Although various rumors circulated among the higher-ups, after personally interacting with Danzō, Sakumo found that he wasn't as terrible as the gossip suggested.
However, Danzō was ultimately the leader of the hawk faction, naturally at odds with the moderate Third Hokage, so Sakumo didn't want to get too deeply involved with him.
Therefore, throughout their conversation, Sakumo maintained a completely professional attitude, treating Danzō as a superior.
The shrewd Danzō naturally perceived Sakumo's concerns and didn't pressure him, instead engaging in harmless small talk.
"No matter how many times I see him, I still think Feng Bai's dad is somewhat frightening." Obito, who had come alone because his grandmother was too elderly, stood beside Rin and whispered to her.
"To be honest, I have the same feeling. Just make sure Feng Bai doesn't hear you." Rin quietly responded to Obito.
"Uh, I don't think he can hear us." Obito's gaze drifted to the side, where Kakashi, still smarting from the slap, was chasing Feng Bai at full speed.
"But I really didn't expect Feng Bai to be so fast—able to evade Kakashi's pursuit." Asuma, who also came without a parent, joined the conversation.
Kakashi shared the same sentiment. Even running at full speed, he was still a step behind Feng Bai. In other words, this guy's speed...
"Hmph, interesting." His competitive spirit ignited by Feng Bai, Kakashi realized he couldn't catch up and began forming hand seals.
With a "whoosh," Kakashi, who had been trailing behind Feng Bai, instantly appeared in front of him.
"Body Flicker Technique?" Feng Bai slammed on the brakes and immediately changed direction.
But just as he turned around, he discovered another Kakashi waiting in that direction as well.
Damn, seriously? Is this Clone Technique or Shadow Clone Jutsu?!
Seeing Kakashi in both directions, Feng Bai began to panic. Kakashi was actually getting serious—and whether it was Clone Technique or Shadow Clone Jutsu, Feng Bai didn't know either!
Regretting his earlier mischief, Feng Bai had no choice but to turn again.
The result was yet another Kakashi waiting on the other side.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu, eh." Noticing the commotion, Danzō's expression grew serious.
As expected of Konoha's White Fang's son—such remarkable talent.
This kid will probably become Feng Bai's...
Watching their interaction, Danzō suddenly remembered himself and Hiruzen.
They too had grown up together, and one of them was also a prodigy far beyond his peers...
In the end, it was the stronger Hiruzen who became Hokage.
Danzō unconsciously clenched his right hand, his fingernails digging deep into his palm.
"Yes, indeed." Sakumo hadn't noticed Danzō's subtle gesture, instead watching Kakashi with evident pride.
"Kakashi, you forced me into this!" Seeing Kakashi's clones charging at him with raised fists, Feng Bai, who knew neither Body Flicker nor Clone Jutsu, had no choice but to resort to offensive ninjutsu.
"Wait, seriously? That hand seal should be Wind Release..." Asuma, who had received Wind Release training at home, immediately recognized Feng Bai's hand seals.
"Go ahead and try." Kakashi had no intention of stopping, instead taunting him, deliberately testing Feng Bai's abilities.
"Then don't blame me! Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!" Terrified of accidentally killing Kakashi with his Wind Release, Feng Bai completed the hand seals at normal speed and expelled a sharp wind blade from his mouth.
All three Kakashis were sliced in half at the waist, then simultaneously dissolved into smoke.
"Holy crap, all three were Shadow Clones?" Hearing the distinctive explosion sound of Shadow Clones, Feng Bai froze, then realized something and quickly leaped away from his position.
Sure enough, as Feng Bai moved, Kakashi—hands formed into the Tiger seal—burst upward in a sudden thrust, nearly giving Feng Bai a very unpleasant surprise.
"You sneaky, perverted bastard! You were planning to use Thousand Years of Death on me!" Recognizing Kakashi's attack method, Feng Bai immediately protested loudly.
This guy actually knows about Thousand Years of Death?
Kakashi looked at Feng Bai with some surprise, but that Wind Release just now...
So this guy has also been training hard in private.
"For someone so young to master Wind Release to this degree, Feng Bai's talent is completely on par with yours, Danzō-sama." Seeing the terrifying destructive power of the Wind Release, Sakumo began flattering Danzō.
"Well, it's passable, I suppose." Seeing Feng Bai's performance, Danzō relaxed his clenched right hand. Though his face maintained its usual impassive expression, his tone became noticeably lighter.
Of course—how could my son possibly lose to Konoha's White Fang's son?
"Kakashi is so strong." Kurenai Yūhi, who had sent her father home first, walked over to Asuma's side, her voice carrying admiration.
"If I wanted to do that, I could manage it too." Seeing Kurenai praising another boy, Asuma felt a surge of jealousy and spoke defiantly.
"Feng Bai is pretty cool too, okay? Especially that Wind Release just now." Seeing Kurenai only praising Kakashi without mentioning Feng Bai, Anko retorted indignantly.
"Yes, yes, Feng Bai is very cool—so cool that even Anko's heart is fluttering, right?" Kurenai exposed Anko's secret feelings.
After hearing Kurenai's words, Anko first froze, then realized what she meant, her entire face visibly turning red: "You, you, you—what are you saying?!"
Embarrassed and angry, Anko ran over to Kurenai, wanting to teach her a lesson.
"Rin, I'll be even cooler than both of them in the future—believe me!" Seeing Rin's gaze entirely focused on Kakashi, Obito tried to attract her attention.
"Mm, I believe you, Obito." Rin smiled as she glanced at Obito, then returned her gaze to Kakashi.
At this point, Feng Bai and Kakashi had entered the taijutsu phase of their battle. Thanks to his long experience of getting beaten—no, long experience of training—Feng Bai was holding his own against Kakashi.
Or rather...
Was Kakashi's fifty-fifty win rate actually kicking in?
Seeing that neither could gain an advantage over the other, Feng Bai, who had lived an extra lifetime and didn't particularly care about winning or losing, was ready to surrender.
But—
The old man is watching over there. If I surrender now, he'll definitely increase my training intensity like crazy.
I'll have to use that technique!
Kicking Kakashi away, Feng Bai seized the opportunity to form hand seals.
"Going to use ninjutsu again?" Seeing this, Kakashi rushed forward, trying to close the distance and stop Feng Bai before he could complete his technique.
That's exactly what I was waiting for!
Seeing Kakashi charging at him with a punch, Feng Bai's lips curved into a slight smile.
His technique was already complete—after all, this jutsu only required a single seal!
"Does anyone else feel a bit cold?" Looking at the sun still radiating heat above, Kurenai broke free from Anko's grip and asked the others present.
"Indeed, there's a chill in the air..." Asuma's expression grew grave. The seal Feng Bai had just formed looked like...
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