Naruto: The Shadow Lord of the Nara Clan

Hiruzen Sarutobi first expressed his understanding and appreciation for Shikakage's actions, then smiled and said:

"You're not upset that I eliminated you, are you?"

Lu Ying shook her head indifferently:

"How could that be?"

"Haha, that's good."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's respect for Shikakage grew ever stronger.

If it were someone else, they might feel targeted and develop resentment towards Konoha.

He didn't do this to target Lu Ying.

The wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it.

Lu Ying's outstanding performance is bound to attract the attention of hostile forces.

Therefore, to a certain extent, concealing his light actually protects the deer's shadow.

At the same time, this is also Hiruzen Sarutobi's compensation to the other ninja villages.

Although Shikakage killed several Konoha ninjas during the exam, most of those who died at his hands were ninjas from other villages.

In this Chunin Exam, apart from Konoha, not only did none of the other ninja villages pass the exam, but less than one in ten of their ninjas survived.

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to give them a few Chunin slots to calm their restless emotions.

He stood up, went to Lu Ying, patted him on the shoulder, and explained:

"Don't worry, Konoha won't let you suffer any injustice."

"Your Chunin rank isn't in the exams, it's in the Anbu."

He took out a ninja registration form, which clearly recorded Shikakage's identity as a Chunin in the Anbu.

This was something Hiruzen Sarutobi had prepared long ago; regardless of the outcome of the Chunin Exams, Shikakage's rank would be promoted.

Looking at the login form in her hand, Lu Ying was somewhat surprised.

What surprised him was not the identity itself, but Hiruzen Sarutobi's high regard for him.

It seems that this old man thinks highly of him even more than he thought.

Carefully handing the registration form back, Shikakage first sincerely expressed his gratitude to the Hokage, then looked up and asked:

"Lord Hokage, what do I need to do?"

This is an inquiry into one's career plans within the shadows.

Seeing that Shikakage was so proactive in wanting to do things, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction:

"You have been assigned to the sixth squad of the Anbu, and the captain is Kakashi."

"The sixth squad has already been dispatched on a mission. There's not enough time for you to go now, and their mission is quite important; you lack the experience..."

After a lot of explanation, the gist of it is that Lu Ying is not qualified yet.

At the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone changed, and his expression became somewhat serious:

"However, there is indeed something I need you to do."

"Protect the leader of Takigakure Village and ensure his safe return to the village."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ying couldn't help but start thinking.

The leader of Takigakure Village and Danzo were doing illegal business, but instead of arresting them, Hiruzen Sarutobi was preparing to send people to protect their safety.

Clearly, this illegal transaction is not that simple.

There is a high probability that Hiruzen Sarutobi was also involved.

Then I thought of the sixth squad of the Dark Division, who were on a mission.

Lu Ying had a vague guess in her mind.

—Could this be Hiruzen Sarutobi setting a trap for law enforcement...?

Amidst a multitude of thoughts, only about a breath had passed in reality.

Lu Ying didn't ask further questions about the reasons, but simply bowed her head and replied:

"learn!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly and tapped the desk with his pipe.

"This is your spies uniform and mask. Put them on and begin your mission."

"OK."

Watching the departing figure of the deer, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

The longer he spent with Shikakage, the more satisfied he became with this Nara family child.

He admired her immensely in every aspect, from her conduct and interpersonal skills to her personality, values, and combat prowess.

Even if he can't become Hokage, he will definitely be a pillar of Konoha's future!

—The pillars of the future…

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of a figure on whom he had placed great hopes.

He went to the window, gazing at the fading red sunset with a deep look in his eyes.

In fact, Lu Ying only guessed half of it correctly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed baiting the area.

However, his target was not Shimura Danzo.

It's Orochimaru!

Because Danzo is controllable, while Orochimaru is uncontrollable!

He not only attacked the young Naruto, but also unknowingly infiltrated the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

If Shikakage hadn't noticed the anomaly in time, Hiruzen Sarutobi would still be unaware of Orochimaru's actions.

And this is only what has been exposed. In the unknown darkness, there must be many more of Orochimaru's conspiracies hidden!

Hiruzen Sarutobi has made up his mind to make changes, so this time he wants to make up for his past mistakes.

The Sixth Squad of the Dark Division was the most elite unit under his command.

Even Orochimaru, they will never be at a disadvantage!

……

Shikakage was not interested in what Hiruzen Sarutobi was secretly planning.

Anyway, the one plotting is Danzo, so what does it have to do with him?

What he's thinking about now is how to maximize his benefits from the mission of protecting the leader of Takigakure Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions served as a wake-up call for him.

—How about I dig a hole too?

Lu Ying touched his chin, assessing the possibility of fishing.

Soon, the boy revealed a bright and sunny smile.

……

The Chunin Exams have ended.

The ninjas from the various villages no longer needed to remain in Konoha.

So they all packed their bags and prepared to return to the village.

At the Konoha camp, Sunagakure's Jonin leader, Pakura, glanced at his dejected juniors behind him and spoke in a serious tone:

"Stop dawdling and get to work quickly."

Masaki, who was the first to finish packing and was not discouraged by the deer shadow, followed respectfully behind Yekura, his cute yet earnest almond-shaped eyes filled with admiration.

Yecang is her life's belief!

Therefore, apart from Yoko, no one could shake her resolve, not even the extremely powerful Nara Shikakage.

Touching Masaki's soft hair, a handsome face flashed through Yekura's mind.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked:

"Masaki, what do you think of Nara Shikakage?"

She had great confidence in her apprentice, who was beautiful and had a strict personality, and had many suitors in Sunagakure.

Yekage felt that Shikakage might also have some affection for Masaki.

Otherwise, why would Nara Shikakage help her?

If Yecang could bring his apprentice and that genius together, he felt it would be a great choice for both Shinju and Sunagakure!

Masaki paused, and images of the Death Forest flashed through his mind.

She thought of her own loss of composure in front of Lu Ying.

Suddenly, the crimson of the setting sun spread from her slender neck to her cheeks.

"I……"

Seeing this, Ye Cang was taken aback. She had thought that her serious and proper apprentice would be disgusted by such a thing.

This is why she hesitated, because she knew Masaki's personality all too well.

However, the shy girl in front of her showed that she seemed to be wrong.

With this thought in mind, she felt that perhaps she could try to bring the two of them together.

However, Yekage was completely unaware that Shikakage chose to help Masaki entirely because of her existence...