Noon, July 14 — Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen sat behind his desk. He went on reviewing the mountain of paperwork as he listened in silence to Iruka's anxious report.
"…So all in all, Lord Hokage, I think we should have a jōnin skilled in genjutsu take a look at Seisen's condition. His behavior this morning was just far too abnormal."
Hiruzen stopped writing, set his pipe aside, and asked evenly, "How is Shiba Seisen normally?"
"Normally, he's meticulous and serious about everything. He's a bit old-fashioned, but with colleagues and students he's responsible and genuinely enthusiastic."
"Mm…" Hiruzen didn't react much. Instead, he soothed Iruka first. "I understand Seisen's situation. I'll send someone to handle it. And as for you, don't burden yourself too much. This isn't a small matter—but it isn't necessarily a big one either."
Iruka was surprised by Hiruzen's unusual calm, but he didn't show it. He only nodded. "Yes, Lord Hokage."
Then he turned and left.
Hiruzen lit his pipe again and fell into thought.
The third round of the Chūnin Exams was close. Nobles, wealthy clans, shinobi clans, and delegations from other hidden villages were all streaming into Konoha. The village's foot traffic had more than doubled.
At a time like this, it wasn't strange for a Konoha instructor to be "set up." In fact, how to deal with foreign spies had always been a hot, endlessly argued topic among Konoha's upper ranks.
Hiruzen didn't want to blow the matter up. Recently, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki issue had already forced him into repeated clashes with Danzō, and the ANBU and ROOT had been grinding against each other both openly and in the shadows. He couldn't act loudly—but he still had to find out who had targeted Seisen.
After turning it over, he raised a hand.
A Hokage直属 ANBU stepped out from the shadows and knelt on one knee.
"Have your captain come to my office," Hiruzen said lightly—referring to the white-cloaked ANBU who had been guarding Naruto these past days.
"Yes."
Once the black-clad ANBU left, Hiruzen took out the crystal ball and began locating Seisen's position.
…
Elsewhere.
"Yo—back for dango again, huh?" A blond boy grinned as he greeted the white-cloaked ANBU, who was so well hidden in the crowd he was nearly invisible.
"Haha. Naruto-kun, you've got sharp eyes. To pick me out in a crowd this big," the white-cloaked ANBU said, stepping forward without missing a beat, returning a crisp smile.
"Aw, come on. It's just that you've got this extraordinary presence," Naruto said smoothly. "Finding you is as easy as spotting a firefly in the dark."
"Is that so? Personally, I think Naruto-kun is quite the fine young man too."
"You flatter me—haha."
They exchanged their fake pleasantries. Even though neither of them particularly liked dango, they "happened" to meet here every day.
Each time, Naruto would chat with him like a coworker—partly to close the distance and fish for intel, partly to make him lower his guard.
I've been running to the dango shop every day for so long, ANBU has probably already copied my daily route by now. From here on out, I'll have shadow clones run the routine. I need some room to move freely, Naruto was thinking when he noticed the white-cloaked ANBU's expression shift.
Behind the mask, the man's eyes narrowed. His left hand rose instinctively to shield the earpiece at his ear—then he immediately returned to normal.
"I had a great time chatting today. I'll be leaving now," the white-cloaked ANBU said, giving Naruto a nod before strolling off in the opposite direction.
Naruto watched him go, alarm bells ringing silently.
If the white-cloaked ANBU was leaving, it meant something had come up that mattered more than tailing him.
In the eye-of-the-storm position he occupied, even if he didn't care about Konoha's politics, Konoha's politics would come and care about him. Rather than sit and wait, he might as well move first.
Naruto followed at a distance.
Every few steps he paused and lingered, keeping space. When he saw the white cloak heading toward the Hokage Tower, he had a rough idea.
Sneak to the office door and eavesdrop?
He still had time before his afternoon training with Hiruzen, but if he was caught snooping, he'd never explain his way out.
He needed another approach.
Heh. I might be bad at recon, but that doesn't mean I can't recruit someone who isn't, Naruto thought—and immediately sprinted toward the Hyūga compound.
…
Inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen stared out the window with his hands clasped behind his back. The white-cloaked ANBU knelt on one knee beside him.
"Has Naruto shown anything unusual these past few days?" Hiruzen didn't get straight to the point; he started by asking about Naruto.
"Reporting to Lord Hokage: Naruto has strictly followed the route of Home → Ichiraku Ramen → Dango Shop → Hokage Tower. Occasionally he strolls near Sakura Haruno's house. He has no other leisure activities."
"I see." Hiruzen's expression loosened slightly. "From now on, you don't need to personally guard Naruto. Instead, you will do two things."
"First: secretly increase Konoha's patrol intensity. Screen all outsiders entering and leaving the village. Mark every outsider suspected of espionage. If spying behavior is observed, arrest on the spot."
"Second: you will personally take two subordinates and monitor Chūnin Shiba Seisen's every move. If anyone is found casting genjutsu on him—kill them on the spot and bring the body back to ANBU. If Seisen himself shows signs of espionage, restrain him immediately and deliver him to ANBU for interrogation."
"Yes."
The white-cloaked ANBU asked no questions—not even why Seisen needed watching.
That was the basic discipline of the Hokage's direct ANBU.
…
Hyūga compound.
Naruto informed the gate guards and asked them to call out Lady Hinata.
The guard nodded and dared not delay, hurrying inside. Lately he'd overheard the household adults talking—Uzumaki Naruto's status was no longer what it used to be.
A short while later, Hinata emerged, shy and flustered. Her pretty face was rosy, and her pale eyes couldn't hide her joy—clearly delighted that Naruto had called for her.
Naruto smiled and raised the dango in his hand, inviting Hinata to eat with him. Hinata nodded shyly.
"Let's find a better place," Naruto said with a warm, gentle smile. "Eating right here would ruin the mood."
"Mm… okay~"
He brought Hinata to a quiet corner of the dango shop and sat with her, not rushing to state his true purpose. Asking for help too directly would feel abrupt—and might raise suspicion.
Let's try it, Naruto thought. He took a tri-colored dango and offered it to Hinata, while silently planning how to open the topic.
"Is it good?"
"Mm. It's good." A blush deepened on her cheeks.
Naruto took one as well and chewed, a faint sweetness spreading across his tongue.
His brain really did need the sugar.
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