Chōza's words made Inoichi and Shikaku nod in agreement.
Arata's situation mirrored Minato's too closely.
What surprised them wasn't that the Third had noticed him—
It was that he seemed to be preparing Arata as a successor rather than grooming Kakashi.
Before this, they had assumed Kakashi would serve as a transitional Hokage if Hiruzen stepped down.
Now that assumption no longer held.
The Third's stance was clear.
The one he intended to raise was Arata.
And assigning Kakashi as his mentor was already a massive advantage.
Among Kakashi's generation, his influence was enormous.
If Kakashi openly supported Arata, that alone would grant him the backing of many elite shinobi.
Sarutobi Asuma respected Kakashi.
Might Guy did as well.
If Kakashi stood with Arata, they likely would too.
Shikaku looked at Inoichi.
"Then what do we do?"
Inoichi considered carefully.
"For now, nothing," he said. "We need to see how strong he truly is."
Shikaku nodded. "Agreed. This is only the beginning."
They decided not to approach Arata yet.
But from this night onward…
Their attention was firmly fixed on him.
The Village Watches
Other clans did the same.
Hyūga. Aburame. Inuzuka.
They questioned their children—those who had attended the Academy with Arata.
The answers were unsettling.
Some couldn't even remember a classmate by that name.
That only made things worse.
To them, there was only one explanation:
Arata had deliberately stayed invisible.
They couldn't imagine the simpler truth—that he hadn't been hiding at all.
That night, many clan heads couldn't sleep.
After the Uchiha massacre, no one trusted the village's upper levels completely.
And now, the Third Hokage was sending a message—
Arata was his.
No clan wanted to become the "next Uchiha."
Before Arata rose any higher, it would be safest to build goodwill.
A Visitor in the Night
Arata returned home and went to sleep, unaware of the storm gathering around him.
But deep into the night, his eyes snapped open.
A figure stood inside his room.
Arata's voice was cold.
"Breaking into someone's home at night is rude. Were you looking for me?"
The intruder was Yamanaka Fū.
Fū's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had only just arrived—
and Arata had already detected him.
"So you really are different," Fū said evenly. "Come with me. Someone wants to see you."
Arata frowned faintly.
"ANBU?"
He judged it from the aura alone—too dark, too oppressive.
Normal shinobi didn't feel like this.
Fū paused.
"You even know about ANBU? Looks like Honmoto Tōichi taught you well."
Arata stepped off the bed and faced him calmly.
"So it wasn't the Third who sent you."
There was no fear in his eyes.
Even if it was Danzō, Arata wasn't afraid.
He might not be able to defeat him—
But escaping?
That, he was confident in.
Troublesome, Arata thought.
He had hoped to avoid this situation longer.
It seemed he couldn't.
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