Hiruzen knew that Danzo utilized dark and underhanded methods, but he also knew that in matters like this, Danzo would never make groundless claims.
If Yao truly could repeatedly evade Root's surveillance and leave the village, then ordinary cloaking or stealth techniques were absolutely out of the question. The village was surrounded by a sensory barrier! Space-Time Ninjutsu was indeed the only logical explanation.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, which had shaken the ninja world, was a strong possibility. Of course, other possibilities couldn't be ruled out—such as the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
"Hiruzen, you underestimate him too much!" Danzo looked at the Third Hokage. "This brat is far more dangerous and valuable than we imagined! Leaving him to stay in the sunlight is being irresponsible to the village!"
Danzo dropped one final sentence before turning to leave: "This brat has been going out even more frequently lately. If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself tonight! See just how many secrets this 'genius with a bright future' is hiding!"
The Third Hokage pondered for a moment; ultimately, he could not ignore the situation. He tapped on the desk, and an ANBU operative wearing an animal mask appeared silently before him.
"Keep an eye on Uchiha Yao. Especially at night. I want to know every move he makes!" Hiruzen ordered.
"Yes! Lord Hokage!" The ANBU disappeared.
That night, in the dead of night, the Uchiha estate was silent. The ANBU responsible for surveillance used his excellent infiltration and sensory skills to lock firmly onto Yao's room. Like a ghost, he waited and monitored. Everything inside the room seemed normal.
However, at exactly nine o'clock, Yao's chakra fluctuations vanished. They disappeared from the room without any warning!
The ANBU was startled and immediately expanded his sensory range. He quickly scouted the Uchiha estate and the surrounding areas. The result was nothing! The target had truly vanished.
It wasn't until five o'clock the next morning that Uchiha Yao's chakra reappeared in the room.
Early the next day, the ANBU went straight to the Hokage's office to report to Hiruzen. Despite being mentally prepared, Hiruzen still found it hard to believe when he heard it confirmed.
"Do you know where he went?"
The ANBU bowed his head. "During the period Uchiha Yao was missing, my team and the supporting sensory squad could not capture any trace of his chakra within the village."
If he couldn't be sensed in the village, the only possibility was that he had left it!
Hiruzen fell silent, his pipe frozen in mid-air. This result practically confirmed Danzo's suspicion. To come and go at will, bypassing both the village barrier and ANBU surveillance—there were almost no other explanations besides Space-Time Ninjutsu. The Flying Thunder God Technique was the most classic example.
Of course, the Reverse Summoning Jutsu could also achieve this! Summoning techniques themselves are technically a branch of Space-Time Ninjutsu. But if it were Reverse Summoning, what was Yao's summoning beast? When did he learn the jutsu? If it was the Flying Thunder God...
"You may leave," Hiruzen waved his hand after a long silence, his voice unreadable.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Once alone in the smoke-filled office, Hiruzen's mind raced. Uchiha Yao... Flying Thunder God... Summoning Jutsu... Where did he learn them? Did he figure it out himself, or was he taught? If he was taught, who was it? And what was his purpose for leaving the village so frequently at night?
Hiruzen took a deep breath and looked at a squad assignment list.
Team: Team 7
Members: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno
Instructor: Kakashi Hatake
"Sakura Haruno..." Hiruzen muttered the name. She was a civilian girl with excellent grades and a clean background. The original plan was for her to act as a buffer for the conflicts between Naruto and Sasuke.
But now, that arrangement seemed inappropriate. An Uchiha who potentially mastered the Flying Thunder God possessed a level of danger and importance that far exceeded the scope of a "balanced squad."
Hiruzen picked up his pen and crossed out "Sakura Haruno." Then, he wrote another name next to it: Uchiha Yao.
Team: Team 7
Members: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Uchiha Yao
Instructor: Kakashi Hatake
Looking at this list, Hiruzen's gaze turned profound. Without a doubt, this was currently the most complex collection of "problem children" with the highest potential risk in Konoha.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! An Uchiha survivor! And a potential Flying Thunder God master?
