I Am the Hokage!

The clamor of Ninja Academy graduation day gradually faded, and the setting sun draped the village in a warm glow.

Yet the Hokage's Office remained silent.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was not buried in the mountain of paperwork as usual.

Instead, he stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at Konoha beneath the dusk. Wisps of white smoke rose from the pipe in his hand, blurring his wrinkled yet still sharp eyes.

On the table by the window, the gleaming Crystal Ball was dim and lifeless.

Besides Naruto, there was another figure from today's graduation exam that lingered in his mind.

Tejima Shinichi.

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, his brows drawing together.

"Tejima Shinichi..."

The name rang especially clear in the spacious office.

He lightly tapped his pipe against the window frame, knocking off a little ash.

"Mori Chie's son... Senju Bloodline... What terrifying talent."

He recalled the scattered glimpses he had observed through the Crystal Ball—the strength Tejima Shinichi had displayed far surpassed that of his peers.

From the moment he entered the Ninja Academy, Tejima Shinichi's name had remained above that Uchiha prodigy's, never once wavering.

Whether it was his perfect scores on written exams or his effortless, unfathomable bearing during combat drills.

Every clash with Uchiha Sasuke ended in a crushing victory gained through absolute superiority.

This was not a level an ordinary graduate should possess. He had even surpassed many experienced Genin... perhaps even Chunin.

At the same time, he recalled the assessment report the Anbu had submitted earlier.

The report had described the boy's Chakra reserves as "enormous"...

"At such a young age, he already possesses such immense Chakra... The Senju Clan's constitution truly is extraordinary..." Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze deepened. "Chakra as abundant as his mother's—no, perhaps... even greater."

A genius like this was a treasure wherever he went. But more importantly, how to guide him and how to arrange his future were matters Hiruzen had to weigh carefully.

"Who should I assign him to?" Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered. "Kakashi? No, that won't do. The current Kakashi... he's still..."

He considered every suitable Jonin in the village, trying to find the finest guide and... observer for this unpolished gem.

Just then—

"Bang!"

The door to the Hokage's Office was violently pulled open, producing an abrupt noise.

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced back. Though he could not see who stood behind him... there was only one person in all of Konoha who would dare barge into the Hokage's Office so brazenly!

—Shimura Danzō.

Leaning on his cane, Danzo slowly walked to the center of the office. His lone eye swept over Sarutobi Hiruzen's back before finally settling on the Crystal Ball by the window.

"Hiruzen."

Shimura Danzō's hoarse voice shattered the room's silence.

Sarutobi Hiruzen still did not turn around. He seemed unsurprised by Danzo's arrival, merely taking another draw from his pipe as he looked out at the village.

Anyone with half a brain could guess what his old friend, the former Hokage's advisor, wanted at a time like Ninja Academy graduation!

"For this year's graduates?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stated it rather than asked it.

"Mm." Shimura Danzō walked to his side and looked out the window as well. "The graduation exam. That child from the Teshima Clan. His performance... was remarkable."

He paused, and a glint flashed through his lone eye.

"So I believe I need to do something."

Sarutobi Hiruzen silently watched Danzo, puffing out smoke rings as he waited for him to continue.

"Hiruzen."

Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent, Shimura Danzō turned, his lone eye fixed intently on Hiruzen's profile.

"Hand that child, the Uchiha boy, and... the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki over to Root."

"Cough, cough! Cough—!"

Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen had been mentally prepared, Danzo's outrageous demand made him choke so hard that he forgot to smoke, breaking into a violent fit of coughing.

He whirled around, his face flushed from coughing, but his eyes turned incomparably sharp in an instant.

"Impossible!" he refused decisively. "Danzo, don't even think about it!"

He would never let go of even one of them, yet Danzo had asked for all three—the three most special and important youths of this graduating class!

It was simply wishful thinking!

"Not one of them is possible." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice lowered as he turned back toward the bustling village outside. "They will choose their own paths, under the sunlight."

Seeing that he would not budge, the light in Shimura Danzō's lone eye flickered several times.

He understood his old friend's stubbornness well. Asking for the sky had merely been a way to secure more room for negotiation.

"If not three, then at least one." Danzo persisted. "I must also consider Konoha's future."

Sarutobi Hiruzen finally turned around, his gaze behind the smoke carrying scrutiny.

He was very curious which of these three special children Danzo had truly set his sights on.

"Who do you want?"

Seeing room for negotiation, Danzo spoke without hesitation, a hint of determination flashing in his lone eye.

"Tejima Shinichi."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze sharpened.

Seeing his reaction, Shimura Danzō continued on his own.

"The Senju Clan's bloodline grants them Chakra and physiques beyond ordinary people from birth. This Tejima Shinichi is exceptional even among them.

