"Excuse me, I'm Diejian."
"Oh, come in."
With his rare vacation about to end, Diejian was suddenly summoned to the Hokage's office. He knocked on the door.
A hoarse voice came from the other side.
Diejian turned the cold iron doorknob and pushed open the door.
The cluttered desk came into view as soon as Diejian stepped inside.
The work must have been coming in faster than it could be handled.
The mountain of documents weighed on anyone who looked at it, even inspiring pity for the person who had to deal with them.
A breeze brushed Diejian's cheek.
A huge window in the Hokage's office overlooked the entire village.
The breeze drifting in through the open window was cool and refreshing.
As if drawn to it, Diejian turned his gaze toward the open window.
In the light streaming through it, he could see the beloved Konohagakure.
Children ran about, birds flitted through the air, and leaves drifted down—the view through the window was like a painting decorating the room.
Diejian squinted against the glare.
"Looks like nothing's changed."
At the sound of the voice, Diejian's face twisted as if he had bitten into something bitter.
It seemed the beautiful view had stolen too much of his attention, interrupting his grim thoughts.
Diejian turned toward the voice.
The man stood a little way from the window.
He wore a white haori and a hat marked with the character for "fire." A smile played at the corner of his mouth, hidden beneath the brim.
Embarrassed to have been caught off guard, Diejian deliberately blinked a few times.
"Sorry for the wait. I apologize."
Diejian stopped a short distance from the desk, set his feet shoulder-width apart, and bowed respectfully.
It was the formal stance of someone waiting for orders.
The man seemed moved by Diejian's appearance. His smile shifted slightly as he spoke.
"First, I'm sorry for summoning you so suddenly, Diejian."
"No, that's all right... Is there another troublesome matter?"
Diejian's expression didn't change in response to the man's courteous manner.
Still, he didn't seem able to completely hide the weariness that seeped into his voice.
"No, not exactly. It might turn into one, but not yet."
The man gently shook his head, dismissing Diejian's concern.
"I see. The usual, then?"
"At this point, I suppose so."
The man cleared his throat wearily and turned his back to Diejian.
His gaze was fixed on the lovely land outside the window, his beloved home.
A gust of wind stirred the man's haori.
As if drawn to it, Diejian stared at the words emblazoned across his back.
Third Hokage
It had been a year since the man—Sarutobi Hiruzen—had become the Third Hokage.
Another Face Rock had been added to the cliff overlooking Konoha, and new life had begun to sprout in the village.
Only a year, and yet a whole year.
For both Diejian and Hiruzen, it had probably been the longest year of their lives.
—On that day, during the Second's funeral, Sarutobi Hiruzen formally announced that he would inherit the Hokage Position and become the Third Hokage.
In doing so, the chaos caused by the "vacant leadership" should have been kept to a minimum—as it ought to have been.
There had indeed been doubts about the young Hokage, and the villagers had looked at Hiruzen with suspicion.
After losing Senju Hashirama, they had now lost Senju Tobirama as well. It was only natural for concerns to arise about the loss of their influence over other nations.
Among those concerns was one particular matter.
The Jinchuriki.
There were living beings known as Tailed Beasts.
They were nine monsters feared in the Warring States Period, when people believed that "disaster would never strike if you didn't touch a Tailed Beast."
Each had between one and nine distinctive tails, and they were distinguished by their number of tails: One-Tail, Two-Tails, and so on.
Jinchuriki were people who had one of these chakra monsters, known as Tailed Beasts, dwelling inside them.
Tailed Beasts.
It was said their bodies were as large as mountains, and a single sweep of their tails could turn a hundred shinobi into chunks of flesh.
It was said that half-baked jutsu had no effect on them, and that they could unleash Chakra Cannons powerful enough to blow away mountains without limit.
It was said that they had existed since the age of the Sage of Six Paths and thought nothing of the power of humanity.
The damage once caused by Tailed Beasts had been classified as a "natural disaster" beyond humanity's ability to resist.
Capturing them was impossible.
And the idea of someone becoming a Jinchuriki, harboring one of those Tailed Beasts within their body and controlling its immense power, was little more than wishful thinking.
