Watching the spot where Kakashi had disappeared, Naruto’s eyes were filled with longing: “Is this what a Jonin is like? So cool!”
“Envious?” Akali looked at Naruto, her expression gentle.
“Envious!” Naruto nodded vigorously.
Akali’s expression changed: “Then hurry up and clean this up, we need to redo the filming from just now!”
“Huh?” Naruto’s face instantly twisted into a grimace: “We have to film again? Can’t we use what we just did?”
“Uh… I mean, can’t we just continue filming from where we left off?”
Seeing Akali’s gaze suddenly sharpen, Naruto said cautiously.
To this, Akali only curved her eyes, revealing a sweet smile: “What do you think?”
“Uh…” Naruto looked around at the situation.
Although Sasuke’s Great Fireball Technique had been slashed open by Akali just now, the Great Fireball Technique that scattered to the sides had turned into a storm, wreaking havoc on the shops on both sides.
Naturally, this ruined street could no longer support filming!
“Fine!” Naruto let out a long sigh, lamenting the hardships of the common people, his straight back slumping down.
Thus, taking the dejected Naruto—or rather, Naruko—with her, Akali searched for a new location within the Uchiha Clan Grounds to continue filming.
However, while they continued filming, Kakashi had long since taken Sasuke to Konoha Hospital, and he himself had come to the Hokage Office.
Inside the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage stood with his hands behind his back, smoking a pipe and looking out the window; he had been waiting for some time!
“Hokage-sama!” Kakashi greeted.
“Oh, Kakashi, how is Sasuke doing?” The Third Hokage turned around and asked kindly.
“Nothing too serious, Hokage-sama. Akali was very measured; Sasuke just has some soft tissue contusions and is exhausted from Chakra depletion!”
“He just needs some rest!”
“Hmm!”
Hearing Kakashi’s report, the Third Hokage nodded and then asked:
“Kakashi, what do you think of this child, Akali?”
“Akali, huh…”
Recalling their brief contact just now, Kakashi gathered his thoughts.
“She is a genius! As for her personality, she has some of the arrogance of a genius, but she feels much better than I was back then!”
Kakashi was very puzzled: “Hokage-sama, how have I never heard of such a genius before?”
“Well, for one thing, Akali is very low-key, both in class and in her daily life! She only started becoming active recently.”
“On the other hand, of course, I have been suppressing the news!”
As the Third Hokage spoke, he took out a file folder. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
From the wax-sealed flame pattern, Kakashi could tell that this was a document from the Anbu.
Kakashi asked with his eyes: “Hokage-sama, this is an Anbu document.”
“I know it’s an Anbu document, but it doesn’t matter. Just take it and read it!”
The Third Hokage waved his hand dismissively.
“Yes, Hokage-sama!”
Kakashi took the file folder with both hands, untied the string at the seal, and pulled out a small stack of reports.
Suddenly, Kakashi’s eyes flickered!
Because this was a batch of investigation assistance reports passed from the Sealing Team to the Anbu.
As everyone knows, the entire Konoha is shrouded in a large-scale sensory barrier.
Inside this barrier, no Chakra fluctuations can escape the barrier’s perception.
The Third Hokage’s crystal ball is also a product based on this great barrier!
Therefore, once there is any abnormal Chakra fluctuation, the Barrier Team will immediately perceive it and coordinate with the Anbu to investigate whether there is any anomaly.
Subsequently, the results of the Anbu investigation would be written on the back of the investigation assistance report.
Seeing this, Kakashi had a guess about the content of the reports!
Looking closely, sure enough, these were Anbu investigation reports regarding Akali.
By reconstructing the traces at the training grounds, they discovered that Akali had a Ninjutsu with power at least reaching B-rank, though it seemed to still be under development and not yet mature.
Subsequently, the Anbu submitted it level by level according to regulations, and finally, the reports reached the Third Hokage.
Finally, there was the Third Hokage’s approval: keep observing, do not disturb.
Kakashi flipped through them again and discovered that the earliest report was from six years ago!
Kakashi was very surprised: “Six years ago, Hokage-sama, you had already discovered Akali?”
“Yes!”
The Third Hokage slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke, revealing a nostalgic smile:
“It’s just that Akali, that girl, has too keen a sense. Most of the time, the Anbu could only judge how far along her technique was in development by the traces left at the scene.”
“If she hadn’t used it herself this time, I wouldn’t have known she had perfected it to this extent!”
“Six years, heh, it really goes by fast!” the Third Hokage sighed.
However, listening to the Third Hokage’s account, Kakashi didn’t understand.
If you had been paying attention to Akali six years ago, why ask him to evaluate her? New chapters come out on g.com first.
Wasn’t this redundant?
Kakashi’s puzzled gaze turned back to the Third Hokage.
Seeing Kakashi’s expression, the Third Hokage knew what Kakashi was thinking.
“Asking you to go see her, of course, had a purpose!” the Third Hokage explained:
“Didn’t I tell you that I was the one suppressing the news about Akali? Guess why I wanted to suppress the news about her?”
“Why… hmm!”
Kakashi suddenly looked up, his expression dawning with realization.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage shook the ashes from his pipe: “It seems you have guessed it!”
“Indeed!” Kakashi revealed a look of reminiscence: “So that’s what you were thinking, Hokage-sama!”
In his generation, there were some people who showed some excellence during their time at the Ninja Academy, but they weren’t prominent figures and weren’t very noticeable.
So after graduation, for a long time you wouldn’t hear any news about them, and you would think it normal, thinking to yourself that they might have just faded into the crowd.
But until Kakashi joined the Anbu, he was shocked to discover that there were so many familiar faces in the Anbu!
Upon asking, Kakashi discovered that they had been recommended to the Anbu by their team leaders shortly after graduation!
And the benefits of this, needless to say!
Obviously, in the Third Hokage’s plan, Akali was arranged the same way!
But even though the arrangement had already been made, the Third Hokage still asked him to go see Akali.
So…
“Hokage-sama, you’ve changed your mind, haven’t you?”
“That’s right!”
The Third Hokage nodded: “I originally thought Akali’s personality was more suitable for the Anbu, but lately, it seems her mind just wasn’t on socializing in the past. After completing the training of her secret technique, she immediately became active.”
“In this case, arranging her into the Anbu wouldn’t be very appropriate!”
Of course, one point the Third Hokage hadn’t mentioned was that Akali was now hanging out with Naruto and had formed a bond, making it even less possible for him to sever such a bond.
For a Jinchuriki like Naruto, the more bonds, the better!
This point, Kakashi could naturally understand.
And at this point, Kakashi finally understood the Third Hokage’s meaning a bit.
“Hokage-sama, are you planning to arrange for Akali to join my team?”