The two students clashed fiercely on the training ground, but Yakumo’s gaze grew increasingly profound as he contemplated the significance of Keisuke Shimizu’s actions.
What was the point of deliberately fanning the flames when Asuma Sarutobi was already losing his composure?
Yakumo glanced at the furious Asuma and continued following his train of thought.
Wait.
No!
Asuma Sarutobi wasn’t important enough to be someone’s primary target.
What Shimizu really wanted was to use casual remarks at the Sarutobi family dinner table—or Asuma’s complaints during training—to drive a wedge between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Sakumo Hatake.
The manipulation would be gradual and subtle.
By continually intensifying the rivalry between Kakashi and Asuma, Shimizu could eventually sow discord between Hiruzen and Sakumo.
Precisely because the manipulation was so subtle, it would work like a gentle rain, silently seeping into the ground.
Without even realizing it, Hiruzen would gradually develop resentment toward Sakumo.
Whoever had devised this scheme must have understood Hiruzen extremely well.
They knew that the Third Hokage already harbored a small degree of dissatisfaction toward Sakumo, and they intended to find ways to magnify it.
Perhaps this scheme—or rather, the part of it Yakumo had glimpsed—was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Several plans could be working together to amplify Hiruzen’s dissatisfaction.
Then, under the pretext of protecting Konoha’s interests and preserving the village’s reputation, someone would offer advice on how to undermine Sakumo’s standing.
Finally, just as in the original story, they would use rumors and public opinion behind the scenes to drive the White Fang to his death.
It was now Year 39 of Konoha.
A full two years remained before the White Fang’s suicide to atone for his perceived failure.
At the very least, this plan revolving around Sakumo Hatake would have to continue for another two years.
The White Fang has gotten in Danzō’s way.
As one of the leading candidates to become the Fourth Hokage, Sakumo had clearly become a thorn in Danzō’s side.
In that case, Shimizu’s identity was easy to guess.
He was a member of Root.
Any Root operative entrusted with manipulating two of Konoha’s most influential figures would have to be absolutely loyal to Danzō.
He would also need to lack powerful connections or a background that might complicate matters if he ever had to be eliminated.
“Yakumo…
It’s your turn.”
Mori Yasuko’s voice interrupted Yakumo’s wandering thoughts.
Apparently, Keisuke Shimizu had already called his name several times.
The teacher was now staring at him with a face as cold as ice.
“Present!”
Yakumo immediately stood up, looking utterly bewildered and worried, just like a student who had fallen asleep in class and suddenly been called on by the teacher.
“Get up here,” Shimizu said coldly.
“Coming!
Coming!”
Yakumo hurried onto the training ground, where Komoto Kenta had been waiting for some time.
“Don’t worry, Yakumo.
I’ll hold back so I don’t hurt you,” Kenta said, scratching his head with an almost embarrassingly honest expression.
What a nice guy…
But this time, Yakumo had no intention of losing.
“Then I’ll try not to hit you too hard, either…”
He paused briefly.
“…I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
“Form the Seal of Confrontation.”
The two completed the hand seal and stared at each other for several seconds.
In the end, Kenta lost his patience first.
He lunged forward and threw a straight punch aimed at Yakumo’s abdomen.
Before students received proper combat training, first-year Academy fights resembled street brawls.
Weapons were prohibited at their level, making their fighting styles particularly simple and straightforward.
Fist against fist.
Foot against foot.
Yakumo shifted slightly to the side, effortlessly dodging Kenta’s punch.
He immediately raised his leg and struck toward the same vulnerable area—Kenta’s abdomen—using roughly seventy percent of his strength.
As long as he controlled the force, one clean strike might be enough to end the fight.
Keeping the remaining thirty percent in reserve would allow him to respond to incoming attacks and maintain his balance.
Kenta stepped back half a pace, avoiding Yakumo’s surprise attack.
He had noticed the difference in his opponent.
