Shikaku uood Hiruzen’s pn. If they were going to send someoo show their strength, they were going full force. sidering the monstrous talent and already high strength of these teenage ninjas, it was not aatement that they would crush every one of their oppos in the in Exam. Heck, even every single one of them had the capability of passing each round alone, all while showing off the overwhelming lead Konoha had in talent.

  If all three of them bined as a team, there would be no doubt that the result would be more than satisfactory. But...

  “Itachi is the heir of the Uchiha . If he goes to the in Exam in another vilge, there is no doubt they will use every means necessary to eliminate him. His talent isn’t hidden in Konoha, and by the number of spies other vilges have in Konoha, they also know about his talent. If given a ce, they will most likely eliminate him.

  And the other two talents would be an additional bonus for them. Even though it may be a very good reason for starting a war, they will not give up this ce,” Shikaku said.

  “I’m pnning on sending Jiraiya as their sensei, along with Shisui as their bodyguard, and an Anbu squad sisting only of Anbu captains,” Hiruzen said.

  Shikaku’s eyes widened upon hearing that.

  “Two S-rank ninja and four elite Jonin specialized in killing... That’s a team even a Kage would fear, and it may be suffit to guard those three. But even they aren’t invincible. The in Exam will go on for at least a month. If the enemy knows about this team, they will surely make pns to hahem. Even though Jiraiya-sama is powerful, he wouldn’t be able to hahe situation if four or five S-rank ninja attack him all at once,” Shikaku said.

  Though S-rank ninja were rare, if two vilges, like Kumogakure and Iwagakure, biheir strength, four or five S-rank ninja could easily be gathered. Three Jinchuriki, Darui, Aye, Onoki, and many others.

  “The in Exam is going to happen in Kumogakure this time. Onoki isn’t going to risk sending his best ninja or even going himself so deep into eerritory,” Hiruzen said.

  “Yes, but even if that’s the case, the temptation to effectively cripple Konoha is too hard to resist,” Shikaku said.

  “You’re thinking of the optimal route, Shikaku. Think from Onoki’s perspective,” Hiruzen said. The gears in Shikaku’s mind started turning rapidly.

  “Why did we send so many ninja to Kumogakure? Is it a trap to lure them out and take care of some on enemies?” Shikaku asked, but these weren’t his own thoughts—they were his idea of what Onoki would think.

  “Yes, he’s not going to take such a risk, especially since Jiraiya could easily take on two to three Kage-level ninja if he enters Sage Mode,” Hiruzen said.

  “Right. And without Iwagakure’s support, Jiraiya-sama could easily hold his ground against Kumogakure. Uhey really deploy all their vilge’s force, it would be very difficult to do anything to our troops,” Shikaku said.

  Hiruzen just nodded his head at this.

  “Lord Third, are you really serious about this? Because if we take this step, the other vilges will start to get wary of us. Especially since you’re pnning on showing the top three talents of our vilge— all three of them have the potential of being S-rank, and along with Kakashi and Fugaku, our vilge will have the most S-rank ninja iure. There’s no way other vilges will take this lightly, and the sequences of this a will be very dire,” Shikaku said.

  “If I send only one ninja, it would be a high-risk, low-reward sario. The effect wouldn’t be as grand, and the risk would still be the same. If we’re going to take the risk, the reward should match it, right? As for other vilges, when have we not had to worry about them? They’ll cause trouble for us, one way or another. As a leader, it’ll be my responsibility to hahose situations. But for now, this is final. Start making preparations. The in Exam is in one month,” Hiruzen said.

  “Yes, Lord Third. I’ll call Fugaku for a meeting as soon as possible,” Shikaku said. Though zy, he was one of the most talented and responsible people whe serious.

  He quickly went to his offid sent an official order to Fugaku for a meeting with the Hokage. Though the timing wasn’t mentioned, Fugaku was asked to e as soon as possible. As a head, they couldn’t summon him whehey wanted, so this type of order was sent.

  …

  Fugaku was sitting in his office, enjoying some rare peaceful time. Ever since Danzo was removed from the equation, his workload had bee far less hectic. He didn’t have to worry about assigning life-threatening missions to his members anymore, nor did he have to worry about the increasing number of D-rank missions that not many would take. Though he still had to assign missions, they matched the skill and level of the Uchiha, redug his workload.

  Knoock

  “e in,” Fugaku said.

  “Sir, an order came from the Hokage building,” his secretary entered, carrying a letter in her hand.

  “Okay,” Fugaku said. As soon as he took the letter, the secretary left the office.

