Hiruzen asked, "Will Naruto be moving into your house?"
Fujin shook his head and answered, "No. He just feels that he might make friends more easily with the orphans. If there is no issue on your end, then he will move in only if he gets along well with them and will be living alongside them."
Hiruzen sighed internally, 'He makes a very strong case as usual. How will I come out looking good if I refuse Naruto the opportunity to make friends and get along with the ones who might not discriminate against him?'
Hiruzen asked, "Are you sure it'll be a good idea? Don't forget that Naruto is a Jinchuriki and hosts the Nine Tailed Beast. If he loses control, then the orphans and even you might be at risk."
Fujin raised an eyebrow and said, "If he is going to lose control, then he might as well lose control next to a rank S Fuinjutsu Grandmaster and a bunch of Anbu Trainees instead of in the middle of the city where civilians live."
For a second, Hiruzen was left speechless. He didn't expect to be countered so quickly and without a shred of mercy. Despite the shamelessness running through his veins, even Hiruzen couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Of course, it wasn't visible on his face.
In fact, even Fujin wondered, 'What happened to him today? Is he sick or did he fall on his head in the last 3 days? This is the first time I ever saw him say something so dumb…'
While Fujin loved messing with Hiruzen, it was generally because of how difficult Hiruzen made it to mess with him. As a result, he couldn't help but be surprised by the excuse Hiruzen was trying to use.
Hiruzen faked a cough and said, "Of course. I just wanted you to be aware. Even though Lord Fourth's seal is very secure, we should always take precautions."
Fujin just stared at Hiruzen, making it obvious that Hiruzen's half-assed attempt at covering up what he said wasn't working. Hiruzen added, "That said, while I don't have any issue, Naruto is the village's only Jinchuriki. So his safety is of utmost importance. In addition, other Council Members will need to be informed as well. I will give you the answer a few days later."
Fujin nodded and said, "Well, even though my compounds are on the outskirts of the village, safety shouldn't be a concern as I'll apply seals on the compounds soon. My compounds will become one of the safest places in the village. The Anbu can continue keeping an eye on him from the shadows. If needed, one of the underground bases in the compounds could be used as an Anbu base."
All the Kiri orphans that would be moving into his compounds were Anbu trainees. In addition, a few experienced Anbu would also be staying in his compounds to train those orphans. So it didn't make much of a difference to Fujin if a few more Anbu came in. Besides, even at such a close distance, no one would be able to spy inside his house.
Fujin continued, "As for the other council members, I don't see any reason why anyone would have an issue. Though if they do, just let me know."
Hiruzen was surprised. He asked, "Oh? What will you do?"
Fujin smiled and replied, "Why would I do anything? I'll just ask Naruto to prank their houses. The kid hasn't been pranking much since he graduated. Though..."
Fujin put up a thoughtful face and continued, "I might have to discuss this with Kakashi as Naruto is his student. However, he should agree as this will be a good training for Naruto."
Hiruzen looked at Fujin with a dumbfounded expression. He thought, 'He isn't even planning to hide the fact that he was behind Naruto creating havoc in the village? Not to mention, Naruto has learnt the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu. If he pranks now...'
Hiruzen immediately understood what terror Naruto could cause if he continued with his old ways. Normally, he would have stopped the person who suggested it, but he had a feeling that he would lose if he tried to debate with Fujin.
He said, "Well, that might be a bit extreme. Anyway, don't worry. I don't think anyone will oppose it too much. I'll handle it. I'll see you later tonight."
Fujin nodded and disappeared from the office. As he left the office, a puzzled expression appeared on his face. He muttered to himself, 'What a weird day… Hiruzen says something dumb, Kakashi is somehow already in the training grounds, and his three students are instead the ones sleeping… Did the Sun rise from the West today? Or did I transmigrate into another parallel universe?'
While Fujin was chatting with Hiruzen, his clone had sent him the memories to inform him about the situation with Kakashi's squad. The sudden change had surprised him. He anticipated Kakashi making them wait for 6 hours instead of 3 hours due to being annoyed by them. He never imagined that Kakashi would do the opposite!
Fujin decided, 'Well, whatever. I'll continue constructing the Fuin Battlefield. Unlike the Stealth Battlefield, this will be very complicated. I'll need a few days to just plan the design. The only reference I have is the battlefield Sora created.
And, I'll also need to consider what I should do when making improvements to the Fuin Battlefield in the future. Will I just have to make a new Seal Imprint? Or can I somehow modify the current Seal Imprint?'
Elsewhere, Kakashi looked at his three students, all of whom had passed out at some point during the intense training. Sakura lasted the least with just over 30 minutes. Sasuke lasted for over one and a quarter hours. Naruto lasted 30 minutes more than him.
Kakashi analyzed, 'Weird, I didn't feel anyone looking at me earlier. However, I can feel it now. That said, I still can't find who it is. There is no scent, no chakra signature and it doesn't feel like Lord Hokage's crystal ball either… I will keep an eye on these 3 to check if someone is influencing them.
Anyway, it looks like these 3 need some training to improve their stamina. Sakura's stamina is too low even for a Genin. Sasuke is better but this isn't enough. Naruto is helped by his Uzumaki genes and the Nine Tails sealed inside him. However, for someone who is aided by such factors, his stamina is quite low. This training will be the new normal for them.'
Since the three had slept for enough time, Kakashi woke all of them up. The three Genins were still extremely tired. They quickly drank some water.
Kakashi said in a disappointed tone, "I didn't expect that you three wouldn't be able to last a single training session."
Kakashi shook his head, displaying his disappointment further. Sakura immediately argued, "But Sensei, the training was so intense! How are we supposed to keep doing it for a long time?"
Kakashi stared into her eyes and said, "The fights between ninjas are far more intense. You will burn stamina at a much quicker rate. If you lose your focus for a moment, you'll be dead. Do you think your opponent will stop after half an hour just because you lack stamina?"
Sakura immediately went quiet while a frown appeared on Sasuke's face. He imagined facing Itachi and lacking the stamina to fight him. Naruto said, "But Sensei, I lasted the longest. Shouldn't I be fine?"
Kakashi looked at him and said, "Your main method of fighting is Shadow Clones. In a fight, you'll lose your stamina the quickest. It is even more important for you to improve your stamina."
Kakashi's words shut him up as well. However, it was what he said next that horrified them. Forming his usual eye smile, Kakashi said, "You three couldn't last your early morning training session. I hope you do better in your pre-afternoon training session which begins now."
Sakura immediately complained, "But sensei, we haven't eaten anything."
Naruto added, "Yes Sensei. We can't train on empty stomachs."
Kakashi maintained his eye smile and asked, "Do you think your enemies will give you lunch breaks in the middle of the war? We begin now. Also, if any of you fall asleep this time, I'll be waking you up with the Thousand Years of Death jutsu!"
All three Genins shivered on hearing that threat. None of them wanted to experience that. Not giving them any further break, Kakashi started the next round of training which continued until noon. All three got too tired at some point and couldn't continue the training, but no one dared to pass out and everyone kept a close eye on Kakashi.
At noon, the trio quickly ate the lunches they had packed. Not one second after they were done eating, Kakashi took them to the Hokage's office to accept a mission.
The exhausted kids unwillingly followed Kakashi in their half-dead states. Even Hiruzen was surprised when he saw them. He couldn't help but wonder, 'What did Kakashi do with them? And why are they so on guard?'
"Lord Hokage?"
Hearing Kakashi, Hiruzen said, "Madam Shijimi's cat has escaped again. Your mission is to catch and bring the cat back."