The Yakumo who had previously attacked without any discernible technique was now launching attacks with clear intent and timing.
Over the past ten days, Yakumo’s Agility, Strength, and Constitution had changed dramatically.
His five senses had also grown sharper.
He clenched both fists.
His movements settled into a steady rhythm, as though he were tracing circles in the air.
From almost any angle, he could track an incoming attack and prepare to counter it.
Kenta launched a continuous series of punches, hoping to overwhelm Yakumo’s defense through sheer volume.
It was a simple but effective tactic they had been taught in class.
Its main weakness, however, was the enormous amount of stamina it consumed.
Yakumo maintained his defensive stance, dodging as many punches as possible.
When he couldn’t evade an attack in time, he blocked it with his forearms.
He was content to let his opponent exhaust himself.
It was a clumsy, passive strategy, but it served his purpose.
Yakumo had no intention of revealing too much of his ability in front of Keisuke Shimizu, who might be a Root operative.
Finally, after a minute, Kenta’s attacks began to slow.
The dense flurry of fists developed gaps.
Yakumo seized the opportunity to counterattack.
The two struggled against each other for another thirty seconds before Yakumo found an opening, tripped his opponent, and secured the victory.
“Sorry, Kenta.
I’ve made some progress recently from training with Kakashi.”
Yakumo wasn’t unscathed, either.
Several places on his forearms had turned purple and blue from the impacts.
To the onlookers, it looked like a narrow victory—or perhaps a lucky one.
“Iori Yakumo wins!”
“Form the Seal of Reconciliation.”
The two students exchanged the required hand seal and separated.
Throughout the entire match, Keisuke Shimizu had barely spared Yakumo a glance.
That was good.
“Ugh…
But that really hurts.”
At an academy designed to train shinobi, fighting was an everyday occurrence.
Minor injuries were perfectly normal.
After returning to his seat, Yakumo began massaging his arms to help disperse the bruising.
The sense of security he’d built up over the past few days had completely vanished after he began suspecting that Shimizu might belong to Root.
Of course, the best possible outcome would be that Yakumo had simply read too much into the situation—and that Keisuke Shimizu was not a member of Root at all.
After every student had completed their test, they gradually returned to the classroom to face the final judgment.
Keisuke Shimizu stood at the lectern and swept his cold gaze across the room.
The atmosphere seemed to grow colder with every passing moment.
“Kakashi’s performance was excellent, as always.
There’s little more I need to say about him.”
His gaze shifted toward Asuma.
“However, Asuma Sarutobi, you’ve truly disappointed me this time.
Kakashi controlled the pace of the fight from beginning to end.
You need to work several times harder.”
Asuma lowered his head.
It was impossible to tell whether he felt ashamed or furious.
Regardless, over the next six years, Kakashi and Asuma would become rivals locked in mutual competition.
Just as I thought.
Shimizu is deliberately cultivating an atmosphere of hostility between Kakashi and Asuma.
“I hope you won’t disappoint me like this next week.”
Shimizu continued analyzing the tests, devoting most of his attention to the students who had ranked near the top.
As for Yakumo, he received only a brief comment telling him to keep working hard next time.
Yakumo was perfectly happy to remain an insignificant presence in Shimizu’s eyes.
After school, Kakashi, Obito, Rin, Yakumo, and Mori Yasuko headed together toward Training Ground Fourteen to continue practicing.
Obito had been thoroughly beaten again during that day’s test and planned to ask Kakashi for some advice on fighting that evening.
The others chatted and laughed as they walked.
Only Yakumo’s gaze remained dark and unreadable.
He had now mentally classified Keisuke Shimizu as a likely Root operative.
That meant he would have to reassess everything he had originally planned to reveal about his abilities while at the Academy.
In their second year, students would learn how to throw and use kunai and shuriken.
They would also be permitted to spar with weapons that had not been sharpened.
Perhaps, at that point, he could afford to reveal a little more of his talent for swordsmanship…