Konohamaru Sarutobi

A little runt appeared in the doorway, pointed at Tsunade, and uttered something astonishing.

In an instant, two Anbu appeared behind Konohamaru. At a single order from Tsunade, the brat would be sent to Leaf Village Prison.

At the very least, he could be charged with spying on the Hokage's secrets.

"Who are you?" Tsunade looked at Konohamaru. Having only returned a few days ago, she genuinely did not know this child. And judging by how familiar he was with the place, he was definitely not from an ordinary family.

"I'm Konohamaru, Hidden Leaf Village's future Hokage! Today, I'm challenging you, Hokage. The Hokage's seat belongs to my grandpa. What right do you have to sit there?"

Huh, wasn't this the little pervert who followed Naruto around?

Konohamaru... That old geezer Hiruzen's intentions are truly damnable. He made his own son, Asuma, the teacher of Ino-Shika-Cho, and named his grandson Konohamaru. Was he trying to turn the Hokage position into the Sarutobi Clan's private property?

Not even the First or Second Hokage did something like this. Hiruzen was really something else.

Tsunade's face instantly darkened.

She truly had not considered so much just now.

But now that she thought about it, there were far too many implications involved—enough to make even her, the Fifth Hokage, wary.

"Konohamaru, right? At your age, you should be attending the Ninja Academy, shouldn't you?" Tsunade rested her chin on her hand and looked at Konohamaru curiously. "Why do you have time to come here?"

Someone who was not even a Genin had managed to enter the Hokage Building. Tsunade felt rather displeased.

Was this a place people could just casually walk into?

It would have been one thing if he were a ninja, but this was someone who was not even a ninja and still dared to come here. These people were simply showing her no respect.

"My teacher is Ebisu. I don't want to go to the Ninja Academy!" As a child with his own personal teacher, Konohamaru had no desire to play around at school with those other children!

That would lower the standards of a future Hokage like him.

Tsunade smiled at Konohamaru. "That won't do! Every Hokage has to come from the Ninja Academy. You need to understand the meaning of being Hokage there, and understand the bonds between comrades."

"I don't want to! I'm challenging you today!" Konohamaru raised a hand and shouted.

Tsunade was so angry that she laughed.

A little brat was challenging Tsunade of the Sannin, the Fifth Hokage? What a complete joke.

Who did he think he was, Hikari?

For some reason, that thought surfaced in her mind. Tsunade glanced at Hikari, who was slacking off, then said, "Arrange a Ninja Academy class for Konohamaru according to his age. He is the Third Hokage's grandson, after all. He cannot be separated from his peers."

The Anbu bowed, then grabbed Konohamaru and left the Hokage Building.

Once he was gone, Tsunade's expression turned much colder.

"Who was on duty here today? Someone who is not even a Genin was able to enter the Hokage's Office directly. If we had not been here, would the Scroll of Seals have been free for anyone to steal as well?"

She had actually hit the mark.

Under old Hiruzen's manipulation, that brat Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Seals once already.

Tsunade's face darkened even further.

The Scroll of Seals was Hidden Leaf Village's most precious repository of knowledge. Not only did it contain many valuable forbidden techniques, it also held all kinds of inherited ninjutsu. It could be called a complete encyclopedia of ninjutsu. For such a scroll to be stolen by a Genin—what a colossal joke.

"Go summon Ebisu. I have arrangements for him!"

The other Anbu left as well. At that moment, he could only silently mourn for his captain.

Back when Hiruzen was the Third Hokage, Konohamaru had been his most treasured grandson. Naturally, no one had dared say anything when he came and went from the Hokage Building.

Now the Fifth Hokage was in power, yet their captain had failed to keep that brat under control. Heh, the consequences would be interesting.

Less than a minute later, an Anbu knelt on one knee before Tsunade, looking extremely nervous.

"Lord Hokage!"

Tsunade set down the document she had been pretending to read, narrowed her eyes, and examined the Anbu before her.

"From the Sarutobi Clan?"

"No, no!" The Anbu hurriedly denied it and removed his mask.

