Interview Success

Shisui left, returning to mull over the prophecy imprinted in his mind.

Mo Jingxian had been summoned by Lord Hokage out of the blue.

"Lord Hokage."

After entering the room, he bowed first. Some courtesies had to be observed.

To be honest, he didn't particularly dislike Hiruzen Sarutobi.

If you really wanted to judge him, you could say he wasn't a competent leader, but you couldn't say he ruled through scheming.

In truth, his political skills were simply a little immature, leaving plenty of ammunition for later generations to criticize him.

But as for liking him, that was absolutely out of the question.

"Ah, Xian." Hiruzen Sarutobi gathered the documents in his hands and set them aside. "How was it? Did you have enough time to recover?"

At that moment, the Hokage acted like a kindly old neighbor.

He chatted as casually as if he were asking, "Have you eaten?"

The last time Mo Jingxian had entered the Hokage's office, he hadn't been treated this way.

Back then, everything had been strictly business, and Hiruzen had even given him a warning on the side.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Mo Jingxian roughly guessed Lord Hokage's intentions.

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

"Ah!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed first. "You were treated unfairly last time. It's only natural that you have your own thoughts about it."

Then he changed tack. "But you also have to understand the village's predicament. There are some things that, as Hokage, I can't easily say aloud. You understand, don't you?"

Today, the Hokage had taken the time to talk things through and explain himself. He had certainly shown Mo Jingxian due respect.

But he hadn't mentioned compensation or any other benefits at all.

Mo Jingxian still needed to quietly develop his strength, and besides, he didn't have much resentment toward Konoha.

So he picked up on Hiruzen Sarutobi's words and asked, "Is it because of the Uchiha? I can understand what you mean, Lord Hokage."

"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned forward slightly, a little surprised by Mo Jingxian's answer.

Could this be another youth who had already developed a Hokage's way of thinking?

Thinking about it, it wasn't impossible. Mo Jingxian's performance differed from the Shisui he had been watching, but on closer inspection, both his strength and his perspective were far beyond those of his peers.

Take his own youngest son, for example...

No, he couldn't think about that anymore. It was too depressing.

Though they were the same age, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly didn't see Mo Jingxian as a child.

Instead, he found himself speaking to him as an equal.

"Tell me about it." Lord Hokage had grown interested. "I'd like to hear how you assess the Uchiha Clan."

Here it comes!

Mo Jingxian knew this wasn't a simple conversation. It was a test.

What seemed like a straightforward question was no longer a measure of someone's character. It was a political examination.

Lord Hokage had posed the question. Now it was time to see whether Mo Jingxian's thinking aligned with the current political landscape.

The specific content of his answer didn't matter much. What mattered was his attitude.

"How do I see them..." Mo Jingxian repeated unconsciously, lowering his head as if in thought.

After a while, he raised his head decisively and said:

"The Uchiha Clan, as they appear now, are like a noisy child trying to get their parents' attention."

He adjusted his wording. "Sometimes they loudly threaten their parents, saying they'll do this or that if they don't get their way. But really, they're just trying to be taken seriously.

"How should I put it... There's anger and fear, but more than anything, there's the humiliation of being ignored."

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

The office fell silent for a moment. Then Mo Jingxian's confident voice filled the room.

"Of course, that's just a comparison, and the Uchiha Clan doesn't speak with one voice internally, either.

"As far as I know, they have roughly four factions: the hardliners, the peaceful faction, the fence-sitters, and the civilian faction."

"You, honestly..." Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled twice and pointed at the youth standing before his desk.

"I wonder what Fugaku would look like if he knew you'd put him in the 'fence-sitter' faction."

A smile returned to Lord Hokage's face, and he became the kindly old neighbor again.

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

"Just what it sounds like." Mo Jingxian shrugged. "Besides ninja, the Uchiha Clan also has a considerable number of civilians without Chakra. They don't care who becomes clan head or who becomes Hokage. They're thinking about how many coins they can save on their next meal, and whether they'll have enough money for next month's living expenses.

"In short... ninja come from among these people. They're someone's family or friends, and they have an unseen influence, too.

"That's why I divided the Uchiha Clan into four factions."

"Not bad. You can see the details others overlook. That's proof enough that you're a very perceptive child. It wouldn't be wrong to say you already have some of the makings of a Hokage."

Then Lord Hokage changed tack again, asking as if it had just occurred to him:

"If you were Hokage, how would you keep the Uchiha in check?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's praise didn't go to Mo Jingxian's head. On the contrary, as soon as he heard the question, his guard shot up.

Those who were said to have a Hokage's way of thinking didn't seem to end up well.

Besides, the question clearly concealed a trap.

What a sly old fox. Mo Jingxian grumbled to himself, then answered at once:

"I can't." He looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi. When he saw no reaction, he continued:

"But I believe in Big Brother Minato. He'll definitely find a way to convince the Uchiha Clan, and even get them to serve his purposes."

