Like, Really Like

The atmosphere in the Hokage's Office did not ease after everyone left. Instead, the silence made it feel even more oppressive.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the empty office. After taking a deep draw from his pipe, he slowly exhaled. Watching the smoke rings drift through the air, he said in a low voice, "Come out, Danzo. Everyone has left."

As soon as he finished speaking, dense runes appeared on the wall Lady Tsunade had been watching. A figure wrapped from head to toe in bandages emerged before Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Shimura Danzō's voice was cold and piercing. "Hiruzen, you shouldn't have lifted the order restricting the Uchiha. The Uchiha are extremely volatile, making them the village's greatest source of instability. People like that must be struck down hard. The Nine-Tails disaster was the perfect lesson."

He walked straight up to the Third Generation, planted his left hand on the desk, and leaned forward, exerting tremendous pressure. He showed none of the respect others displayed toward the Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, did not feel the slightest pressure. He merely tapped his pipe lightly against the ashtray. The remaining embers flickered beneath Shimura Danzō's shadow.

"So that was why you sent people to monitor the Uchiha during the Night of the Nine-Tails?"

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

"Danzo, before you say that, do you dare unwrap the bandages on your right arm and show everyone? Then we can see who the real source of instability in the village is."

Hiruzen Sarutobi coldly watched Shimura Danzō, who had been cowed by his words. His old friend had plenty of malice but little restraint. Most of the time, he could only carry out things in the shadows. How could someone like that ever sit in the Hokage's seat?

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi smoking with a sharp gaze, Shimura Danzō realized that he had misjudged him. The years during which the Fourth Hokage had held office had not caused the Third Generation to lose his ambition. Instead, he had become even more unfathomable.

"Fine, Hiruzen. I can take a step back on this matter. But Tsunade has returned this time, clearly intending to take control of Konoha while the village is in chaos. Don't you have any thoughts about that?"

"That clan has been helping villagers everywhere during this period. Don't forget that there is still an old relic among them. She still possesses an extremely powerful ability to rally people."

Shimura Danzō's self-satisfied cleverness gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a headache. Did he really have to view everything in such a sinister light? If the Senju Clan truly wanted to regain power, would they have needed to wait until today?

Hiruzen Sarutobi drew a deep breath. The pungent air jolted his mind awake. As he grew older, only this could keep him energetic enough to handle the tedious affairs of government.

"Danzo, remember that you don't need to involve yourself in the Senju Clan's affairs. I will discuss everything with Lady Momoka. If you still remember how our teacher raised you, stay away from the Senju Clan. That plan from back then has already failed. Give it up, or things will be difficult to clean up."

"Hiruzen, you can doubt me, but you cannot doubt my gratitude toward our teacher! The plan back then may have been somewhat extreme, but everything was for Konoha. Our teacher would understand."

Through the smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Shimura Danzō's agitated expression with an even gaze. He understood this old friend's self-deceiving nature too well. Once anything was labeled as being "for Konoha," he could satisfy his own desires without restraint.

Finally, after staring at each other for a moment, Shimura Danzō gradually regained his composure, turned around, and walked toward the door.

"Danzo, the Root members you assigned to monitor little Naruto are being held in the Anbu prison. Take them back with you on your way out. And don't interfere in the Nine-Tails matter anymore. From now on, let Root focus on intelligence work outside the village."

"Sarutobi, you'll regret this!"

"Danzo, I'm the Hokage!"

"Bang!"

Watching Shimura Danzō slam the door behind him, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no expression. He returned to the Hokage's seat, picked up the crystal ball, and used the Telescope Technique to inspect the village. He did not dare relax for even a moment now.

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

With a small Slug perched on his shoulder, Senba craned his neck toward Iruka, who was writing and sketching beside him. He saw Iruka recording the Slug's physical features and habits.

"Senba, have you forgotten? My dream is to become a teacher at the Ninja Academy, helping Konoha's young sprouts grow up safely and happily, just like the Third Hokage. So I need to gather material and give it to my students."

"So they won't end up making fools of themselves because they haven't seen enough of the world, like I did. Hehe."

Seeing Iruka holding up his notebook with an embarrassed expression, Senba did not approve of the Third Generation mentioned in Iruka's dream. Still, Iruka's kind heart pleased him greatly. No one disliked a good person.

"Iruka, you have my wholehearted support," Senba said, patting him on the shoulder. A strange smile appeared on his face. "However, what you're doing could easily make people think you're investigating the Sannin's intelligence. Especially at a time like this, they might throw you in prison and torture you!"

As Senba finished speaking, Iruka's honest smile gradually stiffened. By the end, beads of sweat had even appeared on his forehead.

"Pfft! Hahahaha!"

In the end, Senba could not hold back. He covered his mouth and laughed, finally making Iruka realize he had been tricked. Furious, Iruka tore up the notes in his hand and prepared to teach him a harsh lesson.

After the two left, someone retrieved the pages Iruka had thrown into the trash and carried them away against their chest.

Senba had guessed correctly. During this period, the village's Anbu were patrolling everywhere to prevent people from other villages from coming to cause trouble. Anything unusual had to be investigated.

Under normal circumstances, what Iruka had done would not have mattered. The appearances of the Sannin's Summoning Beasts had long since become common knowledge throughout the Shinobi World. But at a time like this, it still required investigation.

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

Elsewhere, Shizune, who had been helping Senba and Iruka find their way, continued recalling Senba's appearance. She was certain she had truly seen him before, but there was simply no image of him in her mind.

At a loss, she opened the office window to get some air and clear her head. When she looked up, she saw the enormous Kage Rock in the distance. Shizune was still sighing over the early death of the Fourth Hokage when her gaze moved forward and she suddenly froze.

"He looks just like him—really just like him. Lord Tsunade's photo album has pictures of that lord when he was young. That's it! No wonder Senba looks so much like him!"

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

Just as Shizune was marveling that two people in the world could look so alike, Tsunade appeared behind her, smelling of alcohol, and draped an arm around her shoulders with a laugh.

Tsunade had thought Shizune would dislike her drinking as usual, but Shizune's words sobered her somewhat.

"Lord Tsunade, would you believe me if I told you I just saw what the Second Hokage looked like when he was young?"

Tsunade: "This child must have been working herself too hard lately."