Inside the Hokage Office, Hokage Building.
Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind a mountain of paperwork, holding Kakashi mission report from Nami no Kuni.
"...that's the gist of it."
Kakashi stood in front of the desk, summarizing in a flat tone:
"We ran into the nukenin Zabuza from Kirigakure and drove him off after a fierce fight."
"After that, the Gato Group imploded; Gato died, and an organization calling itself the 'Nami no Kuni Mutual Prosperity Foundation' took over."
"Because a nukenin appeared, the Foundation voluntarily raised the mission to A-rank. Here's the new contract and the balance of the fee."
The Sandaime Hokage picked up the envelope, felt its weight, and glanced at the report again.
On the surface, everything sounded perfectly reasonable.
The villain was punished, the nukenin defeated, the country rebuilt, and Konohagakure profited.
Yet, after ruling for so many years, the Hokage's instincts caught a whiff of something unusual beneath the perfect veneer.
That foundation... its timing was far too convenient.
And its methods were ruthlessly efficient—no ordinary players could have managed it.
The Sandaime narrowed his eyes at the peaceful village outside the window, then lapsed into silence.
In the end, he chose not to dig deeper.
The shinobi world was stirring again; Konohagakure needed allies and it needed funds.
Whatever the process had been, the outcome was clear: Konohagakure had completed a high-difficulty mission, pocketed a hefty reward, and won the friendship of Nami no Kuni.
It was a perfect score on the report card.
"Well done, Kakashi."
The Sandaime set down his pipe, gentleness flickering in his eyes as he buried the last trace of doubt.
"Speaking of which, those three kids are growing faster than expected."
"Yes."
Kakashi recalled Naruto-kun's endless tricks and Sasuke-kun's Sharingan.
Even Sakura seemingly the most ordinary had shown remarkable talent when learning Fuinjutsu.
"They're... the class that amazes me."
"In that case..."
The Sandaime pulled a folder from a drawer and handed it to Kakashi:
"Here's the notice for this year's Chunin Exams."
"This time, not only Konohagakure but also Sunagakure and Amegakure will send their outstanding Genin."
"It's more than an exam; it's a display and a power play between nations."
The Sandaime Hokage's gaze sharpened:
"Kakashi, do you believe Team 7... is qualified?"
Kakashi glanced at the file.
The Chunin Exams were a notorious meat grinder; for rookies who'd graduated less than half a year ago, the danger was extreme.
By rights they should wait another year.
But... Kakashi remembered how Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Sakura had fought.
Keeping them in a greenhouse any longer felt wrong.
Kakashi closed the folder, a smile tugging at his lips:
"A bit early, perhaps..."
"But with their current strength, they can already be called full-fledged shinobi."
He set the file down, voice firm:
"I, Kakashi, Jonin commander of Team 7,"
"recommend Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura—"
"for the Chunin Exams!"
...After dismissal, Naruto-kun didn't head straight home.
He walked alone through the streets of Konohagakure.
Though he'd become the core of Team 7, he still cherished solitude.
These moments were for replaying battles and thinking things through.
Just as he turned toward the library to keep reading—
"Naruto-kun."
A gentle voice drifted from an alley mouth.
Naruto-kun paused, turned, and offered his standard polite smile.
"Kabuto-senpai, long time no see."
Yakushi Kabuto, clad in a purple battle tunic, leaned against the wall as if waiting.
There was something different in his eyes today—less probing, less pretense, and something like... pity.
"Heard you pulled off a high-rank mission—impressive."
Kabuto stepped closer, skipping small talk:
"But, Naruto-kun, the stronger you get, the harder it becomes to hide certain things."
Naruto-kun's smile didn't waver.
"What things, senpai?"
"The malice that's followed you since childhood."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses; the glare hid his eyes as he lowered his voice:
"Haven't you ever found it strange?"
"Why, for as long as you can remember, people in the village hated you for no reason?"
"Why an orphan's Chakra feels monstrous?"
"Or..."
He pointed at Naruto-kun's stomach, lips curving eerily:
"Haven't you wondered what that complicated seal on your belly is for?"
Naruto-kun's smile finally cracked, then vanished.
His hand froze mid-adjustment of his own glasses.
Those questions had always loomed like storm clouds.
But he'd lacked information, and Mizuki had died too quickly to spill the truth.
When he'd asked Kakashi, the answer had been evasive.
He'd guessed something was sealed inside him—perhaps linked to the Kyuubi—yet one piece of the puzzle was missing.
Why was it in him, and what did that make him?
Seeing Naruto-kun silent, Kabuto leaned nearer, whispering like a devil:
"Twelve years ago the Kyuubi no Yoko attacked Konohagakure, but a Biju is pure Chakra—it can't be killed."
"So the Yondaime Hokage had to seal it,"
"inside a newborn infant..."
Kabuto met Naruto-kun's blue eyes, enunciating every word:
"That infant was you, Uzumaki Naruto."
"You're not the demon fox; you're the sacrificial cage that imprisons it—the so-called Jinchuriki."
Crash!
The words struck like lightning, connecting every clue in Naruto-kun's mind.
Why they called him the Kyuubi... why his Chakra dwarfed others... why the Sandaime looked at him with complicated guilt... why an advanced Fuinjutsu had been on his stomach since birth...
"So... that's how it is?"
Naruto-kun lowered his gaze to his abdomen.
He didn't erupt in rage, didn't break down, didn't even cry.
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
"I'm... just the sacrifice?"
"...More than that."
Kabuto watched him carefully, pressing further:
"You were chosen to be the village's shield."
"And simultaneously a potential bomb and weapon."
"Yet the villagers you protect call you monster and wish you dead."
"Now that you know, Naruto-kun, what will you do?"
Every syllable was bait.
After long observation, Yakushi Kabuto had sensed darkness beneath Naruto-kun's bright surface.
If he could tip him over the edge, Naruto-kun might become the perfect pawn in the plan to crush Konohagakure.
Besides... seeing a kindred spirit in Naruto-kun, Kabuto simply wanted to see how he would truly react.