章 15: Early Graduation
In the Hokage Tower of the Hidden Leaf Village, inside a fully enclosed meeting room.
Early in the morning, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Itachi Uchiha and called in Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two Hokage advisors.
Of course, he also had someone inform Danzo.
However, Danzo had yet to appear.
Hiruzen assumed that Danzo was busy transplanting Shisui's eyes, so he decided not to wait and planned to question him about the situation later.
As for today's discussion, it naturally concerned the death of Shisui Uchiha.
"Regarding Shisui, I deeply regret it. I put too much pressure on that child, which led him to take the path of suicide for the sake of the village, to prevent a civil war in the Leaf."
Right from the start, Hiruzen praised Shisui, acting heartbroken and deeply remorseful.
This moved Itachi, who kneeled on one knee and respectfully said, "Lord Hokage, you're being too kind."
"Shisui was a central figure for the young members of the Uchiha clan. His suicide has caused a sharp decline in both morale and combat strength within the Uchiha. But this was Shisui's own choice," said Homura, squinting his eyes before continuing, "However, Danzo sent word that some in the Uchiha clan suspect you killed Shisui to take his eyes."
"Danzo..." Itachi clenched his fists, suppressing his anger. He explained, "Both Shisui and I were thinking about the future of the Uchiha clan. Those are just rumors spread by people with ulterior motives."
Itachi's voice grew heavier. "Shisui never even appeared at the agreed-upon location..."
Sensing Itachi's rising anger, which could easily spiral out of control, Hiruzen, who knew the truth about Shisui's death, quickly changed the subject: "I believe you, Itachi. Like Shisui, you are a true inheritor of the Will of Fire.
As Itachi said, those are just rumors spread by people with ulterior motives.
You can go now, Itachi.
The village will not forget what Shisui did.
Now that he's gone, we need you to keep an eye on the Uchiha."
"I'm deeply grateful," Itachi responded respectfully before standing and leaving.
As Itachi walked away, Koharu said with some dissatisfaction, "Hiruzen, why did you defend Itachi? He's highly suspicious in Shisui's death."
Mitokado added, "Koharu's right. We can't fully trust Itachi anymore."
"The village has only just stabilized, and we still need Itachi to keep an eye on the Uchiha. We can't afford any conflict right now." Hiruzen's face twitched. He certainly couldn't tell them that it was his plan and that Danzo was responsible for Shisui's death.
"We can't let Itachi act alone," Koharu insisted.
Hiruzen thought for a moment before responding, "I understand. I'll assign someone else to monitor the Uchiha."
"Do you already have someone in mind?" Homura and Koharu were surprised.
"Yes, Fujiwara Aizen, the son of Fujiwara. He has a good relationship with Izumi Uchiha after saving her during the Nine-Tails' attack. Over the past six years, he's been able to move freely within the Uchiha clan without raising suspicion. If we have him replace Shisui and monitor the Uchiha, no one will suspect a thing."
Hiruzen clapped his hands, and someone immediately brought in Aizen's profile.
After reviewing it, Koharu remarked, "This child seems to have a clean background and a good mindset. He's a good choice, but hasn't he yet to graduate from the ninja academy?"
Hiruzen replied, "No need to worry. He has a strong foundation, and his abilities have already reached the graduation level. He's been training diligently, just keeping a low profile. With a bit of nurturing, he'll have a promising future."
Hearing this, Homura and Koharu exchanged a glance but didn't object. "Then let's have him graduate early. There's no point in him staying in the academy for another year. But who will you assign as his team leader?"
Hiruzen thought for a moment before answering, "Let's have Kurenai lead the team. She's available, and we can pick two other genin from last year's exams to form a squad with her and Aizen."
"Let them assess Aizen's abilities, and after some time, if he meets the minimum standards for the ANBU, we'll bring him into the ANBU as an undercover agent to monitor the Uchiha."
"Graduation?" Aizen looked surprised at his chunin instructor.
The instructor smiled. "Yes, Aizen, you've already mastered the Clone Technique, and you're excelling in all other areas. I'm proud to say you've graduated."
"Graduation isn't the issue, but didn't the school year just start?" Aizen asked lazily, his eyes filled with suspicion.
The chunin instructor laughed awkwardly. "Nothing gets past you, huh? Actually, this is a direct order from the Hokage."
"The Hokage?" Hearing this, Aizen suddenly perked up, acting dramatically enthusiastic.
Seeing this, the instructor laughed even harder and patted Aizen's shoulder. "Yes, the Hokage himself has been watching your progress."
"Really?" Aizen exaggerated his tone even more.
"Of course! Here's your forehead protector, along with a ninja tool pouch and kunai pouch. These last two were gifts from the Hokage himself," the instructor said, handing over the items.
"I won't disappoint the Hokage! I'll dedicate my strength to the village!" Aizen dramatically declared.
The instructor smiled. "Good luck!"
Next, the chunin announced Aizen's early graduation to the entire class.
No one objected. Excluding the prodigy Itachi Uchiha, Aizen was easily the top student in his year.
Today marked Aizen's last day of school.
That night, Izumi Uchiha celebrated Aizen's promotion to genin.
The next morning, Aizen donned his ninja gear, attached his sword, and headed to the academy as instructed to meet his team.
When Aizen arrived at the classroom, his two teammates were already there.
One of them was a blonde, twin-tailed girl named Eri Akizuki, a petite figure with a surprisingly mature physique for her age.
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