Inside the Hokage’s office, silence lingered for several seconds.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled smoke from his pipe while staring at the unconscious Mizuki lying nearby.
Then he looked toward Iruka Umino again.
Iruka smiled bitterly.
“Hokage-sama… I have no reason to fabricate something like this.”
“Naruto witnessed everything as well.”
The Third Hokage naturally understood that Iruka would not lie.
That was precisely why the situation felt troublesome.
Because it sounded absurd.
An academy graduate instantly defeating a Chunin through pure taijutsu was already shocking enough.
But according to Iruka’s description—
Neither he nor Naruto even saw the attack clearly.
That level of explosive movement speed already exceeded ordinary Chunin by a massive margin.
Hiruzen remained silent for a while before finally standing up and walking toward a nearby filing cabinet.
He retrieved the graduation records for this year’s academy students.
Soon, he found Yoruha’s file.
The old Hokage narrowed his eyes while reading carefully.
Average taijutsu.
Average shurikenjutsu.
Average written scores.
No outstanding combat evaluations.
No notable clan background.
Nothing remarkable whatsoever.
The records and Iruka’s description were practically describing two different people.
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
“These results…”
“They don’t match the strength you described.”
Iruka sighed helplessly.
“I don’t understand it either.”
“If Yoruha possessed that kind of ability all along, then he completely hid it during his years at the academy.”
After a short pause, Iruka added:
“Maybe… he simply didn’t want attention.”
The Third Hokage tapped the file thoughtfully.
That possibility was not impossible.
Every few generations, Konoha produced individuals with unusually mature personalities.
Still—
Even prodigies generally showed traces of their talent eventually.
For example, Minato Namikaze had already displayed extraordinary ability during his academy years despite his humble origins.
Yoruha, however, hid everything completely.
That level of restraint from a twelve-year-old was abnormal.
Iruka hesitated briefly before speaking again.
“Hokage-sama…”
“Should Yoruha’s instructor assignment be reconsidered?”
Hiruzen nodded immediately.
“Of course.”
Originally, Yoruha had been assigned to an ordinary Chunin-led team.
That arrangement was standard for most academy graduates.
Only exceptional cases typically received direct Jonin attention.
Even Naruto Uzumaki only received a Jonin instructor because of special circumstances.
But now—
Yoruha’s situation clearly required reevaluation.
If Iruka’s assessment was accurate, assigning a normal Chunin instructor to Yoruha would make little sense.
After taking another long puff from his pipe, Hiruzen finally said:
“I’ll personally reconsider his assignment.”
Then his gaze shifted toward Naruto.
“Naruto.”
The old Hokage’s expression became serious.
“Do you understand how dangerous the Scroll of Sealing is?”
“It contains forbidden techniques gathered and preserved by generations of Hokage.”
“It absolutely cannot be taken outside the village.”
Naruto, however, looked completely distracted.
His mind still replayed the image of Yoruha’s punch endlessly.
The shattered ground.
The crater.
Mizuki coughing blood.
The terrifying impact.
Seeing Naruto staring blankly into space, Hiruzen frowned.
“Naruto.”
“Were you listening?”
Naruto jumped.
“Huh?!”
“Grandpa Third, what did you say?”
Iruka immediately stepped in awkwardly.
“Hokage-sama… Naruto was frightened by what happened earlier.”
The Third Hokage sighed softly.
He naturally assumed Naruto had been traumatized by Mizuki’s betrayal.
“That kind of thing cannot be avoided once you become a ninja.”
Naruto swallowed hard before blurting out instinctively:
“Grandpa Third…”
“…will I meet monsters like Yoruha in the future?”
The Third Hokage blinked.
“…Monsters?”
Naruto nodded rapidly.
“He punched Mizuki-sensei once and turned him into that!”
“I thought Mizuki-sensei was already super strong!”
Hiruzen glanced toward Iruka again.
Iruka could only smile bitterly and explain the situation from beginning to end once more.
As the explanation continued—
The Third Hokage’s expression gradually became increasingly serious.
A fresh academy graduate.
No visible hand seals.
No ninjutsu.
Instant overwhelming victory.
Pure taijutsu.
And according to Naruto and Iruka, Yoruha’s fist emitted abnormal heat afterward.
Hiruzen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“A hidden bloodline?”
“No… there’s no record of one.”
The office slowly fell silent again.
Eventually, Iruka escorted Naruto away.
Before leaving, Naruto reluctantly placed the Scroll of Sealing back onto the desk.
Oddly enough, the Third Hokage barely punished him.
Under normal circumstances, stealing the Scroll of Sealing was an extremely serious crime.