Only Sunagakure had ever succeeded in sealing a Tailed Beast—the One-Tail—inside a human body.
But its power was so unstable that the Jinchuriki couldn't even sleep peacefully, for fear the seal might weaken.
Far from being useful as a weapon, the Jinchuriki posed a greater risk of rampaging within the village and destroying themselves. Nearly every attempt ended in failure.
Thus, fearing that the Tailed Beast's power might run wild, the First Kazekage isolated the monk who had become a Jinchuriki and kept him imprisoned in a cage until he grew old and died.
That was how dangerous Tailed Beasts were.
But after the First Shinobi World War, the First, Senju Hashirama, captured the Tailed Beasts from the Two-Tails to the Eight-Tails and distributed them among the villages as "deterrents to war." This changed people's perception of them.
What had been missing from the use of Jinchuriki was a Sealing Jutsu capable of perfectly sealing a Tailed Beast and drawing out its power.
Through their own interpretations and modifications of the Uzumaki-style Sealing Technique used to seal Tailed Beasts, the villages began researching new Sealing Jutsu that would let them use Tailed Beasts as a source of power for their Jinchuriki.
As a result, though the seals were unstable, each village gained a powerful shinobi with an immense source of Chakra dwelling inside them: a Jinchuriki.
In the process, each village came to understand the Jinchuriki's power, as well as the chilling terror that came with being unable to control it. At the same time, they arrived at a consensus.
"Only a Jinchuriki can defeat a Jinchuriki."
The villages feared one another's Jinchuriki, while also fearing the Jinchuriki in their own village.
This state of mutual reluctance to act achieved Tobirama Senju's goal of ending wars through "deterrence," just as he had envisioned.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Among the shinobi who had roamed the Warring States Period were monsters who could seize victory even when facing a Tailed Beast.
Senju Hashirama, hailed as the God of Shinobi, could use Wood Release to suppress Tailed Beasts.
Uchiha Madara could bind and control Tailed Beasts with his Dojutsu Power.
Even now, nearly everyone who called themselves a "Kage" was a monster capable of facing a Tailed Beast alone.
The previous Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was no exception.
And so, while people feared the Tailed Beasts, they also felt reassured.
They trusted the Kage who had distinguished themselves and earned their renown in the previous war.
It was an absolute trust in the belief that "everything will be all right as long as he's here."
—Could Sarutobi Hiruzen really stand against a Tailed Beast?
When the Second fell and Hiruzen became the Third Hokage, it was inevitable that this question would arise.
Senju Hashirama had died long ago, and Uchiha Madara had left the village.
Senju Tobirama had fallen as well, and the only Jinchuriki remaining in Konoha was an elderly woman whose fighting ability was questionable.
It would have been unreasonable not to feel anxious about that.
The "anxiety" held by Konohagakure.
Unexpectedly, the first to notice it and take action wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen, who focused on internal affairs, but Shimura Danzō, who devoted himself to diplomacy.
Both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were prepared to stake their lives to protect the village. They had the Will of Fire to face a Tailed Beast without fear.
But it was also true that this alone wouldn't convince the people.
As Third Hokage, Hiruzen had to take charge of internal affairs. He had to dispel the villagers' pent-up "fear of Tailed Beasts," no matter what.
If this had been a peaceful transfer of power, there would have been no problem.
If the transfer had taken place while the Second, Senju Tobirama, was still alive—
But circumstances hadn't allowed it.
The Second and the Second Raikage had been killed, and the Shinobi World, which should have been stable, had changed.
Sunagakure and Kirigakure proclaimed that their territorial expansion was fair, and began eyeing the lands of smaller nations, eager to carve them up.
Although Konoha had lost the Second, it was still a great nation with the Senju and Uchiha Clans.
But now that it had lost its former authority, no one could tell how effective its deterrence would be.
The Shinobi World now rested on a dangerous balance.
In such a volatile situation, Hiruzen and Danzō alone weren't enough to reassure the people.
Their family backgrounds should have been sufficient, but there was no competing with the Senju and Uchiha.
