Following Hiruzen's orders, Fujin's clone, Renjiro and Hoka dispersed. Hiruzen and his Anbu Guards began moving towards the Hokage building as well. The Genins and their sensei left the Forest of Death as well while Fujin's clone and Hiruzen were having their small meeting.
Naruto and Sakura rushed straight to the hospital and tried to meet Sasuke but were denied entry as it was quite late in the day. Before they could create a ruckus, Kakashi appeared and said, "You two are in a hospital. Be quiet."
Naruto and Sakura immediately exclaimed, "Kakashi sensei!"
Both immediately rushed to him. Naruto said, "Kakashi sensei! I need a favor!"
At the same time, Sakura asked, "Sensei, how is Sasuke? Can we meet him?"
Kakashi answered, "Sasuke is fine, but needs rest. He is still asleep, so there is no point in seeing him right now. Naruto, I already know what you're about to ask. So, I have already found someone to oversee your training."
Naruto immediately replied, "Huh, I want you to train me!"
"I've got other things on my mind. I wouldn't be able to give you my full attention." Kakashi replied immediately.
However, Naruto wasn't convinced. He looked at Kakashi suspiciously and said loudly, "Let me guess! You're training Sasuke, right?"
Sakura asked, "Is that true, Sensei?"
Kakashi immediately said, "Now now, don't complain, Naruto. I found you an even better teacher than me, who can help you improve your specialty considerably. Sakura, I've found you a teacher who will be more suitable for you as well. For the next month, both of you will train with them."
In one voice, both asked in surprise, "Who is it?"
Kakashi answered, "Fujin will be overlooking your training, Naruto."
Naruto immediately became excited and exclaimed, "Fujin will train me for the next month? That's great!"
Kakashi sighed in relief and said, "Quieter. We are still in the hospital. As for you Sakura, you'll be…"
"So, she's the one you want me to train, Kakashi?" A sudden voice interrupted Kakashi. Naruto and Sakura both turned around and saw a tall, well-built man with long hair. Naruto and Sakura wondered, 'Who is he?'
Kakashi introduced him by saying, "Sakura, he is Kurama Illumi. He is an expert in Genjutsu and is far better than me at it. He'll teach you how to perform Genjutsu and use it properly in battle."
Sakura was surprised. She didn't think Kakashi would arrange for her to master Genjutsu. Knowing how much she lagged behind Sasuke and Naruto, she immediately resolved, 'I'll master Genjutsu so that I won't need them to protect me. But…'
Her confidence immediately drained away as she recalled who her opponent was. She looked at Kakashi and asked, "Sensei, will Genjutsu allow me to fight against Gaara."
Kakashi's right eye twitched as he asked, "Your opponent is Gaara? Who is yours, Naruto? Also, what about Sasuke?"
Naruto immediately said that his opponent was Neji while Sakura explained the matchups to Kakashi. Kakashi thought, 'What in the… I just said to Fujin that the Genins in this batch weren't strong. And now, all of my students have to fight 2 of the strongest Genins in the finals?'
Kakashi didn't even entertain the possibility of Sakura defeating Gaara. He sighed and said, "Both of your opponents are troublesome. Sakura, be careful against Gaara. There isn't much you can do to increase your strength by such a large degree in a month. You can only hope that Genjutsu works on him and you can cast it before he has a chance to attack you. However, if that doesn't work, forfeit immediately and let the proctor intervene."
Sakura nodded. Having seen how terrifying his sand was, she had no confidence in putting up a fight against him. Kurama Illumi overheard their conversation and asked, "Is her opponent so troublesome?"
Kakashi nodded and said, "Yes, very. I'll let Sakura tell you everything about him."
Illumi nodded. He took Sakura with him while Naruto immediately ran back to his home. Kakashi looked at the backs of his two students and muttered, "Their luck in the exams has finally run out…"
In the Senju Clan Compounds, Hiromasa asked with a serious expression, "Lord Third said that?"
