Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 318 He Ma: Lord Hokage, when did the Sarutobi clan learn the Adamantine Sealing Technique?

In front of the large windows on the second floor of the main teaching building of the ninja school.

The group, having just finished their high-level meeting, stood quietly here, looking down at the training field below.

Leading the group were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kazuma, along with a group of Konoha high-ranking officials including Hyuga Kumokawa, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza.

The afternoon sun shone through the clean glass windows, illuminating the corridor and the vibrant training field outside.

From here, the layout of the entire training ground and the figures of the students are clearly visible.

"It seems we've arrived at just the right time." Kazuma smiled, his gaze sweeping over the students on the field. "These are the hopes for Konoha's future; they're all so spirited."

With his hands behind his back, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked down at the energetic, youthful faces below, a genuine smile of satisfaction appearing on his face.

“Yes, children are always full of energy,” he said slowly. “Looking at them makes you feel hopeful for the future.”

"By the way, Hokage, I've heard..."

Kazuma seemed to suddenly remember something, and asked in a seemingly casual tone, "When Akatsuki attacked Konoha, the teachers and students of the school were all gathered in the shelter, and..."

"They also encountered a targeted attack by the enemy? I wonder if this is true. Are the children all safe and sound afterward?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile froze for a moment, though it was only fleeting, before he quickly regained his composure.

But that momentary pause did not escape the eyes of many observant people present.

"Lord Kazuma is well-informed."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said frankly, "This is my dereliction of duty as Hokage; I failed to protect the village's most precious future."

"Fortunately, Jonin Yun Chuan arrived in time and bravely protected all the teachers and students in the shelter from harm; otherwise, the consequences would have been..."

Instantly, everyone's eyes were focused on Hinata Kumokawa.

Hyuga Kumokawa stood slightly back, his expression calm. He felt the gazes that were gathering around him and simply smiled slightly, saying, "Third Hokage, you flatter me."

"Protecting every villager of Konoha, especially the children, is the responsibility of every Konoha ninja."

"The situation was critical at the time, and I just did what any Konoha ninja in that situation would have done and had to do."

"The Jonin of Yunchuan is truly..." Kazuma opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say a few more words of praise.

However, at that moment, a gasp of surprise came from the training field below.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn, and they subconsciously turned their heads to look out the window.

On the east side of the training ground, in the shooting range area, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had just completed a round of astonishing shuriken throwing.

Whether it's Naruto's precision and power in throwing multiple shuriken at the same time, or Sasuke's artistic throwing skills, they far exceed the level of ordinary students.

Kazuma glanced at Sasuke, his gaze lingering almost imperceptibly on Naruto, a glint of light flickering deep in his eyes.

"At such a young age, to possess such superb ninja tool throwing skills and techniques?"

He turned his gaze to Sasuke and said with great interest, "That black-haired child is..."

Seeing that he seemed to have developed an interest in Sasuke, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart skipped a beat.

The Uchiha clan's identity is sensitive, and their bloodline limit is of utmost importance; they must never be recruited by the Daimyo's mansion.

He immediately said, "That's a child from the Uchiha clan, and he is indeed one of the most talented children of this generation."

“I see, the Uchiha clan…” Kazuma drawled, a clear look of disappointment flashing across his face.

His gaze barely lingered before turning to Naruto beside him, and he asked, "Then, what about that blond kid over there? His performance seems just as impressive."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the second-floor corridor instantly became eerie and stagnant.

Behind the two, several high-ranking Konoha officials who knew Naruto's true identity, such as Nara Shikaku, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, couldn't help but glance at each other.

They either lowered their eyes slightly or exchanged complex glances.

Hinata Kumokawa's expression remained calm, but a hint of a smile flickered deep in his eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into a brief silence, his Adam's apple bobbing almost imperceptibly, clearly organizing his thoughts and weighing the weight of each word.

He couldn't let Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki be exposed.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly spoke: "That child, in a sense, is my grandson."

"Oh?" This answer seemed to surprise Kazuma somewhat. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "A child of the Sarutobi clan?"

"……Correct."

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, "His parents were heroes of Konoha who unfortunately died in the line of duty. Before they passed away, they entrusted this child to my care."

A subtle silence fell over the corridor, and the expressions of the people behind him suddenly became strange.

They naturally understood that this was a stopgap measure to conceal Naruto's true identity, but this excuse...

"I see." Kazuma's face showed a look of sudden realization. "No wonder I felt that the child's features were somewhat familiar. His parents must have been quite famous ninjas when they were alive, right?"

Seeing that he was still pressing for answers, Hiruzen Sarutobi was secretly annoyed, but he remained outwardly calm and vaguely replied, "The child's parents are indeed two dutiful Jonin."

In previous Shinobi World Wars, Konoha was able to win only because of the full support of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Otherwise, given Konoha's logistical capabilities, it would have been unable to win a war against multiple opponents and would have been worn down long ago.

