Konoha, Hokage's Office.
"Hokage-sama, here is the information on Aoba Kamikawa." A Hokage assistant placed a document in front of Hiruzen.
"Mm."
After the assistant left, Hiruzen picked up the document and began to read through it.
Aoba Kamikawa—such a common name. There was no ninja clan named Kamikawa in Konoha. Aoba was an orphan and held the rank of Chunin.
The first part of the document contained very ordinary Chunin information. Aoba , like countless other orphans, had gone to school, graduated early, and was then sent to the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War as cannon fodder.
The only noteworthy point was that he had achieved excellent grades in school. Despite not coming from a ninja clan, lacking any family secret techniques or bloodline limits, his overall performance was outstanding and solid.
Even without the war, he had met the standard for early graduation.
On the battlefield, his performance was average. He earned the rank of Chunin through accumulated military achievements, becoming a higher-grade cannon fodder.
The document became more interesting from this point onward.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Aoba somehow got involved with Orochimaru. This was understandable to some extent.
Aoba was one of the few ninjas with both strong theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Moreover, he had excellent chakra control, which seemed to suit Orochimaru's tastes.
Afterwards, he continued to serve under Orochimaru, working as an assistant in his laboratory. A few years ago, after Orochimaru defected, Aoba was subsequently investigated by the Anbu.
The results were somewhat surprising. Despite many claims that Aoba was a key assistant to Orochimaru, the Anbu did not find any evidence of him participating in human experimentation.
After extensive checks, the intelligence department could only prove that Aoba had participated in many experimental developments with Orochimaru but did not take part in the most severe human experiments.
Thus, theoretically, Aoba Kamikawa was innocent.
However, in a place like Konoha, innocence alone does not guarantee safety.
Because of Orochimaru's defection, many of his former subordinates from the Third Shinobi World War were marginalized or even imprisoned.
Aoba was among them. After interrogation, he was sent to the border to guard a checkpoint, where he stayed for three years until recently recalled.
Hiruzen continued to browse the document, which contained information about Aoba's recent years.
Strangely, after being away from Konoha's core, he seemed to undergo a transformation.
The document showed that at the border checkpoint, he had led multiple teams and fought with intruding ninjas from the Cloud Village.
In less than three years, he had killed over sixteen Cloud Village Chunin, three Jonin, and numerous lower-ranked ninjas.
Because he had not been reassessed during his three years away, he had achieved these results while still holding the rank of Chunin.
Originally, someone like Aoba would almost never return to the core of Konoha. However, Sarutobi Hiruzen could clearly feel Konoha's weakness now.
Yes, weakness. Orochimaru's departure, Jiraiya's travels, Tsunade's disappearance, and White Fang's suicide.
Konoha was a purely military organization. All four of these individuals were top-tier combatants. Any one of them could stand alone.
But Konoha had lost all four.
Moreover, Konoha had also lost its most outstanding younger generation, the Fourth Hokage, and the previous host of the Nine-Tails, Kushina Uzumaki. This was another significant blow.
And it wasn't over yet.
Not long ago, Konoha suffered another immeasurable loss. The Uchiha clan was left with only one survivor overnight.
Though not spoken aloud, the whole world was watching Konoha's turmoil. At this moment, Konoha was at its most vulnerable.
And Aoba, now at the elite Jonin level, was under consideration for returning to Konoha.
However, this idea was met with opposition from two advisors.
Because Orochimaru had not yet been brought to justice, Aoba's suspicion could not be completely cleared. This was the public reason, but the private reasons were unknown to outsiders.
"Aoba Kamikawa passed the intelligence department's review back then. We have no reason to continue doubting him."
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew very well that during the interrogation, the Yamanaka clan's ninjas had used mind-reading techniques and found no evidence of Aoba's betrayal.
According to the intelligence obtained, Aoba had noticed Orochimaru's human experiments but avoided contact with those experiments.
Deep down, Hiruzen was inclined to believe in Aoba Kamikawa. However, his relationship with Orochimaru was indeed a problem.
The key issue was that the old subordinates of Orochimaru had been subjected to harsh interrogation. Even those who were proven innocent would never be trusted again.
Anyone who had been through the interrogation department, even without guilt, would harbor grievances. Thus, Aoba Kamikawa, even if proven innocent, had been thoroughly marginalized.
This left Hiruzen in hesitation. He was unsure about Aoba's attitude towards Konoha after all these years.
"We believe this matter requires further consideration. Aoba may have been innocent in the Orochimaru incident, but do not forget the White Fang incident."
The two advisors continued to oppose the idea. At this moment, another person spoke up.
"We can give him a test. If he passes, we will agree to reinstate him."
The speaker was the long-absent Danzo. Hiruzen glanced at Danzo. After the Uchiha clan massacre, this old friend had secluded himself until now.
He knew his old friend's intentions. Aoba Kamikawa was now an excellent operative. Danzo clearly had plans in mind.
"Do you have a suitable mission?"
"Certainly, the pursuit of Orochimaru. This has been a long-term task for the Anbu and Root. Recently, Root tracked down Orochimaru's whereabouts. However, dealing with someone of Orochimaru's level requires more manpower and thorough planning."
The pursuit of Orochimaru was politically correct for Konoha, so the two advisors could not argue. But both Hiruzen and Danzo knew very well that catching Orochimaru would not be easy.
"I will have the Anbu cooperate with Root's efforts. As for Aoba… Regardless, we should first complete his Jonin appointment. With his current strength, it's inappropriate for him to hold the rank of Chunin."
Hiruzen turned to the last page of the document, which noted Aoba's recent reputation at the border.
He was known among enemies and opponents as the "Wind-Chasing Sword."