Danzo's Plan

"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet."

Naruto rapidly formed hand seals before his chest, then fired several Vacuum Bullets in succession at the boulder ten meters ahead.

The instant the jutsu was unleashed, Naruto charged toward the boulder as well. At the same time, a blue-and-white Chakra sphere rapidly spun into existence in his hand. As it rotated, the air around it suddenly began to churn, blowing away scattered rocks and dead leaves and kicking up clouds of dust.

"Wind Release: Rasengan!"

This was a Rasengan infused with Naruto's wind-nature Chakra. Though it could not be thrown like the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, replacing its neutral Chakra with wind-nature Chakra greatly enhanced the jutsu's cutting power and destructive force.

In the blink of an eye, the Vacuum Bullets struck the marks Naruto had made on the boulder beforehand, blasting several head-sized craters into it.

The very instant the Vacuum Bullets hit, Naruto had already rushed in front of the boulder and slammed the wind-nature Rasengan in his hand into its center.

"Boom!"

The Rasengan instantly exploded, countless streams of wind-nature Chakra surging and scattering wildly outward. A spherical area two meters in diameter was engulfed by the wind-nature Chakra, catching Naruto himself within it as well. Thick dust clouds rose up, obscuring everything inside.

When the dust finally settled, all that remained was an empty spherical area two meters across. Naruto, who had been blasted apart, vanished from the spot in a puff of white smoke with a "bang."

It was only a Shadow Clone.

"Bang!"

A sudden rumble of breaking earth rang out. From beneath the hemispherical crater, a blond figure abruptly emerged, swinging a fist reinforced by layers upon layers of Chakra straight at the boulder.

"Boom!"

With a tremendous roar, the boulder, once as massive as a mountain, cracked apart from the point of Naruto's fist. Spiderweb-like fissures spread across its surface before it finally exploded with a crash, turning into a rain of rubble.

After a year and a half of training, his cultivation here was nearing its end. Sarutobi Hiruzen had already told him that arrangements had been made for him to attend the Ninja Academy. Although he had no real need to go there anymore, it seemed Sarutobi Hiruzen still hoped he would study the Will of Fire there.

Elsewhere, inside the Hokage Building.

Konoha's F4 watched Naruto train through Sarutobi Hiruzen's Telescope Technique and collectively sucked in a breath of cold air.

All four felt as though the atmosphere in the Hokage's office had grown several degrees hotter.

"The Jinchuriki now possesses strength roughly on par with an elite Chunin."

Utatane Koharu, the only woman among the F4, spoke with a grave expression.

At that moment, the bespectacled old man with spiky hair beside her, Mitokado Homura, asked in a low voice, "Hiruzen, if the Jinchuriki trains so freely, is there no risk of him losing control?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe and said confidently, "Don't worry, Homura. I inspect Naruto's seal regularly. All I can say is that Minato's seal is exceptionally good. The Nine-Tails shows no sign whatsoever of breaking free."

The Nine-Tails, meanwhile, found it rather pleasant to lie back and watch a show from time to time.

"Then there's no need for the Jinchuriki to attend the Ninja Academy, is there?" One-Eyed Danzo, who had remained silent for a long time, finally spoke.

His gaze burned intensely, an eerie glint flashing in his cloudy lone eye as he stared fixedly at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who believed he knew Danzo's personality quite well, felt his scalp tingle under that stare.

"With the Jinchuriki's current strength, attending the Ninja Academy would be a complete waste of time."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. He could guess what Danzo wanted to say without even thinking, but to make this meeting of four seem fair, he still chose to respect Danzo's opinion.

"Then do you have a better idea, Danzo?"

The corners of Danzo's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a smile of triumph. Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat when he saw it. He wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.

"It seems Naruto possesses exceptional talent in Wind Release. He understood Chakra nature transformation in a single day. In just a few months, he not only mastered Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet, but also integrated wind-nature Chakra into the Rasengan. Even Minato Namikaze could not accomplish that back then."

Shimura Danzō paused here and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened. He could not see through Shimura Danzō's intentions. In the past, Danzo would have demanded the Nine Tails Jinchuriki at times like this, wanting Root to train him. Yet today, he had unprecedentedly praised Naruto and even displayed a sense of closeness toward the Jinchuriki.

Could someone be impersonating him?

Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen's anxiety, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura watched with considerable interest.

"All of you should know very well that in Konoha today, this old man's Wind Release ninjutsu is second to none. If Naruto were personally taught by me, then even without the Nine-Tails, Konoha would soon gain a fighting force no weaker than the four of us."

Danzo's aged, hoarse voice grew louder and louder. In the end, he rose directly from his seat and looked down at Sarutobi Hiruzen, enunciating each word.

"This old man wishes to take Uzumaki Naruto as his disciple."

Shimura Danzō looked down at Sarutobi Hiruzen's sour face hidden in the shadows, and for once, he felt as though he had finally won against him.

As for taking the Jinchuriki as his disciple, that was merely a method Shimura Danzō had devised to obtain the Jinchuriki. And this method had been inspired by that old bastard Hiruzen himself.

After all, Uzumaki Naruto possessed extraordinary Wind Release talent, and Danzo dared to guarantee that no one in all of Konoha could surpass him in Wind Release ninjutsu. This gave him a perfect opportunity to take the Jinchuriki as his disciple.

Furthermore, with the excuse of quickly adding another Kage-level combatant to the village, no matter how displeased Sarutobi Hiruzen was, he could not reject him outright. After all, this was a way to rapidly strengthen the village.

He glanced at Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura again. Those two were merely indecisive fools, nothing worth worrying about.

His opponent had always been Hiruzen alone.

"Danzo, I already told you that Naruto will never be handed over to your Root." Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of white smoke. His aged face remained hidden in shadow, and though his expression could not be seen, his low voice suppressed a towering rage.

"Hiruzen!" Shimura Danzō suddenly shouted. Light actually flashed in that lone eye, usually so dim, and for a moment, all three of the others were stunned.

"This old man is Konoha's Hokage advisor!"

Does this man want to step into the sunlight now as well?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was unreadable. He glanced at the other two advisors, only to find them once again pretending to be oblivious while holding their teacups.

He had never expected to see the day when Shimura Danzō would pressure him like this. But did Danzo think he could control him just by relying on his so-called righteousness? He was the Hokage.

"You may teach Naruto your ninjutsu, but you cannot become his teacher."

"Why?" Danzo demanded on the spot, urgency clear in his tone. He had not expected Hiruzen to refuse even after he had said this much.

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his eyes and looked at Danzo. "Because you are the Darkness of the Shinobi World, Konoha's Root, and the leader of Root!"

"What do you mean?"

"Naruto needs a clean political background." Sarutobi Hiruzen swept his gaze across the three confused people before continuing, "Because I want Naruto to become the next Hokage."

He was making Shimura Danzō clearly recognize his own position.

Yet when the other three heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's answer, their eyes widened in unison.

Just how long do you intend to remain Hokage?

All three found it hard to believe, especially Danzo. His exposed eye nearly popped out of its socket.

"Hiruzen, you actually want the Jinchuriki to become Hokage?"

"Why not? Kirigakure's current Mizukage is the Three-Tails Jinchuriki." Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke calmly, as though this matter was nothing noteworthy.

"Konoha has never had a Jinchuriki become Hokage!" Shimura Danzō glared as though he wanted to devour someone alive, gritting his teeth as he spoke. Would Sarutobi Hiruzen rather hand the position of Hokage to a Jinchuriki than give him a chance?

"Now it has."

"You!"

"Hiruzen, I have no objection to letting the Jinchuriki become Hokage, but the Jinchuriki's reputation in the village..."

"Yes, Hiruzen. After all, we still don't know the Jinchuriki's attitude toward the village, and besides..."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura could not help speaking up as well. After all, having a Jinchuriki become Hokage would indeed be difficult for Konoha to accept.

This time, Sarutobi Hiruzen's lips curled up slightly. He said solemnly to the three of them, "I can guarantee that Naruto's Will of Fire is incomparably pure. At the same time, I firmly believe that he will earn the recognition of everyone in the village and become the next Hokage."

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's resolute expression, Shimura Danzō could no longer bring up taking Naruto as his disciple. He had not expected the method he had spent so long devising to be so easily dismantled by this man.

He had never imagined that his status as Root's leader, which he had always regarded as his foundation, would ultimately become his greatest shackle. There was no opportunity left now.

At least, not in the short term.

Since that was the case...

"Then let us test the Jinchuriki again."