Under their puzzled gazes, he spoke, "Ino, I need to ask you something."
"What does Dad want to ask?", Ino had a well-behaved and understanding look on her face.
"What do you think of Shirakumo Aoba?", Yamanaka Inoichi decided to directly ask his daughter.
Hearing the name Shirakumo Aoba, Ino's eyes immediately lit up.
"Aoba is, of course, a super, super good person! Not only is he handsome and sunny, but he's also very gentle, his cooking is delicious, and his storytelling is incredibly captivating. Speaking of storytelling…"
"Stop! Stop!", Yamanaka Inoichi, with black lines all over his face, quickly stopped Ino from continuing.
This wasn't what he wanted to ask. He wanted to know about Shirakumo Aoba's talent, but after all that talking, all she mentioned were these things.
Looking at Ino, who had returned to her obedient demeanor, he couldn't help but rub his forehead. His daughter was good in every way, except for being a bit of a fangirl.
"Ino, what I want to ask is, how is Shirakumo Aoba's talent in ninjutsu?"
"Eh, you mean that? I don't know."
The black lines on Yamanaka Inoichi's face deepened.
Then, Ino gave him a vague answer.
"Well, there was a time when Sakura and I were being bullied, and Aoba single-handedly took down a group of boys who were even bigger than him."
"At that moment, Aoba was just too cool! Wuwuwu!", As she spoke, Ino covered her face in embarrassment and started rolling around on the sofa.
Looking at his daughter, who was once again fangirling, Yamanaka Inoichi couldn't help but sigh.
Still, he now had a rough understanding of Shirakumo Aoba's talent.
At four years old, he could take down a group of older kids, which meant he had already grasped chakra at that age.
And by now, he had probably reached the level of a Genin. That was indeed quite an impressive talent.
'I'll talk to Shikaku about it tomorrow,' Yamanaka Inoichi silently made up his mind.
Since the passing of Minato Namikaze, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's position in Konoha had become somewhat delicate.
"Dad, let me tell you something! Aoba told an incredibly interesting story today," While Yamanaka Inoichi was still lost in thought, Ino suddenly popped up in front of him, her face full of excitement.
He chuckled and said, "Then why don't you tell us what kind of story it was?"
"It was about Lord Hokage and Elder Danzo! Apparently, they…"
Ino enthusiastically recounted Shirakumo Aoba's story.
By the time Yamanaka Inoichi and his wife, Yamanaka Rino, finished listening, their expressions had completely changed.
The couple exchanged glances, both seeing something unusual in each other's eyes.
"Ino… Aoba told you this story?"
"Yeah! The relationship between Lord Hokage and Elder Danzo is so dramatic and touching."
"…"
The couple was left speechless once again.
But in their hearts, they felt that the story somehow made sense.
'I should mention this to Shikaku and the others tomorrow…'
———
A similar scene was unfolding in the homes of both Tenten and Sakura.
———
"You're saying this is all true?", Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just been struggling with the revelation that his lifelong friend, Danzo Shimura, might have harbored "special" feelings for him, was now shocked by another piece of information.
The Anbu ninja in front of him gave a factual report, "This was personally stated by Shirakumo Hayame, and he did not speak in private. Anyone paying attention could have heard it."
Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression gradually darkened as he fell into deep thought.
Kakashi was once the most famous genius of Konoha. He graduated early from the Academy in just one year and showcased his brilliance on the battlefield.
As a disciple of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, he should have been a strong contender for the next Hokage position.
But that was only if things followed the natural course.
Right now, Kakashi's mindset alone made him unfit for the Hokage position, let alone his strength.
If Shirakumo Aoba truly possessed such talent, combined with his civilian background, then he indeed had potential for grooming.
In Konoha, strength and fame alone were not enough to become Hokage. The role also required balancing the interests of the village's many ninja clans.
Currently, Konoha housed numerous bloodline clans, secret technique clans, and various smaller ninja families.
If a Hokage could not properly balance these interests, then any change in leadership would inevitably cause internal unrest in the village.
Just like during the selection of the Fourth Hokage. At that time, in terms of fame and strength, the young Namikaze Minato couldn't compare to any of the legendary Sannin.
Yet, he still became the Fourth Hokage because most of the village's ninja clans supported his appointment.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had already begun assisting Minato from the start of the war.
At the same time, the Uchiha clan was quite supportive of Minato's Hokage candidacy.
As for the Hyuga clan, they didn't particularly care who became Hokage.
Coupled with Minato's personality, outstanding talent, and strength, he was an ideal choice for the position.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had already ordered an investigation into Shirakumo Aoba over the past few days.
The neighborhood's evaluation of him was that he was a kind and helpful boy who would lend a hand to anyone in need.
His personality was somewhat similar to Minato's, though he had a slightly more forceful way of handling things.
If he truly had great talent, he might be worth cultivating as a future Hokage candidate.
However, his current status was somewhat lacking.
"If only he had a talent for medical ninjutsu…"
———
[Medical Ninjutsu Talent MAX] ×1
[Small Chakra Boost] ×8
[Explosive Tags] ×4
[Shuriken] ×51
[Kunai] ×36
[Current Draw Count: 189]
[21 draws until guaranteed SR, 111 draws until guaranteed SSR, 811 draws until guaranteed UR]
Inside his bedroom, Shirakumo Aoba stared at his newly drawn rewards, his eyelids twitching.
A feeling of frustration built up in his chest. He wanted to vent, but he couldn't find a proper outlet.
All he could do was take deep breaths repeatedly, forcing himself to calm down.
It felt like he was heading straight for the worst possible outcome.
'Well, it's just an unexpected windfall. No need to be angry, no need to be angry.'
'Besides, this Medical Ninjutsu Talent isn't limited to just healing techniques. My chakra control has now reached a top-tier level.'
'Who says this was a bad draw? This reward is actually amazing.'
Shirakumo Aoba successfully hypnotized himself in his mind.
Now, he truly believed this was a great reward.
At the very least, after closely examining it, he realized that with [Medical Ninjutsu Talent MAX], he could not only master medical ninjutsu but also quickly grasp most basic ninjutsu.
As for how he got this latest draw…
It all started with his recent sparring session with Uzuki Yugao in the courtyard.
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