The threshold was simply too high.
Kagami Uchiha, the only "Uchiha" who had inherited Tobirama's will, couldn't do it because of the constraints imposed by his clan.
Although the moderates had become the dominant faction after Madara's faction was successfully purged during the old internal conflict, exclusion of other clans remained widespread.
They accepted that they could never compare to the Senju Clan, but their pride still smoldered beneath the surface.
Though Torifu Akimichi came from a prestigious family, his name carried less weight than those of the Shimura and Sarutobi Clans.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura came from clans with little power, and neither had the character to serve as a pillar of the village.
In the end, people didn't believe they could defeat a Tailed Beast.
Since they had once lost to the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who had obtained a portion of the Nine-Tails' power, it was only natural for people to think that way.
It was a situation of being surrounded on all sides. While all the people discovered by the Second were unable to act, Danzō noticed the existence of a certain man.
—The legacy of the First and the Second.
His name was Senju Diejian.
Contrary to his title, Senju Diejian had no connection to Konoha's upper ranks.
From an objective standpoint, he had been "kept away from the public eye," and Tobirama had treated Diejian that way during his lifetime as well.
As a result, only a very small number of people knew that he could use Wood Release. The widespread belief that he was "blessed by his bloodline, but had never risen above the middle ranks" became the ultimate move that could overturn every predicament.
Wood Release—the strongest Kekkei Genkai, once wielded by the First to capture the strongest Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails, and defeat the most wicked rogue shinobi, Uchiha Madara.
—Ah, that's right. He's here.
The grandson of the First Lord...
Diejian, who had risen to prominence close to Hiruzen, showed him absolute loyalty and gratitude.
Seeing Diejian, heir to the First, filled the people with a deep sense of "security," and they placed their absolute trust in Hiruzen, who commanded him.
The title of being a direct descendant of the Senju Clan, which had produced the First and Second, carried enormous weight in itself.
His talent for Wood Release was also enough to bring the image of the First to mind.
And there could be no question about his strength. He had already proven himself when he defeated Kakuzu, who had once been listed as an S-rank target in the bingo book.
But—if Diejian had stood in the public eye under the Second's administration, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
That much was certain.
If he had become famous under Tobirama's administration and the villagers had recognized him as a protector of the village, a faction advocating for the "Third Hokage, Senju Diejian" would surely have emerged.
On the other hand, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the one to whom the Second had personally entrusted the position of "Kage."
Those who truly admired the Second, with Danzō at their head, would have tried to carry on his will no matter what.
Then, whether Diejian declined that position—the Hokage Position—or Hiruzen declined it, the surrounding chaos would never have stopped.
And there would have been only one end to it all: destruction.
Would it be "Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen"—
—or
"Third Hokage, Senju Diejian"?
The village would split into two factions, lose its unity, fall into chaos, and eventually wither away like a fallen leaf.
This was why Tobirama had made Hatake Sakumo, rather than Senju Diejian, his own "banner."
He had also distanced himself from the Uchiha to shackle them, ensuring they couldn't rashly interfere if anything ever happened to him.
He had placed the other Senju, Tsunade, close to Hiruzen, binding her as Hiruzen's student to prevent another faction from taking her in.
And if Senju Diejian were ever taken in by another faction, Tobirama could use Tsunade as a hostage to keep him in check.
This, too, was a precaution Tobirama had made after realizing the depth of Diejian's love for his sister.
All of the Second, Senju Tobirama's policies were connected by a single thread.
—The Second, Senju Tobirama, had even taken his own sudden death into account. He had tried to leave as much as possible to the next generation. That was the ultimate path of a shinobi.
Danzō, realizing this, couldn't stop himself from trembling at the thoughtfulness Tobirama had shown.
No one had cared more for the village or looked further into the future than that man. Danzō wept once again, mourning his death.
As for Senju Diejian, entrusted with the future by such a great man, perhaps he had been devastated by the loss of his teacher. He had claimed to be ill, gone into convalescence, and shut himself away.
How had Danzō felt when he heard about it?
But Danzō showed none of his inner thoughts. He went in person to the Senju estate.
