After school the next day, Kizaru sent Yoshihiko and the others ahead to the clan training ground, then made his way toward the Hokage Rock.
The Academy itself sat just below it, so Kizaru simply took the stairs at his usual unhurried pace and headed up toward the observation deck above the carved stone faces.
When he arrived, Hiruzen hadn't come yet.
The deck was empty.
Kizaru walked over to the railing and leaned back against it, resting his arms casually as he stared up at the sky, spacing out while he waited.
About five or six minutes later, the sound of footsteps rose from the stairway below.
An old man with a pipe in his mouth slowly came into view.
Kizaru tilted his head and glanced over.
"Sarutobi-sensei, long time no see," he said with a lazy smile, lifting a hand in greeting.
Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth and nodded with a warm smile.
He picked up his pace a little and walked over.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, Kizaru."
"I only just got here."
By the time those words fell, Hiruzen had already reached his side.
He stood there quietly for a moment, looking at Kizaru, then at the village stretching out beyond him.
The rooftops, the streets, the fading evening light over Konoha…
As Hiruzen looked at the boy in front of him, the hope in his heart only grew stronger.
This child… will become one of the village's pillars one day.
The thought made his gaze soften, though the resolve in his eyes only deepened.
"I heard from Danzo that you've been taking an interest in genjutsu and fūinjutsu," Hiruzen said, opening the conversation himself.
"Yes," Kizaru admitted easily.
Hiruzen reached into his robes and took out two scrolls before holding them out.
"These are some basic materials I put together myself. One covers the fundamentals of genjutsu, and the other is on sealing techniques. Take them home and study them carefully."
Looking at the old man in front of him, Kizaru had to admit it again.
When it came to winning people over, Sarutobi-sensei was on a completely different level from his uncle.
Danzo's way of doing things was enough to make people run on instinct.
"Thank you very much, Sensei," Kizaru said as he took the scrolls.
Seeing him accept them, Hiruzen smiled gently.
"As your sensei, meeting the needs of my student is only natural. You don't need to thank me for something like this, Kizaru."
Kizaru nodded and tucked the scrolls away.
"Then I'll gladly accept them, Sensei."
"Hahaha!" Hiruzen laughed, clearly pleased. "That's better."
After the laughter faded, his expression turned a little more serious.
"This time, I didn't just ask you here to give you those scrolls," he said. "There's also something I wanted to talk to you about."
Kizaru didn't interrupt. He simply looked at Hiruzen and waited for him to continue.
"I know you're eager to learn," Hiruzen said slowly, choosing his words with care, "but a person's time and energy are limited. Compared to genjutsu and fūinjutsu, I believe your kekkei genkai has far greater room for growth."
Ever since Danzo mentioned Kizaru's interest in those two fields, Hiruzen had wanted to speak with him about it.
But Kizaru was still only six years old.
No matter how extraordinary he was, he was still a child.
Hiruzen had been worried that if he pushed too directly, Kizaru might take it as pressure and grow resistant instead.
So after thinking it over, he had chosen a gentler approach.
He prepared the scrolls himself, gave them to Kizaru first, and only after that did he bring up his concerns.
He truly valued this child.
And because he valued him, he didn't want Kizaru wasting his gifts—
nor did he want to damage their relationship by forcing his views on him.
Kizaru, however, wasn't some hot-blooded six-year-old who would bristle at every bit of advice.
He understood Hiruzen's intentions immediately.
He could see the old man's sincerity in the scrolls he'd brought.
Still, Kizaru had his own plans.
As far as genjutsu and sealing techniques went, he had never intended to make either one a core part of his fighting style.
His real focus would always be the development of his Pika Pika no Mi abilities, along with ninjutsu that could complement and strengthen that power.
As for genjutsu and fūinjutsu, he only wanted enough understanding to broaden his knowledge, cover his blind spots, and avoid getting caught off guard by shinobi who specialized in those areas.
So in the face of Hiruzen's well-meaning advice, Kizaru explained himself honestly.
"Sorry, Sensei. I think my uncle may have given you the wrong idea," Kizaru said. "I'm not planning to study genjutsu or fūinjutsu in depth."
Hiruzen listened quietly.
"I just want to understand the basics," Kizaru continued. "Enough to fill in some gaps in my knowledge, and enough that if I run into that kind of shinobi later, I won't be completely passive with no way to respond."
Hiruzen was briefly stunned.
Part of it was because he realized he had misunderstood.
But the larger part was simple surprise.
This child, at only six years old, was already consciously trying to identify his own weak points and prepare for them in advance.
That kind of awareness…
That kind of maturity…
It was unbelievable.
Looking at Kizaru, Hiruzen felt both admiration and satisfaction rise in his chest.
"It seems I worried for nothing," he said at last, his tone full of approval. "You already think like a proper shinobi."
Kizaru smiled.
"I'll accept that praise without any false modesty, Sensei."
"Hahaha!" Hiruzen laughed again, even more heartily this time. "That wasn't praise. Just the truth."
Watching the old man laugh so freely, Kizaru suddenly remembered something.
Then, as if thinking of a fun little gift, he smiled.
"Actually, Sensei… I happened to develop a new ninjutsu recently. Would you like to take a look and give me your opinion?"
"Oh?"
Hiruzen's brows lifted at once.
He had always rated Kizaru's talent for ninjutsu extremely highly.
Even setting aside that suspicious story Danzo had spread about the so-called "miracle kekkei genkai" of the Shimura clan, the fact remained that Kizaru had already displayed terrifying talent at an absurdly young age.
As for Danzo's lie…
That might fool ordinary villagers and a few inexperienced shinobi, but it would never fool Hiruzen.
The Sarutobi clan had stood in Konoha since its founding and knew the major clans of the village inside and out.
Whether the Shimura clan had ever possessed a kekkei genkai in its bloodline—
he knew the answer perfectly well.
They didn't.
The Shimura were a clan known for their Wind Release.
That was it.
So when Kizaru said he had developed a new ninjutsu, Hiruzen was both surprised and deeply curious.
"What kind of ninjutsu?" he asked.
Kizaru didn't answer right away.
Instead, he raised his right hand.
A mass of chakra began to gather in his palm.
It was pure chakra, without any elemental nature mixed into it.
Under Kizaru's control, it compressed tighter and tighter while spinning at terrifying speed. Even the airflow around his hand was dragged into the rotation, creating a visible distortion.
Hiruzen's eyes widened.
He didn't know the full principle behind it yet, nor had he seen it used in battle, but his instincts as a veteran shinobi were already screaming the same conclusion—
This technique was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
And more importantly, this wasn't just some variation built off his light-based ability.
This was a completely independent ninjutsu.
A brand-new, high-level, shape-transformation technique created by a six-year-old child.
For a moment, Hiruzen completely failed to hide the shock on his face.
A monster…
No—
even that word felt too simple.
Looking at the swirling chakra sphere in Kizaru's hand, then back at the boy himself, Hiruzen fell silent.
His heart shook.
In that instant, an outrageous thought rose unbidden in his mind—
This child… might one day surpass even the First Hokage himself.
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