Young Shisui wore an innocent smile.
"I don't know."
"I only know that no matter what decision you make, big brother, I'll always stand by you!"
Heh...
"You still have no opinions of your own, as always."
"Hehe, thinking is too tiring. Grandma told me a long time ago that I just need to listen to big brother!"
"Keep practicing walking on water. If you can't walk steadily within three days, you can forget about leaving the house after that."
"Ugh~"
Shisui pulled a long face and reluctantly walked toward the pool, taking a step and looking back each time.
He thought to himself.
Itachi is so cute. I want to go find him and play...
--
Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood puffing on his pipe, while Namikaze Minato and Kushina Uzumaki stood before him.
He lowered his head to glance at the report, then looked up again.
"You're saying... you want to leave the village with Minato to carry out a mission?"
Namikaze Minato looked embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.
Kushina forced herself to remain calm, lifting her chin and puffing out her chest. "What! Is that not allowed?"
"I'm telling you, old man, I can control the Nine-Tails very well now!"
"...Don't say it so loudly, Kushina."
Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brows tightly and smiled wryly. "How about this... I'll allow you to move freely within the village?"
"No!"
She turned to Namikaze Minato with a pleading look.
Under normal circumstances, Namikaze Minato would never disobey the Hokage's orders.
Only...
An angry Kushina was still more frightening.
Namikaze Minato pretended not to understand the meaning in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes and patted his chest. "Hokage-sama, I've been diligently training in Sealing Jutsu. I can guarantee Kushina's safety!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long sigh.
He looked at the two of them solemnly.
"Have you ever considered that Kushina is the village's final guarantee of safety? It's precisely because she exists that the other villages don't dare attack Konohagakure directly."
"We might not use the Nine-Tails' power, but the village cannot be without the Nine-Tails."
The two fell silent for a while before Kushina suddenly had a realization.
"That's not right!"
"The other villages clearly only refrain from invading Konohagakure because they're wary of you, old man!"
At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen almost failed to suppress the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Ahem... What you said does have some truth to it, but..."
"There's no 'but'! You're old, old man, so just stay in the village and keep watch. I'm going to carry out missions!"
"I'm going to make a name for myself, too!"
"I'm going to become this village's first female Hokage!"
Whoosh...
Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a plume of smoke and gazed deeply at Kushina.
He recalled the girl who had just arrived in Konohagakure and loudly announced her dream in class.
What he hoped for was that everyone in the village could aim to become Hokage and unite around that goal.
Even if...
Even if Kagami Uchiha had launched a campaign to become Hokage and win people over, he could have accepted that.
But Kagami's attitude toward the villagers clearly showed that he despised the vast majority of them apart from the Uchiha.
We're the ones discriminating against the Uchiha. How could the Uchiha discriminate against us?!
In truth, Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude toward the Uchiha issue was somewhat similar to Fugaku's.
They both leaned toward whichever side the overall situation favored.
In the original space-time, when Namikaze Minato took office and relations with the Uchiha eased, he had been more than happy to see it.
After the Fourth Hokage died, when Danzo secretly moved against the Uchiha, he had simply gone with the flow.
These past few days, Sarutobi Hiruzen had constantly been considering one question.
What should he do if Kagami Uchiha grew up and wanted more than the Hokage's position—if he wanted the Uchiha Clan to stand above Konohagakure?
Even now, Kagami had already given Sarutobi Hiruzen an extremely difficult headache, leaving him with no way to act against him.
Once he truly matured, who could restrain him?
Perhaps...
He looked at the two people before him.
I hope you can form a bond with Kagami...
Sarutobi Hiruzen made a decision that Shimura Danzō and the others would never have agreed to if they were present.
He took a deep breath.
"Once Kagami has recovered from his injuries, the three of you will form a squad to respond to emergencies on various battlefields."
"I'll also arrange for an old friend to accompany you. That's the bottom line."
This would be the final test for Kushina and Kagami...
I truly hope... you won't disappoint me.
"Woohoo! Old man! It's settled, then!"
Kushina thrust her arm into the air and pulled Minato toward the door. "Come on, come on! Let's go supervise that brat Kagami and make sure he recovers quickly. We can't let him do anything strange and extend his leave!"
"Hokage-sama, then we'll take our leave first." Minato gave an embarrassed, apologetic laugh as he was dragged away like an accessory.
Night fell.
After finishing his work, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived at a remote part of the Konohagakure forest.
At a mountain spring, Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to the burbling water and waited quietly.
Before long, a tall, thin ninja with an unremarkable appearance emerged from the forest and dropped to one knee.
"Third Hokage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the man with some sorrow. After remaining silent for a long while, he finally spoke.
"I have a mission for you. I imagine you're the only one who can accomplish it."
"No matter how dangerous the mission is, I won't hesitate!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a soft sigh. "Don't take your own life so lightly, Kosuke."
"Namikaze Minato, Kushina Uzumaki, and Kagami Uchiha. I've agreed to have them form a three-man squad."
"Minato and Kagami are Jiraiya's disciples, while Kushina is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
The identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had always been an absolute secret in Konohagakure, yet the Third Hokage spoke of it to this man as casually as if they were chatting.
Maruboshi Kosuke was a man recognized by both the Second Hokage and the Third Hokage, possessing an intense Will of Fire that drove him to devote everything to Konohagakure.
When Kosuke was young, he had been eager for quick success during a mission. His reckless orders had led to the deaths of two comrades.
Because of that, he had sworn to Second Hokage Senju Tobirama that he would remain a Genin forever.
Despite possessing strength far beyond that of an ordinary Jonin, he was still an unknown Genin to this day.
"I hope you'll join this squad and guide them properly... especially that child named Kagami Uchiha."
Kosuke listened attentively. When Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, he spoke. "He's Senior Kagami's grandson, right? I've heard some rumors about him recently."
"He's quite an extraordinary child."
"Yes... he truly is extraordinary." Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed into the distance at the countless lights of Konohagakure.
"Kosuke, that child has a rift with the village. I hope you can serve as a bridge and connect him with the village."
"If he can be like Kagami... then even after I die, I'll be able to meet First Hokage and Second Hokage in peace."
"I'll do my best, Third Hokage."
Before you continue