The report shows that his Chakra reserves far exceed Jonin level... Yet despite such aptitude, his temperament appears detached, and he is not easily swayed by external things. That is precisely the sort of talent Root needs. Only by casting aside meaningless emotions can he bring the power of that bloodline to its fullest and become Konoha's sturdiest shield and sword."

After saying that, Shimura Danzō studied Sarutobi Hiruzen's profile, but that face remained unreadable.

At last, Shimura Danzō changed tack and revealed the true intention he had considered for so long.

"Hiruzen, you know very well that the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... Uzumaki Naruto, is unstable. That child is too emotional, too uncontrollable. Entrusting the village's strategic deterrent to such an uncertain factor is an enormous risk."

At this, the fingers holding Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe twitched almost imperceptibly.

"What are you trying to say, Danzo..."

Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen had reacted, Shimura Danzō curled his lips and continued.

"We... need insurance, a backup plan. And Tejima Shinichi possesses the Senju Clan's bloodline, a power that shares the same origin as the Uzumaki Clan—one even older and stronger. He was born with immense Chakra and a powerful physique sufficient to contain a Tailed Beast... He is a natural Jinchuriki vessel!"

His lone eye locked tightly onto Sarutobi Hiruzen as he spoke with certainty.

"Hand him over to Root. I will train him into the perfect weapon—not merely a blade we can use now, but, in the future... should anything happen to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he will be the most reliable backup plan to take over the Nine-Tails and ensure Konoha does not lose its power! This is the most responsible course of action for the village!"

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the office seemed to freeze.

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned fully around.

The calm expression he had maintained until now finally broke. His brows furrowed tightly as his eyes shot straight toward Danzo.

He had never imagined Shimura Danzō harbored such a terrifying idea!

"A backup... Jinchuriki?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice carried shock and anger. "That is what you have in mind, Danzo?"

Shimura Danzō met his gaze without yielding. "This is for Konoha's absolute security! A necessary safeguard!"

"Enough!" Sarutobi Hiruzen abruptly cut him off. "I will never agree to this! To define a child in advance as a 'vessel,' a 'backup weapon'? Is that what you call being responsible to the village?"

"Responsible?" Shimura Danzō sneered. "Hiruzen, you are too naïve! Precisely because we must be responsible, we need thorough preparations! If the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki loses control—"

"Then guide Naruto properly!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward, his Hokage robes stirring without wind. "Instead of sacrificing another child's future!"

"Future? Without power, what future can there be?" A fierce light flashed in Shimura Danzō's lone eye. "Senju Bloodline, immense Chakra—he is the most suitable Backup Container! Letting emotion rule you will only harm Konoha!"

"This is not letting emotion rule me!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice suddenly rose. "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns ever on. The younger generation is the village's hope, not weapons to be forged at will!"

"New leaves? In this cruel Ninja World, have there not been enough new leaves that withered before their time?" Danzo mocked. "Only absolute strength can ensure survival!"

"Power that grows twisted in darkness will eventually turn on its wielder!" Sarutobi Hiruzen refused to yield. "His future should be under the sunlight, growing alongside his companions!"

"Your Will of Fire is too idealistic, Hiruzen!" Danzo heavily struck his cane against the floor. "Reality requires certain safeguards!"

"Even so, it must never come at the cost of crushing a child's potential!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes blazed. "As for Naruto, I trust Kakashi, and I trust the village's Jonin to guide him. Konoha does not need such a cold-blooded 'backup plan'!"

Facing the stubborn Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō spoke again in anger.

"Hiruzen, you should understand—"

Before he could finish, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly roared.

"Enough!"

The furious shout made the office hum, completely cutting Danzo off.

"I will never hand this child over to you!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said firmly.

Danzo stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the two confronted each other from only a short distance away.

The air in the office seemed frozen.

After a long while, a twisted expression surfaced on Danzo's gloomy face, cold light flickering in his lone eye.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared back without yielding and declared loudly.

"I am the Hokage!"

At those words, Shimura Danzō's expression changed, and all his remaining words were choked back.

He glared fixedly at Sarutobi Hiruzen, the fury in his lone eye nearly bursting forth.

"Hmph!"

After a while, he forced out a cold snort through clenched teeth, then abruptly turned and strode away with his cane.

"Bang!"

The office door slammed shut behind him, making the walls tremble slightly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood where he was, the pipe in his hand long extinguished.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his gaze returning to the Jonin roster on the table.

"I must find him a reliable mentor..."

Tejima Shinichi...

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze turned toward a certain part of the village, roughly where the Teshima Clan resided.

A genius's growth was always accompanied by wind and rain.

And what he needed to do was give this sapling as much of a sky as possible in which it could grow normally.

At least while he was still Hokage!

But what mattered more right now was...

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked over to the Crystal Ball and formed hand seals with both hands.

"Telescope Jutsu."

Clouds and mist swirled within the Crystal Ball, gradually revealing Uzumaki Naruto's figure!