https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-16-Hiruzen-Sarutobi-s-Astonishment/12558932/
Chapter 15: Kakashi's Suspicions
Chapter 15: Kakashi's Suspicions
Feng Ye only wanted to quietly cultivate and reach the level of a jonin, but now he was forced to kill, disrupting his cultivation rhythm. This left him momentarily speechless.
Should I destroy the body and eliminate all traces?
It's probably too late for that now.
Whoosh!
Without even checking Lin QinYu Yuya's body, Feng Ye leaped away, picked up his things, and quickly fled into the distance.
Feng Ye guessed that Konoha's ANBU agents would soon be rushing to the scene, and he had no desire to encounter them.
Not long after Feng Ye left...
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Several figures appeared at the site of the previous battle, all wearing various animal masks. They were none other than the ANBU agents directly under the command of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Over there!"
One of the perception-type ninja flashed a glance and spotted Lin QinYu Yuya's body. Instead of approaching directly, he quickly threw a shuriken that pinned the body to the ground, confirming that the opponent was already dead.
Seeing this, the other two ANBU agents moved in from both sides.
"He's dead."
One of them crouched down to confirm Lin QinYu Yuya's death before turning the body over so that it lay face up. They noticed the Kirigakure forehead protector he wore.
The three ANBU agents exchanged glances, a flicker of surprise passing through their eyes. They had assumed that a Konoha ninja had been attacked and killed, but they hadn't expected it to be a ninja from an enemy village. He appeared to be a scout, but they had no idea who had killed him.
"This guy should be a Kirigakure elite Chunin."
The one who had been crouching down quickly examined the body, a strange light flashing in his eyes. He turned to his companions and asked, "From the time you sensed the battle here, it's been less than a minute, right?"
"Yeah..."
The perception-type ninja frowned. "To be able to deal with a Kirigakure elite scout so quickly, it should be one of our village's jonin-level ninja. But I don't recognize that chakra signature at all, and they left after killing a Kirigakure ninja? Seems like they don't intend to meet with us."
The ninja inspecting the body also wore a pensive expression, but then he suddenly paused, staring intently at the wound on Lin QinYu Yuya's head. A glint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he said, "This wound..."
"What about it?"
His two companions looked over.
The ANBU agent examining the body hesitated for a few seconds before saying uncertainly, "I've seen this kind of wound before... It should be a mark left by Sakumo Hatake's sword technique."
"Impossible!"
"Sakumo-san passed away two years ago..."
The two other ANBU agents reacted similarly.
The agent inspecting the body also found it hard to believe. He carefully checked several more times before concluding, "This wound was definitely caused by Sakumo-san's sword technique, but it doesn't seem to be his handiwork. Otherwise, even the forehead protector would've been cut in half."
Hearing this judgment, the ANBU agents exchanged glances once more.
The Hatake clan's sword techniques were secret arts passed down only within the clan, much like the Nara clan's shadow techniques and the Yamanaka clan's mind arts. Since Sakumo Hatake's death, the number of people capable of using these techniques could be counted on one hand.
"... Let's report this to the Hokage-sama."
"Right."
Having made their judgment, the ANBU agents quickly returned to the village.
The death of a scout from an enemy village wasn't a major incident, especially given the tense situation. It didn't warrant waking Hiruzen Sarutobi in the middle of the night. Thus, it wasn't until the next morning, when he arrived at his office, that Hiruzen Sarutobi learned of the previous night's events.
For an elite scout from Kirigakure to infiltrate so close to Konoha, he had to be at least a highly skilled Chunin. And to defeat such an opponent in under a minute would require the skill of a Jonin-level ninja from our village. But the issue is, Konoha shouldn't have any Jonin who knows the Hatake blade techniques, right?
"Could it be him?"
The figure of Kakashi Hatake flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.
He felt a momentary shock at the thought.
To defeat a Kirigakure scout in under a minute... When did Kakashi grow to such a level? He's not even eight years old yet!
Although it was hard to believe, after careful consideration, he couldn't find anyone else who fit the criteria. This caused Hiruzen Sarutobi to draw in a sharp breath as he said, "Send for Kakashi. I have some questions for him."
"Yes!"
The ANBU agent beside him responded and swiftly disappeared.
After a moment, Kakashi appeared outside the Hokage's office. Entering the room, he addressed Hiruzen Sarutobi, "You summoned me, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and walked over to Kakashi. Looking at Kakashi with a gentle smile, admiration in his eyes, he said, "Your training has progressed remarkably lately. I never expected that at your age, you would be able to master Sakumo's blade techniques to this extent."
"?"
Kakashi was taken aback.
Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Kakashi's shoulder and said, "Seeing you is like seeing a young Sakumo... Don't you have something to report to me?"
Kakashi looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with confusion, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Hokage-sama, what do you mean?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brow slightly, then smiled again.
He never expected the young and impetuous Kakashi to learn the art of concealment as well. It seemed he had truly grown up. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before Kakashi could truly take on the responsibilities of a Jonin. If he had known this earlier, there would have been no need for Minato to mentor Kakashi.
Pa-ta!
Hiruzen Sarutobi lifted his hand and tossed a forehead protector toward Kakashi.
Kakashi caught it and saw that it was a forehead protector from Kirigakure. There were traces of blood on the top, and a white line ran across the center as if it had been slashed by a sharp blade.
Kakashi was even more perplexed as to why Hiruzen Sarutobi had thrown him a forehead protector, and he fell into a state of bewilderment, looking at the Hokage.
"Still can't remember?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his tea cup and took a sip.
It was a good thing that Kakashi had learned to conceal himself, but now that his secret was known, the right thing to do was to report the details of the incident to the Hokage.
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Kakashi's mind raced, but he still couldn't recall anything related to the forehead protector. After a long hesitation, he finally asked, "Hokage-sama, what does this forehead protector have to do with me?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyebrows knitted slightly. He hadn't expected Kakashi to continue hiding the truth, so he said calmly, "You should explain to me what happened during the battle last night."
"Last night?"
Kakashi was taken aback for a moment, then his expression turned serious as he said, "Hokage-sama, I was at home all last night. I didn't engage in any battles..."
(End of Chapter)
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