"Would you be willing to look after that fool?"
While Danzō was away from the village on diplomatic business, the villagers' dissatisfaction would inevitably be directed at Hiruzen.
Therefore, Danzo endured every humiliation for his foolish childhood friend, the Third Hokage. He lowered his head and pleaded, as if reaching into a fire to pluck out a chestnut.
Moved by Danzo's bearing, Diejian readily agreed.
The Crouching Dragon had taken flight—as Hiruzen's Left and Right Arms, Diejian had finally stepped onto the stage.
Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Hokage-direct ANBU Commander—Shimura Danzō.
Captain of the Third Hokage's personal guard—Senju Diejian.
And so, the Third Hokage's regime was complete.
"Diejian, it's been a year since then. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am now. First of all, I want to thank you."
Hiruzen turned around, removed his hat, held it against his chest, and bowed deeply.
Ever since news of the Second's death had spread throughout the Shinobi World, Konohagakure had been left isolated and without support.
Other countries couldn't possibly stand by and watch as Konohagakure, hailed as the strongest of the Five Great Villages, grew weaker.
Sending assassins to eliminate the young man in charge of the village's military affairs was probably inevitable.
Diejian had risked his life to protect Hiruzen from the assassins who came at all hours, day and night.
He had cut down every poisonous fang aimed at Hiruzen, from Biwako and her family—she had already decided to marry him and take the Sarutobi name—to Hiruzen's students.
He had made full use of the Shadow Clone Technique to protect everything around Hiruzen.
If another village had had someone clever enough to undermine Konohagakure by targeting the people around Diejian, Hiruzen's "vanguard," instead of Hiruzen himself, Konoha might already have fallen. The covert conflict had been that fierce.
Diejian had been on call beside Hiruzen almost twenty-four hours a day. He ate only the kind of shinobi rations that wouldn't hinder him in battle, enduring days so grueling that he couldn't even get enough sleep or rest.
He had cast aside his old spoiled and selfish ways. The sight of him rushing about for Konohagakure was precisely the future his teacher, Tobirama, had hoped for.
Bearing the hopes of his late teacher, Diejian fought to the very end.
Even Diejian, who had been confident in his stamina, felt that without Tobirama's training and the Shadow Clone Technique, he would have died of overwork long ago. The year had been that brutal.
"Please don't, Lord Third."
Even so, Diejian gently shook his head, believing it had been his duty.
"I only did what I had to do... When I saw that man's corpse, I found what I was meant to do... the true path a shinobi should walk. I exist as I am now because of him. If you want to thank someone, thank him. I was only imitating him... It wasn't anything 'great.'"
The Will of Fire—the two, bound by a will passed down through generations, pressed toward the same summit together.
His tone was stiff, but Diejian thought that if Hiruzen had been in his position, he would have done the same and said the same.
"I see."
Hiruzen had perhaps understood that will as well, because he said no more.
"Oh?"
Hiruzen set his hat on the table, sank deep into his chair, and waved his hand through the air two or three times.
He put his pipe to his lips and lit it.
As if taking a deep breath, he drew the smoke deep into his lungs, then slowly and gently let it out.
"Hey, Diejian. You seem to have aged a bit."
"...Not nearly as much as you, Monkey, old buddy..."
They both felt they were right, and exchanged smiles.
Hiruzen, who had grown his beard back over the past year, now had clearly visible lines of fatigue.
Diejian, by contrast, had neatly cut the long hair he'd had a year ago. His once-gentle eyes had become sharp and perceptive.
The way Diejian looked now brought to mind two late mentors.
The young man who had once carried a hint of the First's gentle features had, in a year, taken on a battle-hardened air.
It wasn't a bad thing, but it did make Hiruzen feel a little lonely.
(That mischievous brat... Heh. What would Father think if he saw me now... and what about First Lord?)
Hiruzen hid his deep feelings in his heart.
He thought of the backs of his late mentors.
Just as Diejian followed in Tobirama's and Hashirama's footsteps, Hiruzen followed in the footsteps of the great Ancestors.
"But Diejian, you noticed, after all."
