Chapter 10

In the training ground, the two were engaged in intense combat, but Yagumo's gaze grew increasingly profound as he pondered the significance of Kiyoshi's actions.

Intentionally fanning the flames when Asuma's mindset was unstable... What could be the purpose?

Yagumo glanced at the fuming Asuma and let his thoughts wander...

No!

Asuma is not worth anyone's scheming!

What he truly intended was to use Asuma's idle chatter at the dinner table or his complaints during training to sow discord between Asuma and Shikamaru.

This manipulation would subtly strengthen the opposition between Kakashi and Asuma, eventually causing Hiruzen to develop a rift with Shikamaru.

Because it was subtle, this plan would be even more insidious, making Hiruzen unconsciously develop dissatisfaction with Shikamaru.

The person who designed this plan must have a deep understanding of Hiruzen, knowing his dissatisfaction with Shikamaru and finding ways to amplify it.

This plan, or rather... what Yagumo had glimpsed was just the tip of the iceberg. Multiple plans working together would ultimately amplify Hiruzen's dissatisfaction and devise strategies to undermine Shikamaru's reputation... ultimately leading to the death of the White Fang, as in the original story.

It is now the 39th year of Konoha, and it is still two years before the White Fang's suicide. This plan centered around the White Fang must last at least two more years...

The White Fang is blocking Danzo's path.

As the most likely candidate for the Fourth Hokage, the White Fang has clearly become a thorn in Danzo's side... So Kiyoshi's identity is easy to guess...

...a member of the Root!

A Root member executing a plan to manipulate two of Konoha's most powerful figures must be absolutely loyal and have no background that could be used to silence them.

"Yagumo... it's your turn."

Miyako's voice interrupted Yagumo's wandering thoughts. Clearly, Kiyoshi had called his name several times, and now he was staring at Yagumo with a cold expression.

"Here."

Yagumo immediately stood up, his face full of confusion and worry, as if he had been suddenly called by the teacher while sleeping in class.

"It's your turn to go up."

Kiyoshi said coldly.

"Coming, coming."

Yagumo hurriedly ran onto the field, where Kenta was already waiting.

"Yagumo, don't worry, I'll hold back to avoid hurting you," Kenta said, scratching his head with a simple honesty.

What a good person...

But this time, he didn't intend to lose.

"I'll also try to be gentle..."

"Without hurting you."

"Form the seal of opposition."

After forming the seals, they stared at each other for a few seconds. Finally, Kenta, unable to hold back, launched the first attack, throwing a straight punch at Yagumo's abdomen.

Before they were taught how to fight, the first-year students' brawls resembled those of street thugs, especially since the use of weapons was prohibited in the first year, making their fighting style more straightforward and brutal.

Punch for punch, kick for kick.

Yagumo slightly sidestepped to avoid Kenta's punch and immediately raised his leg with 70% of his strength, aiming for the soft abdomen. As long as he controlled the force, he could take down his opponent with one hit, while reserving 30% of his strength to deal with attacks and maintain balance.

Kenta took a half-step back to dodge Yagumo's sudden attack. He noticed the change in Yagumo's fighting style, from random attacks to more strategic ones.

His agility, strength, and constitution had fundamentally changed in the past ten days, and his senses had become increasingly sharp. He clenched his fists tightly.

It seemed as if he was drawing a circle in place, able to capture any attack from any angle and have the confidence to counter it.

Kenta launched a series of rapid punches, trying to break through Yagumo's defense with a simple but effective tactic taught in class. However, the downside was the excessive consumption of stamina.

Yagumo positioned himself to avoid as many punches as possible, using his arms to block when he couldn't dodge in time.

Waiting for the right moment, this was a passive and clumsy method, but he didn't want to reveal too much in front of Kiyoshi, who might be a Root member.

Finally, after a minute, Kenta's attacks began to slow down, and the dense punches started to show gaps.

Yagumo seized this opportunity to launch an attack. After another half-minute of entanglement, he managed to trip Kenta and win the test.

"Sorry, Kenta... I've been training with Kakashi recently and have made some progress."

But he was not unscathed; his arms had several bruises. To outsiders, it looked like a close win, or perhaps just bad luck.

"Yagumo, win!"

"Form the seal of release."

They formed the seals and separated. Kiyoshi's gaze never lingered on Yagumo for too long.

This was good.

"Ouch... but it hurts a bit."

In the academy that trains ninjas, fights are a daily occurrence, and getting injured is quite normal. After returning to his seat, Yagumo began to massage the bruises to disperse the blood.

The sense of security he had built up over the past few days was shattered by the possibility that Kiyoshi might be a Root member. Of course, the best outcome would be that this was all his overthinking, and Kiyoshi... was not a Root member.

After everyone completed the test, they gradually returned to the classroom to face the final judgment. Kiyoshi stood at the podium, coldly scanning the room, making the temperature seem to drop.

"Kakashi's performance, as always, was excellent, and I won't elaborate further. However, Asuma's performance this time was truly disappointing. From the start, Kakashi controlled the pace, and you need to work much harder."

Asuma lowered his head, whether out of shame or anger, but in the next six years, Kakashi and Asuma would be rivals.

Indeed, Kiyoshi was deliberately creating an atmosphere of opposition between Kakashi and Asuma.

"I hope you don't disappoint me again next week."

Kiyoshi began to analyze the test results, focusing mostly on the top students. As for Yagumo, he received a simple comment to try harder next time, and he was content to remain a small, transparent figure in Kiyoshi's eyes.

After school, Kakashi, Obito, Rin, Yagumo, and Miyako headed to Training Ground 14 for practice. Obito, who had been beaten again in today's test, planned to ask Kakashi for advice on how to fight. The others chatted and laughed as they walked.

Only Yagumo's gaze was dark and unfathomable. He had already labeled Kiyoshi as a Root member in his mind, and he needed to reassess what he could reveal in the academy.

In the second year, they would be taught how to throw and use kunai and shuriken, and at that time, they would be allowed to use unsharpened weapons in combat. Then, he might be able to reveal some of his talent in swordsmanship...