After Chen Xing left the Hokage's Office, a shadow appeared silently in the corner of the room.
The figure wore a wooden ANBU mask patterned after an animal, his silver hair slightly disheveled.
If Chen Xing had still been there, he would have immediately recognized this man —
Hatake Kakashi, the same person he once sparred with and defeated in a previous encounter.
> "Kakashi… what do you think of him?"
asked the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, taking a slow puff from his pipe.
Kakashi's voice was calm but carried a trace of unease.
> "He's become stronger."
The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow.
> "Oh? What makes you say that?"
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly.
> "When I observed him before, his presence was sharp — impossible to ignore. But now… that killing intent is completely hidden. Perfectly suppressed.
That kind of control… I've only ever seen it once before — from my sensei."
Hiruzen paused, eyes narrowing.
> "You mean… the Fourth Hokage?"
Kakashi nodded silently.
For a long moment, Hiruzen said nothing. Smoke curled slowly from his pipe. Then he sighed.
> "Even I can't gauge his true strength anymore. And that, more than anything, tells me how dangerous he's become. A genius beyond measure… perhaps even beyond Minato."
Kakashi didn't respond. His thoughts drifted briefly to their brief fight months ago — to the overwhelming power that had forced him to use every trick he had, yet still left him defeated.
If Chen Xing had grown even stronger since then… he might already stand near Kage-level.
> "The Chūnin Exams are approaching," Kakashi finally said, his tone uncertain.
"Do you really intend to let him participate?"
Hiruzen smiled faintly, though his eyes carried the weight of decades.
> "Of course. Let him participate. Perhaps it's time our young shinobi — who have grown complacent in peacetime — remember what true strength feels like."
For a brief moment, Kakashi saw not the aging, gentle Hokage before him, but the Professor, the veteran warrior who had once fought on countless battlefields.
---
(Later That Afternoon)
Bored of sitting in his hotel room, Chen Xing decided to explore the village.
He hadn't gone far before he felt several faint chakra signatures tailing him — subtle, disciplined, but not hidden well enough to fool his senses.
He stopped in a quiet alley and spoke to the air.
> "Kakashi, come out. There's no point hiding."
A soft shff echoed from the nearby wall as a familiar figure emerged from the shadows, now wearing a casual dark-gray outfit. His ANBU mask was gone, replaced by his usual forehead protector slanted over his left eye, and a cloth mask covering the lower half of his face.
> "So… the Hokage sent you to keep an eye on me?" Chen Xing asked dryly.
He wasn't angry — he had expected surveillance. After all, Konoha wouldn't let a powerful outsider wander freely during the exams. Still, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of irritation that the one assigned was Kakashi instead of that alluring ANBU kunoichi, Yūgao Uzuki, who had shadowed him once before.
Kakashi gave a lazy shrug.
> "Orders are orders. Besides, someone has to make sure you don't cause any… misunderstandings."
> "Heh," Chen Xing smirked. "Since you're here, you might as well play tour guide. I've got time — show me around the village."
Kakashi sighed but couldn't help the small smile beneath his mask.
> "Fine. But if you get us in trouble, you're paying for the paperwork."
---
(At the Hokage Building)
Unbeknownst to Chen Xing, word of his arrival had reached not only Hiruzen — but also Shimura Danzō and the Elders.
That afternoon, as Chen Xing toured the village with Kakashi, a cane tapped heavily against the polished floors of the Hokage Tower.
An elderly man with one bandaged eye and a cross-shaped scar on his chin entered the office, flanked by the two senior advisors: Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Homura frowned first.
> "Hiruzen, are you certain about this? Allowing the so-called Peacock King to compete in our Chūnin Exams?"
Koharu crossed her arms, shaking her head disapprovingly.
> "I agree with Homura. His presence could disrupt the exams entirely. If he wins — and he likely will — what does that say about Konoha's strength?"
The Third Hokage exhaled slowly, setting his pipe aside. His eyes, though tired, remained resolute.
> "Homura, Koharu… the world is changing. We cannot keep hiding behind fear of loss.
Letting someone like Chen Xing compete shows our confidence — and reminds our own shinobi that true power still exists beyond these walls."
His old comrades frowned, unconvinced. They had once shared his ideals, but years of politics and fear had hardened them.
Homura pressed again.
> "But Hiruzen, if he defeats our genin, the impact on morale will be devastating!"
Koharu added sharply:
> "We can still revoke his participation quietly. No one will question it once his background is revealed."
Hiruzen's face darkened slightly.
> "Enough. I have made my decision. He will participate."
Before they could protest again, the office doors opened with a heavy creak.
A voice, calm yet dripping with cold amusement, echoed from the entrance.
> "For once, I agree with the Hokage."
All eyes turned as Shimura Danzō entered the room, his cane striking the floor with each slow step. His right eye was wrapped in bandages, his arm hidden beneath layers of cloth.
> "Danzō," Koharu said sharply. "You of all people—"
> "This concerns Konoha's prestige," Danzō interrupted, his tone low but commanding.
"The Peacock King meets every requirement to participate. Denying him would make us look weak. Let him enter — and let the world see that even he cannot shake the foundation of the Leaf."
The Third Hokage studied his old rival quietly. It was rare for Danzō to agree with him, and that made his support all the more suspicious.
Hiruzen knew Danzō too well — this was not about diplomacy. The leader of Root always had another agenda.
---
(Atop the Hokage Monument)
Later that day, Chen Xing and Kakashi arrived at the top of the Hokage Monument — the stone faces of the First through Third Hokage carved into the mountain, overlooking the entire village.
The sun was beginning to set, bathing Konoha in golden light. The sight was undeniably majestic.
> "This place… really is something," Chen Xing murmured, gazing at the view.
Kakashi said nothing, standing beside him, hands in his pockets.
Then, soft footsteps approached from behind.
An old man with a cane, his right eye bandaged and a faint scar across his chin, slowly emerged from the shadows.
Kakashi stiffened slightly.
> "Danzō-sama…"
Danzō nodded curtly to Kakashi before turning his cold gaze on Chen Xing.
> "So… you're the one they call the Peacock King."
Chen Xing met his stare evenly.
> "And you must be Shimura Danzō — leader of Root. What do you want?"
> "I merely wished to see for myself the man from the Star Village who dares use the Leaf as a stepping stone to fame,"
Danzō said, his tone flat, but his words edged with challenge.
"Consider this an introduction… and a warning."
Chen Xing's brow lifted slightly.
> "A warning, huh? You'll have to be more specific."
Danzō's single visible eye narrowed.
> "Be careful how brightly you let your star shine, boy. Too much light… tends to attract shadows."
The air between them grew tense, chakra stirring faintly. Kakashi silently stepped between the two, ready to intervene if needed.
But Chen Xing only smirked.
> "Heh. Don't worry, old man. I've lived in the dark long enough to know how to handle shadows."
For a moment, Danzō's expression didn't change — then, without another word, he turned and disappeared down the stone steps.
Kakashi let out a slow breath.
> "You really shouldn't provoke him."
> "I didn't," Chen Xing replied with a faint smile. "I just told the truth."
As the evening wind swept across the Monument, both men gazed down at the village — each lost in his own thoughts.
Neither noticed the faint flutter of a Root agent's cloak vanishing into the trees below.