Interview Successful

Shisui left, carrying a prophecy etched into his mind to ponder over.

Mo Jingxian being summoned by the Hokage was quite abrupt.

"Lord Hokage."

He offered a salute upon entering the room; some protocols still had to be observed.

To be honest, he held no particular animosity toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.

If one were to truly weigh the man, one could say he was not a qualified leader, but one could not say he ruled through Machiavellian schemes.

In truth, his political methods were simply immature, leaving behind many handles for future generations to criticize.

But to say he liked him? That was completely out of the question.

"Ah, it's Xian." Hiruzen Sarutobi tidied the documents in his hands and set them aside. "How is it? Has this period of rest been sufficient?"

At this moment, the Hokage's demeanor was like that of an elderly neighbor.

His casual tone was as natural as asking, "Have you eaten?"

The last time Mo Jingxian had entered the Hokage's office, this had not been his attitude.

Back then, everything had been strictly business, and he had even taken the opportunity to knock him down a peg.

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Mo Jingxian roughly guessed the Hokage's intentions.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage. I am doing well."

"Sigh!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed first. "You were wronged by the events of last time; it is only natural that you have your thoughts on the matter."

He then shifted his tone. "However, you must also understand the village's difficulties. There are some things that I, as Hokage, find difficult to voice. Do you understand?"

Today, the Hokage was playing the role of a mentor, offering explanations and giving him plenty of face.

Yet, regarding compensation or benefits, he did not mention a single word.

Mo Jingxian still needed to develop in secret, and besides, he didn't have much resentment toward Konoha.

Thus, he followed Hiruzen Sarutobi's lead and asked, "Is it because of the Uchiha? If that is what you mean, Lord Hokage, I can truly understand."

"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned forward slightly; Mo Jingxian's response was somewhat unexpected.

Could this be another youth who possessed the mindset of a Hokage ahead of his time?

Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't impossible. Although Mo Jingxian's performance was different from Shisui's, whom he had been focusing on, when one looked closely, his strength and perspective were far above those of his peers.

Take his own youngest son, for example...

Forget it, better not to think about it; it was heart-wrenching.

At the same age, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly did not view Mo Jingxian as a child.

Instead, he unconsciously communicated with him from a perspective of equality.

"Tell me about it." The Hokage became interested. "I want to hear how you evaluate the Uchiha clan."

Here it comes!

Mo Jingxian knew this wasn't a simple conversation; it was an assessment.

A seemingly simple question was no longer a measure of a person's capacity, but a political debate.

The Hokage had already posed the question; now it depended on whether his thinking aligned with the current political landscape.

As for the content of his answer, it mattered little; the key was the attitude.

"How I see it..." Mo Jingxian repeated the words unconsciously, lowering his head as if in thought.

After a moment, he resolutely raised his head and said:

"The way the Uchiha clan currently presents itself is like a noisy child hoping to attract the attention of its parents."

He adjusted his rhetoric. "Sometimes they loudly threaten their parents, saying what they will do if they aren't satisfied, but in reality, it is merely to be taken seriously.

How should I put it... there is anger, and there is fear, but more than anything, it is the shame and annoyance of being ignored."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned serious. "Go on."

The office fell quiet for a moment, and then Mo Jingxian's articulate voice filled the room.

"Of course, this is just a metaphor, and the voices within the Uchiha clan are not unified.

As far as I know, they have roughly four voices: the radicals, the pacifists, the fence-sitters, and the civilians."

"You, boy." Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled twice, pointing at the youth standing before his desk.

"If Fugaku knew you categorized him as a 'fence-sitter,' I wonder what his expression would be."

A smile crept back onto the Hokage's face, and he returned to being the elderly neighbor once more.

"By the way, what do you mean by the 'civilian' faction you mentioned?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Mo Jingxian shrugged. "Besides the ninjas, the Uchiha also have a certain number of civilians without Chakra. They don't care who becomes the clan head or who is the Hokage; they are thinking about how many coins they can save on their next meal and whether their living expenses will last until next month.

In short... ninjas come from these people, whether they are family or friends, and they also possess an invisible influence.

That is why I divide the Uchiha clan into four factions."

"Not bad. You can see details others overlook, which is enough to prove you are a child of great wisdom. It would not be an exaggeration to say you already possess a portion of the Hokage's mindset."

Then, the Hokage shifted his tone, asking as if it were a casual thought:

"If you were the Hokage, what method would you use to restrain the Uchiha?"

Mo Jingxian was not swept away by Hiruzen Sarutobi's praise; on the contrary, his vigilance spiked the moment those words were spoken.

It seemed that those whom he called possessors of a "Hokage mindset" rarely met a good end.

Moreover, there was an obvious trap hidden in that question.

Old schemer, Mo Jingxian cursed inwardly, then immediately replied:

"I have no way." He looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and seeing no reaction, he continued:

"But I believe in Brother Minato. He surely has a way to persuade the Uchiha clan, or even make them serve his purposes."