Hiruzen didn't scold Diejian for his casual tone. Instead, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
Hiruzen's gestures just now had been meant to drive away the nearby ANBU—the shinobi of the assassination force directly under the Hokage, known as the Anbu.
Perhaps he'd wanted to startle Diejian when he let his guard down and acted rudely.
But Diejian had sensed every presence lurking nearby and hadn't left himself open.
Only after the eyes watching them had disappeared did he finally change his tone and stop acting so formally.
"Of course. Their stealth is nowhere near as good as the previous assassins'. They're still too young."
"You're still plenty young yourself. I wish you could hear yourself saying that a year ago."
"Hmph. Same to you."
Hiruzen smiled helplessly at Diejian's audacity.
Diejian looked down at Hiruzen, whose expression had softened.
He couldn't help reflecting on how much Hiruzen had changed over the past year, too.
His tone, his air—Hiruzen had once been a lecher, but basically an honest, good young man. Now he'd become a cunning old man, befitting the title of village leader.
"Anyway."
At Hiruzen's words, spoken as if to bring their conversation to an abrupt close, Diejian straightened up again.
Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction, then tapped the ash out of his pipe with a light clatter.
"The ANBU selection is finally over, and the village's heightened security is fully in place. You can finally get some rest, too."
"Even if I can rest, it's pointless if you can't."
"Thanks to you all, I can at least make sure I get enough sleep. It's fine."
"Is that so..."
The dark circles beneath both their eyes spoke of their hardships. But each understood that the other was the sort of person who wouldn't be swayed by being told to take it easy, so neither pressed the matter.
Still, some things had changed, and some had not.
They both still cared deeply about their companions.
After this conversation, Hiruzen would probably complain to Ina about Diejian's overwork, and Diejian would complain to Biwako about Hiruzen's.
They'd each have their weak spot seized and their cheeks pinched, then be forced to rest.
But both of them were already anticipating that, and were engaged in a pointless battle of wits over how to avoid it.
"Now, Third. What was it you wanted to discuss with me?"
"Oh, right. It's about that matter... But first, I want to ask how those kids are doing."
Those kids meant Hiruzen's students: Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.
Ever since Hiruzen had become the Third Hokage, he hadn't been able to set aside time to train the three of them.
Furthermore, as the Third Hokage's personal students, the three were valuable hostages, and plenty of people had their eyes on them.
Sakumo and Kagami had been assigned as guards for their safety, but that was tantamount to keeping them under surveillance.
Knowing the three children had had little freedom that year, Hiruzen had been more concerned about them than ever.
Diejian understood what was on Hiruzen's mind and nodded deeply. He took a small notebook from inside his clothes and recited his assessment from its notes.
"Well, first, Jiraiya... As you know, ever since he went missing a few days ago, he's been taken under the protection of the Great Toad Sage. It seems he'll be training under them for a while."
It had happened a few weeks ago.
The three had received Hiruzen's guidance after a long time apart. Each had been exploring their abilities and grown stronger, but the results showed that only Jiraiya still lacked teamwork.
Hearing about it, Diejian had thought Jiraiya didn't seem like the sort of person who would look down on his companions.
That had been the right assessment.
The truth was that he'd been driven by a competitive streak toward Orochimaru, whom his crush Tsunade favored after what had happened before, as well as the adorable vanity of wanting to impress the teacher who was finally guiding him again after so long.
Faced with students at such a sweet and earnest age, it was only natural that Hiruzen, worn down by the harsh daily life of the Third Hokage, had gone soft.
Hiruzen decided to teach Jiraiya, who had been tied alone to a wooden post, a new jutsu.
—the Summoning Technique.
It was a Space-Time Ninjutsu that allowed its user to summon a contracted animal whenever and wherever they wished.
It wasn't very difficult to learn, but it had one drawback: if used without a contracted animal, the caster would be transported through space instead.
Hiruzen had warned him about this—but excited by the new jutsu, Jiraiya used it before signing a contract with a summoning animal.
As a result, Jiraiya suddenly vanished right in front of Sakumo, who had been assigned to guard him.
