Chapter 104

Chapter 104

The next morning, Haneda arrived at the Hokage Tower early, as per his arrangement with Sakumo and the others.

At the entrance of the Hokage Tower, Asuma and Kurenai were waiting for him not far away. As soon as Asuma spotted Haneda approaching, he quickly came over to greet him.

"Haneda-nii!"

"Oh, it's Asuma." Hearing the familiar voice, Haneda immediately recognized him. He glanced at Asuma and noticed some bruises on his face, as if he had been in a fight. But judging by Asuma's attitude, it seemed like he didn't care much about it.

"Did you get hurt on your face?" Haneda asked, concerned.

"Yeah! Yesterday, I got a scolding from the old man for speaking up for you. But, well..." Asuma said, a casual tone in his voice. "I think it was worth it. The old man is just way too lenient with that old fossil Danzo."

Remembering Sakumo's instructions, Asuma continued, "Let's head in, Haneda-nii. Sakumo-sensei said he doesn't need anything from the Scroll of Seals. He mentioned that if there's anything you want, you can take it in his name. He'll be busy helping Kakashi with some sword training for the next few days."

"I see…" Haneda thought to himself, understanding that Sakumo had probably asked Asuma to relay the message because he felt it would be awkward to say it directly. As for training with Kakashi, that was intriguing—it seemed like something Kakashi had requested. Perhaps Kakashi was looking for a last-minute improvement before their potential showdown in the upcoming Chunin Exams.

Haneda smiled at the thought. Then, looking at Asuma, he offered, "How about I heal your injuries before we head in?"

"No, no, it's too much trouble for you, Haneda-nii..." Asuma tried to decline, but Haneda had already started gathering yang-nature chakra in his hands.

"It won't take long," Haneda assured, placing his right hand on Asuma's face.

In no time, Asuma's bruised face returned to normal. "Alright, let's go check out the Scroll of Seals," Haneda said with a smile as he withdrew his hand.

...

As they entered the Hokage Tower, Haneda could sense several Anbu ninja monitoring him and Asuma from the shadows. Every now and then, he also felt malicious gazes, likely from Root operatives. However, once they stepped into the Hokage's office, many of these watchful eyes faded away.

Knock, knock, knock…

After a brief knock, Haneda and Kurenai greeted the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama."

"Oh, it's Haneda and Kurenai. Come on in," the Third Hokage's voice called out. Haneda and the others pushed open the door and entered.

"Asuma, you're here too," the Third Hokage said with a smile, but Asuma ignored him.

The Hokage then turned to Haneda and Kurenai, smiling. "Haneda, I assume you're here with Kurenai to look at the Scroll of Seals?"

"Where's Sakumo?"

"Sakumo-san had something else to take care of," Haneda replied politely before getting straight to the point. "Hokage-sama, is today a good time for me to review the Scroll of Seals?"

"No problem, as agreed," the Third Hokage responded, subtly reminding Haneda of their deal. After yesterday's events, the Hokage realized that Haneda's mind was far more complex than his age suggested. In fact, five years ago, Haneda already seemed to understand the political value of trade-offs. Now, with his growing strength and backing, Haneda was beginning to show his true potential.

The Third Hokage gave Haneda a long, thoughtful look before summoning an Anbu ninja and giving some instructions. Shortly after, two Anbu ninjas entered—one carrying a large scroll, nearly as tall as Haneda, and the other holding a smaller, normal-sized scroll.

The large scroll was placed before Haneda—it was the Scroll of Seals. The smaller scroll was the index for the contents of the large scroll, the same one Haneda and Kakashi had seen last time.

"Should I read it here, Hokage-sama?" Haneda asked, glancing at the thick Scroll of Seals on the floor.

"Find a spot to sit and take your time. You can stay until tomorrow morning if you need to," the Hokage replied with a kind smile. He then exchanged a few words with Kurenai before returning to his paperwork, smoking his pipe.

The office soon fell into silence once more.

Haneda had already looked through the index of the Scroll of Seals five years ago, and at that time, he had been particularly interested in the Wood Release jutsu left behind by the First Hokage, Hashirama. Techniques like *Advent of a World of Flowering Trees*, which covers a vast area and provides both attack and control, or *Wood Human Technique*, which allows one to summon a massive wooden warrior without needing the Mangekyō Sharingan. And then there was *True Several Thousand Hands*, capable of overpowering even the Nine-Tails with a single hand.

Now, his dream was coming true!

Haneda activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, making no attempt to hide his intentions, and began copying the contents of the Scroll of Seals directly into his mind. His reading speed was incredibly fast. To avoid arousing suspicion from the Third Hokage, he made sure to scan through the scroll from start to finish.

*Rustle, rustle, rustle…*

The sound of the scroll's pages turning echoed throughout the room.

Hearing the constant rustling, the Third Hokage looked up after finishing a document and glanced in Haneda's direction. When he saw the spinning Sharingan locked onto the Scroll of Seals, the corners of his mouth twitched.

Though the Hokage knew Haneda would likely use some "special" methods to memorize the contents of the scroll, this…

Was it really necessary to blatantly use the Sharingan right in front of him?

The Third Hokage took a quiet puff from his pipe, recalling his goal of reconciling with the Uchiha. He decided not to interfere with Haneda's actions. After all, there was only one jutsu in the scroll that would be particularly useful to the Uchiha—*Bringer-of-Darkness Technique*, and Haneda already had that.

As for the Wood Release of the First Hokage, no one in Konoha could learn it, least of all an Uchiha!

The Third Hokage concluded that it didn't matter if Haneda memorized the scroll's contents. As long as it wasn't shared with other villages, it was acceptable.

The Sharingan's ability to copy jutsu was remarkably fast, allowing Haneda to memorize a technique with just a single glance. In less than half an hour, he had committed the entire Scroll of Seals to memory. As expected, the version of the scroll in front of him did not contain the *Reanimation Jutsu* (*Edo Tensei*), confirming that this was yet another forgery prepared by the Third Hokage.

After closing the heavy scroll, Haneda glanced around. Asuma and Kurenai had already left, and the Hokage was still busy with paperwork. However, sensing Haneda's gaze, the Third Hokage paused and looked over at him.

"Finished?"

"Hokage-sama, I've completed my review," Haneda replied.

The Third Hokage put down his pipe, recalling a task he had dealt with earlier, and said after a few puffs, "Recently, Sunagakure agreed to co-host the Chunin Exams with Konoha. The exams will take place here in the village."

"It's been over ten years since Sunagakure last co-hosted with Konoha. It seems they may be seeking to ease tensions with us."

"Haneda, for the sake of the village and peace in the ninja world, this upcoming Chunin Exam will be crucial. I need you to win it convincingly while also maintaining diplomacy with Sunagakure's shinobi."

"Sunagakure?" Haneda pondered for a moment, recalling a similar situation from the time of Naruto's Chunin Exams. It gave him a strange feeling, as if this Chunin Exam might also be hiding some kind of conspiracy.

After all, whenever Konoha hosts a Chunin Exam, they typically invite the other four major shinobi villages to participate. However, it was only during the reigns of Hashirama and Tobirama that all four nations had agreed to participate. And now, Sunagakure, currently in a standoff with Konoha at the border of the Land of Rain, had agreed to co-host the exam?

How unprecedented!

"I'll do my best, Hokage-sama," Haneda said humbly. Given his strength, winning the Chunin Exams would be no problem at all. It would be a simple task, almost like a walk in the park. Yet, the thought of possibly facing Kakashi again made Haneda feel a bit more excited.

…