Time flew by, and soon it was noon on the day of the assessments.
Arthur, who had been looking forward to this for a long time, was already fully geared up. After a brief final adjustment, he stepped out the door.
After two more days of training, Arthur's Taijutsu had improved even further, bringing him one step closer to the level of an Elite Chunin. At this rate, reaching Jonin wouldn't be too far off either.
Ever since his Taijutsu had reached the Chunin level, his physical body had grown significantly stronger. The journey from his home to the Konoha Square wasn't short; back when he was an Elite Genin, it used to take him about half an hour of running at full speed to get there. But now, he could make the trip in just a little over twenty minutes, and still have energy to spare.
By the time Arthur arrived at the square, quite a few people were already there, a mix of prominent clan members and commoners. There were also substantial contingents from both the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan. Given that those two great clans were taking on apprentices with great fanfare, it was only natural for so many of their members to be present.
"Lily!" Before Arthur could let his mind wander any further, an excited male voice rang out from not far away, growing closer by the second.
Hearing the voice, Arthur turned around. His pretty face instantly darkened, and though he wanted to fly into a rage, he restrained himself for the sake of his image among his peers, saying coldly, "Young Patriarch Sarutobi, please do not call me that. We are not nearly that familiar."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was momentarily stunned, but a sunny, handsome smile he believed in flashed right back onto his face.
"Got it, Lily! No problem, Lily!"
His old man had taught him that chasing girls required thick skin and persistence. That was how he had bagged his own mother!
Arthur took a deep breath, his fair fists clenching and unclenching, clenching and unclenching, as he chanted silently in his head:
*This guy is the future Third Hokage, I can't afford to offend him... This guy is the future Third Hokage, I can't afford to offend him...*
After silently repeating it ten times, the anger in Arthur's heart finally began to subside. But when he glanced back at that perverted monkey who harbored designs on him, the fury that had just been extinguished showed signs of flaring up again. Terrified, Arthur quickly averted his gaze and looked elsewhere, unwilling to let the sight ruin his mood.
Yet in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, Arthur's expression looked nothing less than that of a shy little maiden, utterly smitten by his handsomeness, terrified that taking another look would cause her to fall too deeply to turn back!
At this thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help proudly rubbing his nose. *My charm is just off the charts.*
Still, if Lily loved him this much, why hadn't she confessed yet? It wasn't like he would turn her down.
"Hiruzen!" A shout pulled Sarutobi Hiruzen back to reality. He looked up and beamed with delight—it was his good buddy, Danzou.
"Danzou!" Sarutobi Hiruzen beamed at Danzou, who gave a silent nod as he walked over and stood beside him, casting a wary look at Arthur.
Danzou would never forget that day when this five-year-old girl had beaten him into utter submission using nothing more than a wooden stick.
Especially that final technique she called "Invisible Air Hammer," which had nailed him firmly to the pillar of shame. If his family hadn't stepped in, the news of him—Danzou—being beaten like a dog by a girl three years his junior would have spread across the entire village.
And that "Invisible Air Hammer"... his father had never heard of it either... Which meant... did she invent it herself?
Feeling creeped out by Danzou's stare, Arthur glanced back at him, then dismissively withdrew his gaze.
*This guy is making trouble for me on behalf of that perverted monkey—his motives aren't pure... Could he be a genuine bent-guy?*
At this thought, Arthur felt a slight chill run down his spine, and ultimately stepped back two paces in sheer disgust.
However, translated through Sarutobi Hiruzen's skewed perspective, it looked entirely different. The way Arthur pitifully stole glances at Danzou like a wounded little beast, trembling with fear as if recalling something terrifying, and finally taking a helpless step backward—all of it pointed to an undeniable, rock-solid fact in Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind!
*...So that's how it is... No wonder Arthur wouldn't confess to me! It was all because of you, you bastard Danzou!*
He had known that Danzou went to find Arthur, but he had found out far too late, so he could only send people to investigate afterward. The final intelligence he gathered was that Danzou had gotten beaten up by Arthur.
At the time, he hadn't believed it. He had sparred with both Danzou and Arthur, and in his view, Danzou's strength truly fell short of Arthur's, but saving his own skin shouldn't have been an issue.
Now that he thought about it, Danzou must have brought backup! Of course, why hadn't he thought of it sooner? Someone as cautious as Danzou would have long since heard about his own battle with Arthur. Knowing he couldn't win, there was no way Danzou would be stupid enough to go alone!
Danzou must have rounded up people to beat Arthur up! So many people! So many heavy slaps to the face! Just how much psychological trauma must that have inflicted on a five-year-old child?!
"Danzou!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned dead serious as he fought to suppress the rage about to erupt within him, slamming both hands hard against Danzou's shoulders.
"What on earth did you do to Lily that day?!"
Danzou, still on high alert against Arthur, replied: "......??"
*What did I do to her...? What could I possibly do to her? Beg on my knees for her not to kill me?!*
Arthur, utterly bewildered: "......?"
*Who did what to whom? This weakling did what to me?*
Everyone else present wide-eyed in shock.
Senju Hashirama, who had just appeared and wanted to preach about the Will of Fire speech he hadn't finished drafting yet: "???"
Senju Tobirama, the true decision-maker of the Senju clan who was lagging just a step behind Senju Hashirama: "..."
*Didn't they say that day it was the Shimura kid who got beaten up by Lily?*
Meanwhile...
Uchiha Madara, feeling thoroughly emo, was still on his way here riding a horse.