4. Making of a Shinobi

Swoosh…

The young man quickly flickers through the Sarutobi clan district and arrives in front of a large house located in the center of the compound.

He enters the house and walks towards the only room with lights still on.

Knock… knock…

The young man knocks on the door.

"Come in!"

An authoritative voice enters his ears. He gently opens the door and walks towards the center and kneels on a leg.

"Hokage-sama! I have something urgent to report to you."

Sigh…

Hiruzen takes a puff of his pipe and places down the paper in his hands.

"You don't need to be so formal with me while we are in our house, Ajuka. Just call me father, like you usually did back then!"

Hiruzen rubs his brows.

"O-Ok! Father."

Ajuka raises his head and reports.

"While I was on my way to the clan, I noticed some Root Anbus gathered around the east side of the shopping district.

From their anxious expression, I could tell that they were looking for something or someone."

Hmm…

Hiruzen frowns and stands from his seat as he remembers the meeting this afternoon.

---------Flashback----------

Inside a private room beside the Hokage Office,

"Danzo! What's the meaning of this?"

Hiruzen has a sullen expression on his face as he questions Danzo.

Bam…

He slams a stack of reports on the table.

"Why is there no mention of Orochimaru's hideout in your report? The anbu members-only noticed it after the entire hideout was blazing with fire."

"Hiruzen! My root shinobis discovered the place a few days ago. To confirm my suspicion, I led my team for an inspection. Before we could make any significant discovery; we triggered a hidden trap laid by Orochimaru leading to the destruction of the entire place."

Danzo calmly responds to Hiruzen without baiting an eye to his anger.

"Hmph! I will send a team to confirm your report."

--------Flashback ends----------

"Looks like Danzo is hiding something again!"

He turns towards Ajuka and instructs him.

"I want you to lead a team and monitor the perimeter of the eastern side of the shopping district."

Hiruzen rubs his forehead with worry.

"Yes, Sir!"

Ajuka bows and walks towards the door.

'At this rate, I will get old before I could raise my second son properly.'

Bang…

The door to the room is slammed open as a kid wearing a white-short-sleeved shirt with a black collar and a pair of black pants barges into the room.

The boy has brown eyes, olive skin, and long spiky hair. He is a spitting image of Ajuka.

"Nii-san! Dad!"

The boy address Hiruzen and Ajuka.

A gentle expression appears on Ajuka's and Hiruzen's faces as Ajuka pats his head.

"You aren't asleep yet, Asuma!"

He curiously asks the boy.

"No! I am quite excited about tomorrow morning. It's a big day tomorrow. I will finally graduate from the academy and start my life as a shinobi."

Excitement appears in the boy's eyes as he mentions it.

"Hoho! I am looking forward to it."

Hiruzen laughs and nods at Asuma.

"Asuma! Go and sleep already or else you will get late for your graduation ceremony tomorrow."

A middle-aged woman with dark eyes and long brown hair tied in a ponytail walks into the room. The woman has some creases at the corner of her eyes and mouth. She is dressed in a purple kimono along with a white haori and black sandals.

"Alright, Mom!"

Asuma nods his head and dashes out of the room.

"This boy!"

She chuckles and turns towards Ajuka and Hiruzen.

"Mother!"

Ajuka nods to his mother.

Sigh…

Biwako takes a deep breath and turns to Ajuka.

"I am worried about your future. You are seventeen years already. You should find a girl and get married soon."

"I will, once I find a suitable girl!"

Ajuka avoids the conversation and quickly fled the room.

"This boy!"

Biwako shakes her head and turns to Hiruzen.

"It has been twenty-five years since you became the Hokage. Just look for a successor and retire already!"

"I can't!" Hiruzen shakes his head.

"Not yet! I have a successor in mind, but he still lacks feats and achievements to solidify his position. Maybe within the next five years, I will volunteer him for the position."

"What about your students?" Biwako questions him.

