"This version of Second Pillar is actually kinda adorable…"
(T/N: Quick Question, Are you guys ok with me leaving this Second Pillar part for future chapters, or do I change it.)
Kaze couldn't help but sigh internally as he studied Sasuke, who he had just mistaken for a girl.
Well, it made sense. Sasuke's delicate features came from his mother, Mikoto.
Plus, he was still really young—his voice soft and childlike—it was easy to see how someone could confuse him for a girl.
The Uchiha Massacre hadn't happened yet, and Sasuke wasn't even old enough to attend the Ninja Academy.
At this point in time, his mind was still as pure as a blank sheet of paper.
Wait a second...
A blank sheet of paper?
Kaze raised an eyebrow in thought.
'Itachi's already joined the Anbu, so he's rarely home. Even when he is, he keeps his distance from Sasuke.'
'And Naruto, because of the Nine-Tails, is still an outcast in the village.'
'The way the adults reject him influences how their kids treat him too.'
'On top of that, Naruto can't take care of himself properly, so he's living pretty rough.'
The more he thought about it, the clearer Kaze's plan became.
If he was going to nurture a loyal follower…
Why not start with them when they're still young?
Still, grooming Sasuke would be a matter for later.
He hadn't even finished his fight with Shisui yet.
So, Kaze crouched down and gently patted Sasuke on the head.
"I've got a bit of unfinished business with your big brother over there. Would you mind going to play somewhere else for a bit?"
As he spoke, Kaze fished a small bag of sunflower seeds from his pocket.
Originally, he'd brought them along to snack on during the boring clan meeting—but now, he generously handed them over to Sasuke instead.
"Thank you, big brother…" Sasuke accepted the seeds with both hands and gave a polite nod.
Gotta admit—Sasuke was surprisingly well-mannered at this age.
Seeing the boy respond so politely, Kaze finally stood up and turned to Shisui.
"Let's pick up where we left off."
He loosened up his shoulders and stretched a little, getting ready for round two.
But then…
Shisui's eyes flickered slightly—and he declined without hesitation.
"Kaze, let's leave it here."
Off to the side, Sasuke silently took note of Kaze's name. "So this gentle big brother is called Kaze…"
And from the Uchiha fan crest on Kaze's clothes, Sasuke instantly figured out that Kaze is from his clan.
"This sparring match was only meant to evaluate whether you're at jōnin-level," Shisui explained further. "Winning or losing isn't what matters."
"To be honest, your strength really is kind of monstrous."
Using Susanoo earlier had put quite a strain on his Sharingan.
Combined with Kaze stepping in to protect Sasuke, the adrenaline from their duel had largely cooled.
The only thing Shisui regretted… was failing to change Kaze's mindset.
He hadn't been able to instill the Will of Fire in him.
Meanwhile…
Seeing that Shisui and Kaze had shifted their battleground, the Root shinobi lurking in the shadows didn't dare to slack off—they quickly followed.
They'd originally assumed the fight between Shisui and Kaze would end with one of them victorious.
Who would've thought… the two of them would just decide to stop fighting?
"Captain, what do we do now?" one of the Root members asked, unable to hide the tension in his voice.
Shisui alone was enough of a threat to make their leader, Danzō, deeply wary.
And now, here came Kaze.
Matching Shisui blow for blow with just taijutsu.
If Kaze turned out to be a hardcore Uchiha loyalist, that would be a serious problem for the village leadership.
Back in the Second Hokage's era, the Uchiha had already tried to rebel once.
Though the Anbu created by the Second Hokage had crushed that attempt, the incident had always remained a thorn in Danzō's side.
And over the years, the Uchiha kept producing one genius after another.
For the sake of Konoha's stability, Danzō had taken more than a few… decisive measures behind the scenes.
"We'll report everything to Lord Danzō—down to the last detail."
The Root captain fell silent for a moment before giving the order.
He honestly hadn't expected Kaze's taijutsu to be that outrageous.
Only Danzō could decide how to handle this.
With that, the Root agents disappeared with a quiet swoosh.
But one thing was already certain—
Following the genius of Uchiha Shisui… the Uchiha clan had now birthed another terrifying figure.
At the same time…
Inside the Hokage's office—
Through the Telescope Jutsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen had witnessed the entire battle between Shisui and Kaze.
His expression shifted—from a calm smile at first, to surprise… and then outright shock.
When he saw Kaze go toe-to-toe with Shisui's Susanoo using nothing but taijutsu…
He fell completely silent.
Inside, his heart was like an ocean caught in a raging storm—
Waves crashing in every direction.
Part of it was due to Shisui's overwhelming talent.
Not only had he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—
He had even mastered Susanoo, a power that only Uchiha Madara had ever been known to wield!
That level of genius completely upended everything Hiruzen thought he knew about him!
After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen—his face pale as a sheet—finally managed to calm himself, if only slightly.
"I truly didn't expect… Shisui was hiding such a huge secret."
"I thought that someone who had inherited the Will of Fire wouldn't keep anything from me…"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, studying Shisui through the crystal ball. His gaze held a new complexity.
"And then there's Kaze's taijutsu…"
It was worth noting: while the Telescope Jutsu allowed him to track chakra signatures and observe distant locations…
It didn't transmit sound.
In other words, Hiruzen could only try to read lips to grasp parts of their conversation.
Worse still, the technique was being cast from Shisui's point of view—so it didn't clearly capture everything Kaze had said.
This left Hiruzen deeply uneasy.
Should he eliminate Kaze?
Uchiha Fugaku would never agree to it. That much was clear from his attitude at the meeting earlier that day.
And even then, it wasn't guaranteed to succeed.
Even Shisui, using Susanoo, had only fought Kaze to a draw.
At this point, there were probably very few people in all of Konoha who could take Kaze down.
"Should I really just let him be…?"
But that thought brought fresh worry to Hiruzen's heart.
If he turned a blind eye, and Kaze eventually walked down the wrong path…
The consequences could be catastrophic.
"Ah…"
"If only Kaze had been born into the Sarutobi clan…"
Hiruzen sat upon the Hokage's seat.
If the boy in the vision had been named Sarutobi Kaze, he wouldn't have hesitated to nurture him as the next successor of the Will of Fire.
What a shame.
The Sarutobi clan hadn't produced any other true geniuses since him.
Just as Hiruzen was still mulling over strategies while gazing into the crystal ball—
There came a sudden, urgent knock on the office door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me—Danzō." A firm, commanding voice came through the door.
Then, without waiting for permission, Danzō pushed it open and stepped inside. "I have something important to discuss with you."
As soon as he entered, his eyes immediately locked onto the crystal ball sitting on Hiruzen's desk.
"So it was your doing, Hiruzen."
(T/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter.)