Chapter Nine: The Plan in Motion

After the mission in the Land of Waves came to an end, everyone returned together to the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Master, why don't you stay at my place? Sasuke's house is empty and isolated, so quiet it's almost creepy at night..." Naruto complained about Sasuke's residence with an expression of distaste—calling it remote, eerily quiet, and downright scary when darkness fell, just barely stopping short of claiming it was haunted.

Sasuke shot Naruto a fierce glare. Why speak so bluntly? Besides, no matter how bad his place was, it was still better than Naruto's! Naruto's house was falling apart and always filled with the smell of cheap, instant food.

"Never mind, I'll stay at Sasuke's," Hao Yun politely declined Naruto's offer, having already considered this. Not to mention his closer bond with Sasuke, he definitely didn't want to survive on expired instant noodles.

"Master..." Naruto looked down, disheartened. Since birth, aside from the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, few had ever shown him such kindness.

Unable to bear seeing the boy so crestfallen, Hao Yun reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Well, the Chunin Exams are coming up in a few days. During that time, Orochimaru will make his move against the Third Hokage, which will also mark the official beginning of our plan. Naruto, Sakura, during the exams, you can both move in with Sasuke. Kakashi and I can take the opportunity to teach you some new jutsu!"

Hao Yun had made up his mind—over the next month, the three members of Team 7 would become much stronger, giving him more leverage for the plans he was about to execute.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged glances, then bowed together in a formal gesture of respect. "We will obey, Master!"

...

Hao Yun led the three of Team 7 back to the Uchiha compound, while Kakashi, holding the mission report, went to the Hokage's office.

"Kakashi, you're back," the Third Hokage said warmly, setting aside his paperwork and looking up with a gentle smile. "How did the Land of Waves mission go? How are Naruto and Sasuke progressing?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment before replying, "Naruto and Sasuke have reached the level of Chunin in both chakra reserves and control. The mission was a success. We only encountered two enemy Chunin on the road, but they were defeated instantly by Sasuke and Naruto."

Without hesitation, Kakashi concealed the information about Zabuza and Haku, not to mention the new master Team 7 had taken on.

The Third Hokage's brow furrowed slightly. "Is that really all?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a deep unease. None of the ANBU sent to monitor Naruto had reported back, and a few days prior, Danzo had come to argue with him about this very issue. The reason? The Root shinobi assigned to watch Naruto had vanished without a trace.

But he couldn't bring this up with Kakashi—secret surveillance wasn't exactly a noble topic. No matter what, Naruto was still the Fourth Hokage's son! They were the village's high-ranking officials, well aware of Konoha's secrets—not ignorant commoners.

"Nothing else," Kakashi replied firmly, since the Hokage hadn't voiced his suspicions.

"And the man you brought back with you?" the Third asked. "I heard from Tekka that you returned with a stranger. Is he a ninja?"

"Just a traveler we met on the road," Kakashi lied smoothly, not even blinking. His performance had grown increasingly convincing.

After several failed attempts to extract more information, the Third Hokage let it go. "All right, you must be tired after your mission. Go home and get some rest."

Once Kakashi left, Danzo, swathed in bandages and resembling a mummy, emerged from the shadows of the private chamber.

"Hiruzen, he's lying!"

"I know. But that's Kakashi, the only son of Sakumo Hatake."

"You're too soft! Konoha needs a firmer hand! It's just one family—what matters most is protecting the village! If you won't touch Kakashi, then let me bring that stranger to Root for interrogation!"

Danzo's eyes glinted coldly; nothing was more important to him than becoming Hokage.

"No."

"Hiruzen—!"

"I said no! That's an order, in the name of the Hokage!" Hiruzen abruptly turned, glaring at Danzo. "I already regret how I handled things with Naruto and Sasuke. Now that the two finally have a friend, do not interfere!"

"But what if he's a spy, trying to lure Naruto away?"

"I'll increase surveillance! And let me remind you—Root has been disbanded!"

There was finality in the Third Hokage's words, his tone especially forceful when he mentioned Root's dissolution.

Danzo had nothing to say. All five Hidden Villages were ruled by their leaders; the Hokage's command was absolute. Defying it would be an act of treason.

"Fine! You'll regret this!" With a sweep of his cloak, Danzo turned and left, leaving the Third Hokage looking tired and frail as he sank into his chair. If only he hadn't let Danzo run unchecked all those years ago...

...

In the days that followed, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto trained diligently in Sasuke's home.

Sakura delved deeper into the art of sealing, and with Kakashi using his merits in the village to exchange for techniques like Adamantine Sealing Chains and the Eight Trigrams Sealing Method, her progress accelerated under Hao Yun's guidance—eventually even developing the Yin Seal. At this rate, if she reached adulthood, she would certainly surpass Tsunade.

Meanwhile, with Kakashi's help, Sasuke focused on mastering Lightning Release techniques. Under Hao Yun's tutelage, he learned Chidori, Lightning Cutter, and even Kirin, growing much stronger. Of course, the Railgun technique was a superpower and beyond Sasuke's precise control, so the best he could do was create a Lightning Armor.

As for Naruto... the Flying Thunder God technique Hao Yun wanted him to learn proved far too difficult. After an entire month, aside from improving his Rasengan, Naruto made little progress.

Finally, one day, when Hao Yun saw ninja from other villages wearing different forehead protectors, he knew—the great wheel of fate had begun to turn.

"I'm not your big brother, Konohamaru! I need to train with Master, so stop following me!"

On the bustling streets of Konoha, Naruto was being hounded by Konohamaru and his two friends, desperately trying to shake them off but failing every time.

Suddenly, as he rounded a corner, Naruto realized Konohamaru was no longer behind him. Wait—wasn't he just there a moment ago?

"Brat, you ran into someone!" came a voice.

"Let me go! Do you know who I am? I'm the Third Hokage's grandson—ah! Let me go! Help!"

From the distance came Konohamaru's cries for help.

Naruto's face changed. As much as Konohamaru's persistence annoyed him, Naruto had to admit the boy's sincerity in wanting to become his disciple. Besides, he couldn't just stand by and watch the old man's grandson get hurt—that wouldn't be right.

At the very least, he owed the Third Hokage that much. He'd already decided not to save the Third during the Chunin Exams, but Konohamaru, his little admirer, was a different story.

With that resolve, Naruto turned on his heel and sprinted toward the sound of Konohamaru's desperate calls for help.