"Oh? You trust Minato that much?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Personal charisma, I suppose." A look of reminiscence appeared in Mo Jingxian's eyes as he spoke calmly:

"Brother Minato is sincere, powerful, and extremely wise. Most importantly... he has never been tainted by darkness, which naturally makes people want to be close to him. I think most people feel the same way."

Mo Jingxian laid out his position, clearly signaling his support for Minato.

He had given his answer.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back, resting against the chair.

Mo Jingxian's response dispelled the wariness in his heart.

A Hokage is never afraid of subordinates having a stance; if someone were too perfect, that would be when he truly had a headache.

Supporting Minato was fine; it showed that Mo Jingxian had needs and ties.

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of that little girl from the Hyuuga clan named Ayako—another excellent child—and how the bond between the two was deepening day by day.

This was good, but not enough. He prepared to add more weight to that bond.

He respected those with talent, especially those who displayed extraordinary capacity in their youth.

With that thought, he prepared to grant the boy some benefits.

For merits that had yet to be rewarded, he would compensate him twofold.

"Well said. You are a child who excels at thinking."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe, pressing the tobacco into it bit by bit.

"Regarding your previous mission." A match flared, and he pressed it to the tobacco, taking two deep puffs:

"I have heard about it."

Another silence followed. Mo Jingxian did not understand what he meant, so he could only wait quietly for what came next.

"Anbu Ninja have already been dispatched to the front lines; such things will not happen again. As for the compensation..." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him with a meaningful gaze.

"Ninjutsu, a bonus, or something else—what do you think you need?"

Mo Jingxian knew this hurdle had been cleared. After today, his days in Konoha would be much more comfortable.

As for the previous mission, it was merely an excuse, a pretext used by the Hokage.

His meaning was easy to understand.

Translated, it meant: Take the benefits, and from now on, you are one of us. Just keep supporting Minato, don't have any other ideas, and I will handle the rest.

Knowing his own weight, asking for anything too excessive would be asking for trouble.

Just a second before Mo Jingxian intended to ask for something trivial to go through the motions, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

This might be an opportunity!

He quickly ran the idea through his mind. The possibility of success was high, and he could even solidify his persona further.

Let's do it.

Having decided, he no longer stood on ceremony: "Lord Hokage, it just so happens that I am interested in a few ninjutsu."

"Speak."

"The Reaper Death Seal, the Flying Thunder God, and the Spirit Transformation Technique. Just these three will do; they should be enough."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry he laughed. Setting aside whether the boy could even learn them, any one of these three techniques was enough for a Kage-level powerhouse to use as a trump card.

This brat really dared to ask; greed was at work here.

In his heart, he naturally lowered his assessment of Mo Jingxian by a notch.

However, before he could refuse, Mo Jingxian spoke first:

"Of course, I won't take them for free." He pulled a scroll from his pocket, took a step forward, and placed it on the Hokage's desk: "I will trade it for this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pinched the bowl of his pipe, frowning as he stared at the scroll: "What is this?"

As the words fell, his estimation of him dropped another notch in his heart.

Playing petty tricks.

Of course, Mo Jingxian was unaware of the Hokage's inner monologue; he simply replied indifferently:

"The corpse of the Third Kazekage."

Clatter.

The pipe dropped onto the desk, and Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him with wide eyes, his face a question mark of "are you messing with me?"

Mo Jingxian nodded.

"How is that possible!" The Hokage sprang up abruptly, the legs of his chair screeching harshly against the floor.

Screeech--

When Hiruzen Sarutobi unsealed the scroll, his pupils contracted sharply.

There was no mistake; he was no stranger to the Third Kazekage, as the two had crossed paths several times.

As Kage of their respective villages, the information files they held on each other were stacked higher than the desk.

There was no mistake. Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the Third Kazekage, now fashioned into a Puppet, his mind racing with unknown thoughts.

After a moment, he sealed the Puppet back into the scroll and stood up to retrieve his pipe.

He casually brushed the ash off the desk.

Puff, puff...

The Hokage took one heavy drag after another, smoking in silence.

"Tell me about it."

Mo Jingxian had achieved his goal; he had suddenly realized that handing the Puppet over to the Hokage offered greater benefits than giving it to Orochimaru.

And not just in terms of material gain.

"It happened like this..."

He began his account.

Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted occasionally, seizing on key points to ask for details.

The conversation lasted another hour, during which the Hokage refilled his pipe twice, the smoke stinging his eyes.

Once the story was finished, Mo Jingxian did not rush him, leaving the Hokage ample time to think.

As for why this hadn't been reported earlier, both men tacitly avoided the subject.

Wouldn't this just serve to highlight the Hokage's ability to set things right and his talent for utilizing people?

By the time Hiruzen Sarutobi had digested the information, the tobacco in his pipe had gone out.

He tapped the pipe against the edge of the ashtray, then raised a hand to beckon Mo Jingxian:

"Come, let us discuss the matter of your reward."