"Good morning."
A familiar voice caught their attention. Naruto and Chiharu turned to see Shin approaching from the side of the Hokage Building, his measured steps suggesting he had been waiting there for some time.
"Good morning!" Naruto responded with his usual enthusiasm, while Chiharu's greeting came after a moment's hesitation, her expression guarded yet polite.
During yesterday's trial, she had carefully observed the ninjutsu techniques Shin had employed. What she witnessed was far beyond what an ordinary Genin should be capable of performing. The precision of his movements, the efficiency of his chakra control, and the complexity of his jutsu all spoke of advanced training.
Shin's judgment in battle, combat experience, and raw strength clearly qualified him for Chunin rank at minimum. Yet despite graduating from the Academy two years ago, he remained a Genin. This inconsistency troubled Chiharu.
It seemed increasingly obvious that this shinobi had been assigned to their team for reasons beyond simply filling a vacancy. There was something more at play—perhaps surveillance or some other hidden agenda.
After a brief moment of consideration, Chiharu pushed her suspicions aside and offered Shin a warm smile. "I hope you weren't waiting long."
Shin acknowledged her greeting with a slight nod, though his dark eyes flickered briefly with recognition. He had noticed Chiharu's momentary hesitation and analytical gaze.
What keen insight, he thought to himself. The rumour weren't exaggerating after all. Namikaze Chiharu truly has inherited the Fourth Hokage's talent and wisdom.
Each harbored their private thoughts, but since Shin hadn't displayed any overtly suspicious behavior, Chiharu decided against sharing her concerns with Naruto. Her brother's straightforward nature might lead to an unnecessary confrontation, and without concrete evidence, it was better to maintain the peace within their newly formed team.
Shin, for his part, remained unconcerned by her scrutiny. He knew their jōnin mentor had been briefed on his true identity from the beginning. This mission was proceeding exactly as planned.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Minato stood by the large windows overlooking the village. His keen blue eyes focused on the three genin gathered before the Hokage Building below.
"It seems the boy didn't report everything to Danzō," Minato observed, turning to face Shisui and Kakashi who stood attentively within his office. The morning light streaming through the windows cast long shadows across the room.
"Hmm." Shisui nodded thoughtfully.
Although he had successfully suppressed the Nine-Tails' chakra within Naruto during yesterday's incident, there was a chance that Shin might not have noticed the subtle changes that had manifested in Naruto during those tense moments. However, Naruto's ability to produce thousands of shadow clones simultaneously was decidedly abnormal, even accounting for his Uzumaki heritage from Kushina.
If Shin had reported these anomalies to Danzō, the elder would have certainly appeared in Minato's office by now, demanding explanations. Danzō's paranoia regarding the Nine-Tails jinchūriki had only intensified over the years, despite Minato's reassurances.
"His behavior does differ from other operatives under Danzō's command," Shisui commented. "Perhaps it's because he's still young, and his thinking hasn't been completely molded to Root's doctrine yet."
Many shinobi currently serving in the regular Anbu had once been members of Root, Danzō's clandestine faction. These ninjas operated with unwavering uniformity, treating the organization's rules as absolute and inviolable. While dedication to protocol was admirable in a shinobi, Root members were notorious for their willingness to employ extreme measures in service to their interpretation of those rules.
"In truth, Danzō once selected another candidate from among Naruto's classmates for his special training program," Minato revealed, his voice carrying a weight that spoke of difficult decisions. "I intervened and prevented it."
Minato had used his authority as Hokage to check Danzō's more extreme ambitions over the years, but the elder had grown accustomed to operating in the shadows, building his power base incrementally and patiently. While Kushina might be safe from his machinations due to her mastery over the Nine-Tails, Naruto represented an unknown quantity in Danzō's strategic calculations—a potential weapon to be controlled or neutralized.
To maintain his own influence over Konoha's jinchūriki, Danzō had begun laying groundwork years in advance, placing his pieces on the board with characteristic foresight.
Both Shisui and Kakashi's expressions darkened at this revelation. Despite Shisui's former position as an Anbu squad leader, even he hadn't been privy to the extent of Danzō's scheming regarding the Hokage's son.
"The child in question is Sai, from your team," Minato said, directing his gaze to Kakashi. "Both of Sai's parents served in the Anbu. I suspect he doesn't even know this himself."
The true identities of Anbu operatives were known only to Minato as Hokage and to Uchiha Yoruki as the division's commander. Despite the current era of relative peace, Konoha still lost numerous shinobi to missions each year. Sai's parents had been among those casualties, their names quietly added to the memorial stone without the ceremony afforded to publicly acknowledged heroes.
"To be frank, there are many aspects of Anbu operations that exist in moral gray areas," Minato continued, his voice softening. "Whatever happens, I cannot allow Sai to be drawn into the same shadows that claimed his parents."
The Hokage's blue eyes, so often bright with optimism, now reflected a sobering wisdom. "I'm entrusting him to your guidance, Kakashi. I believe you can show him a different path."
