Inside the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked toward Kakashi Hatake meaningfully.
“You seem unusually interested in Yoruha.”
Kakashi did not deny it.
“A twelve-year-old possessing that level of strength…”
“It’s impossible not to pay attention.”
Then Kakashi added honestly:
“I want to know how strong he actually is.”
Because Kakashi was one of Hiruzen’s direct confidants, he could ask such questions openly.
The Third Hokage trusted him deeply.
After all, Kakashi once served directly within ANBU under the Hokage’s authority for years.
Hiruzen calmly revealed part of Yoruha’s situation.
Including his five elemental chakra affinities.
Kakashi paused briefly.
“…All five?”
For the first time, even Kakashi sounded genuinely envious.
“That’s unfair.”
“His taijutsu already borders on monstrous…”
“…and now his ninjutsu talent is absurd too?”
Despite being called the Copy Ninja and capable of using all five elemental transformations through the Sharingan—
Kakashi did not naturally possess affinity toward all five chakra natures.
That distinction mattered greatly.
Meanwhile—
At Yoruha’s apartment.
Late into the night, Yoruha finally finished reading through the Fivefold Rashōmon scroll entirely.
Lying on his bed while staring at the ceiling, he muttered thoughtfully:
“So this is basically a high-level summoning variant…”
The more he studied the technique, the more he realized something interesting.
The actual theory behind Rashōmon was not impossibly complex.
The real issue was chakra requirement.
Summoning and sustaining multiple Rashōmon gates demanded enormous chakra reserves.
Which naturally raised the technique’s difficulty rating to S-rank.
But for someone like Yoruha—
Massive chakra consumption was barely an issue.
“Honestly…”
“The theory itself is only slightly harder than ordinary summoning techniques.”
And because Rashōmon fundamentally belonged to the summoning category, studying it also improved Yoruha’s understanding of summoning principles overall.
Just as Yoruha prepared to rest—
Knock.
Knock.
Someone knocked at the apartment door.
Yoruha instantly spread Observation Haki outward.
Then his expression became slightly strange.
“…So I actually encountered him.”
He walked toward the entrance calmly and opened the door.
Standing outside was a masked ninja wearing a beast-pattern ANBU mask.
More specifically—
A member of Root.
The masked ninja spoke coldly:
“Yoruha.”
“Come with me.”
“Lord Danzo wishes to see you.”
Yoruha silently stared at him.
The Root ninja assumed Yoruha simply did not understand who stood before him.
So he explained further:
“I am ANBU.”
“Lord Danzo is one of Konoha’s senior advisors.”
Yoruha tilted his head slightly.
“Then why are you wearing a mask?”
The ninja froze briefly.
“…Because I’m ANBU.”
Yoruha remained expressionless.
“Remove the mask.”
“I suspect you may not actually be a Konoha ninja.”
The atmosphere became quiet.
The Root operative nearly thought he misheard.
“…What?”
Yoruha continued calmly:
“I’m merely verifying your identity.”
“Who knows?”
“Perhaps you’re a spy from another village.”
The ninja’s anger immediately rose.
This brat was obviously toying with him.
“You’re asking for trouble.”
Without hesitation, he stepped forward aggressively and threw a punch directly toward Yoruha’s abdomen.
Then—
BOOM.
The Root ninja’s body froze instantly.
A horrifying mental pressure exploded directly into his consciousness.
The world turned black.
His eyes rolled upward.
Foam appeared at the corner of his mouth.
And the ninja collapsed limply onto the floor outside the apartment door.
Completely unconscious.
Yoruha blinked slightly.
“…Conqueror’s Haki?”
That genuinely surprised him.
Sakazuki himself was never confirmed to possess Conqueror’s Haki.
Yet Yoruha apparently awakened it naturally.
Then he thought about it carefully.
“…Maybe my own will fused with Akainu’s strength.”
Because of inheriting Akainu’s combat instincts and Haki mastery, Yoruha adapted to the newly awakened Conqueror’s Haki almost immediately.
Even basic Conqueror’s coating felt strangely intuitive.
Observation.
Armament.
