"Hokage! I have something to report!"
"Huh? Nobody here?"
The door to the Hokage's lounge burst open. A figure hurried in, then hurried back out.
"Let's go! To the Hokage's office!"
"Bam!"
"Hokage! I have something to report!"
"Huh? Nobody here again?"
The door to the Hokage's office burst open. A figure hurried in, then hurried back out once more.
"If there's nobody here, what are you standing guard for?"
Out in the corridor, Qing Xuan grumbled as he shut the door. Meeting Kakashi's utterly speechless gaze, he waved his hand grandly.
"Let's go! We'll wait for him at the Hokage's house!"
Kakashi didn't know what to say. A whole group of Uchiha were about to storm the Sarutobi clan compound to track down the Hokage when an elderly voice finally came from the nearby meeting room.
"Uchiha Qing Xuan! What exactly are you trying to do?"
The meeting room door opened, and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, emerged with his two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
So they'd been holding a meeting in there!
A glimmer of delight flashed in Qing Xuan's eyes. He immediately shouted, "Hokage! I have something to report! I'm reporting Lord Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, for tax evasion, embezzling funds, and bleeding the village dry under the pretext of conducting experiments!"
The Third Hokage looked much older than usual. His pipe drooped listlessly from the corner of his mouth, his cloudy eyes devoid of energy. Only a deep sadness lingered in them.
The three of them had clearly been holding an important meeting, and whatever decision they'd reached had left the Third Hokage in a foul mood.
Against that backdrop, Qing Xuan's eagerness to report someone seemed especially out of place.
Kakashi tried to reach out and pull him back, but three Uchiha jonin blocked his way. Three pairs of Sharingan stared fixedly at him. Kakashi had a feeling that if he tried to stop Qing Xuan, the three Uchiha would attack him without hesitation.
That clan really was stubborn.
"Uchiha Qing Xuan! What nonsense are you talking about? Orochimaru clearly—"
As expected, Utatane Koharu, standing behind the Third Hokage, immediately began to scold him. But before she could finish, the Third Hokage cut her off.
"Is that so? Orochimaru really made such a mistake?"
The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe. A faint spark of light seemed to return to his formerly cloudy eyes.
"Hiruzen, you..."
Utatane Koharu looked at the Third Hokage in disbelief and was about to say something, but Mitokado Homura tugged at her sleeve.
No one understood the Third Hokage's feelings better than Mitokado Homura. He shook his head gently, stopping Utatane Koharu from revealing Orochimaru's actual crimes in front of everyone. Then he stepped forward and continued scolding the Uchiha before them.
"You're reporting Orochimaru, yet instead of informing the Hokage first, you sent out the Konoha Military Police Force directly. What are you Uchiha trying to do?"
The three Uchiha jonin were startled.
Going over the Hokage's head and deploying the Uchiha police force could be made into a major or minor issue. But if someone seized on it and refused to let go, the clan would face another severe blow within the village.
"The police force?"
Qing Xuan stared back with clear eyes, as if he had no idea what Mitokado Homura was talking about.
"Isn't the police force supposed to patrol everywhere?"
Mitokado Homura sneered. "They've blocked off all the main routes. It's obvious they're searching for something."
"Did they say what they were searching for?"
"Well..."
Mitokado Homura was at a loss for words.
Of course he knew what the Uchiha were searching for. But they were insisting that it was only a routine patrol by the police force. He'd wanted to find a way to get through to Uchiha Qing Xuan, but the boy's response...
"Besides, I told someone to notify the Hokage right away!"
Under the two advisors' angry glares, Qing Xuan remained perfectly relaxed. "Didn't Asuma tell you?"
Mitokado Homura was immediately speechless.
"Asuma did tell me."
A flicker of fire glowed in the pipe, and the Third Hokage's eyes finally held a hint of amusement.
Thinking of the way that little fool Asuma had run to him earlier, waving his arms and legs as he begged him to save Uchiha Qing Xuan, he couldn't help sighing and shaking his head. His own foolish son had less insight than a six-year-old.
"In that case, have the Anbu arrest Orochimaru. As for the charges... use the ones Qing Xuan just mentioned."
As the Third Hokage spoke, he looked at Qing Xuan, who was surrounded by the Uchiha, his gaze tinged with sadness. "Everyone else, leave. Qing Xuan, come take a walk with this old man."
At that moment, he looked like a frail old man who could be pushed around, but no one dared to contradict him—not even the two advisors.
Qing Xuan obediently followed him. They climbed the stairs together, winding their way up until they reached the top of the Hokage building.
The view was wide open up there, with the wind rushing past. The entire Ninja Academy was visible, including the students practicing on the training grounds.
Standing beside the Third Hokage, Qing Xuan watched the figures taking part in their practical lesson and told him everything Orochimaru had said when they'd met earlier.
The old Hokage's back seemed to bend a little more. Smoke from his pipe stung his eyes, and his muttered words drifted through the air.
"Did he really say that?"
Qing Xuan nodded. He clasped his little hands behind his back, imitating the Third Hokage. The gale whipped his black hair about, but he still tried to look profound.
"He's a very pure person."
The Third Hokage was caught off guard by the sudden solemnity. He accidentally breathed in a mouthful of cold air and coughed.
After a long while, the old man wiped away the tears in the corners of his eyes, unable to understand Qing Xuan's way of judging people.
But then he reconsidered. Was Orochimaru pure?
He certainly was. So pure that he hardly seemed human.
"But he shouldn't have harmed his fellow villagers."
Just then, Qing Xuan's serious voice rang out in the wind. His little face was taut as he turned to the Third Hokage, who had put away his pipe.
"Even if I like him, even if he once made tremendous contributions to the village, that still doesn't excuse the things he did wrong."
"I know."
The Third Hokage nodded silently, determination flashing through his eyes as if he were about to make up his mind. Then Qing Xuan spoke again.
"Then let him go."
The words surprised the Third Hokage. He looked at Qing Xuan in confusion.
"This isn't because I have any expectations of him. Letting him go would be unfair to the shinobi who died because of him. But pursuing him now would be pointless. Needless casualties would only damage the village's still-unstable foundations."
"So Orochimaru must pay for what he's done, but it doesn't have to be now."
Qing Xuan's words left the Third Hokage looking ashamed. After a long silence, he slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Qing Xuan, has anyone ever told you that you'd make a very good Hokage?"
"Yes!"
"Oh? Who said that?"
"Lord Danzo!"
Before you continue