Gathering them in one team might seem like a gamble, but it was Hiruzen's deliberate choice. Scattering them would mean using three times the manpower to monitor and guide them separately, which was inefficient and prone to errors. Gathering them together under his most trusted and capable Elite Jōnin—Kakashi Hatake—was the most efficient and safest solution.
Kakashi's strength, wisdom, ANBU experience, and his connection with the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, made him the perfect candidate.
"Let it be so," Hiruzen set down his pen. "Whether it leads to fortune or disaster depends on your own fate... Kakashi, don't let me down!"
One week later.
Yao and Sasuke walked into the classroom one after the other. The room was packed, with everyone gathered in small groups chatting excitedly.
"Hey, who do you think we'll be grouped with?" "I hope it's a powerful Jōnin! Preferably a handsome one!" "Ino-pig, don't you dare get put in my group!" "Hmph, I don't want to be with you either, Forehead!" "What a drag... assignments don't matter, I just hope the missions are easy."
Yao and Sasuke found their seats. Sasuke remained cold and unapproachable. Yao listened to the chatter, feeling curious himself: where would the old man Hiruzen place him?
Just then, the classroom door was pushed open
Naruto jumped in, hands on his hips, and announced loudly:
"Everyone! Good morning!"
The classroom fell silent instantly as everyone stared at him in bewilderment. Naruto clearly hadn't passed the graduation exam yesterday.
Sakura frowned slightly. "Naruto? Why are you here?"
"Hehehe!"
Naruto extended his thumb and pointed sharply at his forehead. Tied there was a headband—the symbol of a Leaf Ninja!
"See this clearly?" Naruto puffed out his chest and said triumphantly, "From now on, I am a fully-fledged ninja of the Hidden Leaf!"
"What?!" "No way!" "But yesterday he..."
Everyone was astonished. Naruto basked in their surprise and adjusted his headband.
"Iruka-sensei gave me a special exam! And I passed! So, from today onward, I, Naruto Uzumaki, am a true ninja! Hahahaha!"
Yao looked at Naruto, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. It was obvious that what was supposed to happen had happened. This guy must have been tricked by Mizuki last night, stolen the Scroll of Seals, and learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
This was actually for the best. If Naruto didn't have the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, could he even be called Naruto? Perfect! Yao thought to himself that he should find an opportunity to learn that jutsu for his own training. With his Sage Body, he was likely even better suited for it than Naruto.
At that moment, the door opened again. Iruka walked in holding a document. The noisy room quieted down immediately as all eyes fixed on the list in his hands.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! I will now announce the graduation squad assignments!"
"Team 1..." "Team 2..." "..." "Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Yao Uchiha!"
"Waaaaahhh!!"
Naruto leapt from his seat and grabbed Yao's arm, shaking it excitedly. "Yao! Did you hear that? We're in the same squad! We're in the same squad! This is great!!"
His face was beaming like a sunflower. Yao was his only friend in the village, so naturally, he was overjoyed. As for the other teammate being the "stuck-up" Sasuke... if only they could swap him for Sakura, it would be perfect!
Dizzied by the shaking, Yao gave Naruto a gentle smile while feeling surprised internally. The original Team 7 was broken up? Sakura was kicked out?
Poor Sakura! Yao wondered which squad she had been assigned to.
"Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Sakura Haruno!"
"Uh..."
Sakura's face froze, her expression filled with disappointment. Why Team 8? She wanted to be in the same squad as Yao-kun!
"Four people?" Kiba looked at Shino and Hinata, then at the newly added Sakura, and scratched his head. "Why is our squad a four-man cell?"
A slight commotion and discussion broke out in the classroom. While four-man cells weren't unheard of in the ninja world, they were rare for initial graduation assignments.
"This was the Hokage's decision, based on comprehensive considerations!" Iruka explained. "Team 8's instructor, Kurenai Yuhi, specializes in Genjutsu and mental guidance. Sakura has a talent for Genjutsu, so I believe she will receive excellent guidance."
"Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka."
"Just as I thought..." Shikamaru yawned. "Being in a group with a woman is going to be a lot of trouble."
Choji continued eating his chips nonchalantly. "As long as I'm with you, Shikamaru, I don't care about Ino."
Ino was also frustrated; she had wanted to be with Yao. But she knew that as the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio, they were destined to be together.