Inside the forest, Masahiko had stayed out of the fight from start to finish, watching coldly from the side.
The enemies were a dozen-odd ordinary beasts.
The biggest among them were four wild boars, varying in size; the rest were deer, wild cats, and the like.
With proper teamwork, even seven-year-olds could kill creatures like these.
Yet—
Right now, more than ten of them were in utter panic.
"Choji!"
Shikamaru formed hand signs in a flash.
A jet-black shadow stretched forward from his feet.
Helped by the shadows of the trees, in moments—
His shadow pinned the largest, foremost boar.
It was huge.
Stopping dead, it was rammed from behind by the next boar.
Choji's arm ballooned; with a burst of strength he smashed a slender tree to the ground.
Ino seized the chance, instantly taking control of another boar and goring its "ally" with its tusks before releasing her jutsu.
The herd on the left dissolved into chaos.
Admiration flickered in Masahiko's eyes—
Young as they were, the first glimmers of Ino–Shika–Chō coordination were already visible.
With one flank handled, the others joined forces against the rest, formed up, and quickly stabilized the situation.
By the time Sasuke's trio returned, only the aftermath remained.
After the dozen children finished off the lured boars and beasts, his Shadow Clone dispersed and the real Masahiko dropped from a nearby tree.
"A few beasts throw you into disarray—what if these had been enemies raiding the Village?"
"You all think you're elites. After watching you, I honestly can't see where that elite reputation comes from."
His gaze swept over them.
"Shikamaru kept his cool, first pinning the key targets with Shadow Imitation and coordinating perfectly with Choji…"
"That's your strength—but against stronger foes, how long could your Shadow Imitation hold?"
"If you don't train hard now, what will you use to protect your comrades when it matters?"
Shikamaru said nothing.
He knew Masahiko was right.
The Nara clan's secret jutsu was powerful, but it devoured Chakra.
At seven, he had already mastered it, yet those few seconds of control had cost him over half his Chakra.
Against tougher enemies, he might not keep the situation under control.
Of course, at only seven they weren't true Ninja yet; by twelve, when they graduated, they would be far stronger.
Some of them were already thinking exactly that.
For example—
Inuzuka Kiba.
And his thoughts were written all over his face.
"No one is born on top of the world, but arrogance and conceit will keep you from ever reaching the summit."
Masahiko's gaze swept across the group, then he smiled. "Collect the spoils; we continue our patrol."
"Yes, sir!"
They answered in unison and moved out.
Only a handful—about a dozen of the top students—had been pulled for patrol duty.
Naruto among them.
Naruto's scores in academics and Ninjutsu were naturally a disaster.
However—
Spurred on by Masahiko, his Taijutsu now ranked near the top of the class, and few still called him dead-last to his face.
Far more serious and focused than when they had first set out, the group left the banks of the Naka River.
Watching their departing backs, Itachi's cold expression shifted slightly.
"He's a responsible teacher."
"Yeah."
Shisui nodded.
Then… his face turned odd. "Still, I barely remember him from our Academy days—never expected him to grow so eloquent."
Itachi kept his eyes on the direction Sasuke had left, not answering.
Night fell, and the Naka Shrine blazed with lamps.
Uchiha Inabi's face was grim. "Clan Head, speak—what do we do?"
At the head seat, Fugaku's brows were lowered in silence.
At this moment, Tetsuka stepped forward as well.
"Clan Head, Lord Yashiro, we can't hesitate any longer. Otherwise we'll be whittled away bit by bit, and in the end Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura will wipe out our clan!"
Yashiro harbored similar thoughts, yet— "Everyone, stay calm!"
He looked toward the end. "Itachi, what's the situation in the Anbu? Also, has Shisui returned to the Village?"
"Not yet."
Itachi answered.
After a pause he added, "Some Anbu missions are kept from me; I can't learn much."
"What mission did Shisui undertake? Why hasn't he come back?"
Fugaku frowned.
Itachi hesitated, then replied, "Perhaps they've already grown suspicious and deliberately sent Shisui away…"
Fugaku sighed softly at those words.
"Itachi, go back to the Anbu. Best wait until Shisui returns before we decide."
"Yes, sir."
Itachi bowed and vanished with a Body Flicker.
Once he was gone, Fugaku looked around. "Yashiro, Inabi—do you both believe… this course is best for the Uchiha?"
"The issue isn't what we believe anymore…"
Yashiro gave a bitter smile. "Hiruzen and Danzo were both students of Tobirama—they never intended to give us a way out!"
Fugaku closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "When Shisui returns, I'll persuade him. Then we act."
…[naruto: prequel Episode 7 filming complete!]
[Editing…]
[Export successful!]
[Total runtime: 7 min 12 s
Scene share: 34.2%]
[Reminder: naruto: prequel will air tonight at eight…]
Only thirty-four percent… yet, on second thought, he wasn't surprised.
The past couple of days had been packed with events, and he had spent most of his time immersed in training, barely showing his face.
He glanced at the time: 7:40 p.m.
Masahiko perked up—
That meant he could watch today's pivotal events and gain intel he could never gather on his own.
It might help his future plans.
Twenty minutes passed.
At last… a screen popped up.
The first thing he saw was his own confident speech at the earlier meeting.
That scene hadn't made the previous episode, yet here it opened the new one.
Moments later— "Making students work like oxen?"
"Tool of the bosses—take my blade!"
"Damn! He's awful… though at least he didn't raid the orphanage funds."
"It can't be that simple, right?"
The bullet chats hadn't finished scrolling when, after a brief meeting, the view cut to the Hokage Office.
Masahiko recognized—
the man on screen was Watanabe Shōji.
"According to the Village's plan, we'll first let the children test things out in the Security Division, then decide whether to expand."
Hiruzen Sarutobi handed him the mission scroll. "Inside the Village they'll be relatively safe; some patrols can be led by Masahiko."
"Yes, sir."
Watanabe Shōji left.
The next second, Danzo Shimura entered from outside the door.
The picture froze on that frame.
"Damn! Knew it was him!"
"The Military Police—wasn't that run by the Uchiha?"
"The Old Thief is Danzo's man… could the massacre be tied to Konoha itself?"
The scene jumped: Fugaku and the others appeared on screen.
Masahiko quickly realized—
this must have taken place just before he himself joined the Security Division.
Meanwhile, in front of a computer, Kishimoto sat stunned.
Konoha, Danzo, Security Division… plot points he had only vaguely imagined were unfolding perfectly on the monitor.
"How am I supposed to draw this?"
His thoughts tangled.
Seconds later his eyes lit up:
"Wait… that's right! The editor wants me to stretch the story—this is the perfect thread to lengthen the plotline."