Meeting of the Elders

After the subsequent sparring match, Haru immediately sent an invitation to all the Uzumaki elders to gather at the Whispering Grotto. 

In the heart of the Uzumaki clan, beneath the shade of an ancient cherry blossom tree, a secluded chamber awaited the meeting of the elders to commence.

The Whispering Grotto held profound importance to the Uzumaki clan as it was the place where important clan affairs were discussed. It had been chosen as the clan's meeting spot for centuries due to its special properties.

The most important was that the grotto seemed to distort sound waves, making it sound as if the only thing in the cave was the nearby water moving along the creek. Even if you were to scream an outsider wouldn't be able to hear it. 

The second is that the grotto is believed to keep the spirits of past clan leaders and revered ancestors within its walls, offering guidance, protection, and blessings to their descendants during meetings and discussions.

Upon entering the cave through the obscured entrance covered by foliage and vines, one would be met with a chorus of whispers. The interior was very dark, the walls covered with bioluminescent moss that provided minimal illumination. Seals were carved into the walls, mostly secrecy and sound suppression seals, with a few trap seals sprinkled in for good measure, just in case an outsider happened to stumble upon this place.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the clan elders slowly made their way into the secret meeting place over the next few minutes. Each one exchanged nods of acknowledgment, their eyes solemn as if carrying the weight of the clan on their backs.

Sitting at the table and chairs, all the elders looked towards the head where they could see their leader, Haru, seated. Haru was staring back at all the elders with a look of stoicism and anticipation.

"I'm glad you could all make it at this time," the clan head, Haru, said, his voice resonating throughout the cave.

Each clan elder looked at him with questioning gazes, a spark of intrigue evident. This prompted the second elder, Hiashi, to speak up.

"Clan head Haru, you usually don't call meetings very often. Something serious must have happened to make you call for us now?"

"It's about my son," Haru responded.

The elders glanced thoughtfully at each other before Hiashi asked, "What about little Shiran? What happened to him?"

Haru smiled internally at the unspoken concern they showed for his firstborn.

"Nothing bad happened to him, I assure you. On the contrary, it's something he did and has been doing that has made me think deeply about his future path."

The elders nodded in understanding, with a hint of confusion.

"As you know, I gave Shiran an accelerated physical training program instead of our clan's normal one. One part of the reason behind that was that he outperformed my expectations on the first day I took him out to train. The other part was to see what level he could reach by the time he got to the academy."

Hiashi and the other elders nodded, still looking at the clan head intently.

"So, what you're saying is he made extraordinary progress in the one year that you gave him that plan," the first elder, Fuji, spoke up.

Haru, who had been stoic up to this point, let an almost imperceptible smile creep onto his face.

"Exactly. Shiran came to me wanting to test his newfound strength in a spar, where he could really let loose, and wanted my opinion on it as well. Naturally, I said yes because I too was curious about his abilities to this point."

Haru recounted the events that took place just a couple of days prior. By the end of it, all the elders were left in a stunned state.

"How can just a three-year-old kid have almost genin-level strength? We have to get him on a specialized training plan that takes advantage of his growth while we still can, especially his speed. If what he said was true, then we could be looking at one of the fastest Uzumaki we've seen in quite some time," Hiashi said, his thoughts barely audible but heard clearly by everyone in the grotto due to the stillness of the atmosphere.

Haru thought for a second and nodded in agreement.

"That's what I've been thinking, Hiashi. But not yet. He is still a kid; we should let him make a couple more friends and unlock his chakra before we really start molding him into the S-Rank threat that we can all potentially see."

Hiashi squinted his eyes for a second before he nodded in agreement.

"Once he turns four and unlocks his chakra, we should start to specialize his training. I would probably put more focus on his speed and chakra development, especially if he ends up with Kumiko's kekkei genkai."

Hideki, the third elder, nodded in agreement with Hiashi.

"I agree. Although we don't know if he'll end up with the Adamantine Sealing Chains yet, we should start to think about getting him started with one of our taijutsu techniques. I suggest the Blitzchain Style over any other. Hearing the speed he possesses at this age makes him as good a candidate for this style as anyone else."

Haru could be seen agreeing with these suggestions, as he too was contemplating the possible paths for his son.

After deliberating for a couple of minutes, Haru cleared his throat.

"I think it's best if we let Shiran choose a fighting style that he wants to use. If he wants to fight a certain way, it should make him work harder than if he were forced into a box of our choosing."

The first elder was about to make a retort when Haru spoke again.

"However, I will try to push him a little towards the direction that his talents seem to currently lie."

"I think that's a good idea," Fuji agreed.

"Good, it's decided then. I will continue to keep an eye on Shiran's training, and once we unlock his chakra, we will start to specialize his training. Until then, I want my son's abilities to be an S-class clan secret."

The elders all nodded their heads and stood up to leave.