"Hmm, to think it involved Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist? That is indeed a significant surprise..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the two sealing scrolls and the Executioner's Blade placed on the floor by Kakashi. A faint look of surprise appeared on his aged face.
A small C-rank mission escalating directly into an A-rank mission... such accidents had happened before, but they were ultimately rare. For a freshly graduated Team 7 to encounter such a situation was truly unexpected for Hiruzen.
With a gentle wave of his hand...
An ANBU member appeared instantly, took the sealing scrolls and the Executioner's Blade from the desk, and left.
The bodies of those two held considerable research value, and the Executioner's Blade, even if not used by the village's own ninja, could serve as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with the Hidden Mist. They were undoubtedly high-value assets.
"Now then, Kakashi, tell me your thoughts. What do you think of Menma?"
"Yes, Lord Third. I believe Menma is a trustworthy ninja worth cultivating. I believe he will definitely become a pillar of the Hidden Leaf in the future, just like the Fourth."
Kakashi straightened his posture and replied in a rare, solemn tone.
At this moment, Hiruzen clasped his hands on the desk, his expression becoming extremely serious as he looked at Kakashi. It seemed he was repeatedly confirming something. In that instant, time seemed to stand still.
After an unknown amount of time...
Hiruzen finally revealed a faint smile and nodded gently. "Hmm, that is very good. I am most at ease leaving Team 7 to you, Kakashi. Whether it's Menma, Sasuke, or Naruto, I hope they all receive proper guidance."
"Yes, Lord Third. Please rest assured!"
Kakashi nodded earnestly.
"Good."
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.
Whoosh!
Kakashi leaped away, leaving the office directly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi buried his head back into his paperwork, attending to his duties as Hokage.
Menma, who had already returned home, was naturally unaware that the Third Hokage, who seemingly trusted him 100%, still kept a watchful eye on him. However, this was obviously a very normal development.
After all, Menma didn't act as positive, optimistic, naive, and hot-blooded as Naruto did in the original story.
Moreover, a 12-year-old boy with the Nine-Tails inside him... even if one didn't worry about Menma himself, one still had to worry about the possibility of the Nine-Tails rampaging, right?
As a Hokage who had ruled the Hidden Leaf for over forty years, if he were truly that careless, he couldn't possibly have maintained such firm control over the village's power.
To be able to secure the position of Hokage at the age of 20 after the death of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju...
That alone proved Hiruzen Sarutobi's political acumen was extremely high.
This was why, after watching the original series in his past life, many people felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi—at least after his prime—had become a hypocrite wearing a mask.
Even though the original story tried hard to portray this Hokage as kind, just, bright, and magnificent, the existing facts slapped Hiruzen in the face repeatedly and mercilessly.
Danzo's existence was a point that could never be circumvented.
If one said Hiruzen was unaware of Danzo's actions, then Hiruzen was stupid. If one said Hiruzen knew about Danzo's actions and adopted a tacit attitude, then Hiruzen was evil!
And if Hiruzen was completely unaware beforehand, but knew afterward and still hesitated, always adopting a painless method of reprimand without any meaningful punishment...
Then this Third Hokage was both stupid and evil.
Regardless of which one it was...
This Lord Hokage was not worth trusting.
At least, that was what Menma believed.
Now, he wouldn't hesitate in the slightest.
With another crisis for the Leaf approaching soon, Menma truly needed to make careful and comprehensive arrangements for his next steps.
What kind of path should he choose?
Although he had considered a series of options before, after eliminating them one by one, Menma found that his truly viable options were few and far between. And the seemingly most reliable one...
It can only be that guy. Although it's a bit dangerous, it wins in practicality...
Menma looked at the densely packed black words he had written on the white paper. As his gaze fixed on a specific word, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.
There was no best choice.
There was only the sole choice forced by the current situation.
It was a gamble.
The "stake" required was his own life. But so what? Since he wasn't willing to live a stifled and cowardly life, he had to choose this path.
Let's set the time for the Chūnin Exams a few months from now!
Menma's eyes flickered as he thought silently.
To break away from the Hidden Leaf Village, besides possessing the minimum ability for self-preservation, the timing was crucial.
In the original story, the Konoha Crush plan launched jointly by the Hidden Sand and Hidden Sound during the Chūnin Exams was an excellent opportunity.
At that time, the Leaf would definitely be in its most chaotic state.
That would be Menma's prime time to leave the Leaf.
However, this was just the preliminary plan. The goal remained unchanged, but the specific operations and choices might change depending on the actual situation at the time. Following a script blindly wasn't a good thing.
Examples of plans failing to keep up with changes were not rare at all.
I still need to have more backup plans!
Menma took a deep breath, thinking silently.
Of course, the most important thing was his own strength.
The stronger he was, the greater the initiative he could grasp. Therefore, during these few days of rest...
Menma didn't relax at all. His Rasengan training, which started in the Land of Waves, was already on track.
He might not remember other plot details so clearly.
But Menma remembered the three-stage training method for the Rasengan that Jiraiya taught Naruto in the original story very clearly.
Finding a new path wasn't impossible.
But since there was a ready-made method, why ask for trouble?
Even without the contents recorded in the Scroll of Seals, Menma could have learned the Rasengan, but he would have lacked a legitimate channel.
For the past 12 years, Menma had been living under surveillance. How could he learn other jutsu secretly? Wouldn't that be blatantly seeking death?!
So, even though Menma remembered the training methods for some jutsu, none could be put into practice. He could only repeatedly perform the most boring and monotonous basic training.
But now it was different!
In the Land of Waves, while juggling other training, Menma had successfully completed the first stage (rotation) and second stage (power) of the Rasengan training. Even the third stage (containment) had met his expected targets.
It could be said that he had preliminarily mastered the Rasengan.
However, there were occasional hiccups.
Like the issue of chakra dissipation.
During these few days of rest...
Menma needed to further consolidate his training results.
To reach the level of completely mastering the Rasengan.