"You're here." Hiruzen looked up from the pile of documents.
"Yes." Kurenai replied with a bow.
Mamoru withdrew his gaze from the surroundings and looked at the old man sitting behind the desk, quickly recalling if he had caused any trouble recently.
"The main reason I called you here today is regarding Yakumo." Hiruzen put down his pipe.
Mamoru was slightly taken aback, this topic was beyond his expectations.
"Now then..." Hiruzen clasped his hands in front of him on the desk. "Kurenai, report on Yakumo's recent situation."
"Yes." Kurenai took a half-step forward, her expression solemn.
"After this period of interaction and observation, Kurama Yakumo has indeed inherited the powerful Genjutsu Kekkei Genkai of the Kurama clan, but the problem is that she cannot control this power."
At this point, she paused before continuing, "Coupled with her frail physical constitution, I don't believe that child is suited to be a ninja."
The office fell into a brief silence, with only the sound of Hiruzen gently tapping his pipe echoing in the air.
He pondered for a moment and muttered softly, "The Kurama clan... if only that power could be controlled..."
His gaze turned toward the boy who seemed indifferent to the matter. "Mamoru, you met Yakumo yesterday, didn't you?"
Mamoru answered concisely, "I did. On the school rooftop."
He had noticed the Anbu hiding in the shadows at the time and figured this matter would certainly be reported to Hiruzen, so there was naturally no need to hide it.
"What are your thoughts on that child?" Hiruzen pressed, his gaze sharp as a torch.
"Thoughts?" Mamoru blinked. "She's a very cute girl."
"Idot!" Kurenai couldn't help but scold him. "Hokage-sama is asking about a different meaning. You must have seen it during your first reaction upon meeting Yakumo, right? That terrifying thing."
Mamoru glanced at Kurenai. Now he didn't even have the chance to play dumb.
He sighed lightly and pushed up the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. "Deep within Yakumo's heart lurks a hideous monster."
"As I thought... you saw it all." Kurenai turned to Hiruzen, her voice tinged with worry. "Hokage-sama..."
"I understand." Hiruzen nodded, picked up his pipe, and relit it. "Mamoru, I am giving you a mission now."
"What mission?" Mamoru scratched his neck, his tone carrying a hint of wariness.
"Guide Kurama Yakumo, find a way for her to master..."
"Wait a second." Mamoru couldn't help but raise his hand to interrupt.
"I'm to guide her? And it has to be during this period? I have to prepare for the Chunin Exams and do my training."
"Training?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, a faint, elusive smile appearing at the corner of his lips. "Is wandering around the village every day what you call training?"
Mamoru said, "Everyone has a different way of training. My training focuses on mental state comprehension. Perhaps some inconspicuous detail could give me inspiration and allow me to develop an incomparably invincible new Ninjutsu."
Hiruzen did not refute him immediately, but instead took a slow puff of his pipe, the faint smoke drifting into the air.
"Focusing on the mental state is a good thing. But what a ninja needs to complete first are missions." Hiruzen said calmly, his gaze fixed on Mamoru through the smoke.
"Furthermore, Kurenai recommended you to me. I trust her judgment, and I hope you will not fail that trust."
"Traitor." Mamoru muttered, casting a reproachful glance at Kurenai.
Kurenai returned the look with a roll of her eyes.
"By the way, I don't know Genjutsu at all. No matter how you look at it, this shouldn't fall on my head, right?" Mamoru continued to deflect, spreading his hands.
"But you aren't afraid of Genjutsu." Kurenai immediately countered.
"True, I'm not afraid of Genjutsu." Mamoru nodded in admission, his sunglasses sliding down slightly. "But that doesn't mean I can correctly guide Yakumo to control her Genjutsu abilities."
"Mamoru, you should be aware that Kurenai is the most skilled Genjutsu user in the village." Hiruzen slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, the white rings expanding slowly in the air. "Even she is at her wit's end regarding Yakumo's condition."
He paused, letting the weight of his words fully settle, before saying word by word, "Therefore, we have prepared for the worst. As a last resort, sealing her will be the only choice."
"Sealing her?" Mamoru rubbed his chin. "That really would be a pity."
"It is precisely with this in mind that Kurenai recommended you." Hiruzen's gaze became profound, his words carrying a deeper meaning. "You possess the ability to see through Genjutsu, surely you have a way to solve the root of the problem."
Mamoru was slightly startled, but he didn't dwell too much on how Hiruzen knew the Six Eyes could see through Genjutsu.
He sighed and spoke truthfully, "It's not impossible to make Yakumo control her power. First, the key is to force out the monster inside her."
"How do we force it out?" Kurenai asked urgently.
"That monster is hidden in the deepest part of Yakumo's heart, even she herself isn't aware of its existence."
"I said 'force'." Mamoru shrugged, revealing a meaningful smile. "Since she's the one who gave birth to that monster, then we target her personally and find a way to stimulate her. Forget it, I'll take on this thankless task."
"Hey, don't do anything reckless!" Kurenai warned.
"It's a bit late for that." Mamoru replied dismissively.
"I'll leave this matter to you then, Mamoru." Hiruzen decided.
"I'll do my best." Mamoru finally relented.
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction. "Now then, let's talk about your business."
"Me?" Mamoru looked up alertly, his eyes subconsciously narrowing. "Lately... I shouldn't have done anything out of line, probably..."
"It's not that." Hiruzen waved his hand and took a file from under his desk. "It's about your performance in the Chunin Exams. Your strength has already far exceeded the level of a Chunin."
"You overestimate me."
Mamoru was humble in words, but alarm bells were ringing in his heart.
This definitely wasn't going to be anything good.
"I am not overestimating you." Hiruzen's gaze was sharp as he tapped his finger on the records in the file. "Judging by your performance in past missions, it is sufficient to prove your potential."
At this, his gaze suddenly became piercing as he spoke again, "The Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha Clan, the Sharingan... I have seen it before. Yet your eyes are completely different from the Sharingan. Could you explain?"
If it weren't for the fact that the Uchiha twins looked exactly alike, he would have almost suspected that Mamoru had been swapped out or was a spy sent by some other power.