Naruto: AFK System

Danzo had always been fixated on the position of Hokage.

The reason he believed he had a chance to attain it was because he controlled Konoha's Root organization.

In Konoha, his authority was second only to the Third Hokage.

If the Third Hokage were developing some powerful weapon, Danzo's influence in the village would decrease significantly.

Of course, Danzo's suspicions stemmed from the Third Hokage's tendency to be overly cautious and indecisive in the past.

In truth, given the Third Hokage's prestige and strength, he could have easily eliminated Danzo if he had firmly decided to do so.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage and Kakashi arrived at Naruto's home.

Naruto had not been awakened by the commotion of the night and was sound asleep in his bed.

Seeing Naruto in this state, the Third Hokage was fully convinced that tonight's events had nothing to do with him.

After quietly leaving Naruto's house, the Third Hokage and Kakashi went to the back of the Hokage Rock.

Standing there, overlooking the entirety of Konoha, the Third Hokage spoke in a low tone.

"Kakashi, that person is connected to you, isn't he?"

The Third Hokage's voice was calm, but Kakashi could feel the certainty in his words.

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

His moment of hesitation further confirmed the Third Hokage's suspicions.

Only now did the Third realize that Kakashi's demeanor tonight was somewhat different from usual.

He had been too composed.

Under normal circumstances, an incident like this would have unsettled Kakashi.

This led the Third Hokage to suspect that the situation was related to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, it seems you don't trust me," the Third said in a deep tone.

Kakashi remained silent.

However, considering Kakashi's former role in the ANBU, the Third Hokage understood his hesitation.

As a former ANBU member, Kakashi had been privy to too many secrets.

The Third Hokage continued, "Kakashi, you should know that since I've already guessed the truth, you won't be able to hide it for long."

"If that person poses no threat to the village, I will protect them. I don't want to see internal strife in the village."

"But that doesn't mean I will compromise without limits."

"As long as that person doesn't threaten the village, I can ensure their safety—even if it means standing against Danzo."

The Third Hokage turned to Kakashi, his tone serious.

Kakashi was still hesitant to disclose the truth.

But realizing that the Third Hokage was now focused on him, he knew it was only a matter of time before Yoruha's situation was exposed.

Sighing, Kakashi said, "You've seen through it, after all."

The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, it is someone from our village?"

Kakashi raised his head and nodded. "Yes."

"I've been concerned about his safety. He doesn't yet have the ability to protect himself."

The Third Hokage was stunned. "You're saying that someone who unleashed such a powerful jutsu doesn't have the ability to protect themselves?"

The Third Hokage thought he must have misheard.

After all, even he couldn't perform a jutsu of that scale.

Kakashi nodded earnestly. "That's right. The jutsu he used earlier was actually the 'Chidori' that I taught him."

"But for some reason, when he executed it, the effect was far more devastating."

The Third Hokage was bewildered. "Are you saying that the jutsu earlier was 'Chidori'?!"

If Kakashi hadn't said it himself, the Third Hokage would never have believed it.

Although "Chidori" was an extremely powerful A-rank jutsu, it should never have been capable of producing such catastrophic destruction.

Danzo had always been fixated on the position of Hokage.

The reason he believed he had a chance to attain it was because he controlled Konoha's Root organization.

In Konoha, his authority was second only to the Third Hokage.

If the Third Hokage were developing some powerful weapon, Danzo's influence in the village would decrease significantly.

Of course, Danzo's suspicions stemmed from the Third Hokage's tendency to be overly cautious and indecisive in the past.

In truth, given the Third Hokage's prestige and strength, he could have easily eliminated Danzo if he had firmly decided to do so.

________________________________________

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage and Kakashi arrived at Naruto's home.

Naruto had not been awakened by the commotion of the night and was sound asleep in his bed.

Seeing Naruto in this state, the Third Hokage was fully convinced that tonight's events had nothing to do with him.

After quietly leaving Naruto's house, the Third Hokage and Kakashi went to the back of the Hokage Rock.

Standing there, overlooking the entirety of Konoha, the Third Hokage spoke in a low tone.

"Kakashi, that person is connected to you, isn't he?"

The Third Hokage's voice was calm, but Kakashi could feel the certainty in his words.

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

His moment of hesitation further confirmed the Third Hokage's suspicions.

Only now did the Third realize that Kakashi's demeanor tonight was somewhat different from usual.

He had been too composed.

Under normal circumstances, an incident like this would have unsettled Kakashi.

This led the Third Hokage to suspect that the situation was related to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, it seems you don't trust me," the Third said in a deep tone.

Kakashi remained silent.

However, considering Kakashi's former role in the ANBU, the Third Hokage understood his hesitation.

As a former ANBU member, Kakashi had been privy to too many secrets.

The Third Hokage continued, "Kakashi, you should know that since I've already guessed the truth, you won't be able to hide it for long."

"If that person poses no threat to the village, I will protect them. I don't want to see internal strife in the village."

"But that doesn't mean I will compromise without limits."

"As long as that person doesn't threaten the village, I can ensure their safety—even if it means standing against Danzo."

