Shikashin.
His full name was Shikashin Nara, the current clan head of the Nara Clan, a Hokage advisor, and an Elite Jonin of Konoha!
The people behind him were his son, Nara Shikaku, and the sons of two close friends: Choza Akimichi of the Akimichi Clan and Inoichi Yamanaka of the Yamanaka Clan!
The three had just graduated early from the Ninja Academy, become Konoha Genin, and started taking on missions.
As a strategist who had just returned from the Land of Rain, Shikashin had some time to spare. He was taking the three youngsters on missions that were relatively dangerous for them, so they could gain some experience.
As it happened, a letter had just arrived from a merchant caravan in the Land of Fire.
So Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent Shikashin and the three young members of the clans to carry out this mission.
He'd thought it wouldn't be a difficult mission. And it wasn't particularly dangerous, either.
After all, Kumogakure and Konoha were still fairly close allies.
Who could have known...
"I have complete faith in you, Shikashin. It's just... this little one..."
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi was at a loss for words.
At that, Shikashin Nara could only give a helpless smile. Given his standing and intelligence, he understood what this incident meant.
One wrong move, and the Second Shinobi World War might barely have ended before the Third Shinobi World War began!
Thud—
A middle-aged man in a loose white robe, who had been sitting quietly nearby with a cane, rose to his feet after striking it against the floor.
He looked to be about the same age as Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But he had an X-shaped scar on his chin.
Shimura Danzō!
One of the three advisors to the Hokage of Konohagakure, as well as the leader of Konoha's Root. He had been Hiruzen Sarutobi's best friend since childhood—and his greatest rival.
"Hiruzen, what are you going to do with this child?" Danzō's voice was low, but strong.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened as he looked at the speaker.
It was because of this friend of his that the situation had become even more complicated!
"What do you think?" He picked up the pipe on the table almost without thinking and took a deep drag.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's question didn't surprise him.
He had already made up his mind!
"His identity and background are absolutely clean. Everyone marked with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal has been investigated by Root!
"So hand him over to me—to Root!
"I'll give you a Jinchūriki you can control completely, the most powerful weapon on the battlefield!" Danzō declared without hesitation.
Confidence shone in his eyes as he stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This was a Jinchūriki who had put on a Tailed Beast Cloak, unleashed an incredibly powerful attack, and then canceled his own Tailed Beast Transformation!
Even Mito Uzumaki, wife of their former Jinchūriki, Hashirama Senju, the First, might not have been able to do that!
Of course, Mito Uzumaki had never needed to. Her sealing jutsu was exceptional, and she was a powerful fighter in her own right.
But this little one was an ordinary person with not a scrap of chakra!
What did that mean?
It meant that this kid, the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, might become a weapon of war capable of truly controlling a Tailed Beast!
The reason Hiruzen Sarutobi was so conflicted was that they had both recognized this child's potential!
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't said so outright, his old friend Shimura Danzō knew exactly what he was thinking.
If you have reservations, then let me handle it!
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
Indeed, the child's identity and background were beyond reproach. Root had even investigated who his parents were.
The records of every informant outside the village were stored in Root's archives.
To be honest, he was tempted, too. But that couldn't influence his judgment.
He slowly shook his head.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi reject his proposal without a word, Danzō's eyes widened. "Then what do you think?"
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could reply, the other two advisors seated nearby spoke up.
"This isn't the time to discuss which department this child should belong to. What we need to discuss is whether we should keep him at all!
"You both know the state Konoha is in. The fighting in the Land of Rain has already drained too many of our resources, and countless comrades have died on the battlefield.
"If our ally, Kumogakure, finds out that we have their Two-Tails, what might happen? You know very well, Hiruzen, don't you?"
The man with glasses who spoke was Mitokado Homura!
"That's right, Hiruzen! We can't let another conflict break out now!
"Kumogakure is our ally. We need them on our side!" said the final advisor, Utatane Koharu.
Thud—
"Hmph, don't be ridiculous. Do you really think there's such a thing as a completely reliable ally?
"During the Second Shinobi World War, the Land of Lightning took advantage of our forces holding the main Iwa Ninja force in the Land of Rain, then launched a sneak attack on the Land of Earth!
"They were just using us!
"And the Land of Lightning didn't win that battle easily, either. They must be badly battered now, with plenty of problems at home to deal with. They certainly don't have time to come after us!
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared track down a Jinchūriki with only a single team of Anbu Ninja!
"I believe that even if they find out the Two-Tails is in our hands, they won't dare make a move against us anytime soon!
"Besides, they might not even know!
"As for what happens later...
"Hmph!
"So I think this is worth a gamble!"
Would Konoha still be afraid of the Cloud Ninja a little later?
Shimura Danzō's position was clearly opposed to Mitokado Homura's and Utatane Koharu's.
It was two against one now, and the initiative had returned to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Ultimately, he was the Hokage and the one who would make the final decision, but he still had to show his advisors some respect!
"Puff... puff..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't answer right away. He continued to draw on his pipe, sending up clouds of smoke.
After a brief silence, he stood up.
"Come on. Let's go see this child first.
"If he could suppress a Tailed Beast's rampage, there must be something special about him. We can see what kind of person he is."
No one objected to Hiruzen Sarutobi's suggestion.
"Shikashin, come along, too. But first, take these three youngsters home," Hiruzen Sarutobi said to him.
"Understood!"
Shikashin Nara understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's meaning, of course. Taking the three youngsters home was the minor task; making sure they didn't let the matter slip was what mattered.
But the three boys were from Konoha's major clans, and each was a clan head's son. Their clans were all staunch members of the Hokage faction, so there was no doubt they could keep a secret.
Though they had only graduated recently, their upbringing as children of major clans meant they knew how to behave.
Led by Shikashin Nara, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his three advisors—Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu—arrived at Konoha's special medical building.
Security here was extremely tight. Only people of particular importance to the village received treatment here.
Toneri was there now.
Anbu Ninja were everywhere, inside and outside the entire medical building!
Some were in plain sight; others were hidden.
"Is this the child?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Toneri, who was lying in bed with a frown.
There was a string of peculiar symbols on his abdomen. It was the sealing formula used to seal the Two-Tails!
As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew a little about this seal.
It seemed to bring back some unpleasant memories, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned rather grim.
"Was this child seriously injured? Is he still unconscious?" Shimura Danzō asked the Medical Ninja in charge of the area.
"Third Hokage! Esteemed advisors!" The Medical Ninja greeted them respectfully before continuing. "The child isn't unconscious because he was injured. When he was first brought in, he looked terrible. He was covered in wounds, and his skin was cracked all over.
"But...
"His body's ability to heal itself is astonishing. There's nothing wrong with him now.
"The only reason he hasn't woken up is that his consciousness is weak. He could wake up at any moment, though."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others understood.
Their gazes gathered on Toneri's abdomen.
I've noticed that there's no debate about how evil Shimura Danzō is, but opinions are divided when it comes to Hiruzen Sarutobi. That's mainly because Kishimoto, the original author, is just a manga artist and doesn't understand Naruto at all! (Just kidding.)
I'll just say one thing: Asuma's students were from the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi Clans, while Kurenai's students were from the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hyūga Clans. Anyway, think about it. Think it over carefully.
And now, it's time for the customary plea for votes! Get your bowls ready! Reply 1 if you want me to act cute, and 2 if you want me to warm your bed—but you can only reply after voting!
Before you continue