Minato's expression lightened slightly as he reached for a scroll on his desk. "I've heard the boy has considerable artistic talent. When the opportunity arises, give him this."
He tossed the scroll to Kakashi, who caught it effortlessly. Within it contained the secret technique of the "Super Beast Scroll"—the very jutsu that Shin employed to bring his ink creations to life.
"Consider this a small gesture of atonement to the spirits of his parents," Minato said with a quiet sigh. "It's the least I can do for them."
"I understand," Kakashi replied solemnly, tucking the scroll away.
Outside the Hokage Building, Naruto's eyes scanned the main thoroughfare of Konoha with growing impatience. Finally, among the morning pedestrians, he spotted his target.
"Sasuke, you're seriously late!" Naruto called out, stepping forward with a challenging grin as the Uchiha approached.
Sasuke walked with measured confidence, his hands tucked into his pockets. Naruto's grin widened when he noticed Sakura trailing just behind him. "Looks like you two are getting pretty close," he remarked with a suggestive tone.
"She's been following me since I left my house," Sasuke replied coldly, shooting an irritated glance at Sakura. "It's annoying."
"S-Sasuke-kun..." Sakura's bright expression faltered instantly, her eyes widening with hurt as she took two hesitant steps backward.
"Hey, you jerk!" Naruto's face contorted with indignation. "You could at least show some basic respect when talking to a girl!"
He felt a surge of protectiveness toward Sakura, despite their own complicated relationship. More than that, something about Sasuke's dismissive attitude ignited a primal irritation within him—a reaction that seemed to occur whenever the Uchiha was nearby.
"My interactions are my own business," Sasuke stated flatly, his dark eyes revealing nothing. "It doesn't concern you."
"You bastard!" Naruto growled, muscles tensing as he prepared to lunge forward.
"My, my! Everyone seems quite energetic this morning," a cheerful voice interrupted as a figure materialized between the two boys.
Shisui had appeared with characteristic speed, one hand firmly gripping Naruto's shoulder to prevent him from advancing. Almost simultaneously, Kakashi materialized beside Sasuke, his single visible eye curved into what might have been a smile beneath his mask.
"Now that our teams are assembled," Kakashi said with practiced nonchalance, "let's begin the first official missions of your ninja careers."
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, noting with relief that Sai was approaching at a brisk jog. These confrontations between Naruto and Sasuke were becoming predictably troublesome—rivalries were expected among young shinobi, but the intensity between these two particular genin exceeded normal parameters.
"Let's go," Shisui said, patting Naruto's shoulder reassuringly while guiding him toward the building's entrance.
Naruto spared one last glare in Sasuke's direction, but the Uchiha simply turned away, completely ignoring him as he followed Kakashi. The dismissal only stoked Naruto's frustration further, his hands balling into tight fists at his sides.
"Brother, come on," Chiharu said gently, reaching out to take Naruto's hand. With a gentle but insistent tug, she pulled him along to follow Shisui, preventing the situation from escalating further.
Inside the Hokage's office, anticipation filled the air as the two newly formed teams stood at attention before the village leader.
"Dad, what kind of mission are you going to assign us?" Naruto asked, barely containing his excitement. This would be his first official mission as a Konoha shinobi, and his imagination raced with possibilities—rescuing princesses, defeating rogue ninjas, or perhaps uncovering ancient secrets.
Minato rose from behind his desk with deliberate calm, retrieving two mission scrolls. His eyes, so similar to his son's in color but tempered by years of leadership, swept across the assembled genin.
"Team Kakashi," he began, his voice carrying the formal tone of the Hokage rather than that of a father, "will journey to the western agricultural district to assist a client with planting this season's crops."
The announcement fell upon the room like a bucket of cold water. Behind Kakashi, Sasuke's expression darkened instantly, his previously neutral demeanor cracking to reveal profound disappointment. Even Sakura and Sai couldn't hide their dismay, both frowning slightly at the menial nature of their first assignment.
"Hahaha!" Naruto burst into unrestrained laughter, unable to contain his amusement at Sasuke's obvious dismay. The mental image of the proud Uchiha prodigy trudging through muddy fields, planting seeds under the hot sun, was simply too delicious to ignore.
Minato cleared his throat subtly, drawing attention back to himself as he turned to address the second team.
"As for Team Shisui," he continued, his voice perfectly level despite the amused glint in his eyes as he observed his elder son's reaction, "your mission is to locate and retrieve a client's missing pet."
Naruto's laughter died abruptly in his throat, his expression freezing comically as the reality of his own mission assignment registered. His previous mirth at Sasuke's expense now seemed decidedly premature.
The look of dismay that spread across Naruto's face mirrored exactly what Sasuke had experienced moments before—a perfect karma that did not go unnoticed by the young Uchiha, whose lips curled into the faintest suggestion of a satisfied smirk.