Conqueror’s.
Now he possessed all three types of Haki completely.
Yoruha suddenly felt oddly satisfied.
“My OCD is finally cured.”
Then he glanced toward the unconscious Root operative lying outside.
Without much concern, Yoruha casually dragged him downstairs and tossed him near the street corner.
Whether the man woke up later or remained unconscious all night—
Yoruha genuinely did not care.
Although killing him directly would certainly provoke Danzo Shimura aggressively, Yoruha also had no intention of tolerating harassment.
He disliked trouble.
But he certainly would not endure humiliation either.
Meanwhile—
Inside Root headquarters.
Danzo sat silently with his cane while waiting.
Yet the operative he dispatched never returned.
His expression gradually darkened.
Eventually, Danzo ordered two additional Root operatives to investigate.
Both were Special Jonin-level members.
When the two arrived outside Yoruha’s apartment building—
They immediately discovered their unconscious companion sprawled near the street.
“…Kuma?”
The two quickly approached.
The man looked terrible.
Foam covered his mouth.
His eyes remained rolled upward.
And he remained completely unconscious.
One operative frowned deeply.
“…Mental damage?”
The other stared upward toward Yoruha’s apartment on the third floor.
“That brat did this?”
“But he only graduated from the academy today.”
“Does he really possess this kind of ability?”
Neither fully believed it.
Still, after brief hesitation, they decided against direct confrontation immediately.
“Let’s return first.”
“We’ll report this to Lord Danzo.”
The two disappeared with Kuma instantly.
Back inside Root headquarters.
Danzo Shimura stared at the unconscious operative grimly.
“Fu.”
“Wake him.”
A young man stepped forward calmly.
Fū Yamanaka.
A member of the Yamanaka Clan and one of Danzo’s most trusted subordinates alongside Torune Aburame.
Fu carefully inspected Kuma’s mental condition.
Then his expression changed sharply.
“…What terrifying mental force.”
He immediately realized something abnormal.
Much of Kuma’s nervous system suffered precise mental trauma.
Yet the damage stopped just short of fatal levels.
That precision alone was horrifying.
Even elite genjutsu specialists struggled to achieve such exact neurological targeting.
After examining him repeatedly, Fu finally shook his head helplessly.
“Lord Danzo…”
“I cannot wake him immediately.”
“The damage to his nervous system is severe.”
“But strangely controlled.”
“If the attacker wanted…”
“…Kuma would already be dead.”
Danzo’s expression darkened further.
“You’re saying the attacker deliberately spared him?”
Fu nodded slowly.
“And whoever did this possesses unbelievably precise mental control.”
“Frankly…”
“…I cannot think of anyone in Konoha capable of such accuracy.”
Danzo narrowed his eyes dangerously.
“Kuma went to see Yoruha.”
“And this happened outside Yoruha’s residence.”
“Who else could it be?”
Fu hesitated.
“…But that’s impossible.”
“He’s merely a recent academy graduate.”
“Even top-tier sensory ninja would struggle with this level of control.”
Danzo tapped his cane heavily against the floor.
“But that same ‘academy graduate’ was promoted directly to Chunin.”
“And immediately became Hokage assistant.”
“How could he possibly be ordinary?”
Danzo’s thoughts rapidly connected together.
A hidden genius.
Average academy records.
Sudden promotion.
Direct Hokage attention.
And now—
A Root operative incapacitated after approaching him.
Danzo’s face grew increasingly ugly.
“So…”
“…Sarutobi intentionally concealed him.”
The more Danzo thought about it, the more convinced he became.
Yoruha’s mediocre academy performance was likely deliberate camouflage orchestrated by Hiruzen himself.
A hidden successor.
A future Hokage candidate.
And because Danzo understood Hiruzen’s personality extremely well—
He immediately grasped the old Hokage’s intentions.
“Hiruzen…”
“You old fox.”
“You were afraid I’d target him early…”
“That’s why you hid him until now.”
Danzo’s expression became cold and dangerous.
From his perspective—
Yoruha was no longer merely a talented child.
He was now a potential threat to Danzo’s future ambitions entirely.