Renjiro nodded. Hiromasa sighed and said, "A war at this point in time can rapidly expand into a larger war. Our forces have just recovered and a large-scale war at this time won't be good. Luckily Kiri is still embroiled in a Civil War. Otherwise, this could have been a trigger for the next Great Ninja War."
Renjiro nodded and said, "Yes. That's why we will need a swift and decisive victory. Only that will deter Kumo from getting involved. As for Iwa, they'll stay out of it if Kumo doesn't get involved."
Hiromasa nodded and said, "Yeah. It's time for us to prepare once again!"
In the Hyuga Clan Compounds, Hoka respectfully relayed Hiruzen's orders to Hiashi. Hiashi and the other Elders of the Hyuga clan became serious. Hiashi thought, 'Lord Hokage asked us to prepare for a war! That should mean that he thinks that a war is highly likely. A war where our opponents would be Orochimaru and Sunagakure...'
He looked at Hoka and asked, "You were in the tower in the Forest of Death during the second phase of the exam, right?"
Hoka nodded and replied, "Yes, Lord."
Hiashi asked, "Did you see the battle between Suzuki Fujin and Orochimaru? Is it true that Fujin defeated Orochimaru? Also, how strong is Fujin in your opinion?"
Hiashi still struggled to believe that Fujin had defeated Orochimaru. As someone who was very close to the rank S level, he knew very well how large the difference was between various rank S ninjas. Orochimaru was someone who could go up against any Kage and put them on their highest guard. For him to be beaten by a 16-year-old ninja without any background was just too shocking. If it wasn't for the fact that several Hyuga ninjas had witnessed Orochimaru running away and reported it to Hiashi, he wouldn't have believed the news.
Hoka answered, "I didn't see their battle as I was quite far away. I could just sense the aura of their clashes. They were extremely intense, unlike anything I had ever seen. Fujin fought against Orochimaru by himself. It is true that he defeated Orochimaru and forced him to escape. As for how strong Fujin is, it is honestly hard to say. I haven't seen him go all out for several years."
Hiashi thought, 'So it is true. However, how did that boy become so strong so quickly without any special technique? Even though Minato was extremely strong as well, he became so due to the Flying Thunder God jutsu.
That jutsu alone made him invincible on the battlefield. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to have the accomplishments that he achieved. If Fujin had a similar technique that granted him superiority on the battlefield, it would have been understandable. However, Fujin has done something even more impressive without any such technique…'
Hiashi couldn't make any sense of Fujin's absurd strength, nor could any of the Hyuga elders. Though to be fair, no one could. Even Hiruzen, the one who had the best idea about Fujin's strength, didn't expect Fujin to defeat his former student. He, along with most of the people in Konoha, just accepted it because it was extremely good news for the village while most outside Konoha prayed for it to be merely propaganda.
Hiashi said, "I see. This is great news for the village."
He looked at Hoka and added, "From what I know, Fujin mostly stays by himself and has very few friends. Since you were in his batch and also his teammate, you are one of his closest friends. Ensure that you always maintain this friendship. Perhaps it might help the clan sometime in the future."
Hoka was surprised. He wondered, 'He wants Fujin's help? What for? As for the friendship, of course, I'll maintain it.'
He replied, "Yes, Lord."
Hiashi nodded and dismissed Hoka. When he left the room, one of the elders said, "Suzuki Fujin… That boy is remarkable. To be able to force Orochimaru to retreat not just once but twice is a huge achievement."
Another elder added, "Even though he doesn't have any background, he is very close to Lord Third. Perhaps he might be grooming Fujin to become the next Hokage. I always thought that the son of White Fang might succeed him, but Kakashi is lacking in raw strength when compared to Fujin."
A third one said, "To be honest, Hoka is quite impressive as well. To become a Jounin at just 16 is very impressive."
He immediately got a reply, "True, but I can sense some hostility from the boy even though he did very well to hide it. He is not content, presumably due to the Caged Bird Seal. Hiashi, he might become a threat."
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