The Third Hokage turned to Kakashi, his tone serious.

Kakashi was still hesitant to disclose the truth.

But realizing that the Third Hokage was now focused on him, he knew it was only a matter of time before Yoruha's situation was exposed.

Sighing, Kakashi said, "You've seen through it, after all."

The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, it is someone from our village?"

Kakashi raised his head and nodded. "Yes."

"I've been concerned about his safety. He doesn't yet have the ability to protect himself."

The Third Hokage was stunned. "You're saying that someone who unleashed such a powerful jutsu doesn't have the ability to protect themselves?"

The Third Hokage thought he must have misheard.

After all, even he couldn't perform a jutsu of that scale.

Kakashi nodded earnestly. "That's right. The jutsu he used earlier was actually the 'Chidori' that I taught him."

"But for some reason, when he executed it, the effect was far more devastating."

The Third Hokage was bewildered. "Are you saying that the jutsu earlier was 'Chidori'?!"

If Kakashi hadn't said it himself, the Third Hokage would never have believed it.

Although "Chidori" was an extremely powerful A-rank jutsu, it should never have been capable of producing such catastrophic destruction.

Such destructive power.

At most, it could only break through a few meters of giant stone.

But the jutsu earlier was capable of shattering an entire mountain.

That was a jutsu of the Tail Beast Bomb level, nothing like "Chidori."

Even though the Third Hokage couldn't believe it, Kakashi still nodded.

"It was the 'Chidori.'"

The Third Hokage was silent for a long time, struggling to process this strange information.

After a while, he spoke again: "What you're saying is... you're teaching that person ninjutsu?"

"Who exactly is it? 'Chidori' is your unique technique. Why would you teach it to someone else?"

Currently, only Kakashi in Konoha mastered the "Chidori."

It was a technique Kakashi had developed himself, and he had never been forced to teach it.

For Kakashi to teach that person this jutsu was a clear indication of how important that person was to him.

Even more important was the fact that since Kakashi had taught him ninjutsu, that person must be very young.

A genius!

The word appeared in the Third Hokage's mind in an instant.

A person this strong, yet still so young—only a genius could possess such potential.

And the fact that this person had learned Kakashi's personal technique meant they could be trusted.

Although Kakashi might not fully trust the person, the Third Hokage knew that Kakashi's loyalty to the village was unquestionable.

The Third Hokage felt a surge of excitement.

Konoha was currently in a transitional period.

If there were someone capable of succeeding him, he would have already stepped down.

Originally, Kakashi had been his top candidate to become the next Hokage.

That was precisely why Kakashi had been made the leader of Team 7.

Naruto and Sasuke were the top candidates for the next Hokage in the Third Hokage's eyes.

The succession of the Hokage position had always worked this way—it was a not-so-secret secret.

The higher-ups all knew about it, which was also why Danzo despised Naruto and Sasuke so much.

Beyond the fact that Naruto was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails and Sasuke came from the Uchiha clan, what truly bothered Danzo was that the Third Hokage viewed both as candidates for the Hokage position.

Even though the Third Hokage focused on training the two children, he never considered himself. Danzo naturally had an issue with Naruto and Sasuke.

However, neither Kakashi, Naruto, nor Sasuke fully satisfied the Third Hokage.

Kakashi's strength was formidable and he could likely hold his own against a typical Kage-level shinobi.

But his presence lacked the intimidation of a true Kage.

Naruto and Sasuke, while promising, had their flaws.

If Naruto couldn't control the Nine-Tails in the future and wasn't able to become a perfect Jinchuriki, he would be forever unsuitable for the Hokage position.

If Sasuke grew up and became like other members of the Uchiha clan, losing his sanity, he wouldn't be able to become Hokage either.

The chances of these two outcomes were high as they grew older.

The Third Hokage knew how powerful the Nine-Tails was and how hard it would be to control it.

Sasuke's personality was also a concern. If he grew up to have a mindset similar to Uchiha Madara, he would also be unsuitable for the position of Hokage.

But these two were already the most outstanding of this generation.

Although Naruto had been at the bottom of his class in the academy, the Third Hokage knew that only after becoming a shinobi would his true potential emerge.

But if there were someone even more outstanding, the Third Hokage would definitely consider them for the position.

Kakashi, noticing the seriousness on the Third Hokage's face, thought for a moment and said, "It's the same student."

The Third Hokage, who had been serious, froze for a moment.

"What did you say? The same student?"

"Which one?"

"Yamada Shin or Honya Taiko?"

"Could it be Honya Taiko?"

The Third Hokage was so certain because, although Honya Taiko wasn't from a shinobi family, her mother was a pure-blooded member of the Senju clan.

It was completely normal for Honya Taiko to have inherited the Senju clan's genes.

After all, just like how Naruto, the son of the civilian Minato and Kushina of the Uzumaki clan, inherited the Uzumaki clan's genes, Taiko could have inherited Senju blood.

Moreover, the type of jutsu they had seen earlier required an immense amount of chakra, and the Senju clan was known for its vast chakra reserves, making it a perfect match.

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