and the others to withdraw.
Once the room was empty, Hiruzen leaned on his pipe, pondering. To be honest, Uchiha Mirai's performance today had exceeded his expectations. Many thought Mirai had won narrowly, but Hiruzen knew the truth: in both swordsmanship and ninjutsu, Hatake Kakashi had been completely dominated.
In other words… the Uchiha clan's future power had already surpassed Kakashi in all respects.
The display reminded Hiruzen of his old teammate, Uchiha Kagami—another prodigy who had appeared suddenly and been recruited into the personal guard. That exception had stabilized the Uchiha clan's dissatisfaction with the Hokage line for years.
Perhaps… he should similarly train Uchiha Mirai as a future elite guard, just as he had done before. Of course, the prerequisite was that Mirai could endure his tests.
"Hiruzen!"
The office door swung open, and Danzo Shimura strode in without ceremony.
"Hiruzen, I'm applying to have Uchiha Mirai join Root," Danzo declared.
Hiruzen frowned. "Danzo, I've told you countless times—knock before entering!"
Danzo smirked. "Humph. If you peeked into the women's bathhouse less often with your crystal ball, there'd be no need for such rules."
Hiruzen's face paled. Defamation! Blatant slander!
"Of all the new Genin, I only want Uchiha Mirai," Danzo pressed.
"No. I have other plans for Uchiha Mirai," Hiruzen replied decisively. "Even Kakashi couldn't match him. Such a dangerous genius is safest under my supervision. You don't want another Uchiha Madara appearing in the village, do you?"
"Danzo, you are too hostile toward the Uchiha," Hiruzen said calmly.
Danzo snorted. "The Uchiha who are born evil… this is what our teacher taught us!"
"Alas… times have changed," Hiruzen sighed. "The ninja world is unstable now. Pressuring the Uchiha could cause unrest in Konoha. Other villages might seize the opportunity to strike. The Senju line has died out, Tsunade has left, Jiraiya is on a journey, Hatake Sakumo has committed suicide… Konoha is no longer unshakable. During this period, the best policy is conciliation. That is what my teacher did."
Danzo remained unmoved. "The village is like this because of your incompetence. Hiruzen, you should resign as Hokage!"
"Enough!" Hiruzen scolded, pointing his finger. "Danzo, you will obey my arrangements."
"Hmph! You'll regret this!"
"Remember, I am the Hokage!"
Bang! The office door slammed, blocking Danzo's exit.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples helplessly. Of course, he considered Danzo's words—but any genius needs time to grow. Even Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had required years of accumulation. The village's power was in Hiruzen's hands, and he didn't believe Uchiha Mirai could spark a major crisis… yet. If Mirai ever showed signs of going out of control, action could be taken then.
The Next Day—Ninja School
A group of newly promoted Genin sat in the classroom, buzzing with excitement. Today, ninja teams would be assigned—teams they might fight alongside for years to come. Everyone whispered, guessing their future teammates.
"Obito, who do you want on your team?" Nohara Rin asked with a smile.
Of course, you! Obito thought, but said aloud, "It doesn't matter, as long as it's not Uchiha Mirai or Hatake Kakashi."
"Huh? But Mirai and Kakashi are both amazing. Wouldn't it be reassuring to team up with them?" Rin said.
Obito snorted. He had no intention of teaming with them.
In the back, Kurenai Yuhi nudged Uchiha Mirai. "Mirai, want to know who your teammates will be?"
Mirai pretended to think. "Should be you."
"Huh? How did you know?"
"In the future, do you want to be my teammate?"
"Not really," Mirai replied, touching his chin. "I heard your father is one of the guiding Jonin. You probably begged him to team us together."
Yuhi blushed. "Stop being narcissistic. I didn't do that!"
"Cooking for Dad, washing his clothes, cleaning… none of that was for me. So don't overthink it, even if we end up in a smaller team."
Mirai smiled, noting her classic tsundere response. Maxed out tsundere attribute. Praise!
At that moment, Oiwa Junshan entered, leading several Jonin including Yuhi Shinku and Namikaze Minato.
"Everyone, be quiet," Oiwa said. "The village has assigned excellent guiding Jonin. When your name is called, follow them."
The room quieted instantly.
"Uchiha Mirai, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi!"
"Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, Nohara Rin!"
"Shiranui Genma, Ebisu, Might Guy!"
…
-End Chapter-
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