"Do you have any suspects?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe and asked in a low voice.
Danzō replied solemnly, "I did suspect you at first. But thinking about it—you've always kept yourself in the light. You wouldn't do something like that."
"Then there's only one possibility."
Hiruzen immediately pressed, "Who?"
Danzō sat back down, his expression dark.
"Do you remember the one who controlled the Nine-Tails and attacked Konoha back then?"
"…Him?"
Hiruzen suddenly understood.
Danzō continued, "Someone capable of that level of speed—aside from the late Second Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure—no one else could achieve it. Not even Shisui."
"That leaves only that Uchiha traitor who controlled the Nine-Tails."
He emphasized the words "Uchiha traitor" heavily.
Hiruzen fell silent for a long moment before speaking again.
"I understand. But the village has only just stabilized. This matter ends here for now. Do not interfere further—I will send someone to investigate."
Danzō narrowed his eyes. "You mean Uchiha Itachi again? He was the last to see Shisui alive. The left eye was likely entrusted to him, yet he never reported it to you. He's no longer trustworthy."
"No. Not him."
Hiruzen then revealed his plan to use Shimizu Kamikawa as a spy.
"Foolish!"
Danzō snapped.
"How can you be sure that boy won't be turned by the Uchiha instead?"
"What if he leaks our intelligence to them?"
Hiruzen replied calmly, "You're too suspicious, Danzō. Kamikawa is a child of the Shimizu family. His parents died protecting the village, and he inherited their will—to protect Konoha."
"He's a civilian, not an Uchiha."
"That's not certain."
Danzō's expression turned sinister as he made a throat-slitting gesture.
"If he marries an Uchiha girl, he becomes one of them. Better that I—"
"Enough! I am Hokage."
Hiruzen slammed the table, his voice sharp.
"…You'll regret this, Hiruzen."
Danzō gritted his teeth, slammed the table as well, and stormed out—his desire to become Hokage growing stronger than ever.
The next day, Kamikawa arrived at the training ground on time, as agreed with Kurenai.
In the early stages of a team's formation, there's always a break-in period. For the first three days, there were no missions.
During this time, the jōnin instructor would assess each member's abilities and offer guidance.
Since Airi and Pangci both came from clans, they didn't need much help with ninjutsu.
After confirming they had no aptitude for genjutsu, Kurenai gave them some basic guidance and sent them off to train.
Then—it was Kamikawa's turn.
Forming hand seals, Kurenai cast:
Genjutsu: Three Petal Cherry Blossoms.
"Kamikawa, you have a strong aptitude for genjutsu. This technique creates falling petals to confuse the enemy and create openings."
"If mastered, it can even bind the opponent with petals—possibly suffocating them."
"The hand seals and principle are…"
As she spoke, her body dissolved into petals in Kamikawa's vision.
"Did you understand?"
Her voice echoed beside him as the petals reformed into her figure.
Kamikawa nodded.
With Shisui's bloodline and Kyōka Suigetsu, his genjutsu talent was already maxed out.
He formed seals rapidly.
In an instant—
his body also scattered into petals, vanishing from Kurenai's sight.
"Th-this is…!"
Surrounded by a sea of cherry blossoms, Kurenai gasped, her eyes filled with shock—and excitement.
"Kurenai-sensei, does this count as learning it?"
Kamikawa's voice echoed from all directions, as if every petal were him.
The petals gathered again, and his figure reappeared.
For a moment—
Kurenai felt as though she was seeing her father, Yūhi Shinku, standing before her.
She froze.
Only after Kamikawa called out did she snap back to reality.
"You're truly unbelievable, Kamikawa…"
She sighed in admiration.
"In the future, you won't just surpass me… you'll surpass even the Uchiha in genjutsu."
Kamikawa smiled faintly, offering no denial.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
The new Chūnin Exams were approaching.
Kamikawa was nearly twelve now and had completed numerous missions under Kurenai.
They had encountered all kinds of opponents—even a jōnin at one point.
All were defeated by Kamikawa's masterful genjutsu.
With such high mission success rates, his name began to spread among Konoha's shinobi.
Hokage Office, Konoha
Just like the previous year, team leaders gathered to recommend their students for the Chūnin Exams.
Kurenai was among them.
When it was her turn, she respectfully submitted the files.
"Lord Hokage, honored advisors, Danzō-sama—these are my recommended candidates."
Hiruzen glanced briefly at Airi and Pangci's files before passing them along.
Then he focused on Kamikawa's.
"I hear that Kamikawa has been quite active in missions lately."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Kurenai replied respectfully.
"He is a true genjutsu prodigy. His ninjutsu and taijutsu are also exceptional."
"There is nothing more I can teach him."
The moment those words fell—
the entire room fell silent.
Not just Hiruzen—
but the other three members of Konoha's leadership, and all present jōnin instructors, turned to look.
Her evaluation was astonishingly high.
The last time something like this happened—
was with Uchiha Itachi.
Danzō glanced at Hiruzen, his expression unreadable. After a pause, he spoke:
"Kurenai-jōnin… may I interpret this as Kamikawa already possessing jōnin-level strength?"
"…Even surpassing you?"
"Yes."
Kurenai did not hesitate.
Only those who had truly worked with Kamikawa could understand the extent of his talent.
In just half a year, his growth had been visible to the naked eye.
Now—
he had mastered all her genjutsu.
And in ninjutsu and taijutsu—
he had already surpassed her.
There was truly nothing left for her to teach.
Perhaps—
this was what people called a genius.