"Oh? You have that much faith in Minato?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"His personal charm, I suppose." A trace of recollection showed in Mo Jingxian's eyes as he spoke unhurriedly.

"Big Brother Minato is sincere, strong, and very wise. Most importantly... he's never been tainted by darkness. People are naturally drawn to him. I think most people feel the same way."

Mo Jingxian had made his position clear, openly declaring his support for Minato.

He had given his answer.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair.

Mo Jingxian's answer dispelled his misgivings.

The Hokage had never feared subordinates with their own positions. If someone was too perfect, that was when he had reason to worry.

Supporting Minato was no problem. It showed that Mo Jingxian had something he wanted and people he cared about.

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of the little girl from the Hyuga Clan, Ayako. She was just as talented, and the bond between the two of them had grown deeper by the day.

That was good, but it wasn't enough. He intended to add another stake to strengthen that bond.

He respected people with talent, especially those who displayed extraordinary character at a young age.

With that in mind, he decided to give the youth some benefits.

He would compensate him generously for the merit that had yet to be rewarded.

"Well said. You're a thoughtful child."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe and slowly packed it with tobacco.

"About your previous mission..." He struck a match, held the flame to the tobacco, and took two deep puffs. "I've heard about it."

Silence fell again. Mo Jingxian didn't understand what he meant, so he simply waited for him to continue.

"The Anbu Ninja have already been sent to the front lines. Something like this won't happen again. As for compensation..." Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him a meaningful look.

"Ninjutsu, money, or something else. What would you like?"

Mo Jingxian knew he had made it through this hurdle. After today, life in Konoha would be much more comfortable for him.

As for the previous mission, it was just an excuse Lord Hokage had brought up to make his offer.

His meaning was easy to understand.

Put another way: Take the benefits, and you're one of us from now on. Just support Minato and don't get any other ideas. I'll handle the rest.

Mo Jingxian knew his own worth. Asking for too much would only make trouble for himself.

Just as he was about to ask for something small to make a token gesture, he swallowed back the words that had reached his lips.

This might be an opportunity!

He quickly turned the idea over in his mind. There was an excellent chance it would work, and he might even make his image more convincing.

That's what he'd do.

Once he'd made up his mind, he didn't hold back. "Lord Hokage, there are a few ninjutsu I'm interested in."

"Name them."

"Reaper Death Seal," "Flying Thunder God," and "Spirit Transformation Technique." Those three should do."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was almost laughing with exasperation. Never mind whether Mo Jingxian could learn them—each of those techniques was powerful enough to be a trump card for a Kage Level shinobi.

The kid really had some nerve. Greed had gotten the better of him.

In his mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his opinion of Mo Jingxian by another notch.

But before he could refuse, Mo Jingxian spoke first:

"Of course, I won't take them for free." He pulled a scroll from his pocket, stepped forward, and set it on the Hokage's desk. "I'll trade this for them."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pinched the bottom of his pipe and frowned at the scroll. "What is this?"

As he spoke, he lowered his opinion of Mo Jingxian by another notch.

Trying to be clever.

Mo Jingxian didn't know what Lord Hokage was thinking. He simply answered calmly:

"The Third Kazekage's body."

Clatter.

The pipe dropped onto the desk. Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him wide-eyed, his expression asking, Are you messing with me?

Mo Jingxian nodded.

"How is that possible!" Lord Hokage shot to his feet. The chair legs screeched against the floor.

"Creeeak—"

When Hiruzen Sarutobi unsealed the scroll, his pupils suddenly constricted.

There was no mistake. He knew the Third Kazekage well; the two of them had crossed paths several times.

As the Kage of their respective villages, their intelligence dossiers, stacked together, would have stood taller than a desk.

There was no mistake. Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the Third Kazekage, who had been turned into a Puppet, his thoughts unreadable.

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

He casually dusted the ash off the desk.

Puff, puff...

Lord Hokage smoked one quiet mouthful after another.

"Tell me about it."

Mo Jingxian had achieved his aim. He'd only just realized that handing the Puppet over to the Hokage would bring him greater benefits than giving it to Orochimaru.

And not just material benefits.

"Here's what happened..."

He began to explain.

Hiruzen Sarutobi occasionally interrupted to ask detailed questions about key points.

Their conversation lasted another hour. During that time, the Hokage refilled his pipe twice, leaving his eyes stinging from the smoke.

When Mo Jingxian finished recounting what had happened, he didn't rush the Hokage. He gave Lord Hokage plenty of time to think it over.

As for why he hadn't reported it earlier, the two of them tacitly avoided mentioning it.

Wouldn't that make Lord Hokage look all the better for setting things right and recognizing talent?

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

He tapped the pipe against the edge of the ashtray, then beckoned Mo Jingxian over.

"Come. Let's talk about your reward."