Hayate glanced over his shoulder, watching Naruto's silhouette as he walked away. "Is your mission going well? That kid giving you trouble?"
"No, it's not Naruto…"
Yūgao shook her head, then pointed at Shisui, who was discreetly following the blond boy.
Just back in the village from a mission on the front lines, Hayate had rushed to find Yūgao to ease the pain of their separation.
But upon seeing that Shisui was spying on Naruto, he was struck with disbelief.
As a key member of the reconnaissance unit, Hayate enjoyed the trust of the higher-ups and knew all the secrets surrounding Naruto.
Grasping the seriousness of the situation instantly, he nodded. "Yūgao, I'll keep an eye on Shisui. Go alert the superiors."
The safety of the Kyūbi's jinchūriki was crucial for the village. They couldn't afford another catastrophe.
"Alright." Trusting him completely, Yūgao took off without hesitation.
"Tōton…"
Hayate formed a hand seal.
His body blurred before vanishing into thin air.
An invisible figure slipped away from the buildings, rapidly closing in on Shisui.
Whoosh…
The wind passed.
Shisui came to a halt, scanning his surroundings… but saw nothing.
Naruto, bucket in hand, had already chosen his first target.
The Hokage Monument.
This iconic landmark of Konoha, admired by all, displayed the faces of the successive Hokage carved into the mountainside.
Four faces were engraved there, symbolizing the four leaders the village had known.
"Climbing this won't be easy…"
Naruto remembered that he had never really practiced walking on trees or water.
"No big deal."
Relying on his personal philosophy — "brute force solves everything" — Naruto closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils had turned into crimson slits.
With a surge of chakra and physical strength, Naruto leapt effortlessly, scaling the rooftops and then the rocky wall with startling agility.
His sharp claws gripped the crevices in the cliffside, launching him toward the summit under the stunned gazes of Shisui and Hayate.
Shisui: "That's…"
Once again, he was astonished by the Kyūbi's power — far more versatile than he had imagined.
Once at the top, Naruto gazed down at the village stretching out beneath him.
"One day, I'll do a Getsuga Tenshō from up here."
Then he got to work.
The faces of the Hokage were soon covered in paint.
First Hokage: "Probably rotten on the inside."
Second Hokage: "Looks shady."
Third Hokage: "Old geezer."
Fourth Hokage: "Too edgy."
Kyūbi: "Not bad."
The fox demon, rarely one to hand out praise, approved of Naruto's initiative.
But for Shisui, the scene was pure sacrilege.
The Hokage Monument was sacred, untouchable — the ultimate heritage of Konoha.
Seeing Naruto defile it like that only deepened his natural aversion to the boy.
An aversion Hayate noticed immediately.
And then he understood.
— Shunshin Shisui harbors ill intent toward the jinchūriki.
— The Uchiha might be trying to manipulate the Kyūbi again.
They're preparing a rebellion.
---
Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was reading the latest reports from the front.
Since the first day of the year, Konoha and Kumo forces had clashed violently, leaving many dead in their wake.
But the conflict had quickly evolved into tactical skirmishes, each side aiming to minimize losses.
This proved that Kumo, like Konoha, didn't want to weaken itself to the point of becoming prey for other villages.
After all…
History still remembered the day Iwa sent 10,000 shinobi to attack Kumo, leading to the Third Raikage's death in a bloody stalemate.
If the situation stayed stable, it would allow shinobi, too accustomed to peace, to gain experience once more.
In the long run, that wasn't such a bad thing.
"Still… I wish this war would end soon…"
Hiruzen thought that once the Chūnin Exams were over, they would need to find a way to bring the hostilities to a close.
"Hokage-sama!"
Yūgao appeared in the office in a flash.
She immediately reported that Shisui had been spying on Naruto.
Hiruzen, surprised at first, hadn't considered that the Uchiha might try to exploit the Kyūbi.
But as Yūgao voiced her concerns, he grew thoughtful.
If Danzō — ever hostile to the Uchiha — learned of this, he would surely blow it out of proportion, putting the clan in grave danger.
But if, as Danzō claimed, the Uchiha were truly responsible for the death of the Fourth and his wife…
Torn, Hiruzen remained silent for a long time.
Kneeling, Yūgao listened to the ticking clock. As she tried to guess his thoughts, another shinobi burst in.
"Hokage-sama! It's a disaster! That damned Uzumaki Naruto, he…!"
"Huh?!"
Hiruzen and Yūgao stared at him.
Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat. Had Naruto been attacked?
Did Shisui actually…?
"Come see for yourself!"
The shinobi, nearly in tears, led them outside.
When Hiruzen looked up at the Hokage Monument…
Naruto's laughter and the graffiti on the Hokage faces left him speechless.
"Hokage-sama! He must be punished severely! Since the founding of the village, no one has ever dared to do such a thing! Never!"
The subordinate, flailing, demanded exemplary punishment.
But Hiruzen let out a long sigh of relief.
Naruto is okay…
Thank goodness…
As for the graffiti… it was probably just a rebellious teenage phase. Nothing too serious.
And so, Hiruzen made his decision.
To punish (protect) Naruto, he would assign him to community service at the orphanage.