Family Comes First

Not to mention the efforts Danzo had made for the position of Hokage.

In the office, Homura and Koharu did not leave immediately.

Unlike Danzo, who could storm out after giving Hiruzen a hostile look, they were Hokage advisors. They would still need to assist Hiruzen in handling matters in the future, so falling out with him too badly would not benefit them.

After all, the authority they held over other ninja relied on Hiruzen's title as Hokage.

"Sorry, Hiruzen..."

The two sincerely apologized to the Third Hokage, saying that they had spoken too hastily earlier and had not meant to disrespect his position as Hokage.

The Third Hokage waved a hand. "It's fine. You can leave first. I want some quiet."

"Alright. Call us if you need anything."

Homura and Koharu withdrew, leaving the vast Hokage office with only the Third Hokage inside.

"Should I establish Root?"

The Third Hokage pondered inwardly. He had not completely rejected Danzo's proposal. The threat posed by the Uchiha Clan had always existed, and even if Danzo had not raised the matter, he would have made preparations.

But... Danzo's desire to replace him as Hokage had always been blatantly obvious. Hiruzen knew that perfectly well.

The reason Danzo had failed to secure a single high-ranking position after he became Hokage had entirely been Hiruzen's doing.

Why had he not allowed Danzo into Konoha's upper ranks?

Wasn't it because, like the Uchiha Clan, that man was determined to drag him down and become Hokage himself? That was why Hiruzen had never given him a chance to climb higher.

Otherwise, he would not have denied his old friend, who had once lived and died alongside him, a high-ranking position and the benefits that came with his becoming Hokage.

However, after all these years, his position as Hokage had grown increasingly secure. The Third Hokage felt that perhaps he could give Danzo some authority now.

Besides... the things Root would do were destined to bring Danzo no good reputation.

Without everyone's recognition, it would be impossible for Danzo to replace him as Hokage.

Compared to Danzo, the Third Hokage felt that the current and future Uchiha Clan posed a greater threat to his position as Hokage.

With that thought, the Third Hokage made his decision.

"Clan Head, you summoned me."

The Shimura Clan compound lay in the eastern part of the village, near the Sarutobi Clan. Inside the clan's main hall, an Anbu ninja wearing a white mask with wavy stripes knelt on one knee before Danzo.

Danzo was now the head of the Shimura Clan.

Although the Third Hokage had forbidden Danzo from holding a position among Konoha's upper ranks, many Shimura Clan ninja held posts throughout Konoha's various departments. Those ninja had all been personally promoted by the Third Hokage.

Three of them alone served in the Anbu.

Given the Anbu's special nature, a ninja clan would generally only send one person into it. Any more would weaken the Hokage's control over the Anbu.

Konoha at this time was, in essence, still an alliance formed by individual ninja clans.

Konoha ninja bore not only the label of Konoha, but also the label of their clans. And when interests were involved, the clan label mattered more.

Therefore, in order to reduce the influence of Konoha's other ninja clans over the Anbu, there would not normally be more than one ninja from the same clan in its ranks.

Yet the Shimura Clan had three people in the Anbu.

That showed just how much the Third Hokage trusted the Shimura Clan's ninja.

Still, it was understandable. The Shimura Clan and the Sarutobi Clan had been close allies since the Warring States Period, supporting each other all the way to the present. Their bond ran deep.

The clan head of this generation, Danzo, had grown up with the Third Hokage as a close friend. Their relationship was far better than the one between the Third Hokage and Mitokado Homura or Utatane Koharu.

That was why no one stopped Danzo, who was not a Hokage advisor, from entering and leaving the Hokage office freely. Now, he had even summoned a clan ninja serving in the Anbu for questioning.

"Who was the person the Anbu brought back last night?"

The same thought that had occurred to the two Uchiha brats last night had also occurred to many others. Everyone wanted to know why the Hokage had personally escorted someone back to the Anbu headquarters.

Danzo was naturally no exception.

"I don't know. The mission was carried out by the Explosion Squad last night. It was very short, probably less than thirty minutes. Once the prisoner was brought back, they were sent to Interrogation Room 3, where the Explosion Squad was responsible for guarding them. No one else was permitted to interfere or pass information outside. Violators would be treated as rogue ninja."

The Shimura Clan Anbu ninja revealed everything he knew, completely disregarding the Anbu's confidentiality rules.

Or rather, compared to being treated as a rogue ninja by the Hokage, he feared the terrible consequences of disobeying his clan head even more.

After all, being treated as a rogue ninja would only affect him.

But if he disobeyed his clan head, then being treated as a traitor to the clan would affect his entire family of five.

Moreover, he had always been taught that the clan came first.

So he did not feel there was anything wrong with leaking Anbu secrets to his clan head.

That was the relationship between the ninja clans and the larger Konoha family during this era. The clan came first.

"Looks like this person is important."

After hearing the clan ninja's report, Danzo's eyes flickered as he pondered. Having the same squad handle both the capture and the guard duty was meant to prevent others from learning relevant information as much as possible.

Such strict secrecy showed that the person in Interrogation Room 3 possessed a major secret, one Hiruzen desperately wanted.

At that thought, Danzo instinctively wanted to order the clan ninja to investigate the prisoner in Interrogation Room 3.

But in the end, he restrained himself.

