"I Am the Hokage!"

"What is this..."

Tsunade looked at the boy with a head of black hair and a slightly slender build, unable to help but feel stunned.

"Heh, Sister Tsunade, this child hasn't had it easy in your Konoha. Although he comes from a prominent clan, he was born to a maid and has been ostracized by his family. So, he isn't particularly keen on returning to Konoha and intends to follow me from now on."

Dongfang Mao stepped forward to explain on behalf of the youth, who stood flustered while facing Tsunade's questioning gaze.

"Really?"

Tsunade was somewhat skeptical. Although she thought the world of Dongfang Mao, there was no denying that Konoha was the most prosperous place in the ninja world. Even if one were ostracized there, they would still be better off than most people in the world.

Furthermore, this child was a ninja. Why would he leave Konoha to follow Dongfang Mao, who was currently nothing more than a bandit and not even a ninja?

"Y-yes, Lady Tsunade, I... I have decided to follow Lord Mao!"

Nara Kazuma answered with a stutter, his voice tinged with hesitation midway through the sentence.

But soon, he made the decision that would change his life forever.

At the same time, he recalled the scene from yesterday when Dongfang Mao came to find him after forcing him to write down his ninjutsu.

Kazuma had never expected that this bandit leader would actually ask him if he wanted to follow him.

At first, his heart naturally resisted. For a ninja to follow a bandit leader—it sounded ridiculous no matter how he thought about it. If not for the pressure of the other's intimidation, he would have laughed out loud.

However, the next moment, Dongfang Mao's words struck him right where it hurt.

Dongfang Mao had exposed the fact that he was being ostracized in Konoha and within his own clan.

After all, as a member of the Nara clan, Kazuma lacked the standard Ino-Shika-Cho teammates, and his comrades were two civilian ninjas; the answer was all too obvious.

Following that, Dongfang Mao began to paint a grand picture for the naive Kazuma, describing all the benefits of following him—eating well, living freely, and doing as he pleased.

What broke Kazuma's defenses the most was that Dongfang Mao finally brought up Tsunade, stating that she would be by his side in the future, and that Kazuma could follow Dongfang Mao to continue learning ninjutsu from her.

Just like that, Kazuma's heart began to struggle violently.

After all, he had set out on this mission with great determination; he wanted to make his family look at him with new eyes and improve his standing within the clan.

This was why, despite his usual sharp instincts, he had agreed to Yuhi Kurenai's ridiculous pursuit plan earlier.

He wanted to improve so badly that he simply couldn't calm down.

But things went against his wishes. Now that this incident had occurred, upon returning to the village, his family would only look at him with even more disdain, perhaps even viewing him as a stain on the clan.

He had already prepared himself to face even harsher oppression upon his return.

But Dongfang Mao's words had opened up a new line of thinking for him.

If he had Tsunade as a mentor, then aside from being unable to practice the clan's inherited Shadow Jutsu, wouldn't it be all gain and no loss?

Just like that, the scales in Kazuma's heart began to tilt, until finally, they tipped completely toward Dongfang Mao's side.

"Heh, Sister Tsunade, see? He truly wants to follow me."

Hearing Kazuma's words, Dongfang Mao's eyes crinkled into slits as he patted Kazuma on the shoulder and smiled at Tsunade.

Tsunade's mouth twitched slightly. This Dongfang Mao always managed to pull off things she never expected.

However, since Kazuma had said as much, she would no longer press the issue.

One could only say that he was worthy of being a member of the Nara family; his eyes were so sharp that he immediately discovered her Mao was no ordinary person, believing that following him would lead to great things in the future.

Since that was the case, let him stay. After all, he was just an unloved child of the Nara family. If Konoha asked, she could just write a letter; it wasn't a big deal.

"You are quite a pitiful child. Follow Mao well from now on."

After saying this to Kazuma, Tsunade took the other two youngsters and walked out of the cave.

However, Yuhi Kurenai, who followed behind Tsunade, had an unnatural expression. Her pace was slow, and she kept looking back at Kazuma, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

She didn't understand when this previously silent boy in their team had been approached by Dongfang Mao, or why he had made such a decision.

At the same time, a sense of resentment rose in her heart. What was so good about this Nara Kazuma? Why did Dongfang Mao want to keep him while ignoring her?

For the naturally proud Yuhi Kurenai, this kind of dismissal was a heavy blow.

She even had an impulse to speak up and say that she wanted to stay too, to prove to Dongfang Mao that she was definitely not inferior to anyone!

But the words stopped at her lips. Unlike Kazuma, her father was waiting for her back in Konoha, and she lacked the courage to step toward an unknown future.

She could only lower her head and follow behind Tsunade, slowly walking away.

Konoha, Hokage Building.

Inside this iconic Konoha tower-style building, which featured a massive circular plaque at the top engraved with the giant character for "Fire."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind a large desk, the wisps of smoke rising from his pipe swirling before his furrowed brows.

"You mean to say, you encountered Tsunade?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the Special Jonin who had returned with Yuhi Kurenai and the other student to report, his eyes hidden beneath the Hokage hat narrowing slightly.

"Y-yes."

