The Evening Afterglow slanted through the window into the Hokage Office, casting a long shadow across the floor.
The Third Hokage sat at his desk, the pipe in his hand trailing a thin wisp of smoke. A thick stack of documents lay before him.
He squinted as he read them one by one, occasionally scribbling a few notes in the margins.
The door swung open.
"Hey, Old Man, still busy?"
A carefree voice rang out. Jiraiya strolled in, his hands tucked into his sleeves and a lazy look on his face.
The Third Hokage glanced up at him, then lowered his head and continued reading.
"You're back?"
"Yeah." Jiraiya walked to the window, glanced outside, then turned and leaned against the windowsill. "The mission's done."
"How did it go?"
Jiraiya grinned, his expression turning lecherous.
"I went to the hot springs to gather material today. It was quite a haul. The beauties in those springs—their figures, their curves. Especially the one with the Buns Hairstyle. Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
The Third Hokage nodded absentmindedly, still marking up the documents with the pen in his hand. "Oh."
"Her skin was as white as tofu, and water droplets slid down her shoulders..."
"Oh."
"And the one with the Ponytail had such an elegant back..."
"Oh."
Jiraiya grew more and more animated as he spoke, gesturing wildly.
The Third Hokage's pen suddenly stopped. He slowly raised his head, as if realizing something was amiss.
Jiraiya was still beaming. "Especially when she turned around, that profile..."
"Ahem, ahem, ahem." The Third Hokage coughed loudly.
Jiraiya froze for a moment when he saw the Third Hokage's expressionless face, then hurriedly tried to explain. "Ah... I didn't mean it like that..."
The Third Hokage took a deep breath and set down his pipe.
"I was asking about that child, Shin Nohara."
Jiraiya's expression stiffened for a second. Then he cleared his throat and straightened up, doing his best to look serious.
"Oh, right, that. I know, I know."
Under the Third Hokage's Death Stare, Jiraiya gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject.
"That brat is pretty interesting."
The Third Hokage watched him, waiting for him to continue.
Jiraiya grew a little more serious. "I kept an eye on him for two days. Root's people were indeed nearby, but they knew better than to stick around. They pulled back as soon as they saw me."
"What about now?"
"They haven't shown up in the last few days," Jiraiya said. "They probably know I'm around and don't dare make a move."
The Third Hokage nodded, picked up his pipe, and took a puff. Smoke drifted slowly upward in the lamplight.
Jiraiya watched him, then suddenly asked, "Old Man, what's so special about that brat? Why would Danzo have his eye on him?"
The Third Hokage was silent for two seconds.
"Do you know what happened with Hatake Sakumo a few days ago?"
Jiraiya nodded. "I heard. The mission failed, and public opinion turned against him."
"Sakumo was in a bad state for those few days."
"And then?"
"Then that child went to see him." The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe. "They talked alone for ten minutes. The next day, Sakumo was already doing much better."
Jiraiya froze, then asked again, "That brat?"
"Mm."
The Third Hokage nodded firmly.
Jiraiya thought of the brat who had haggled with him, and of his strange dream to "wipe out bell peppers."
Could that child really have an influence on Konoha's White Fang?
Jiraiya opened his mouth, at a loss for words.
"I was surprised too," the Third Hokage said, setting down his pipe. "But that's what happened."
After a long pause, Jiraiya finally spoke. "So Danzo's watching him because he can influence Hatake Sakumo?"
"Even if there's only a one-in-a-million chance, Danzo will still try," the Third Hokage said with a nod.
Jiraiya curled his lip. "People who play politics are all rotten inside."
As soon as he said it, he felt a gaze fall on him.
Jiraiya looked up and met the Third Hokage's blank stare. He gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head.
"Ahaha... I didn't mean you. I meant that guy, Danzo..."
The Third Hokage looked away and continued smoking.
Jiraiya hurriedly changed the subject. "So you had me watch that brat because you were worried Danzo would go after him?"
"Mm." The Third Hokage nodded. "That child is innocent. He shouldn't be dragged into this."
He took another puff.
"Besides, I've reassigned his father's work too."
Jiraiya blinked.
"His father? Who's that?"
"Nohara Hiroshi, a Chunin," the Third Hokage said. "Root wanted to recruit him too, so I transferred him to the Hokage Building."
Jiraiya scratched his head.
"Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss? He's a five-year-old kid. There's no way the White Fang would actually listen to him, is there?"
"You don't understand." The Third Hokage shook his head.
Jiraiya looked at him.
"Changing Nohara Hiroshi's job was a small thing for me," the Third Hokage said slowly, taking a puff. "Someone had to fill that position anyway. If I didn't give it to him, I'd have given it to someone else. I gave up nothing, yet I avoided a lot of trouble."
He paused.
"As for Sakumo, you don't know him."
Jiraiya listened in silence.
"Sakumo is sensitive and values loyalty," the Third Hokage said. "He's completed so many missions, yet one failure was enough for everyone to turn against him. He's carrying more inside than we realize."
He glanced at Jiraiya.
"At a time like that, having someone support him is incredibly important—and the person supporting him matters just as much."
The Third Hokage paused.
"Besides, that child really is extraordinary."
Jiraiya fell silent.
He remembered the child at the barbecue restaurant, solemnly declaring, "Bell peppers are the enemy of my life."
The kid really was a little interesting.
"Fine, I understand. I'll keep an eye on him for two more days."
Jiraiya turned and walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped.
"Old Man."
"Hmm?"
"It's time for dinner."
The Third Hokage froze, looked down at the documents on his desk, then glanced out the window.
It was indeed dark already.
He smiled and waved a hand. "Got it. Get out of here."
Jiraiya grinned and left through the door.
Silence settled over the office again.
The Third Hokage sat where he was, watching the sky darken outside the window as he took a puff of his pipe.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Root Base.
Danzo sat in the dim light, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk.
A Root ninja stood before him with his head lowered, not daring to speak.
"What happened with Nohara Hiroshi?" Danzo asked.
The ninja lifted his head and answered cautiously, "The Hokage Building snatched him from us."
Danzo narrowed his eyes, then suddenly smiled. "Hiruzen, you beat me to it again."
He stood and walked to the wall, looking at the map of Konoha hanging there.
"But can you beat me to it every time?"
His finger came to rest on the Ninja Academy.
"That child," Danzo murmured. "No hurry. We'll take it slow."