  'A summons, huh? What happehis time?' Fugaku thought. Since he was already free at the moment, he decided to visit the Hokage building right away.

  …

  Knoock

  “e in,” Hiruzen’s voice came from ihe office.

  “Sir, Fugaku-sama is here for the meeting.”

  “Send him in,” Hiruzen said.

  Fugaku ehe office after a couple of minutes, only to find that someoher than Hiruzen was also present.

  “Shikaku is joining the meeting? Did something serious happen?” Fugaku asked as soon as he ehe office.

  “First, take a seat, Fugaku,” Hiruzen said, his tone firm.

  “Yes, Lord Third,” Fugaku said, bowing slightly before taking the seat in front of Hiruzen.

  “As you know, Fugaku, our vilge hasn’t been perf well in the in Exams…” Hiruzen proceeded to expin the pretext of his decision.

  “So, since we’ve now recovered suffit strength, I’ve decided to stop holding back. We’re going to send the best team for the in Exam this year,” Hiruzen said.

  “I uand, Lord Third, but I still don’t uand why you’re telling me all this,” Fugaku asked, though he had already guessed the reason.

  “The team I’m pnning to send is Itachi Uchiha, Kaida Uchiha, and Kabuto Yakushi,” Hiruzen said.

  Fugaku went silent for some time, then said, “I refuse, Lord Third.”

  It was a direct challeo the Hokage’s authority. Hiruzen released a little of his chakra subsciously, and the atmosphere became tense, but Fugaku sat there, uurbed by it.

  This was the very reason Danzo had used to oppress the Uchiha: they were too powerful. Even though Hiruzen, the Hokage, owerful in terms of both strength and rank, Fugaku was not weak either. Being a Kage-rank ninja and the head of the Uchiha , one of the—if not the—most powerful s in Konoha, his position wasn’t small.

  That’s why he had the fideo refuse the Hokage’s order. If there were any other head in his pce, they would have to accept the order, whether they wao or not. But Fugaku had power, and with that power, he had the ce to iate, which he did.

  “I’m sorry, Lord Third, but I’m sure you uand why I’m refusing. Two out of the three members are from the Uchiha , and my son Itachi is a on-a-geion talent and the hope of not just me but my whole . I ’t put his life at risk. Then there’s Kaida, a young prodigy just like my son. He’s on the same level of talent. If something happens to them, not only the Uchiha but the entire vilge will face a huge loss,” Fugaku said, trying to expin his reasoning.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry. Their lives won’t be in danger. Jiraiya will take responsibility for their safety. I’ll also send an Anbu squad sisting only of Anbu captains, and Shisui will apany them as well. If this doesn’t guaraheir safety, then nothing will,” Hiruzen said.

  Fugaku’s face hardened. On the surface, it looked like a perfectly good idea, but for him, it was a double-edged sword. Three of the most promisi-geion ninja of his were going into eerritory to crush their young ninja and showcase their talent. If, by any ce, something bad happened, Konoha would face a moal loss, but the Uchiha would be the most devastated. Still, there wasn’t much he could do.

  "I agree, Lord Third, but just to be on the safe side, I would like to send an Uchiha squad with them as well," Fugaku said.

  "I don’t have a problem with that if the heir of the Uchiha takes his bodyguards with him," Hiruzen replied with a smile.

  "Thank you, Lord Third," Fugaku said.

  "They will leave in one month. You use this time to train your son a little more. As for Kaida, tell him to e a me tomorrow," Hiruzen added.

  "I take care of his training as well, Lord Third," Fugaku offered.

  "He is already a strong Uchiha, but not yet a strong Senju. Let the boy try to maximize his full potential, Fugaku," Hiruzen said, his tole, though Fugaku khere was no room fument now. He simply accepted the order.

  "As you wish, Lord Third. I will send him here tomorrow," Fugaku said.

  "Okay."

  Fugaku bowed ahe office.

  "The Uchiha are being a little autonomous," Shikaku noted.

  "I'm not some mind-trolling monster, Shikaku. It's good to have someone who question your decisions on a while. That role used to be filled by Danzo, but now maybe Fugaku will take it," Hiruzen said, puffing out smoke from his freshly lit pipe.

  "You should stop doing that, Lord Third. Yetting old, and it's not good for your health," Shikaku advised.

  "Yeah, I’ll quit tomorrow," Hiruzen said, waving his hand dismissively.

  "Now go and send a letter to Jiraiya. Tell him to e back as soon as he ," Hiruzen ordered.