The Special Jonin standing before the desk couldn't help but swallow hard at these words, before proceeding to recount the sequence of events.

After listening, the corners of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched violently. He removed his Hokage hat, placed it on the desk, and rubbed his temples with two fingers, looking utterly exhausted.

In truth, it wasn't uncommon for students to overestimate their own abilities, act without their mentor's knowledge, and end up in danger; such matters were usually handled by subordinates, and Sarutobi Hiruzen rarely bothered to ask about them.

But because this report involved Tsunade, he had summoned the man to his office, only to find the situation was this ridiculous.

As for Tsunade, he really didn't want to say anything more.

She spent her days wandering the world with a little girl, drinking, gambling, tarnishing Konoha's reputation, and occasionally mailing back massive bills.

He could overlook those things.

But now, she was actually getting mixed up with a band of bandits; if the outside world found out, wouldn't they gather together just to mock Konoha?

This gave Sarutobi Hiruzen a massive headache.

"By the way, how did the Nara clan react to this?"

He suddenly remembered that a child from the Nara clan had been left behind by Tsunade, so he asked.

"Uh... when I went to the Nara clan to notify them, they just said they were aware of it."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded upon hearing this.

The Nara clan wasn't a Kekkei Genkai clan, and since they didn't have any reaction themselves, he couldn't be bothered to waste his energy worrying about it.

After signaling for the Jonin to withdraw, he leaned back in his chair and slowly closed his eyes to soothe his fatigue.

However, at that moment, the office door was pushed open with a sharp "click."

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even open his eyes; in the Hokage Building, the only person with the nerve to enter without knocking was his old partner.

He also knew that whenever Danzo came to see him, aside from spouting some impractical ideas, there was never any real business.

He was already fretting over Tsunade, and now he had to deal with Danzo; Sarutobi Hiruzen felt physically and mentally drained, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Hiruzen, Tsunade's behavior this time is truly outrageous. I believe we should immediately send someone to bring her back to the village; otherwise, it won't be long before Konoha becomes a laughingstock in the eyes of others."

As soon as Danzo entered, he pointed his finger at Tsunade. Clearly, he had been lingering outside the office door for quite some time, having heard every word of the previous conversation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, opened his eyes, and sat up straight. After taking two deep puffs from his pipe, he looked at Danzo and said.

"Let's not talk about these things anymore. Konoha owes Tsunade too much; just let her be for now."

"Hmph, it is precisely because of your indulgent attitude that Tsunade acts this way, showing no regard for the village—leaving whenever she pleases!"

Danzo said with great dissatisfaction.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen just kept smoking in silence, waiting for what was next.

Now that the Senju clan was effectively in name only, he didn't believe Danzo would be idle enough to run over here just to target a Tsunade who had already left the village.

Given the prestige of Tsunade as one of the "Sannin," if she were actually brought back, it would be Danzo who would be crying.

Seeing Hiruzen remain silent, Danzo snorted in annoyance and slammed his cane heavily against the floor.

"Since you insist on shielding that disciple who ruins the village's reputation, I will waste no more breath. However..."

His tone shifted abruptly as his withered fingers pushed a document across the desk.

"You must approve this funding for me today."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyelid twitched; he thought to himself that he knew it.

This guy always started by picking on some trivial matter to criticize him before getting straight to the point.

Nevertheless, Sarutobi Hiruzen took the document; he wanted to see what kind of unrealistic dream Danzo was chasing today.

But when he finished reading the document, his face turned ashen and gloomy in an instant.

"Danzo, who gave you permission to monitor the Uchiha clan?"

He slammed the document down in front of Danzo and demanded loudly, his voice laced with fury.

The war had only just ended, and the affairs of the Senju clan had not yet fully settled in the village; was Danzo insane to want to target the Uchiha clan now?

"Hiruzen, now that the Senju clan has declined, those people in the Uchiha clan are all restless. Do you really have to wait until the village faces a crisis before you are willing to face this problem squarely?"

Facing Sarutobi Hiruzen's rage, Danzo stepped forward with his cane, responding without showing any weakness.

"Enough, Danzo. I will not approve this funding. Furthermore, keep your Root in check; I don't want to hear any more unfavorable news about you!"

The Uchiha clan could be dealt with, and perhaps they should be, but certainly not at this moment.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't want to engage in empty talk about such issues with Danzo anymore and shut the conversation down completely.

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude was so resolute, Danzo's heart was filled with resentment.

Why couldn't Hiruzen see the danger of the Uchiha clan? Why was he so weak? Why had Lord Tobirama chosen him to be Hokage?

One question after another swirled in Danzo's mind, forming a thick barrier that made it hard for him to breathe.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

After trembling with rage for a moment, Danzo growled through gritted teeth.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat upright in his seat, his expression solemn, fingers interlaced before him, his sharp gaze fixed upon Danzo.

The twilight glow shone through the circular Hokage window behind him, casting its light upon his frame and lending his aging figure a touch of renewed grandeur.

This sight left Danzo feeling so stifled he could barely breathe, and he roared frantically in his heart.

That same line again! Why! Why!

With a look of utter wretchedness, Danzo could no longer endure it; he turned on his heel in a fury and stormed out, slamming the door behind him!