Sakumo blamed himself for losing sight of his charge. Hiruzen grew frantic over his beloved student's disappearance, while Tsunade and Orochimaru clung to Diejian with tears in their eyes, worried about their companion's crisis.
As for Diejian, forced to shoulder every problem himself, he nearly lost his mind when this new crisis was added to the mountain of trouble already on his hands. He clutched his head and agonized over what to do.
At the same time, he was tormented by the sense of déjà vu he felt toward "a troublesome student who disobeyed his teacher's orders."
Wondering if this was karma, Diejian twitched beneath his deep dark circles and set to work resolving the situation.
Then, a day after the great commotion.
Perhaps all of Diejian's efforts had been in vain, perhaps the Summoning Technique had worn off, or perhaps Jiraiya had been sent back. Either way, he returned to Konohagakure as if nothing had happened.
What Tsunade and Orochimaru did to him after seeing his smug expression and snapping under the strain was left unsaid.
Later, after learning that Jiraiya had been summoned to Mount Myōboku, where the toad sages lived, Diejian suggested that he go there to train in Senjutsu.
Jiraiya left Konoha for a time and settled down at Mount Myōboku.
"—Mount Myōboku, as you know, is cut off from the outside world. It also means placing Jiraiya somewhere safer than Konoha..."
"Mm. First Lord... The 'Power of the Sage' your grandfather Hashirama used is something we've long dreamed of."
"Ah, I understand. If possible, I'd like to make it a Konoha secret art through Jiraiya. If they're unwilling, we could have Jiraiya found a new 'Toad Clan' and treat it as their secret art. The power of Grandpa that exists within me can't be relied on anymore..."
"There's nothing we can do about that, either. Ever since I heard what happened to you, I've felt that the fact you're still here at all is already a miracle. Senjutsu, Wood Release. Konoha may have lost First Lord, but what he passed down is still here."
Diejian spoke vaguely, and Hiruzen nodded deeply.
Some time ago, during his decisive battle with Kakuzu, Diejian had used the Forbidden Jutsu granted to him by the Second.
That jutsu turned the caster's soul into Chakra. In theory, using it meant certain death.
Overcome by a profound sense of loss, Diejian had understood why he had survived using such a jutsu.
Thinking back, ten years had passed since "that incident."
By now, Diejian wasn't so fragile that he would burst into tears, but parting with the presence that had always watched over him was still unbearable.
Combined with Tobirama's death, it was understandable that Diejian had shut himself away for a time before answering Danzo's summons.
"Then there's Tsunade and Orochimaru... As for Tsunade, Ina and Grandma are looking after her while also serving as her guards. As a Princess of the Senju, she has enough protection, so she should be fine. I've also sent a Wood Clone to follow her, just in case. The problem is Orochimaru..."
"Hmm, what's the problem?"
"Well, I'm not sure if I should even call it a problem... It seems he's been secretly learning all kinds of skills from Teacher Kagami and Sakumo, who were assigned as his guards. At his age, he's already trying to master the Four Nature Transformations. He's far too capable to remain a Genin. He may not need guards anymore, either. That child really is a genius... But, how should I put it? Maybe that's exactly what makes him 'dangerous.'"
"Mm, I see... Understood. If it's just Orochimaru, I might be able to make time to teach him."
"Ah. In any case, Orochimaru seems rather lonely, too. It would be good to visit him when you have time."
Hiruzen was so busy that he couldn't find time to train all three of them.
He could train at most one during his spare time, but he couldn't show favoritism.
However, if each of them was already learning from an elder who excelled in their field, then focusing on Orochimaru, whose overall abilities were growing, might be a good solution.
Diejian lowered his gaze thoughtfully, then shrugged as if he'd remembered something.
"Anyway, they're all outstanding geniuses. That said, there's a lot of talk about the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams. We could deliberately let them take part... but it's too dangerous. It would be better to stop them. Do you disagree?"
"Mm..."
"What is it, old buddy? You look deep in thought."
At Hiruzen's vague response, Diejian raised one eyebrow.
