So Much Like, Truly Like

The atmosphere in the Hokage's Office hadn't relaxed with the others' departure; instead, it grew even more oppressive in the quiet.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the empty office, took a deep drag from his pipe, then slowly exhaled, watching the smoke rings drift through the air. His voice was low as he said, "Come out, Danzō. Everyone's gone."

The moment he spoke, dense sealing scripts emerged on the wall that Tsunade had been staring at, and a figure wrapped in bandages appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Shimura Danzō's voice was cold and piercing. "Hiruzen, you shouldn't have lifted that order to suppress the Uchiha. The Uchiha Clan Members are emotionally extreme—they're the biggest destabilizing factor in the village. We need to crush people like that hard. This Nine-Tails disaster is the best lesson."

He strode straight up to the Third Generation, planted his left hand on the desk, and leaned forward, exuding immense pressure—showing none of the respect others would show a Hokage.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't react at all. He just tapped his pipe lightly against the ashtray, the dying embers flickering uncertainly in the shadow cast by Shimura Danzō's body.

"So, that's why you had people watching the Uchiha on the Night of the Nine-Tails?"

"Hiruzen, I did it for Konoha, for everyone!"

"Danzō, before you say that, do you dare to unwrap the bandages on your right arm and show everyone who the real unstable element in the village is?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared coldly at Shimura Danzō, who was shaken by his words. This old friend of his had plenty of cunning but lacked true depth—he could only handle shady business most of the time. How could someone like that ever sit in the Hokage's seat?

Watching Hiruzen Sarutobi puff on his pipe with sharp eyes, Shimura Danzō realized he'd misjudged things. The Fourth Hokage's few years in office hadn't dulled the Third Generation's ambition; instead, it had made him even more unfathomable.

"Fine, Hiruzen. I can back down on this, but Tsunade's come back now. She's clearly trying to seize control of Konoha while the village is in chaos. Don't you have any thoughts on that?"

"Lately, that clan has been running around helping the villagers. Don't forget they still have an old relic among them, and she carries immense influence."

Shimura Danzō's self-righteousness gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a headache. Did the man have to twist everything so darkly? If the Senju Clan really wanted to reclaim power, would they have waited until today?

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath. The harsh smoke jolted his mind—only this kept him sharp enough to handle the tedious paperwork as he aged.

"Danzō, remember this: you don't need to involve yourself in Senju Clan matters. I'll discuss everything with Lady Momoka. If you still remember the teacher's guidance to you, stay away from the Senju Clan. That old plan of yours already failed. Let it go, or things will get hard to clean up."

"Hiruzen, you can doubt me, but don't doubt my gratitude to the teacher! That plan might have been extreme, but it was all for Konoha. The teacher would understand."

Through the smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Shimura Danzō's agitated face with calm, unreadable eyes. He knew this old friend's self-deceiving nature too well—slap the slogan "for Konoha" on anything, and he'd indulge his own desires without restraint.

After a long stare between them, Shimura Danzō's expression gradually steadied. He turned and walked toward the door.

"Danzō, the Root members you assigned to watch little Naruto are locked up in the Anbu prison. Take them back on your way. Stay out of the Nine-Tails matter from now on. Root will focus solely on intelligence work outside the village from now on."

"Yuan Fei, you'll regret this!"

"Danzō, I am the Hokage!"

"Bang!"

Watching Shimura Danzō slam the door shut, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no emotion. He sat back in the Hokage's seat, picked up the crystal ball, and used the Telescope Technique to check on the village. He couldn't afford a moment's rest these days.

"Iruka, what are you doing? What's in that notebook?"

Senba, with a small Slug perched on his shoulder, craned his neck to look at Iruka, who was scribbling away beside him. Iruka was recording the Slug's appearance and habits.

"Senba, did you forget? My dream is to become a teacher at the Ninja Academy—just like the Third Hokage, helping Konoha's new sprouts grow up safe and happy. So I'm gathering material to share with my students."

"That way, they won't end up like me, making fools of themselves from lack of knowledge. Heh heh."

Watching Iruka hold up his notebook with an embarrassed grin, Senba didn't agree with the guy's praise of the Third Generation, but he was genuinely happy to see Iruka's kind heart. Nobody disliked a good person.

"Iruka, I'm all for your dream." Senba reached out and patted his shoulder, a strange smile spreading across his face. "But you know, this kind of behavior could easily get you accused of spying on the Three Sannin's secrets. Especially now—they'd throw you in the dungeon and torture you!"

As Senba's words sank in, Iruka's honest smile stiffened, and even sweat started beading on his forehead.

"Pfft! Hahaha!"

In the end, Senba couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, covering his mouth. That's when Iruka realized he'd been tricked. Furious, he tore up the notes and lunged to teach Senba a lesson.

After they left, someone pulled the shredded paper from the trash can Iruka had tossed it into, tucked it away, and left.

Senba wasn't wrong—the Anbu were patrolling everywhere in the village these days, keeping other nations' spies from causing trouble. Anything out of the ordinary had to be investigated.

Normally, Iruka's little project wouldn't have mattered. The Three Sannin's Summoning Beasts were famous across the Shinobi World. But in times like these, it still needed a look.

"Strange... I really have seen that Aoki Senba before, but why can't I remember?"

On the other side, Shizune, who had helped guide Senba and Iruka, kept racking her brain over Senba's face. She was sure she'd seen him, but no image came to mind.

Frustrated, she opened the office window to let in some air and clear her head. Her eyes landed on the distant Hokage Rock, and she sighed inwardly at the Fourth Hokage's early death. But as her gaze shifted, she froze.

"So similar... really similar. Lord Tsunade's photo album has a picture of that person when he was young. That's it! No wonder—Senba looks just like him!"

"Who looks like who, little Shizune? And who's Senba?"

Just as Shizune was stunned that two people could look so alike, a tipsy Tsunade appeared behind her, slung an arm around her shoulder, and laughed.

Tsunade expected Shizune to nag her about drinking again, but Shizune's words jolted her into sobriety.

"Lord Tsunade, would you believe me if I said I just saw what the Second Hokage looked like as a kid?"

Tsunade: "This kid's been overworking herself lately, hasn't she?"