Hiruzen Sarutobi had a small frown on his face. His hands were steepled in front of him as he addressed his jonin commander. "Why did you not trust me with this information before?"
Hiruzen kept the accusation out of his voice, merely asking for the reasoning behind the decision. He knew that whatever the man did was because he had a very good reason for it.
Shikaku Nara stood in front of him, his hands in his pockets, leaning more on his right foot than his left, making him appear to be skewed to one side. "It was a clan matter first. I needed to conduct my own investigation to see if Kagen was an isolated case or if there were others."
"And your assessment?" Hiruzen asked patiently.
"Kagen is the only one. His affinity for three chakra natures of water, earth and fire seems to be a mutation and thanks to some luck, his parents having two of these affinities and him inheriting them helped him awaken the kekkei Tōta. His high yin affinity seemed to have helped him someway but I am not so sure about it."
"Any side effects of this?" Hiruzen asked
"There don't appear to have any negative effects other than slowing him from learning jutsu of a single element."
"And you still do not know the cause of his difficulty?"
Shikaku shrugged. "He's far better with our clan's shadow jutsu than even some of our jonin. That could be part of it. And that's why I am saying that his high Yin affinity is somehow responsible for this."
Hiruzen's frown deepened. In years past, he would often call on his old student to advise him on matters such as this.
Sadly, he could no longer count on Orochimaru's counsel. Moreover, merely the thought of how Orochimaru obtained the knowledge he once offered sent a pang of anguish and regret traveling through Hiruzen's veins.
So many innocents had fallen prey to Orochimaru's experimentation, and he hadn't even known of it.
"I expect you wish for this information to remain privileged?" Hiruzen asked Shikaku, putting thoughts of his traitorous pupil from his mind.
Shikaku nodded minutely. "I understand that you need to make certain people aware of it, but I would ask you to keep it as confidential as you can, for Kagen's protection if nothing else. If word got out that he had a kekkei Tōta–"
"He would be targeted by enemies and allies alike." Hiruzen finished. Enemies would seek to capture the boy, and allies within Konoha would seek to drag him into their politics.
Hiruzen had seen first hand the damage such machinations could bring on the youth. Hatake Kakashi was a perfect example.
The boy was expected to be the second coming of his father, then, after the tragic death of Obito Uchiha, he was hounded mercilessly by the Uchiha Clan for the final gift his old friend had given him.
And that because of a Kekkei Genkai that an entire clan had. This is a Kekkei Tōta. Something that was possessed by only two known people and only one of them is alive.
And he himself had witnessed how destructive a Kekkei Tōta could be. And when he heard that Kagen could turn any physical matter into crystal, he knew that Crystal Release was no exception.
"I will ensure no records are kept of Kagen Nara's status, but it is only a matter of time until it is known what he can do." Hiruzen warned.
"I know. My hope is he will be able to take care of himself when that time comes." Shikaku said.
He bowed his head shallowly. "Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama." He turned around and left without another word.
No sooner had Shikaku left, than an elderly man covered in wrappings that shielded a great many wounds walked into the room in his place.
"Danzo." Hiruzen greeted his oldest friend.
"Hiruzen," Danzo replied with a nod. "I assume the Jonin Commander was here to discuss young Kagen?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "He was. As I have said, Danzo, Kagen will remain with his jonin sensei until he becomes a chunin. Once he is a chunin, he will be able to make his own decisions." Hiruzen was firm. He would not force another child into ANBU like Kakashi had been.
And it did not suprise him that Danzo knew about Kagen's ability. Kagen had after all used his ability in the genin test and had turned an entire training ground into crystals.
While the boy had removed it, he had no doubts that one of Danzo's Root members have seen it and reported it to him.
Danzo frowned. "Kagen has great potential, Hiruzen. Unless that potential is fostered he will stagnate."
"Ren is a capable teacher. He will be good for Kagen and Misa both." Hiruzen said. He had thought long and hard on who to assign the two up and coming clan children to.
Ren had proven himself during the war in not only a combat capacity, but in a leadership role as well. He would be good for Kagen and Misa, and for Kenji as well.
Hiruzen hoped surrounding Kenji with so many strong influences would help him grow. He saw his old pupil Jiraya in Kenji, and hoped he could rise to the same heights.
Danzo did not seem pleased, but he did not offer any more arguments. With a small bow, he said, "Hiruzen." He left.
Hiruzen sighed as he rubbed his forehead. First young Kakashi graduated at age 5, then Misa and Kagen graduated at ten years old.
Hiruzen had hoped such early graduation would cease after the end of the war. But then he'd hoped to be able to enjoy his retirement after the war as well. Things don't always go to plan.
Hiruzen would watch Team Ren closely, monitoring their progress and ensuring they worked well together. Hiruzen had high hopes for them all.
---------Author Notes--------
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