"Anbu squad captain Sparrowhawk, a civilian ninja!"

Tsunade nodded. "Three months' pay docked. Let this teach you a lesson. From today onward, rules are rules. Someone who is not even a ninja entering the Hokage Building—surely you know what procedures should be followed, right?"

Sparrowhawk hurriedly lowered his head. "This subordinate will never make this mistake again!"

"Dismissed!"

Anyone who could join the Anbu was at least an Elite Chunin. Anyone who became an Anbu squad captain was surely a Special Jonin. A unit captain had to be a Jonin, while the Anbu Captain was certainly an Elite Jonin. That was simply how it had to be.

For a ninja village, Jonin were important resources, while Special Jonin were treasures as well. Some Special Jonin could perform even better than Jonin in their specialized fields.

Tsunade could not punish this squad captain too severely over something involving Konohamaru.

The Anbu carried out missions that could not see the light of day, and most of them did not earn much money. Their salaries were what they depended on to live. Having three months of pay docked at once would be enough to make this squad captain suffer.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Lord Hokage, Ebisu requests an audience!"

After hearing about Konohamaru's punishment, Ebisu, who was waiting outside the door, immediately realized that Hidden Leaf Village had changed. The Hokage now was not Hiruzen Sarutobi, but Tsunade of the Senju Clan.

"Come in!"

At Tsunade's command, Ebisu obediently pushed open the door, entered, and knelt before her.

"I heard you are Konohamaru's private teacher?"

The moment that question came out, cold sweat nearly poured down Ebisu's back.

Now that Konohamaru had been sent to the Ninja Academy, his position as a private tutor was likely finished. More importantly, he needed to recognize where he stood under the current circumstances.

"Lord Hokage, those were all orders from the Third Hokage. This subordinate could only carry them out. Now that Hidden Leaf Village is in the midst of revival, Ebisu is willing to devote his strength to its resurgence!" Ebisu directly pushed the matter onto the Third Hokage. In any case, he was dead, and Tsunade was now in power.

As a ninja of Hidden Leaf Village, he had to know how to adapt.

"Since you put it that way, then choose. Do you want to be a team leader, or teach at the Ninja Academy?" In Tsunade's view, Ebisu no longer had a Jonin's drive. In terms of strength, he might not even be comparable to Special Jonin like Aoba Yamashiro and Genma Shiranui.

"I... will follow Lord Hokage's arrangements!" Ebisu had just been about to say that he chose to be a schoolteacher when he caught sight of Hikari slacking off nearby. His heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he immediately changed his words.

That attitude was not bad.

Tsunade was fairly satisfied with Ebisu's response.

Originally, if Ebisu had dared choose to be a teacher, she had planned to make him undergo a Jonin assessment and strip him of his Jonin rank afterward. Since he was being so tactful now, Tsunade decided not to do that.

"You have spent the past few years teaching children, so your teaching ability should be adequate. Go teach at the Ninja Academy for now. When you are not busy, take on some missions to regain your edge. When students graduate next year, I'll have you serve as a team leader. What do you think?"

Not all team leaders were equal.

But generally speaking, only people acknowledged by the Hokage could become one.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage!" Ebisu let out a breath of relief.

Since Tsunade had said that, she clearly did not intend to blame him anymore.

That was good. Very good.

He had only become Konohamaru's teacher in the first place because he valued the Sarutobi Clan's status. If Konohamaru succeeded in the future, Ebisu could gain some recognition as well.

But Tsunade was clearly displeased with the Sarutobi Clan now. Since he could get away so quickly, why would he feel any attachment?

They were all adult ninja. Talking about feelings was far too cheap.

Even if the Sarutobi Clan was unhappy, there was nothing they could do to criticize him.

He, Ebisu, had been appointed by the Hokage.

In Hidden Leaf Village, the Hokage was supreme.

The Sarutobi Clan had once been impressive because of the Third Hokage. Now that the Third Hokage was dead, what the hell was the Sarutobi Clan worth?

"All right, go report to the Ninja Academy. You are a Jonin, so serving as an ordinary teacher is somewhat beneath your talents."