But because Naruto was involved, Hiruzen’s handling remained characteristically lenient.
This favoritism was one of the reasons many villagers and ninja disliked Naruto even more.
After all—
Others would have been imprisoned immediately for such actions.
Yet Naruto was consistently forgiven.
Once Naruto and Iruka left, the office became quiet.
Hiruzen sat alone beneath the dim light while reading Yoruha’s file repeatedly.
Midnight gradually approached.
Finally—
The Third Hokage disappeared from the office.
At the outskirts of Konoha.
Within the forest near Yoruha’s home.
A figure silently appeared beneath the moonlight.
The Third Hokage looked toward the small wooden house calmly.
Inside the bedroom, Yoruha slowly opened his eyes.
Observation Haki had already detected Hiruzen’s arrival the moment he entered the forest.
Yoruha sighed inwardly.
“As expected.”
Soon, knocking sounded at the door.
Wearing simple sleep clothes, Yoruha walked over and opened it.
The moment the door opened, moonlight illuminated both figures.
Yoruha yawned lazily.
“What brings the Hokage here so late?”
Hiruzen smiled kindly.
“Aren’t you going to invite me inside first?”
Yoruha stepped aside helplessly.
The Third Hokage entered slowly.
The interior of the wooden house was extremely simple.
A small kitchen.
A compact living area.
One bedroom.
Very little furniture.
Yet everything was organized neatly.
After observing briefly, Hiruzen chuckled.
“You’re much cleaner than Naruto.”
Unlike Naruto’s chaotic apartment in the center of the village, Yoruha’s home was orderly despite being isolated near the forest edge.
For a twelve-year-old living alone, that was unusual.
Yoruha poured a glass of water for the Third Hokage before sitting opposite him calmly.
“You came because of what happened earlier?”
Unlike most children in Konoha, Yoruha displayed neither admiration nor nervousness toward the Hokage.
His emotions remained astonishingly stable.
Hiruzen quietly observed him.
The more he observed—
The stranger Yoruha felt.
His composure did not resemble a child’s mentality at all.
Even experienced Chunin often became nervous before the Hokage.
Yet Yoruha remained completely relaxed.
The Third Hokage smiled gently.
“You’re very strong.”
“But if you had displayed that strength at the academy, your instructor assignment would already be different.”
Yoruha shrugged slightly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Whether it’s a Chunin or a Jonin, I’ll graduate eventually anyway.”
“The instructors only guide us temporarily.”
Hiruzen nearly choked on his pipe smoke.
That answer was too indifferent.
Most children would desperately seek recognition and stronger teachers.
Yet Yoruha genuinely did not care.
The old Hokage shook his head.
“You were originally assigned to a Chunin-led squad.”
“But with your abilities, you should at least be under a Jonin.”
Yoruha leaned back calmly.
“It makes little difference to me.”
Hiruzen stared at him silently for a few seconds.
This child…
Was strangely difficult to communicate with.
Eventually, Hiruzen changed topics.
“You currently don’t know offensive ninjutsu, correct?”
Yoruha nodded.
“I only know the Academy Three Techniques.”
“That’s enough for now.”
The Third Hokage felt a headache forming.
“The Academy Three Techniques are basic foundational jutsu.”
“Earlier, you defeated Mizuki entirely through taijutsu.”
“So I assumed you lacked offensive ninjutsu.”
Yoruha nodded again.
“You assumed correctly.”
Hiruzen became speechless.
This conversation was progressing far differently than expected.
Normally, a talented child hearing that the Hokage personally noticed his weakness would immediately become excited or curious.
But Yoruha remained completely unmoved.
Left with no alternative, Hiruzen decided to state his true purpose directly.
“I intend to transfer you to my personal division for training.”
“I can teach you advanced ninjutsu personally.”
“You should know my title.”
“The Professor.”
“There are very few techniques within Konoha that I do not know.”
This was already an extremely generous offer.
Being personally trained by the Hokage would instantly elevate Yoruha’s status within the village.
Any ordinary ninja would accept immediately.
Yet—
Yoruha shook his head calmly.
“I refuse.”
The Third Hokage froze.
For a moment, he genuinely suspected he misheard.
“…What?”
Yoruha repeated calmly:
“I’m not interested.”
Silence filled the room.
Hiruzen stared blankly at Yoruha.
This was the first time in years someone rejected becoming his direct subordinate so casually.
Most importantly—
Yoruha’s expression never changed from beginning to end.
It was as though he had merely declined a normal invitation.
Meanwhile—
For the first time tonight—
The Third Hokage started feeling genuinely anxious.