Chapter 12 Regret, Shadow, Bang
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a moment.
His own son being defeated? That wasn't a big deal, especially since it was by a Uchiha. But Kakashi losing? That was a problem.
Simply put, Kakashi was a genius among geniuses.
Hiruzen had only seen such talent in Orochimaru and Minato before.
"Could it be that he's awakened the Sharingan?"
Hiruzen could only attribute this kind of achievement to Haneda's bloodline.
"Hmm, a single-tomoe Sharingan."
"However, Haneda didn't activate his Sharingan until his fight with Kakashi reached its peak."
"His taijutsu was only slightly inferior to Kakashi's, and he also mastered the C-rank Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
"In the fight, Kakashi didn't expect Haneda to know the Shadow Clone Technique, which caused his temporary defeat."
"But once Haneda activated his Sharingan, he had the upper hand in taijutsu against Kakashi."
Listening to these words, Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe. He put it down, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and smiled.
"It seems that new leaves are sprouting in Konoha."
"Wunta, please keep a close eye on Kakashi and Haneda at school. They are the buds of a new era."
"Yes, Lord Third!"
"Alright, you may leave now."
After Wunta left, Hiruzen pulled Haneda's file from a folder. He glanced at the information, and four words caught his eye—"second to last."
Hiruzen's mouth twitched as he recalled the Nara clan's children and began to understand.
"Sigh, the Uchiha clan…"
"What a pity."
Hiruzen took another drag of his pipe, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and then thought of his own rebellious child.
"Asuma…"
"Wunta deliberately withheld some information. There must have been a verbal spat between Uchiha Haneda and Asuma, probably about Sakumo and Kakashi…"
"And the details of the fight were vague, only the outcome was mentioned."
"Never mind, I won't press him for it. I'll have him write a detailed report about Haneda and Kakashi's battle…"
While Hiruzen was deep in thought, a figure wearing a grey robe and with a bandage over his right eye stepped in.
It was none other than the darkness of the ninja world, Danzo Shimura, known as the 5.5th Hokage.
Without knocking, Danzo pushed the door open and entered.
"Hiruzen, this kid is a student at the Ninja Academy. I want him for Root."
Danzo handed Haneda's file to Hiruzen, speaking bluntly.
"Danzo, you know full well that the Uchiha are particularly sensitive about Root. You should be aware of this."
The Third Hokage glanced at the name on the file, took a drag of his pipe, and slowly said.
His tone was calm, but his words conveyed a clear rejection.
Upon hearing this, Danzo immediately flared up:
"Hiruzen, you are too soft. The wicked Uchiha should…"
"Enough!" The Third Hokage slammed the table and stood up.
After a moment, he realized his tone was a bit harsh and continued:
"The Uchiha are still part of the village. That's an indisputable fact. I need to take their opinions into account."
"Also, the matter with Sakumo should come to an end. He is no longer a candidate for the Fourth Hokage, at least not in the trust vote."
"Danzo, you know what you need to do."
The Third Hokage took another drag of his pipe. The first part of his speech was meant to calm Danzo down, but the latter part was a clear threat.
Upon hearing this, Danzo furrowed his brow and slightly closed his left eye.
"I'll have people deal with the rumors. As for the wicked Uchiha…"
"Hiruzen, you know full well how our teacher viewed the inherently evil Uchiha clan!"
Danzo rasped, seemingly reasoning with him, but in fact, issuing a veiled threat.
"Enough, let this matter rest, Danzo. The Uchiha are Konoha's Uchiha, just as they were when our teacher was alive!"
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!" Danzo's left eye widened as he stared directly at the Third Hokage.
"I am the Hokage!" The Third Hokage stood up, leaning on his desk, and glared back at Danzo.
*Bang!*
The door to the Hokage's office slammed shut as Danzo stormed out of the building.
His figure gradually disappeared into the shadows, eventually vanishing completely.
At the same time, a small figure burst into the office.
…
Meanwhile, Haneda was unaware of the events unfolding at the Hokage's office.
Even if he knew that Danzo had set his sights on him, Haneda wouldn't be too worried.
After all, he had already found two backers—one was Sakumo Hatake, and the other was the Uchiha clan.
At that moment, in the Uchiha compound.
When news spread that Haneda had defeated the rare genius Kakashi, the Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Kenji, decided to meet him personally.
"Clan leader."
Haneda stood at the door, feeling a bit nervous as he greeted.
To be honest, he was a little shy and didn't like interacting with strangers.
Of course, if necessary, he would still do so, just like now.
"It's Haneda, come in." The clan leader smiled warmly.
He pulled over a young man, around sixteen or seventeen, with a stern expression. Haneda guessed he was yet another poker-faced type.
"This is my son, Uchiha Fugaku."
"Haneda, if you don't mind, you can call him Fugaku-nii."
The clan leader smiled.
Upon hearing that name, Haneda froze for a moment.
Wasn't this the tragic man who would fight seven foes alone and die, the father of Sasuke?!
The chance to get close to a future Mangekyou wielder, to meet Fugaku and Shisui… the opportunity was here!
Not to mention that Fugaku himself had the Mangekyou Sharingan!
Haneda immediately greeted with enthusiasm, "Fugaku-nii."
"Hmm." Fugaku nodded slightly in response.
He wasn't much for conversation, but his father's instructions compelled him to try and make conversation.
"Haneda, you must be doing well in school, right?"
Huh???
Does this guy even know how to make small talk, or did he not read my file?!
Haneda froze for a moment, but quickly put on a bright smile again.
Well, for the Mangekyou, a little awkwardness was no big deal.
"Not too bad, Fugaku-nii." Haneda smiled without missing a beat.
"Then you must be at the top of your class, right? Definitely one of the top students."
"Yeah, I've heard that most of the other kids from the big clans rank in the top ten of their grade."
Fugaku continued talking about grades.
He'd heard from his father that Haneda had defeated Kakashi, a genius among geniuses, so Haneda's grades must be extraordinary.
Starting a conversation by discussing someone's strengths was usually a good way to break the ice.
But calling Haneda's grades "extraordinary" might be accurate—after all, being second-to-last in class was quite remarkable.
Ahem…
At this moment, the clan leader cleared his throat and walked in, carrying a tray.
On it was a teapot and teacups.
The clan leader's graceful tea-making and serving movements had a certain classical elegance to them.
It gave Haneda a sense that the clan leader had a genuine passion for the art of tea.
"Fugaku, Haneda's grades are, well, not ideal," the clan leader gently reminded.
"What? Oh, clan leader, being second to last is actually pretty ideal. I'm right next to that guy, Obito," Haneda responded without a care.
Obito???
Could it be that Uchiha who's considered the shame of the clan? That guy was dead last in class, and even ranked quite low in the entire grade.
Which Uchiha could have such poor grades?
Oh, right. There's one standing right here.
Fugaku only knew about Obito because the boy was so lively and often helped elderly villagers, giving him a good reputation.
As for Haneda, he had mostly flown under the radar. With Obito occupying the shameful spotlight, Haneda had felt much less pressure, keeping to himself and maintaining a low profile.
***
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