"Time's up! I lost the bet, you win!"
Kurenai Yuhi, who had been feeling a bit anxious, immediately beamed with joy. She even cheered excitedly and ran happily towards Chishimo.
Chishimo also let out a sigh of relief, his exhausted body could no longer sustain the drain, and the Chidori in his hand vanished without a trace.
As his tense expression suddenly relaxed, Chishimo felt a wave of dizziness. His eyelids instantly felt as heavy as a thousand catties, and he stumbled, directly fainting.
This startled Kurenai Yuhi, who had run to his side. Her small hands frantically tried to support Chishimo as he tilted and fell.
But how could a young girl who specialized in Genjutsu bear Chishimo's weight? She couldn't hold on for long and almost fell down with Chishimo.
At the crucial moment, Moonlight Hayate stepped forward and supported Chishimo, preventing the two from falling together.
Asuma Sarutobi, seeing that there was a problem, also immediately came closer.
Moonlight Hayate supported Chishimo with one hand, while his other hand fumbled around Chishimo's body, seemingly checking his condition.
Seeing that Moonlight Hayate remained silent for a long time, Kurenai Yuhi looked anxious, her small fists clenched tightly. "Moonlight Sensei, what's wrong with Chishimo-kun? Is he alright?"
Moonlight Hayate gave Kurenai Yuhi a meaningful look, causing her to avert her gaze slightly, and slowly said, "He's fine. He's just over-exhausted and has some injuries on his body. He just fainted, that's all. He'll be fine after some rest."
Upon hearing this, Kurenai Yuhi's hanging heart finally settled.
Asuma Sarutobi, watching Kurenai Yuhi's concern for Chishimo, felt a surge of annoyance. After learning that Chishimo was fine, he greeted the two conscious people and left ahead of them.
Moonlight Hayate then picked up the unconscious Chishimo and walked out of the training ground, with Kurenai Yuhi tagging along behind him.
Hokage Office.
Knock, knock, knock!
A series of knocks pulled Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts away from the documents in his hand.
"Come in!" Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the documents in his hand.
A tall figure with a ninja sword on his back pushed the door open, walked to Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, and bowed respectfully, "Hokage-sama!"
Seeing who it was, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a faint smile on his face, picked up the pipe that had been set aside, and took two puffs. "It's Hayate. Have you gone to see him? How is that child?"
Moonlight Hayate nodded with a hint of praise in his eyes and respectfully replied, "Yes, I have already gone. That child is excellent, his talent is quite outstanding. Not only him, but the other two children are also very good!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Moonlight Hayate indifferently and waved his hand, saying, "Oh, come on. I can't say for Shinku Yuhi's daughter, but I know my own brat very well. Although he has some talent, he's far from being comparable to Chishimo!"
Moonlight Hayate smiled symbolically upon hearing this.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't press the issue. "What do you think of this child's character?"
The meaning behind this question was self-evident. Hiruzen Sarutobi simply wanted to confirm whether Chishimo had the Village in his heart and whether he could be used by him.
"I can't really say for that question," Moonlight Hayate rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment. "When he introduced himself, he said his dream was to protect the people he wanted to protect. Combined with my previous observations, he gets along very well with his classmates, which shows that the Village holds a very high position in this child's heart."
"Hmm!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. After hearing Moonlight Hayate's words, his resolve to bring Chishimo under his wing grew stronger.
"Oh, right, Hokage-sama!" Moonlight Hayate's usually calm face uncharacteristically showed some guilt and discomfort. "There's something I need to report to you, and… apologize for!"
"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi became interested upon hearing this. He couldn't imagine that a dignified Jonin elite would get into trouble after just a morning stroll, and within their own Village at that.
"It's like this: This morning, I intended to test the strength of these three children, and Uchiha Chishimo made a bet with me."
"Oh? What kind of bet?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked curiously.
"He bet whether he could withstand my attacks until the hourglass ran out. If he won, I would have to teach him my Leaf Style Swordsmanship." Moonlight Hayate was a bit annoyed, his heart a complex mess. "I originally thought that proposing the condition of all three having to return to the Ninja Academy for re-education if they lost would make him give up, but I never expected…"
"You never expected those two children to be willing to bet their fate on him," Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally finished his sentence.
Upon hearing this, how could he not understand what had happened? His originally curious expression was replaced by one of understanding.
"Then you lost the bet because you weren't clear about Chishimo's strength, right?"
Moonlight Hayate nodded somewhat sheepishly. After all, most of his swordsmanship was the Leaf Style Swordsmanship created by the Second Hokage. Even he didn't have the right to teach it casually, and to have lost it so haphazardly to a child, Moonlight Hayate felt a burning sensation on his pale face.
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his large pipe, exhaling cloudy smoke from his mouth and nose. After a long while, he sighed softly, as if he had made up his mind. "Forget it. Since you lost, then teach it to him!"
Moonlight Hayate's eyes showed a hint of surprise. Others might not know, but he was very aware of how wary Hiruzen Sarutobi was of the Uchiha, yet he still made such a decision. "Hokage-sama, you…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, interrupting Moonlight Hayate's speech. "I know what you're going to say, but Chishimo is different. I want him to become an Uchiha of our Konoha Village, do you understand?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Moonlight Hayate with profound meaning in his eyes. Although Moonlight Hayate was a bit puzzled, he still nodded.
Having decided how to handle Chishimo's issue, Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly felt lighter, and even a benevolent smile appeared on his face. "Then tell me about the details of your battle. This old man is quite curious about how this child managed to withstand your attacks."
"Yes!" Moonlight Hayate respectfully responded and began to recall the morning's battle.
"An illusion that even you couldn't break through, and a Lightning Release Ninjutsu that condenses lightning in the palm of his hand?" After hearing Moonlight Hayate's description, Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely unsettled. The shock Chishimo gave him was simply too great. He couldn't help but wonder now if he could firmly control this child.
"Yes, the former should be a Sharingan Genjutsu, otherwise it would be impossible for me to fall for it without noticing anything at all. As for the latter," Moonlight Hayate's voice paused here, and even now, his eyes still held an undeniable sense of shock, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be a self-created Ninjutsu!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in agreement. Even with his experience, he had never heard of such a technique. This Uchiha Chishimo truly was an extraordinary little fellow!
"Hayate," Hiruzen Sarutobi said meaningfully, "Chishimo is even more outstanding than I imagined. We must cultivate him into a true inheritor of the Will of Fire!"