The Third Hokage had named two promising students — yet somehow, he completely skipped over Arata.
That alone spoke volumes.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man who knew every talented child in Konoha, had no impression of him. That was how invisible Arata had always been.
Kakashi shook his head gently. "Neither of them."
Hiruzen frowned. "Not Honya Taniko? Then who… the third one?"
He couldn't even recall the boy's name.
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Arata."
"Arata…?" The Hokage murmured, rubbing his chin. "I don't recall much about that child."
Kakashi smiled faintly. "That's not surprising, Lord Hokage. Even his classmates — the ones who studied beside him for six years — barely remember him."
Hiruzen's brows furrowed. "Come to my office."
Without another word, the Hokage vanished in a flicker. Kakashi followed silently behind.
Moments later, they stood inside the Hokage's office, its walls lined with scrolls, the candlelight flickering against decades of wisdom and war.
Hiruzen reached for a stack of academy records. "There were only thirty students in this year's graduating class," he muttered. "And just twelve became genin."
He flipped through the parchment, eyes narrowing. "Originally, only nine were meant to pass. Arata's presence changed that."
Indeed — without Arata, Class 11 wouldn't have passed at all.
He was the quiet force who had lifted his entire team into the ranks of full-fledged ninja.
That was how rare true talent was.
Many shinobi didn't even come from the academy. The great clans of Konoha trained their own heirs — they didn't need six years in a classroom to prove themselves.
Finally, Hiruzen found the page marked Class 11 and froze.
"What is this?" He stared at the document in disbelief. "These records are completely ordinary! Are you sure this is the same child?"
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. He deliberately hid his true ability throughout the academy. No one ever noticed."
Hiruzen's brow arched. "He hid his talent? Why would a twelve-year-old want to do that?"
Kakashi sighed softly. "He's… mature for his age. Thoughtful. And, honestly, a little lazy."
Hiruzen blinked, a brief image of Shikamaru flashing through his mind. "Lazy, huh?"
"Yes," Kakashi said, amused. "He told me himself — he doesn't like standing out. He dislikes attention. I tested him, and so did his old teacher, Samei. He wasn't lying."
The Third Hokage leaned back in his chair and exhaled. "Another troublesome prodigy…"
He rubbed his temples. "It really isn't easy to find a genius who's normal. I thought Minato was one of a kind — perhaps I was right."
Minato Namikaze — the Fourth Hokage — had been the rarest kind of genius: powerful, humble, and stable.
Every other prodigy since had come with a problem.
"Where is the boy now?" Hiruzen asked at last.
Kakashi answered, "At home. He lost consciousness after releasing that jutsu."
"Oh?" The Hokage tilted his head. "Explain."
"From what I can tell," Kakashi said, "the technique was accidental. The chakra output was far beyond his limit, so his body simply shut down."
Hiruzen frowned deeply. "And you didn't bring him to the hospital?"
"I checked his condition," Kakashi replied. "He's fine — no injuries, no internal trauma. Just complete chakra exhaustion."
The Hokage tapped his pipe against the desk. "Still… how does a twelve-year-old possess such vast chakra reserves in the first place?"
That was the question that truly bothered him.
Kakashi hesitated before speaking. "His chakra reserves are indeed enormous, but they alone couldn't have powered what we saw tonight. I think… there's something else inside him. Some deeper force even he doesn't know about."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And what makes you say that?"
Kakashi's expression turned serious. "Because his chakra isn't ordinary. When I examined it, it felt just like when Jiraiya-sensei enters Sage Mode."
The Hokage's pipe froze midway to his lips. "You mean… his body contains Sage Chakra?"
Kakashi nodded.
Hiruzen was silent for a moment — and then his eyes widened.
"Could it be… a born Sage Body?"
Even after all his years, the possibility startled him.
He had seen it once before — long ago.
In the man they called the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
"That can't be…" Kakashi murmured, confused. "What's a 'born Sage Body,' Lord Hokage?"
Hiruzen leaned forward, his tone low and reverent.
"A born Sage Body," he said slowly, "is a body that naturally harmonizes with nature itself. Such a person's chakra is immense, their life force overwhelming. They can draw upon natural energy instinctively — without training — and their chakra flows with the same balance as a Sage's."
He looked out the window at the moonlit village. "The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was one such man. His jutsu could reshape mountains, part rivers, and make forests bloom. They called him The God of Shinobi."
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. "There was really someone like that…?"
"Yes," Hiruzen said quietly. "And if our village were to produce another like him, Konoha's peace would be secured for decades."
The old man turned back to Kakashi. "You've spent time with this Arata. Tell me — what's your honest assessment of his talent?"
Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
"I've only known him a few days, Lord Hokage. At first, he was just another graduate — barely any jutsu, only the basic Three Techniques and standard weapon training. Samei taught him tree climbing and water walking. He learned both after seeing them once."
Hiruzen blinked, surprised.
Kakashi continued, "Tonight was the first time I formally taught him a jutsu — Chidori. He learned the theory in one go. If not for the… incident, he would've mastered it perfectly."
He paused, then added quietly:
"And… he has all five chakra natures."
Hiruzen froze mid-breath. "He… what?"
Kakashi nodded gravely. "He possesses all chakra attributes — fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. I tested it myself."
The room fell silent.
The Hokage's pipe slipped from his fingers, landing softly on the desk.
A child — a mere twelve-year-old — who could command every elemental nature, had chakra like a Sage, and learned A-rank jutsu after hearing it once.
It was the birth of something beyond genius.
It was divine.
Hiruzen looked out at the village, the flicker of candlelight reflected in his eyes.
In that moment, he wasn't just a Hokage — he was an old man witnessing the rise of a legend.
"...A child with all five natures," he murmured. "And perhaps, the soul of a Sage."
He smiled faintly. "Konoha's Will of Fire… may yet burn brighter than ever."
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