Hiruzen Sarutobi

Hokage Building, Hokage office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing the Hokage hat, sat behind his desk. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the wood as he pondered in silence. Beside him, White Fang stood respectfully, saying nothing.

"Could it be that we have truly struck gold? To recruit a brat who turns out to be a genius-level talent?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked.

"I cannot say," White Fang replied with his head bowed. "Lord Hokage, Li Tong's strength is indeed improving. The Anbu have been tracking him for the past half-month and have kept detailed records. He is growing, and the pace is not slow, but as for killing an elite jonin in a counter-attack, your subordinate believes it is absolutely impossible!"

"Elaborate," Hiruzen Sarutobi commanded.

"Because being able to kill an elite jonin and being able to kill one silently and swiftly are two different things. The former only requires comparable strength; after a fierce battle, one side is bound to fall. But the latter requires strength far exceeding that of an average elite jonin to achieve such speed and silence."

"Hmm." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. The analysis was sound, and he understood these principles himself; he simply did not want to admit it. He still hoped that Li Tong was a genius-level talent.

He cherished talent deeply! He hoped Li Tong could be used by Konoha. After all, at only twelve years old, it was not too late to cultivate and indoctrinate him. If he possessed extreme aptitude, that would be even better.

"So, who do you think it could be..." Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again.

"Someone else!" White Fang replied immediately.

"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi tilted his head to look at White Fang, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You mean to say that someone is protecting him in the shadows? Helping him?"

"It is very likely!" White Fang speculated. "When he killed Hyuga Anan half a month ago, no one saw how he did it. And this time, when he killed Sickle Without Hook, it was the same. Even the location was the same—in the lake, underwater. We only know the result, but not the process. So, whether he was the one who actually killed them is hard to say!"

"Hmm..." Hiruzen Sarutobi mused. This was indeed a possibility.

Li Tong came from Amegakure. If someone were truly protecting him in the shadows, it was likely an Amegakure ninja. This person would necessarily be extremely powerful and possess high-level stealth and infiltration skills.

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of the leader of Amegakure, the man known as the "Demigod," Hanzo!

In the current ninja world, there were only a handful of people qualified to be Hiruzen Sarutobi's rivals, and among them, the one Hiruzen Sarutobi feared most was the demigod Hanzo—a powerful, insane, insidious, and cunning fellow!

"Hanzo's conspiracy?" Hiruzen Sarutobi whispered, considering many possibilities.

If Li Tong knew what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking right now, he would surely praise him: What a wild imagination!

White Fang was a smart man, and so was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Smart people all shared one bad habit: they thought too much! They would take simple matters and complicate them!

Whoosh!

A whirlwind suddenly stirred before the desk, and a spirited figure appeared out of thin air.

"Teacher, I heard that brat Li Tong killed an elite jonin. Is it true?" As soon as Tsunade appeared, she asked Hiruzen Sarutobi with eyes full of curiosity, her face wearing an excited expression as if she were dying to hear some gossip.

"It is true. Sickle Without Hook, a professional assassin from the Black Market," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.

"It's actually true? How did this brat do it? Tsk tsk! Something is up; he definitely has some secret." Tsunade paced back and forth in front of the desk, muttering to herself and shaking her head, her face flushed with excitement.

She had already been very interested in Li Tong, but due to Hiruzen Sarutobi's previous orders, she could not get too close to him. Yet, the more she was restricted, the more her curiosity itched.

And now, she had sensed that Li Tong held a great secret!

Still muttering, she walked to the side, picked up a cup, muttered as she poured a glass of water, and muttered as she carried the water back to the desk...

In all of Konoha, only Tsunade dared to be this casual in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi. After all, she was the type of person who would call Hiruzen Sarutobi an "old man" to his face when angry.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't mind her. Tsunade had been his student since she was six, and he had raised her like his own daughter.

"Who did you hear from that Li Tong killed an elite jonin?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked.

"Everyone is talking about it!" Tsunade pointed outside the window. "It seems many people already know."

"Hmm!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He was the one who had spread the news. It seemed the response was quite good; the news was indeed explosive enough to spread at such a rapid pace.

Knock, knock!

A knock at the door.

"Ahem!" Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed lightly, gave Tsunade a look, and then said, "Enter!"

Tsunade wandered to the side with her water cup, her demeanor becoming much more proper.

The door opened. Danzo was in the lead, followed by Li Tong.

Eh? She's here too. Li Tong saw Tsunade. Her presence surprised him, as he really didn't want to have too much contact with her; Tsunade was a bomb with an extremely unstable personality.

"Greetings, Lord Hokage!"

Li Tong walked to the desk and bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He naturally recognized him; although he was much younger than in the original work, his features and face shape remained unchanged.

Name: Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Identity: Third Hokage of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire!
Reputation: 1567!
Relationship: Neutral!

Li Tong was stunned. The reputation value had actually exceeded one hundred thousand! It was enough to blind him; this was an off-the-charts amount of reputation. However, Li Tong also knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation must include a portion of his status, so his true strength would never be as exaggerated as the reputation value suggested.

"Hmm, you are Li Tong?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with authority.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

"Li Tong, brat, do you still remember me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi still wanted to say something, but Tsunade couldn't help but jump to Li Tong's side, greeting him with practiced familiarity.

"Heh heh heh, I don't remember." Li Tong let out a dry laugh, pretending not to know her, and even shuffled a few steps to the side to put some distance between them.

"Hey! You deadbeat, you're pretty arrogant, aren't you!" Tsunade hooked her arm around Li Tong's neck and gave it a forceful tug.

"Stop messing around!" Hiruzen Sarutobi scolded, though a helpless smile appeared on his face.

"Hmph!" Tsunade huffed at Li Tong before letting go, tilting her head to the side to drink water in silence, acting as if she were just a bystander who shouldn't be bothered.

Li Tong held back a sneeze; he still couldn't stand the scent clinging to Tsunade.

"Li Tong, I ask you, was it you who killed the elite jonin that attempted to assassinate you?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"Yes!" Li Tong nodded, then added, "But I had no idea he possessed the strength of an elite jonin."

"Then how did you manage to kill him? Underwater?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again.

"His swimming skills weren't as good as mine; he choked on water in the lake," Li Tong replied with complete sincerity.

Pfft—

Tsunade, who had been drinking water, sprayed it all out, and Li Tong felt something wet land on the side of his face.