"I'm the Hokage!"

"What are you..."

Tsunade stared at the black-haired, somewhat slender boy and couldn't help freezing in surprise.

"Heh, Sis Tsunade, this kid hasn't had an easy time in your Konoha. His family may be a noble clan, but he was born to a maid and has been ostracized by his family. So he doesn't particularly want to return to Konoha. He plans to follow me from now on."

Dongfang Mao stepped forward to explain on behalf of the boy, who was standing before Tsunade's questioning gaze, at a loss for what to do.

"Really?"

Tsunade wasn't entirely convinced. As far as she was concerned, Dongfang Mao was wonderful in every way, but there was no denying that Konoha was the most prosperous place in the Ninja World. Even if this boy was ostracized there, he was still better off than most people in the world.

What's more, the boy was a ninja. What did he stand to gain by leaving Konoha to follow Dongfang Mao, who was currently a bandit and not even a ninja?

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

Nara Kazuma answered with a slight stammer. As he spoke, a hint of hesitation crept into his voice.

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

At the same time, he recalled what had happened yesterday, after he'd been forced to write down the jutsu and Dongfang Mao had come to see him.

Kazuma hadn't expected the bandit chief to ask if he wanted to follow him.

At first, of course, he'd been against the idea. The thought of a ninja following a bandit chief was ridiculous, however he looked at it. If he hadn't been intimidated by the man, he might have laughed out loud.

But then Dongfang Mao's words struck a nerve.

Dongfang Mao had immediately called out the fact that Kazuma was ostracized in Konoha and by his clan.

After all, Kazuma was a member of the Nara Clan, yet he didn't have the usual Ino-Shika-Cho teammates. Instead, he'd been assigned two civilian ninja. The reason was painfully obvious.

Then Dongfang Mao began painting a rosy picture for the inexperienced Kazuma, telling him about all the benefits of following him: good food, good drink, and a carefree life.

What finally broke Kazuma's resolve was that, at the end, Dongfang Mao brought up Tsunade. He said that Tsunade would stay by his side, and Kazuma could follow Dongfang Mao and continue learning jutsu from her.

And so Kazuma began to struggle fiercely with the decision.

After all, he'd set out on this mission with great determination. He wanted to prove himself to his clan and improve his standing within it.

That was why he'd agreed to Yuhi Kurenai's ridiculous pursuit plan, despite usually being so perceptive.

He'd wanted to improve so badly that he couldn't think clearly.

But things hadn't gone as planned. After what had happened, if he returned to the village, his clan would only look down on him even more. They might even consider him a stain on the family.

He'd already prepared himself for even harsher treatment after returning to the village.

But Dongfang Mao's words had opened up a new way of thinking.

If he had Tsunade as his mentor, then aside from being unable to train in the Shadow Jutsu passed down by his clan, there seemed to be no downside at all.

And so the scales in Kazuma's heart began to tip, until, in the end, they fell completely in Dongfang Mao's favor.

"Heh, Sis Tsunade, see? He really does want to follow me."

When Dongfang Mao heard Kazuma's answer, his eyes immediately narrowed into a smile. He patted Kazuma on the shoulder and grinned at Tsunade.

Tsunade's mouth twitched. Dongfang Mao was always managing to surprise her with one unexpected thing after another.

But since Kazuma had said so himself, she wouldn't press him.

As expected of someone from the Nara Clan. He had such a sharp eye that he'd immediately realized her Mao was no ordinary person and figured that following him would lead to great things.

If that was the case, then he could stay. He was just an unwanted child from the Nara Clan, after all. If Konoha asked questions, she could always send them a letter. It wasn't a big deal.

"You poor thing. Just follow Mao and behave yourself from now on."

After saying this to Kazuma, Tsunade led the other two children out of the cave.

But Yuhi Kurenai, walking behind Tsunade, looked uneasy. Her pace was slow, and she kept glancing back at Kazuma, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.

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

At the same time, a sense of resentment welled up inside her. What was so great about Nara Kazuma? Why had Dongfang Mao chosen to keep him while ignoring her?

To Yuhi Kurenai, who'd been proud by nature, this disregard was a heavy blow.

She even felt an urge to speak up and say she wanted to stay, too, and prove to Dongfang Mao that she was no worse than anyone else!

But the words stopped at her lips. Unlike Kazuma, her father was still waiting for her in Konoha. And she didn't have the courage to step into an unknown future.

All she could do was lower her head and slowly follow Tsunade away.

Konoha, Hokage Building.

Inside this iconic Konoha landmark, a tower-like building with a huge circular plaque bearing the character for "fire" on its roof—

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his broad desk, wisps of smoke from his pipe curling in front of his furrowed brow.

"You're saying you ran into Tsunade?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the Special Jōnin who'd returned with Yuhi Kurenai and another student and then come to report. His eyes, hidden beneath his Hokage hat, narrowed slightly.