Now was not the time to anger the Third Hokage. No matter what secret the person in Interrogation Room 3 possessed, once he formed Root, none of the Anbu's secrets would escape his grasp.

"Go back. Don't deliberately investigate Interrogation Room 3. If you hear any useful information related to it, report back to me."

Danzo waved the clan Anbu ninja away, then turned and headed for his study to continue refining Root's organizational structure.

He had a feeling that Hiruzen would definitely allow him to establish and lead Root.

Hokage office.

The Third Hokage, who was processing official documents, raised his head and glanced at the clock on the wall. There were only a few minutes until the Ninja Academy's first class ended.

"Emi, go to the Ninja Academy..."

The Third Hokage spoke, instructing his secretary, Chiba Emi, to bring over the ninja teacher in charge of Minato's class at the Ninja Academy.

"Yes, Hokage."

Secretary Chiba Emi walked out, her ripe peach-like backside swaying beneath her black-and-purple slit skirt. The Third Hokage's gaze followed the rhythmic movement of those rounded curves.

This was what it meant to be Hokage!

How could I give this up!

The Third Hokage sighed inwardly. Only those who sat in the Hokage's seat knew its joys. He was already deeply immersed in them, and no one could take that happiness from him.

Before long.

The stunningly beautiful Hokage secretary, Chiba Emi, with her curvaceous figure, brought in the ninja teacher from Minato's class.

"Hokage."

The ninja teacher looked excited, his voice even trembling slightly. After casting a heated glance at the Third Hokage, he quickly lowered his head a little, not daring to look directly at the Hokage.

After all, this was the Hokage!

The sight made the Third Hokage smile, secretly pleased with himself.

This was the confidence behind his belief that no matter how arrogant the Uchiha Clan became, they would ultimately be unable to threaten his position as Hokage.

Among Konoha's largest groups, the genin and chunin, his prestige was the greatest. No one could come close to rivaling it.

As long as he had their support, along with that of the major ninja clans, the Uchiha Clan... Hmph. No matter how arrogant they were, they would not dare move against him lightly.

The thoughts passed in an instant. The Third Hokage's eyes were gentle enough to warm hearts as he said, "Kogure, I called you here to inform you of something."

The Hokage actually knew my name!

Kogure was overwhelmed with excitement. He did not even notice what the Third Hokage had said. To an ordinary chunin like him, the Third Hokage was an unreachable dream.

Now, that dream seemed to be descending upon him. How could he not be thrilled beyond measure?

"Kogure." The Third Hokage called out, instantly jolting Kogure awake. He came to his senses, and his face immediately turned red. He had actually lost focus while the Hokage was speaking to him.

Ashamed and anxious, Kogure hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry, Hokage. I lost my composure just now."

"It's alright. Don't be nervous." The Third Hokage smiled and continued, "Kimura Yao may have been unable to bear what happened to his parents last night. Something went wrong with his body, and he has fallen into a vegetative state. The Anbu Medical Team is currently trying to find a solution. He may be unable to return to school for a long time."

Kimura Yao... wasn't he...? The ninja teacher frowned slightly upon hearing that. Wasn't that child perfectly fine yesterday?

The Third Hokage continued, "I want you to explain it to Kimura Yao's classmates. Tell them not to worry too much. As the Hokage of Konoha, I will not abandon any child of Konoha."

"Yes, Hokage. I'll explain everything to them." Though the ninja teacher still had some doubts, he chose to believe words personally spoken by the Hokage.

The Third Hokage had said this because Kimura Yao's disappearance needed a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, it could cause unnecessary rumors later.

Meanwhile.

At the Ninja Academy.

During the second theory class, the ninja teacher explained Kimura Yao's situation according to the Third Hokage's instructions.

The classroom immediately filled with voices expressing concern for Kimura Yao.

Only Minato's heart sank as all kinds of bad suspicions flashed through his mind.

He was anxious, but he did not immediately go to the Third Hokage to ask what had happened.

He waited until school ended that afternoon before rushing straight to the Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage received Minato in the Hokage office.

"Hokage, what happened to Yao?"

Minato went straight to the point and directly asked about his friend.

The Third Hokage's expression darkened briefly before he chose to tell the truth. "I'm sorry, Minato. That child, Kimura Yao, died a week ago. The Kimura Yao you saw yesterday was no longer the original Kimura Yao."

Died... Minato froze completely. Scenes from the past flashed through his mind, all the way up to what had happened yesterday.

"Hokage, may I know who killed Yao?"

After a long silence, Minato finally spoke. When he did, his voice carried intense killing intent. It was the first time he had ever felt such powerful killing intent toward someone.

"The enemy has already been captured."

The Third Hokage said, "I will make the enemy pay with their life. You do not need to focus on this. Studying hard is what you should be thinking about right now."

The Third Hokage had high hopes for Minato. He hoped that Minato would become an outstanding and powerful ninja in the future, and he did not want him to live with thoughts of revenge from such a young age.

"I... I understand, Hokage."

Minato took a deep breath. He was no ordinary person, and he quickly realized that the matter of the enemy was classified information, not something he could access at his current level.

"Then I'll go home first, Hokage."

Minato did not continue the earlier topic. After bidding the Third Hokage farewell, he left for home. He had realized that he was not strong enough. He could not even protect his friend, and he did not want to remain so powerless.