Realizing what Hiruzen was thinking, Diejian spoke with a hint of irritation.
"Third. You assigned me to act as their guard under the guise of an Examiner to reduce the danger the children would face. That's why I drew attention to 'conspicuous' Uchiha Shuri. She had already planned to participate, so it worked out well, but that's beside the point. I absolutely won't let those children... let Tsunade be exposed to danger."
Uchiha Shuri.
She was of direct descent from the Uchiha Clan and a Genin capable of using the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Though she wore a cool, clever mask, she was an innocent and peculiar woman underneath.
She said cold things, yet hesitated to act on them. Honestly, such a kind woman wasn't suited to being a shinobi.
She was the slow-to-warm-up sort who couldn't fight at full strength unless she was near death or someone she cherished was hurt.
That was precisely why she was the perfect decoy to draw the enemy's attention away from the other Genin.
Her being a Genin despite her age was enough to make the enemy underestimate her.
In fact, if Diejian hadn't known Shuri's strength since childhood, he probably would have laughed it off with a "She's in her twenties and still a Genin?"
That was exactly why she made the perfect decoy.
By recommending that Shuri take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams, Diejian had tried to use her as a shield to protect the other, younger shinobi.
Shuri had already signed up before Diejian approached her. This was because Third Hokage Hiruzen had reached the same conclusion as Diejian and approved her application.
But Diejian couldn't accept the idea of anyone other than himself using Shuri, and he couldn't completely hide his displeasure.
Hiruzen saw through him and smiled wryly.
"Given how much you care about your companions, I feel bad asking you to agree to let Miss Juri be exposed to danger."
"No... It's fine. There's no one better suited than Shuri. I would have done the same."
"But Diejian, you were acting on my orders..."
If Diejian was tormented by guilt over using Shuri, Hiruzen wouldn't hesitate to make things easier for him by saying it had been "an order from the Third Hokage"—but...
"Third. You don't need to worry."
Diejian's expression seemed to say that saying another word would be an insult. Hiruzen couldn't help shrugging.
"W-well, anyway."
Hiruzen's reaction made Diejian realize how he'd been acting. He cleared his throat awkwardly, but still fixed Hiruzen with a sharp gaze.
"I, Senju Diejian, will protect Uchiha Shuri with my life."
Overwhelmed by Diejian's forceful declaration, Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, drew a sharp breath.
"...Mm. Honestly... Who did you get that stubborn streak from?"
Hiruzen smiled helplessly, though with a hint of happiness, and Diejian snorted.
He took after someone, though there was no need to say who.
"Though that was part of the reason, I can't look after every member of Hiruzen's Squad. Of course, if they take the exam..."
"I've considered that."
"Is that so?"
Since the Third Hokage took office, this would be the first joint Chunin Selection Exam.
The villages participating in this exam were Grass, Waterfall, Rain, and Rock.
Aside from Konoha, the only one of the Five Great Nations taking part was Iwagakure, from the Land of Earth.
That was less than half the number of nations that had participated during the Second's era.
But—
"Iwagakure's Second, 'Nobody' Mu, is a notorious monster. He served as the First Tsuchikage's right hand in the last war and was a man who matched wits with Uncle Tobirama. His Kekkei Tōta, Dust Release, which could reduce anything to nothing, is terrifying, too. If we invite him into the village and things go wrong, the damage would be immense... Monkey, why hold the Chunin Exams now, of all times?"
"About that... Diejian, do you know how many villages Konoha has nonaggression pacts with right now?"
"Almost none. Put plainly, the kindling is smoldering everywhere."
"Exactly. That's why we have to act now."
"To make it clear who's friend and who's foe? Even so, it's too dangerous. It would be safer to have the new unit Danzo's leading, Root, gather intelligence and wait for the right moment..."
"We can't expect so much from an organization that's only just been formed. Besides, that 'right moment' is approaching. Danzo's brought us some news... It's Suna."
Hiruzen casually tossed a stack of documents onto the desk.
They were a report from Danzo.
They contained intelligence that Sunagakure had begun a military buildup.
Suna, the Land of Wind, had a vast territory, but much of it was barren, and it endured a harsh climate.