"Y-yes."

The Special Jōnin standing before the desk swallowed nervously, then recounted what had happened.

When he finished, Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched. He took off his Hokage hat and set it on the desk, then rubbed the bridge of his nose between two fingers, looking somewhat tired.

It wasn't uncommon for students to get in over their heads, act on their own without their instructor's knowledge, and end up in danger. The village usually left such matters to the people below him; Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't be bothered to ask about them.

But this report involved Tsunade, so he'd called the man in to ask about it. He hadn't expected the whole thing to be so ridiculous.

As for Tsunade, he didn't even know what to say anymore.

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

That would have been bad enough.

Now she was mixed up with a band of bandits. If word got out, wouldn't everyone laugh at Konoha all over again?

The thought gave Sarutobi Hiruzen a headache.

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

Only then did he remember that Tsunade had kept a child from the Nara Clan. He asked about it.

"Uh... when I went to inform the Nara Clan, they just said they understood."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.

The Nara Clan wasn't a bloodline clan. Since they didn't seem to care, he couldn't be bothered to worry about it either.

After signaling for the jōnin to leave, he leaned back in his chair and slowly closed his eyes, trying to ease his fatigue.

But just then, the office door swung open with a click.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even open his eyes. In the Hokage Building, only that old comrade of his would dare walk right in without knocking.

Besides, he knew that whenever Danzo came to see him, he never had anything worthwhile to say.

He was already worried about Tsunade, and now he had to deal with Danzo as well. Sarutobi Hiruzen felt exhausted in body and mind, and let out a long sigh.

"Hiruzen, Tsunade has gone too far this time. I think we should send someone to bring her back to the village immediately. Otherwise, it won't be long before Konoha becomes a laughingstock."

As soon as Danzo entered, he turned his accusations on Tsunade. He'd clearly been standing outside the office for a while, listening to every word of the conversation inside.

Hearing him, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, opened his eyes, and slowly sat up straight. He took two long puffs on his pipe before looking at Danzo and speaking.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Konoha owes Tsunade too much. Let her go for now."

"Hmph. It's because of your indulgent attitude that Tsunade acts this way, completely disregarding the village and leaving whenever she wants!"

Danzo spoke with deep dissatisfaction.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen just smoked in silence, waiting for him to continue.

The Senju Clan was all but extinct now. Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't believe Danzo had come to target Tsunade, who'd already left the village, for no reason.

With Tsunade's standing as one of the Sannin, if they really brought her back, Danzo would be the one to regret it.

Seeing that Hiruzen wasn't responding, Danzo let out an annoyed snort and rapped his cane hard against the floor.

"Since you insist on protecting that student who's brought shame on the village, I won't waste my breath. However..."

He suddenly changed tack and pushed a document across the desk with his withered fingers.

"You have to approve this funding today."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyelid twitched. He'd known it.

That man always started by criticizing him over something trivial before getting straight to the point.

Still, Sarutobi Hiruzen took the document. He wanted to see what unrealistic fantasy Danzo was chasing this time.

But as soon as he finished reading it, his expression darkened.

"Danzo, who told you to spy on the Uchiha Clan?"

He slammed the document down in front of Danzo and demanded an answer, his voice laced with anger.

The war had only just ended, and the matter of the Senju Clan still hadn't settled down in the village. And now Danzo wanted to target the Uchiha Clan. Had he lost his mind?

"Hiruzen, the Senju Clan has fallen, and the people in the Uchiha Clan are all itching to make a move. Do you have to wait for the village to be in danger before you'll face the problem?"

Danzo stepped forward with his cane, answering Sarutobi Hiruzen's anger without backing down.

"Enough, Danzo. I'm not approving this funding. And keep Root in line, too. I don't want to hear any more bad news about you for a while!"

The Uchiha Clan could be dealt with, and should be, but this wasn't the time.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't want to waste more time talking about it with Danzo. He made his position clear.

Seeing how firm Sarutobi Hiruzen was, Danzo was filled with resentment.

Why couldn't Hiruzen see the threat posed by the Uchiha Clan? Why was he so weak? Why had Lord Tobirama chosen him to become Hokage?

One question after another circled in Danzo's mind, forming a thick barrier that left him struggling to breathe.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

His body trembled with rage for a moment before Danzo finally growled through gritted teeth.

"Danzo, I'm the Hokage!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat upright, his expression stern. He folded his hands in front of him and fixed Danzo with a sharp gaze.

The last light of dusk streamed through the round Hokage window behind him, falling across his body and making his aged figure seem somewhat imposing again.

The sight left Danzo feeling stifled. He roared inwardly, Again with that! Why? Why?!

His face twisted with anger. Danzo could no longer hold back. He spun around, stormed out, and slammed the door behind him!