In other words, the more intense the war, the more important the role of the daimyo becomes.

Konoha is currently facing a predicament both internally and externally, and all its future actions will require the cooperation of the Daimyo. Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi really doesn't want to create conflict with the Daimyo.

As the two engaged in a silent battle of words, all the students below, under Iruka's command, had gathered in the center of the training field. Iruka, holding a roster, began randomly calling out names for one-on-one physical combat practice.

"First match: Choji Akimichi vs. Kiba Inuzuka!"

As Iruka's voice faded, Choji Akimichi, carrying potato chips, and Kiba Inuzuka, with a white ninja dog on his head, walked into the center of the arena.

The two raised their hands, facing each other, with their index and middle fingers extended and crossed.

This is the seal of opposition.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding classmates immediately cheered and egged them on.

"Teeth! Keep it up!"

"Choji, don't lose to that guy!" Yamanaka Ino shouted.

Soon, Choji seized an opening and delivered a clean, close-quarters tackle, knocking Kiba Inuzuka down. He then lightly chopped Kiba in the back of the neck with a hand chop, thus ending the fight.

Choji Akimichi reached out and pulled Kiba Inuzuka, who was baring his teeth, to his feet. The two faced each other and combined their opposing seals to form a reconciliation seal.

"The winner is Choji Akimichi!" Iruka announced. "The second match is between Shikamaru Nara and Shino Aburame..."

Up in the teaching building, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kazuma's conversation was temporarily interrupted by the physical combat match below. The atmosphere eased slightly as they watched the fight.

One battle after another took place. The students' skill levels varied, and they didn't use ninjutsu much, mostly just the Three Body Techniques. But the overall atmosphere was quite good.

During this process, when Kazuma pointed to some ordinary students on the field and asked them questions, Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude became much more cooperative. He stopped being vague and patiently introduced them one by one.

"That child is..."

"His name is... his family is..."

"Yes, that child has a solid foundation and a good temperament."

Seeing that Kazuma seemed to have turned his attention to other students who were performing well on the training field, Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as this daimyo envoy stops obsessing over Naruto and those children with bloodline limits, he can't wait for the other party to finish selecting people and return as soon as possible.

This relatively "harmonious" observation lasted for some time.

"Group Six: Hinata Hyuga vs. Sasuke Uchiha..."

Upon hearing the surname "Hyuga," Kazuma's gaze turned to the center of the field, where he saw the pale-faced, expressionless Byakugan girl slowly walking into the field.

The girl's forehead was smooth and there was no "Caged Bird" curse mark.

Kazuma slightly turned his head to look at Hinata Kumokawa, who had been standing beside him, and asked, "Clan Chief Kumokawa, is that child a member of the main family?"

"Yes."

Hinata's gaze also fell on Hinata. He nodded slightly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible sigh: "She is Lord Hiashi's eldest daughter, the eldest daughter of the main family."

"So she's the eldest daughter of the former Hyuga clan leader?"

Upon hearing this, Kazuma's face showed a perfectly measured expression of regret and sympathy, and he sighed, "I never imagined that someone so young would suffer such a tragedy. It's truly heartbreaking..."

However, his words were not finished yet.

Bang! !

A powerful, muffled bang suddenly exploded from the center of the training field below!

Everyone on the second floor was startled and instantly focused their attention on that direction!
Smoke and dust filled the center of the arena, and a chakra fluctuation accompanied by a faint flame emanated from it!

"what happened?"

"what happened?"

Koharu and the others in the dormitory suddenly changed their expressions, subconsciously taking half a step forward and nervously watching what was below.

But soon, the smoke and dust dissipated, revealing the scene inside.

In the center of the arena, Hinata Hyuga's eyes were surrounded by bulging veins, giving her pale face an almost ferocious twist.

Chakra fluctuations still lingered in front of her palm, which was clearly the source of the explosion!

Standing opposite her was Sasuke Uchiha, his brows furrowed, his Sharingan activated, the three tomoe slowly rotating.

But what was most shocking was the third figure that appeared in the arena.

——Uzumaki Naruto.

Behind him, two solid golden chains extended out, one tightly binding Hinata Hyuga's waist, and the other binding Sasuke Uchiha's arm.

The powerful force pulled the two back a distance, away from the dangerous center of the explosion!

"..."

The second-floor corridor was deathly silent.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the two slowly swaying golden chains behind Naruto Uzumaki, their expressions varied.

Just then, a cold voice broke the suffocating silence.

"Lord Hokage..."

Kazuma's smile had completely vanished. He slowly turned his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight at the stiff-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi beside him.

"May I ask, when will the Sarutobi clan be able to learn the Adamantine Sealing Technique, which belongs to the Uzumaki clan?"

(End of this chapter)