Ever since the First Kazekage's time, Sunagakure had been watching for an opportunity to expand its territory.
With the moderate Second of Konohagakure dead and his ally Kumogakure plunged into chaos, there could be no better time for Suna.
"So... if Suna attacks, its targets will be neighboring Konoha or Iwagakure?"
"Precisely."
Diejian made his guess, and Hiruzen nodded.
"If we can ally with Iwagakure, we'll have a strong deterrent against Suna. That's why we're going out of our way to bring Rock over to our side."
"So the Chunin Selection Exam is just a pretext for negotiating an alliance?"
It wasn't that only Iwagakure was participating; rather, Iwagakure was the only village that had learned Konoha was holding the Chunin Exams and applied to hold them jointly.
Konoha wanted to set aside the Five Great Nations, whose movements were growing unstable, for the moment and strengthen its ties with the smaller nations that other countries looked down on.
Iwagakure had noticed that, sharp as ever. But were they friend or foe...?
"What if Suna and Iwagakure join forces?"
"Then we'll have no choice but to seek help from Kiri and Whirlpool. As for Kiri, Koharu and Homura have already been sent there. As for Whirlpool, I've asked Lord Mito to put in a good word for us."
"Third Hokage, forgive me for speaking plainly, but that's far too dangerous."
What Hiruzen was attempting wasn't a gamble with poor odds.
If they lost, the enemy would reach the heart of the village and devour Konoha from within.
Thinking of the danger facing the village, Diejian rebuked the Third Hokage.
But Hiruzen fixed Diejian, who was shouting at him, with a sharp gaze.
It was not the gaze of the gentle man he had once been.
It was the powerful gaze of the Third Hokage, bearing the future of Konoha—and even the Shinobi World—on his shoulders.
"I know it's dangerous. But the fact is, now is our only chance. If we wait any longer, Suna will lose patience and make its move. By then, war will be impossible to stop. We have to carry on the wishes of the First Lord and the Second: 'a world without war.'"
"But what matters is the village... our family, right!? You're putting them in danger—"
No one knew what the right answer was.
Once, the First had killed a lifelong friend to protect the "present."
The Second, who had inherited the Will of Fire, had sacrificed "himself" to protect the "next generation."
Now, the Third Hokage had decided that to protect what the Predecessors had entrusted to him, he had to endure the hardships of the "present."
Diejian didn't know the right answer.
He understood Hiruzen's reasoning... Yet even understanding it, he could barely put his thoughts into words, because the feelings he had inherited from the First—the desire to protect the village as it was—burned too strongly within him.
Times changed, and so did people's ideals.
The priorities of the First's era, when protecting the village came first, were different from those of the Third Hokage's era, when stopping a great war was paramount.
If even a single coup occurred within the village now, Hiruzen and Danzo would, after reaching a bitter decision, destroy that clan without hesitation.
Diejian was troubled.
The decisive difference between Diejian and Hiruzen, comrades from the same school, was their experience of war.
Hiruzen knew the First Shinobi World War.
He knew how pitiful, terrifying, and cruel it had been. He knew all of it.
He knew how many lives had been lost. He knew the weight of all the possibilities that had been cut short. He knew all of it.
To Hiruzen, a Shinobi World War was the worst possible "outcome," one that had to be avoided even at some risk.
"—Exactly. Diejian, what we must do is stop the war. We must protect the peace of the Shinobi World that the Predecessors wished for. I won't ask you to accept that. But someday, you'll understand."
Hiruzen stood and gazed out the window. Diejian couldn't bring himself to look at his back.
"I'll let you know about what comes next. You may go."
Hearing those words, Diejian turned his back on Hiruzen and left the room.
Just before stepping out, Diejian glanced back at Hiruzen over his shoulder.
He fixed Hiruzen's back with a sharpened gaze, but his eyelids trembled with frustration—with nowhere to vent his feelings, even though he understood what Hiruzen was dealing with.
"...Third Hokage, one last thing. This whole business really is a pain."
Diejian gave a joking smile, then finally left the room.
Before you continue