"They are not suited for the position. Tsunade has gone through a lot and she needs to recover on her own. Orochimaru has hidden ambitions and Jiraiya dislikes responsibility." Hiruzen takes a deep puff from his pipe.

"A few years ago, there was another candidate, who was almost on par with my students; but fate had something else in store for him. He died during the Second Shinobi war, leaving his wife and a son behind.

His death was a huge blow to the village. Now, two years ago; even the white fang passed away. With all the potential candidates gone, I could only place my hopes on the new generation."

He walks towards the window and gazes at the Hokage Monument.

"Hashirama-Sensei! Tobirama-Sensei! Your absence created a void in the village which I am unable to fulfill under my lead."

He shakes his head and continues to reminisce past memories.

Biwako leaves him alone and quietly walks out of the room.

-------------------

At the eastern side of the Shopping District,

On the first floor of the Nakamura weapon store,

Argh…

Akio restlessly turns around on the bed.

"Damnit! This tension is killing me. I can't sleep like that."

He opens his eyes and silently stares at Yamato, who is sleeping beside him.

"What should I do? I brought him in for the sake of helping a poor kid, but I never expected to bring such trouble."

He grumbles and intensely stares at Yamato.

"Should I throw him out in the middle of the night and get rid of the trouble once and for all?"

Swish…

A status screen of Yamato appears in his vision.

"Guess not! If I try anything funny; he might blast my ass with his wood style. The stats difference is way too much."

Akio shakes his head and thinks of a different plan.

"Maybe I can knock him out and then leave him in the alley. Hmm… that sounds great!" Akio formulates a plan.

---------------------

Fifteen minutes later,

Rustle… rustle…

Akio is sneaking out of the house with a sack on his back. He carefully treads around the dark corners of the house to prevent being found out.

Click…

Kaori flicks the switch, turning the lights in the process.

Hmm…

She crosses her arms and turns to Akio with an inquisitive gaze.

"So, what are you up to in the middle of the night? And…"

She turns to the large sack on his back.

"What's the deal with this sack?"

Akio places down the sack and answers.

"Mom!"

He takes a deep breath as his expression turns serious.

'I must inform the mother about the Root anbus searching for Yamato. I can't be too direct since I am not supposed to know such a secret.'

Akio clenches his fists and turns to his mother.

"Mom! I have a lingering feeling that something bad is going to happen."

He stares at the emergency quest on his reticle as he informs his mother.

"While I was trying to sleep, I saw multiple masked shinobis patrolling around the eastern area of the Shopping District. It's almost like they are looking for someone or something."

Akio honestly informs her.

Hmm…

Kaori frowns as she hears Akio's warning.

'It seems to be the case since I spotted multiple root shinobis in the past few hours. This kid is quite sensitive and cautious when it comes to such matters. His logical and deductive abilities are quite high for his age. So, he is most probably right!'

"So, what do you think they are looking for?" Kaori curiously asks him.

"Mm… if my hunch is correct, then their target is Yamato."

Akio states his concern.

Kaori has a grave expression on her face.

"I figured out that much, but still that doesn't answer my question. What are you doing with that sack? Do you plan to get rid of the boy while he is asleep?" She raises an eyebrow.

'I can see this kid coming up with such a ridiculous idea!'

"Well!"

Akio's face turns red. He quickly shakes his head.

"Initially, I thought of such a thing, but then I abandoned this idea after noticing the peaceful look on his face. Now, I am planning to lay a few traps around my room. So, if someone makes a move, it will create a commotion and will alert the members of the Police force."

'I hope the Uchiha Police Force is competent enough and as far as I know, both forces are always at odds and attempt to drag each other down given the opportunity.'

Akio places down the sack and pulls out a batch of metal wire, kunais, and shurikens.

Kaori stares at him with an incredulous expression.

"All right, do whatever you feel like!"

She waves her hand and dismisses him. Akio drags the sack towards his room.

Kaori stares at his back and muses to herself.

"This kid has the making of a shinobi, but too bad he lacks the most crucial quality of a shinobi, chakra!"