Kakashi knelt before the Hokage's desk, a large black bundle placed respectfully in front of him.
The bundle, about the size of a wine jar, was tightly wrapped, its contents hidden from view.
The Third Hokage stood behind his desk, eyeing the bundle critically, but didn't make a move to unwrap it. "Is this the statue, the one with genjutsu capabilities?" he asked.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi confirmed.
The Third Hokage took a deep breath, then turned to gaze out the window, deliberately turning his back on the mysterious object.
He knew all too well how human curiosity worked - the more forbidden something was, the more tempting it became.
He decided that keeping his distance was the wisest choice.
"Tell me about the mission," he said, his eyes fixed on Kakashi "Leave nothing out."
Kakashi recounted every detail, from investigating the bandit camp to the clash with the Kiri Anbus.
But he left out the strange visions the statue had shown him.
When he finished, the Third Hokage leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful.
"So, let me get this straight. We're dealing with a statue of a deity named Cthulhu from a cult in the Land of Water."
Kakashi nodded. It was the most logical conclusion, given the evidence.
"A missing-nin stole the statue and fled to the Land of Fire, pursued by Kiri's Anbu," the Third Hokage continued.
He paused, his brow furrowed.
"And this statue... it can trap anyone who looks at it with a powerful genjutsu. Civilians lose their minds, while shinobi..."
He trailed off, frowning.
"Their bodies are ravaged, but their minds are enslaved, turned into followers of this cult, like those Kiri shinobis. Is that about right?"
Kakashi nodded again. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
The room fell silent as the Third Hokage turned the problem over in his mind.
As a master of ninjutsu, he racked his brain for any technique that could compare to the statue's power.
The Mangekyo Sharingan of the Uchiha clan came close, with its ability to cast a powerful illusion through mere eye contact.
But even that paled in comparison to what Kakashi described.
His thoughts turned to Motoki's treatment, and he realized that the difficulty of breaking this genjutsu seemed to exceed his understanding of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
And this statue clearly had nothing to do with the Sharingan.
What really baffled him was how the illusion could affect the human body. This went far beyond the power of typical genjutsu.
A genjutsu that could warp both body and mind? It was unprecedented. Unnatural.
For a brief moment, the Third Hokage wondered if there truly were gods in this world.
He quickly shook off the thought, focusing on the task at hand. Now was not the time for idle speculation.
After a long pause, he spoke. "This artifact is too powerful and dangerous to be trifled with. Kiri couldn't control it, and we'd be foolish to underestimate it."
"I think it's best we seal it away permanently, using the Scroll of Seals. No good can come from meddling with such things."
His tone was final, and Kakashi knew the decision was made.
The loss of one Anbu, one chunin, and two genins was a harsh lesson, but a necessary one.
He wouldn't risk more lives in pursuit of this dark power.
Just then, a sudden knock at the door broke the silence, snapping Kakashi back to attention.
The Third Hokage swiftly hid the statue beneath his desk.
"Remember, this conversation never happened," he warned.
"The statue's existence is now an S-rank village secret. I'll take care of its sealing myself. You're dismissed, Kakashi. Good work."
With that, Kakashi vanished from the room.
----------
The Third Hokage cleared his throat. "Enter," he called, leaning back in his chair.
The door swung open, and Daiko, the Academy instructor, stepped in.
"Hokage-sama," he said with a bow, "I have the analysis you requested of this term's new students."
"Excellent," the Third Hokage said, his expression softening. "Let's hear it."
Daiko began his report, detailing the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of each young ninja-in-training.
But the Third Hokage's mind kept wandering back to the strange statue, and he only listened with half an ear.
That was until Daiko mentioned two names that snapped him back to full attention.
"...two students of particular note," he was saying. "Uchiha Itachi and Gekko Kagami. Both show remarkable potential."
The Third Hokage leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Oh? Tell me more."
Daiko's expression turned thoughtful. "As per your instructions, I had Uchiha Itachi spar with Inuzuka Hana."
"Despite her clan's impressive beastly taijutsu, she only managed to gain the upper hand at the beginning. And then..."
He paused, a hint of awe creeping into his voice. "...Itachi used the Substitution Jutsu. Mid-fight, with no hand seals. It was... astonishing, Hokage-sama."
Then he added, "The boy is only six years old. Even Kakashi couldn't manage such a feat until his second term at the Academy."
The Third Hokage's eyes widened in surprise.
While it was impressive for an Uchiha to display such skill, the clan was known for producing prodigies, after all.
Considering Itachi's background, it wasn't entirely unexpected that he could use the Substitution Jutsu.
His father, the Uchiha clan leader and head of Konoha's police force, would have likely taught him some basic ninjutsu from a young age.
But to surpass even Kakashi, hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius, was a different story altogether.
Could it be that Itachi was something even rarer - a genius the likes of which the village had never seen?
As for him being outmatched in taijutsu by Hana, that wasn't surprising.
She was a year older, and at that age, girls tend to develop physically faster than boys.
So, it was only natural that Hana would have a physical advantage.
Despite this, Itachi still managed to defeat her.
Gears turning, the Third Hokage motioned for Daiko to continue. "And what of Kagami? How did he fare?"
Daiko hesitated, looking troubled. "Kagami... is an unusual case. From his bout with Izumi, it seems he has little to no taijutsu training. But..."
He took a deep breath, as if to steady himself. "Like Itachi, he used Academy techniques without hand seals."
"But Hokage-sama... it wasn't just the Substitution. He used the Clone Jutsu as well. In rapid succession. With-"
"-no seals at all," the Third Hokage finished, slumping back in his chair.
The statue, the mission, all of it was momentarily forgotten in the face of this revelation.