"It's a summoning seal! Ino, throw the scroll away!" Toru shouted.
Ino wasted no time and threw the scroll away. Toru did the same.
'What is that?'
Hinata could see chakra points inside the massive cloud of smoke that had suddenly erupted. As the smoke began to clear, the figure of a man appeared, wearing a boar mask and the white attire characteristic of a team leader within the ANBU organization.
"You figured it out immediately. Impressive," the man said. "You're as sensible as senpai said."
Ino and Toru recognized him. He was the shinobi who had been standing beside Yamato when their investigation mission came to an end.
"It's you!" Ino said.
The man let out a small chuckle before speaking.
"Yes, it's me. Before you start bombarding me with questions, let me congratulate you. You've passed the second stage of the Chunin Exams. Senpai is proud of you," he said, clapping three times.
"I don't understand... Why are you here? Aren't you an ANBU shinobi?" Ino asked.
The man laughed again beneath his mask.
"That was something I was going to explain later, but since you asked... Basically, I took the last six days off for this. Yamato-senpai asked me if I wanted a vacation, so I accepted, and now here I am."
That sounded suspicious, but the man wearing the boar mask continued.
"Well, aside from congratulating you, I'm also here to explain that thing written on the wall. I'm sure you've already read it."
"I read the inscription, and I already have a few ideas about what it could mean," Toru commented. "However, I suppose explaining it myself would ruin whatever you're about to say."
"You're right. One of the reasons I'm here is because senpai told me to tell you this."
The masked man sat down on the floor and took a deep breath before speaking.
"Come on, have a seat. It'll be better that way, and you'll be able to rest before hearing what I have to tell you."
"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," Ino said.
Toru and Hinata did the same, sitting down in front of the ANBU shinobi.
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, since these are senpai's words," he said, removing his mask and placing it on the floor.
He had the face of a tired man, with a large scar that started near the top of his forehead and ran down to his right cheek. One of his eyes was an unusual white color, a blind eye... His hair was brown, while his only healthy eye had a beautiful amber color. His skin was slightly tanned as well.
He looked quite young, which made Hinata and Ino feel a little sorry for him. After that, the ANBU shinobi spoke.
"Senpai has observed each of you since the beginning. Every one of your virtues and flaws... He's managed to understand you, even though you still don't understand him. First: Hyuga Hinata."
"Me?"
"Yes. Senpai said: Hinata lacks Heaven."
Hinata looked at the man with a confused expression. In response, he smiled slightly before continuing.
"If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and prepare yourself; that is what you must obtain. You still have much to learn about the world, about people, and about their hearts. Once you learn those things, your path will become easier."
Somehow, Hinata understood the words she had heard. However, it was time for the next person, so the man looked at Ino.
"Yamanaka Ino. Senpai told me that you lack Earth."
A small vein popped up on Ino's forehead.
"Earth? I think sensei is mistaken. I'm beautiful, strong, and intelligent. I don't think I'm lacking anything."
The man tilted his head. Yamato had already told him that Ino could be a little selfish and vain at times.
"No, no, no. I'm sure of what I'm saying because senpai said it. Earth isn't just physical strength, and I think you already know that, don't you?"
Ino looked down at the floor, deep in thought. That was true, but it was difficult for her to admit it. After all, she could barely do anything whenever she was in danger.
Picking up the mask from the floor, the man put it back on before speaking.
"Lastly: Asahi Toru. Senpai said this is something you must discover for yourself, because your path has been filled with stones that have prevented you from seeing. He knows you're intelligent, and there's no need to point out something you probably already know."
The man adjusted his mask. He felt a little uncomfortable because of Toru's silence. At the same time, Hinata and Ino tried to think about what Toru lacked, but they couldn't find an answer.
Finally, the man stood up and said:
"That will be all from me. You should prepare yourselves for the next stage."
"There's another stage?!" Ino asked, exasperated. After everything they had gone through during the survival test, she didn't want to know anything about any more tests.
"I'm really sorry for you, but I didn't create the Chunin Exams. For now, follow me, and we'll learn more once we get there."
Walking leisurely, the man whistled as he headed toward the largest door in the room. Hinata and Ino followed him, but Toru remained slightly behind because he was thinking about something.
'What am I lacking...?'
He continued walking behind the girls, lost deep in thought.
—Somewhere Else—
Anko touched her neck in pain, where a strange black mark rested.
"So, he has returned..." the Hokage whispered, standing beside Anko.
Looking down at the floor, she spoke regretfully.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything against him."
"But he's one of the Legendary Sannin... How could he do something like that?" said one of the shinobi accompanying Anko.
"Maybe there's something he wants in our village," another shinobi added.
"Yes. There was something he was looking for," Anko muttered. Then she looked at Hiruzen with a worried expression.
"He was looking for someone, wasn't he?" the Hokage asked.
Anko nodded.
"He was looking for two children participating in the Chunin Exams. I don't know who the first one was, but the second one definitely was..."
"Uchiha Sasuke..." the Hokage said.
Anko lowered her gaze while the Hokage stared into the distance. Lost in thought, it didn't take him long to understand who the first child had to be. With a sigh, he said:
"As for the first one... Everyone remembers the Asahi Clan, don't they?"
Everyone nodded in response.
"It was the clan that was wiped out alongside the Uchiha Clan," Anko said.
"Indeed. Just like the Uchiha Clan, the Asahi Clan also had a survivor. His name is Asahi Toru, and he is participating in these Chunin Exams."
Anko didn't know what to say. As far as she remembered, the Asahi Clan had been a clan of blacksmiths and scientific researchers responsible for supplying the village with weapons and medicine; they didn't possess great chakra control or exceptional combat abilities. So, why was the Hokage suddenly bringing up the Asahi Clan? Especially Asahi Toru.
Well, that was the answer.
"Asahi Toru is someone Orochimaru was looking for as well."
Anko rose from her seat and looked at the Hokage, confused and somewhat irritated.
"But the Asahi Clan isn't anything special. They were a clan of pacifists who helped develop weapons and other things. Why would Orochimaru try to do anything with a boy who has nothing special compared to an Uchiha?"
"You're wrong, Anko," the Hokage said solemnly.
Anko didn't understand, but Hiruzen proceeded to explain.
"Very few people know because this is a story that was buried long ago, during the early years of our village. But the truth is that the Asahi Clan was formed by a small group of pacifist members of the Uchiha Clan who were unable to develop its most powerful abilities. Asahi Toru and his entire bloodline are, so to speak, a failure of the past."
"That's ridiculous, Hokage-sama! Then that boy can have the Sharingan too?"
"I don't think you heard me properly, Anko. The members of the Asahi Clan are descendants of the Uchiha Clan, yes, but they don't possess the abilities of the clan they came from. They were never able to develop them; they were a failure of nature... As time passed, their blood relation to the Uchiha gradually faded, but in exchange, a few of them developed remarkable intelligence and extraordinary abilities. Blacksmiths, scientists, and, of course, some of the greatest assassins in our village. Asahi Toru's mother, who possessed a power that remains unknown to me even now, was one of the latter. From what Yamato has told me, Asahi Toru appears to have inherited his mother's talent."
Anko was left speechless.
'It can't be... If Orochimaru manages to give those children the Cursed Seal...' she thought.
"For now, let's keep this situation a secret. We'll deal with everything when the time comes. Right now, we need to focus on completing the Chunin Exams."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the shinobi said before disappearing from the scene, leaving Hiruzen deep in thought.