Konoha, Root Headquarters. Danzo leaned on his cane, listening to his subordinate's report. After hearing it, Danzo frowned, "What on earth is Hiruzen up to? Why suddenly promote a child? This kid doesn't seem to have anything special about him."
"Lord Danzo, what's strange is that Kakashi took that child with him on a mission outside the village this time." Upon hearing this, Danzo immediately thought of something. "Could it be that Hiruzen is trying to cultivate a Fourth Hokage?"
Danzo was very dissatisfied with how Sarutobi Hiruzen had passed the position of Hokage to Minato Namikaze back then. In Danzo's view, no one in Konoha was qualified to be Hokage except for him. The thought of the Fourth Hokage made Danzo wary.
"What's the background of that child? From the records, there's nothing particularly special about him." "But why would Kakashi take that kid out on a mission?" "Hiruzen must know that the child is extraordinary, right?"
Danzo speculated. This move by the Third Hokage was very reminiscent of how the Fourth Hokage was groomed back in the day. Yoruha's supervising Jonin was Mimoto, yet he went on a mission with Kakashi, and immediately upon returning, he was promoted to Chunin.
He didn't even inform the higher-ups. Although he indeed had the authority, given Sarutobi Hiruzen's character, he would surely explain. After all, Yoruha's mission count was far from enough to warrant a promotion to Chunin.
Yet, up to now, Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't even given them a heads-up. If Yoruha's mission count wasn't sufficient, then it could only mean Yoruha's strength was exceptional, even surpassing Chunin level, which is why the Third Hokage would so decisively make him a Chunin. Only with enough strength could the Third Hokage confidently ignore any doubts.
However, Yoruha's previous performance at the Ninja Academy was quite average, extremely ordinary. Connecting these doubts, Danzo suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility.
That the Third Hokage deliberately had Yoruha not reveal his true strength during his time at the Ninja Academy. In reality, Yoruha's strength was very strong, possibly far beyond Chunin level. Because no matter how you looked at it, Yoruha's mission count was not enough to qualify for a Chunin promotion.
Simply having the strength of a Chunin was definitely not enough; there was only one possibility left: Yoruha's strength might have already reached the level of a Jonin. Don't be fooled by the fact that during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Jonin couldn't intervene in the fight against Madara Uchiha. In reality, even among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the number of Jonin is very few.
One could say that Jonin are among the top combat forces in the Five Great Shinobi Villages. And Yoruha is only twelve years old, possessing Jonin-level strength at such a young age, with a clean background and no family power supporting him. Such a person reminded Danzo of Minato Namikaze.
He couldn't believe the Third Hokage would promote Yoruha to Chunin for no reason, and so unilaterally. Moreover, this move by the Third Hokage clearly indicated that he was signaling to the outside world that Yoruha was on his side. What did Yoruha have that was worth drawing him in?
It could only be that Yoruha possessed formidable strength, prompting him to act in a way completely contrary to his usual character.
Dangerous eyes glinted. Gripping his cane, he spoke coldly, "Hiruzen, forget about the Fourth Hokage. I will never let you cultivate another Namikaze Minato." He turned to Yamanaka Kaze, "Go bring that boy here. I want to see what he's capable of."
Yamanaka Kaze was one of Danzo's two main guards. As a member of the Yamanaka clan, his strength was at the jōnin level. Without a moment's hesitation, he nodded and vanished into the depths of the Root.
Meanwhile, within the Yamanaka clan, Yamanaka Inoichi, the clan leader and Ino's father, stood in his room. Behind him sat Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Chōza. These three were the older generation's Ino-Shika-Chō trio. They had gathered because of the Third Hokage's actions. Yoruha had not taken his promotion to chūnin seriously.
However, he was unaware of the waves his promotion had stirred among the various clans in Konoha. It was a time of peace, and Yoruha was a civilian ninja with no background, whose mission count was far from enough to warrant a chūnin promotion. This made the Third Hokage's actions all the more intriguing.
The most puzzling part was that the Third Hokage hadn't explained anything to them. The Ino-Shika-Chō trio were aligned with the Third Hokage, and they had noticed something special about Yoruha. Especially after reviewing Yoruha's records, everything seemed odd.
"What is the Third Hokage's intention with this move? Does he really want to cultivate that boy?" Yamanaka Inoichi turned to look at Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Chōza.
Nara Shikaku spoke seriously, "Today, I asked Shikamaru about that boy. I must say, it's not surprising that the Third Hokage wants to cultivate him." Yamanaka Inoichi was taken aback, looking at Nara Shikaku, "Oh? What did Shikamaru say?"
Nara Shikaku relayed everything Shikamaru had told him today, which was essentially Shikamaru's impression of Yoruha over six years at the ninja academy, Yoruha's performance in the graduation exam, and some information about Yoruha that Yamada Jumoku and Kihon Toichi had revealed during a meal. Although incomplete, Nara Shikaku could sense Yoruha's extraordinary nature.
After hearing this, Akimichi Chōza and Yamanaka Inoichi found it hard to believe, "A disciple of Kihon Toichi, able to withstand that guy's killing intent suppression?" "It seems that boy does have some ability. To not show it at the ninja academy, his psychological fortitude is quite frightening." Yamanaka Inoichi couldn't believe Yoruha's depth of character.
In his view, Yoruha must have deliberately hidden his strength during his years at the ninja academy. To be so young and resist the urge to show off was a psychological resilience that shocked him. What he didn't know was that Yoruha's actual abilities during his six years at the academy were quite average, except for his excellent grasp of theoretical knowledge, and his best efforts in other assessments only resulted in ordinary performance.
Akimichi Chōza, rarely frowning, said, "It seems that child is stronger than we know, or else the Third Hokage wouldn't have acted . With just chūnin-level strength, there's no way the Third Hokage would make such a decision. I dare say that child's strength has at least reached the jōnin level."
"And his real teacher should be Kakashi, not Kihon Toichi. Kakashi's willingness to take him on shows that he sees great potential in him. This kind of person reminds me of the Fourth Hokage."
Akimichi Chōza had previously completed many missions with Namikaze Minato. He knew the Fourth Hokage well. Yoruha's background and experiences were strikingly similar to the Fourth Hokage.
The Third Hokage's attitude also indicated that he wanted to cultivate Yoruha in the same way he had cultivated Namikaze Minato. Promoting Yoruha to chūnin and involving him in Konoha's affairs was the first step. Because it was a time of peace, there weren't many opportunities to earn battle merits.
The Third Hokage wanted to push Yoruha towards the position of Hokage, focusing on strength and missions. To undertake high-difficulty missions, the first step was to elevate the ninja's rank.
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