Under the influence of Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku finally couldn't contain his curiosity.
Glancing outside the tent to ensure no one was around, he nodded toward Yamanaka Inoichi.
"Move quickly—let's not let anyone else know."
"Got it!" Inoichi agreed, placing his hand on Hattori's head and closing his eyes.
Soon, he reopened his eyes, a look of sudden realization flickering within them.
"Oh, so that Shikamaru is your son, Shikaku! He's in the same class as my Ino, both training under Asuma."
"Shikamaru? Asuma?"
The names seemed to surprise Nara Shikaku.
"Shikamaru... nice name. But Asuma? Isn't he the Third Hokage's second son? I thought he joined the Guardian Ninja Twelve for Daimyo."
"He should be coming back. In Hattori's memories, Asuma is Shikamaru and Ino's jōnin instructor, along with a kid named Choji. Guess who his dad is?"
"Could it be... Choza's son?"
Shikaku laughed, his interest piqued.
"Haha, the new generation of the 'Ino–Shika–Cho,' huh? I'm actually looking forward to seeing them in action!"
"Yeah!" Inoichi nodded, placing his other hand on Shikaku's head and sharing the scenes from Hattori's memories.
A flicker of bemusement crossed Shikaku's face before he laughed.
"Haha, that's my son? Not bad! If this is my fate, I'll gladly accept it."
"Haha, me too!" Inoichi laughed as well.
The two now looked at Hattori differently, with less wariness and more warmth.
Hattori, blindfolded, couldn't see their expressions but could tell from their voices that they were in good spirits. So he laughed along with them.
"Heh, not bad, right? You know the Konoha of the past, but I know the Konoha of the future.
"To be honest, I hope that Sunagakure and Konoha won't end up as enemies, because in the future, they become close allies."
"Hm?" Shikaku's face showed surprise. "Is that true?"
"Yes," Hattori nodded. "Everything I'm saying is true. Uncle Inoichi is a sensory ninja and intelligence expert; he can judge for himself."
Hearing this, Shikaku glanced at Inoichi, who nodded back, and then he turned to Hattori again.
"Actually, we don't have to wait for the future; we could make peace even now!"
"No, it's too late."
Hattori shook his head with a hint of resignation.
"At this point, the older generation's hatred needs to be settled once and for all. Either Konoha or Sunagakure must be thoroughly defeated—it's unavoidable."
"…"
Shikaku and Inoichi fell silent after Hattori's words.
A while later, Shikaku finally spoke.
"Your demeanor doesn't match your age. How old are you, really?"
"Seven… maybe eight… or perhaps seventeen or eighteen."
Hattori frowned, letting out a sigh.
"Sigh, I'm not entirely sure. When I see someone, I can see their fate—it's a long stretch of time.
"Because of this, I have knowledge and skills beyond my years, though it sometimes feels suffocating. Perhaps this is the burden of being a genius."
"…"
What he said had an odd ring to it.
Looking at Hattori's weary expression, Shikaku's mouth twitched, and Inoichi looked slightly embarrassed.
Trying to break the awkwardness, or perhaps with genuine curiosity, Inoichi spoke up again.
"Hattori, if you know the future, can that fate be changed?"
"Of course!" Hattori replied without hesitation.
"For example, you have a daughter named Ino. Now that you know this name, when she's born, you could choose a different one. Doesn't that change things?"
"Uh… that's not what I meant. I meant—"
"Inoichi!" Shikaku interrupted before he could finish.
"Watch your words!"
"…"
Inoichi fell silent again.
But Hattori had guessed what he wanted to ask, so he smiled once more.
"You're wondering about Sarutobi Hiruzen and Orochimaru, right? I don't need to answer that; if you think about it, you'll understand."
"…"
Shikaku and Inoichi fell silent once more.
In truth, they knew that if Hiruzen ordered Inoichi to examine Orochimaru's memories, he could learn everything. But he hadn't done that.
Ultimately, Hiruzen didn't want to take action against Orochimaru, even if he knew Orochimaru might be dabbling in forbidden jutsu.
However, these thoughts couldn't be spoken openly. After all, Orochimaru was one of the Sannin and highly regarded in Konoha. Acting against him based on a child from an enemy village would be unsettling to many.
With this in mind, it wasn't easy to say Hiruzen was wrong.
Shikaku, being sharp-minded, understood this, so he stopped Inoichi from asking further to avoid unintended consequences.
In fact, someone was indeed watching them: Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.
He was smoking his pipe, observing Hattori through his crystal ball.
He heard every word Hattori said.
Which is precisely why his brows were tightly furrowed.
"Could these fates he mentions actually be true? Will Orochimaru really betray Konoha? But if he's lying, some of the things he mentioned seem too realistic. Does it really have to be verified over time?"
Amid his tangled thoughts, he noticed that Hattori began speaking again in the crystal ball.
"In light of our acquaintance, I'll give you another piece of information: ten years from now, as the conflict between Danzo and the Uchiha clan escalates, the Uchiha will rebel, leading to rivers of blood in Konoha!"
"What?!"
Hearing Hattori's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer remain calm and leapt to his feet.
The news was too shocking.
If this were true, it would mean that even if Konoha wins the current war with Sunagakure, they would still suffer heavy losses in a civil war with the Uchiha ten years later.
And he couldn't afford to risk waiting for time to prove this right or wrong. The cost was too high.
"I have to get to the bottom of this. Even if there's a sliver of a chance, I mustn't overlook the Uchiha."
With that, he ended the crystal ball's viewing technique and left his tent, heading toward Shikaku and Inoichi's tent.
(End of Chapter)