An Unsettled Danzo

Stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down.

At this moment, Danzo had lost his usual composure, his entire demeanor radiating impatience.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding his pipe, watched with a chuckle as Danzo, who always considered himself the benchmark of shinobi, put on a show.

"What are you laughing at, Hiruzen!" Danzo, whose repetitive actions had gone on for more than ten times, finally noticed Hiruzen's expression. He immediately sat back down properly, his expression turning cold.

"That child is 4 years old this year. If I recall correctly, five years ago, you did apply to go to Kirigakure to gather intelligence." Exhaling a puff of second-hand smoke, Hiruzen looked at Danzo through the haze and said softly.

"Hmph..." Danzo snorted and didn't reply.

Due to Kirigakure's isolationist policy, Konoha had lost all intelligence on them since the Second Shinobi World War. This was why Danzo had volunteered to personally travel to Kirigakure.

Of course, this was only the superficial reason.

Although he always preached sacrifice and dedication, that was only directed at his subordinates.

Once it involved himself, Danzo would act like an old dog, quickly distancing himself from anything disadvantageous, even if his spine were broken, all while spouting high-sounding words.

Towards Kirigakure, a place that had sent countless shinobi from other villages to their deaths, Danzo claimed he was going to gather intelligence. In reality, he first took his men to the Land of Uzushio to search for the Uzumaki Clan's legacy.

Although Mito Uzumaki had left behind all the Fuinjutsu she knew before her death, in Danzo's opinion, these alone were far from enough to control a Jinchuriki.

Therefore, the now-ruined Land of Uzushio was undoubtedly the best place to gather information.

After investigating the Land of Uzushio again with Hiruzen's disciple, Orochimaru, Danzo, to avoid any criticism, still led several Root elites to Kirigakure. However, they only went to the outer areas. Even then, he encountered Kirigakure shinobi, and after various circumstances—

"Hmph." The memory abruptly ended. Danzo snorted coldly again. "That being said, that brat did come from Kirigakure, so he can't come to my place for now."

"If your son isn't going to your place, is he supposed to come to mine?" Hiruzen was somewhat speechless, but Danzo did have a point.

After all, how could Danzo's son coincidentally encounter Hatake Sakumo, who was on a mission to Kirigakure, rescue him when he was in danger, and bring him to Konoha?

Initially, Hiruzen was too focused on enjoying his old friend's predicament and overlooked the details.

Now that he thought about it, this suddenly appearing little guy should indeed be thoroughly investigated.

"Since Sakumo brought him back, he can stay at Sakumo's place for now. As for the kid's background, I'll have Root shinobi investigate him thoroughly." Danzo stood up, regaining his usual composure, and said to Hiruzen.

"Don't be too rough. After all, he's very likely your son, isn't he? Although it's not very obvious, in some ways, he really resembles you when you were young..." Extinguishing his pipe, Hiruzen lowered his hat and spoke in a calm tone.

"This is my family matter, you don't need to interfere!" Danzo turned sideways, glared at Hiruzen, and then left with a flick of his sleeve.

As the door slammed shut heavily, Hiruzen turned his chair and focused his gaze on the photo of Tobirama hanging on the wall.

"Teacher, I didn't expect that Danzo guy, cough, haha..." Facing Tobirama's photo, Hiruzen could no longer hold back his laughter.

His friend, who was always shouting about doing anything for the village, had been acting more and more excessively lately. He hoped that with a son, he might temper himself a little.

With bonds, one would have considerations in their actions, wouldn't they?

Emerging from the Hokage Building accompanied by two Root members, Danzo immediately summoned his trusted subordinate, Aburame Ryoma.

"Lord Danzo." Aburame Ryoma, who had instantly appeared before Danzo, bowed slightly.

"Tell Orochimaru to meet me at the base. Also, take some men and keep a close eye on the child Sakumo just brought back..." Danzo hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Protect him. He might have important information on him."

"Yes." Aburame Ryoma, without any suspicion, promptly accepted the order and left under Danzo's watchful gaze.

Danzo stood still for a long time before turning to look in the direction of Hiruzen's office, his brow furrowed as if deep in thought. However, he quickly turned away. After telling the remaining subordinates, "Let's go," he strode away.

On the streets of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo patiently explained the local customs and traditions of Konoha to Kazashiro.

Compared to the oppressive and closed-off Kirigakure, the environment in Konoha was indeed much better. Not only were children playing and chasing each other in the streets, but the vendors lining the roads also exuded smiles of happiness.

"Isn't that Sakumo? You're back from your mission? Your son bought groceries from me just yesterday." A vegetable vendor greeted him from afar upon seeing Sakumo.

"Yes, thank you for looking after Kakashi during this time." Sakumo walked up to the vendor's stall and replied with his signature gentle smile.

"Cough, cough." Kazashiro, who was holding Sakumo's hand, suddenly coughed.

Before Sakumo could ask, the vendor next to them squatted down to check on Kazashiro. "Oh dear, what's wrong, child? Did you catch a cold? Honestly, why are you so thin? You clearly haven't been eating properly."

"I'm, I'm fine." Kazashiro, having caught his breath, waved his hand to indicate he was alright, but inside, a storm was brewing: Kakashi? If he remembered correctly, there was only one Kakashi in the Hokage series, and that was the legendary Kakashi Hatake. And his father, even more so, the famous Konoha's White Fang, Hatake... what was his name again? Ah right, Uncle Sakumo, Hatake Sakumo!

Kazashiro's mind finally caught up. It was only now that he realized the Anbu who had accompanied him from Kirigakure to Konoha was the legendary Konoha's White Fang, and also the person whose cause of death was the most debated in the entire Hokage series.

Kazashiro looked at the man beside him with complex eyes. Indeed, although Sakumo was a decisive and ruthless ninja during missions, in his daily life, he felt like a gentle spring breeze, drawing people in unconsciously.

After chatting with the vendor for a while, Sakumo led Kazashiro away from the stall and arrived at a fork in the road.

"It looks like you'll have to stay with me for a while longer." Standing still, Sakumo closed his eyes, then reopened them, saying with a hint of helplessness.

"Hm?" Kazashiro looked confused.

However, Sakumo didn't explain anything. Instead, he gripped Kazashiro's hand and led him down the road towards his home. "My son is about your age, so you can get to know each other. His name is Hatake Kakashi. Although he seems cold on the outside, he has many thoughts in his heart."

Yeah, he definitely has a lot of thoughts. I usually call people like that a tsundere, Kazashiro thought to himself, recalling Kakashi's later open displays of reading "Icha Icha Paradise" in the village.