Danzō had always coveted the position of Hokage.
He believed he had a rightful chance to become Hokage because he controlled Konoha's Root division.
Within the village, his authority was second only to the Third Hokage's.
If the Third truly developed a new and powerful weapon, Danzō's influence over Konoha would plummet.
Of course, the reason he thought this way was because the Third Hokage had always been too indecisive.
In truth, with the Third's power and prestige, if he ever decided to eliminate Danzō, the man would have no real way to resist.
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Meanwhile, the Third Hokage and Kakashi arrived at Naruto's home.
Naruto hadn't been awakened by the commotion that night — he lay sound asleep, breathing evenly.
Seeing Naruto like this, the Third Hokage became completely certain that the night's incident had nothing to do with him.
After quietly leaving Naruto's home, the two of them walked to the cliffs behind the Hokage Monument.
Standing there, overlooking the whole of Konoha, the Third's voice drifted softly in the night breeze.
"Kakashi… that person has something to do with you, doesn't he?"
His tone was calm, but Kakashi could sense the certainty behind it.
Kakashi's heart trembled.
That small change in his expression was enough for the Third to confirm his suspicion.
He had only just realized it himself — Kakashi's behavior had been subtly different.
Too calm.
Normally, in such a situation, Kakashi wouldn't have been so composed.
So the Third began to suspect that the matter was related to him.
"Kakashi, it seems you don't trust me,"
the Third said in a low voice.
Kakashi didn't respond.
But considering that Kakashi had once served in the ANBU, the Third could understand.
Kakashi had always known more secrets than most.
The old man continued,
"Kakashi, since I've already guessed as much, you won't be able to keep it hidden for long."
"If the person in question poses no threat to the village, I'll protect him.
I don't want internal conflict within Konoha…
but that doesn't mean I'll compromise without limits."
"As long as he means no harm to the village, I can guarantee his safety — even if it means standing up to Danzō."
Turning toward Kakashi, the Third spoke gravely.
Kakashi still hesitated to tell him.
But now that the Hokage was already watching him closely, it was only a matter of time before Yoruha's situation was exposed.
Kakashi sighed.
"So you noticed after all."
The Third's eyes sharpened.
"So it really was someone from our village?"
Kakashi raised his head and nodded.
"Yes. I was worried about his safety before — he doesn't have the strength to protect himself yet."
The Third blinked in surprise.
"You're saying… the one who unleashed that terrifying jutsu can't even defend himself?"
He thought he must have misheard.
That jutsu had been so destructive that even he couldn't replicate it.
But Kakashi nodded earnestly.
"That's right. The technique he used was actually my Chidori."
"I don't know how it happened, but the result was… far beyond what it should have been."
The Third was stunned.
"You're saying that was Chidori?!"
Had anyone else said it, he'd never have believed it.
Chidori was an A-rank jutsu, extremely powerful — but it could never cause that kind of devastation.
At most, it could pierce through a few meters of stone.
But what they saw last night was enough to shatter a mountain.
That was a Tailed Beast Bomb-level technique, far beyond Chidori's scope.
Even though he found it unbelievable, Kakashi simply nodded again.
"Yes… it was Chidori."
The Third fell silent for a long time, unable to digest this absurd information.
After what felt like forever, he finally spoke.
"You're saying you've been teaching that person ninjutsu?"
"Who is it, Kakashi? Chidori is your original technique — you wouldn't just hand it to anyone."
At present, Kakashi was the only one in Konoha who knew Chidori.
It was his own original jutsu, and no one could force him to teach it.
The fact that he had taught it to someone spoke volumes about how important that person was to him.
And the fact that he was teaching them ninjutsu at all meant that person was still young.
A prodigy.
That word immediately flashed through the Third's mind.
Someone so powerful, yet still so young — only a genius could be like that.
And if Kakashi himself had entrusted him with a secret technique, that meant the boy's character could be trusted as well.
After all, even if Kakashi didn't trust many, his loyalty to Konoha was beyond question.
The Third couldn't help but feel excited.
Right now, Konoha was in a period of uncertainty between generations.
If there was someone who could eventually take his place, he would gladly retire early.
Originally, Kakashi had been his main candidate for the next Hokage — that's why he'd made him leader of Team Seven.
Naruto and Sasuke were the next generation of potential successors after that.
That was how Hokage succession usually worked — a "not-so-secret" secret that most of the upper ranks already knew.
And precisely because of this, Danzō was hostile toward both Naruto and Sasuke.
It wasn't just because Naruto was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, or because Sasuke was an Uchiha.
What truly bothered Danzō was that the Third had designated those two as future Hokage candidates.
Even though they were just children, the Third had never once considered Danzō himself.
Naturally, Danzō resented them.
Still, the Third wasn't completely satisfied with any of them.
Kakashi's strength was impressive — roughly on par with a lower-tier Kage —
but he lacked the authority and presence expected of one.
As for Naruto and Sasuke, they each had fatal flaws.
If Naruto couldn't fully control the Nine-Tails and become a perfect jinchūriki, he'd never qualify as Hokage.
And if Sasuke grew up and followed the same dark path as other Uchiha before him, he too would be unfit for the position.
Both possibilities were very real.
The Third knew better than anyone how hard it was to control the Nine-Tails.
And Sasuke's temperament already hinted at future danger — if he ever became another Madara, disaster would follow.
Still, they were the most talented of their generation.
Though Naruto was dead last at the Academy, the Third knew that once he became a shinobi, his true potential would emerge.
Yet if someone even more exceptional appeared, the Third would gladly include him in the list of successors.
Kakashi looked at the Hokage's grave expression, then finally said,
"He's one of Kimoto's students."
The Third froze mid-thought.
"What did you say — Kimoto's student?"
"Which one? Yamada Jumoku… or Motonoya Toko?"
L
Then his brows lifted slightly.
"It couldn't be… Motonoya Toko, could it?"
The reason he was so sure was simple — though Motonoya Toko wasn't from a shinobi clan, her mother was a true-blooded member of the Senju family.
If Senju Mei(Toko's mother) had passed down her genes, it would make perfect sense.
After all, even Minato — a commoner — and Kushina of the Uzumaki clan had produced Naruto, who inherited Kushina's immense chakra.
And the scale of the jutsu they'd seen required a truly vast amount of chakra —
something that only a Senju descendant could reasonably possess.
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Currently at chapter 305 for advance chapters
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