Hiruzen Sarutobi

The Hokage Building, the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing the hat with the kanji for "fire" on it, sat behind his desk, rhythmically tapping his fingers against the tabletop. He remained silent, deep in thought. White Fang stood respectfully nearby, not saying a word.

"Could it be that we really struck it lucky? We recruited a little devil, and he turned out to be a genius?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked.

"I'm afraid not." White Fang lowered his head as he replied. "Lord Hokage, Li Tong's abilities have indeed been improving. Anbu have been following him for the past half month and keeping detailed records. He is certainly growing, and at a remarkable pace. But as for killing an elite jonin, I don't believe it's possible!"

"Explain," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

"Because killing an elite jonin and killing one swiftly and without a sound are two different things. The former only requires comparable strength. The two sides fight, and one inevitably dies when the winner is decided. But the latter requires strength beyond that of an ordinary elite jonin to be done swiftly and without a sound."

"Hmm." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. The analysis was sound, and he understood all of this. He simply didn't want to admit it. He still hoped Li Tong was a genius.

He loved talented people! He hoped Li Tong could serve Konoha. After all, the boy was only twelve, so it wasn't too late to train and guide him. If he had exceptional talent, all the better.

"So you think it was..." Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again.

"Someone else!" White Fang immediately replied.

"Hm?" Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at White Fang, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You mean someone was secretly protecting and helping him?"

"It's very possible!" White Fang speculated. "He killed Hyuga Anan half a month ago, and no one saw how he did it. This time, he killed Sickle Without Hook the same way. Even the location was the same: in the lake, underwater. We only know the result, not what happened. So it's hard to say whether he really killed them himself."

"Hmm..." Hiruzen Sarutobi mused. That was certainly possible.

Li Tong had come from Amegakure. If someone really was secretly protecting him, they were likely a Rain Ninja, and must be extremely powerful, with exceptional skills in concealment and infiltration.

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

In the Shinobi World today, there were only a handful of people who could stand against Hiruzen Sarutobi. The one he feared most among them was Hanzo the Demigod—a powerful and ruthless man, both sinister and cunning!

"Hanzo's scheme?" Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered. He thought of all sorts of possibilities.

If Li Tong had known what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking, he would surely have praised him: What an imagination!

White Fang was a smart man, and so was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Smart people all had one bad habit: they overthought things! They made simple matters complicated!

Whoosh!

A sudden gust of wind swirled in front of the desk, and a spirited figure appeared out of nowhere.

"Sensei, I heard that little devil Li Tong killed an elite jonin. Is it true?" The moment Tsunade appeared, she asked Hiruzen Sarutobi with an eager, curious look, her face brimming with excitement at the prospect of hearing some juicy gossip.

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

"So it's true! How did that little devil manage it? Tsk, tsk! There's something going on. He must have some kind of secret." Tsunade paced back and forth in front of the desk, muttering to herself and shaking her head. Her face was practically flushed with excitement.

She had been interested in Li Tong from the start, but because of Hiruzen Sarutobi's earlier orders, she couldn't get too close to him. The more forbidden it was, the more curious she became.

And now, she had realized that Li Tong was hiding a huge secret!

Still muttering to herself, she walked over, picked up a cup, filled it with water, then carried it back to the desk...

The only person in all of Konoha who could act so casually in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi was Tsunade. After all, she was bold enough to call him an old geezer when she was angry.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored her. Tsunade had been under his tutelage since she was six, and he had raised her as if she were his own daughter.

"Who told you Li Tong killed an elite jonin?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked.

"Everyone's talking about it!" Tsunade pointed out the window. "It seems like a lot of people already know."

"Mm!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He had ordered the news spread himself. It seemed to be getting quite a response. The story was indeed sensational, which was why it had spread so quickly.

Knock, knock!

There was a knock at the door.

"Ahem!" Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat and gave Tsunade a look, then said, "Come in!"

Tsunade wandered aside with her cup, her manner becoming much more proper.

The door opened. Danzo entered first, with Li Tong following behind him.

"Oh? She's here too." Li Tong was a little surprised to see Tsunade. He really didn't want to have much to do with her. Tsunade was an extremely volatile bomb.

"Greetings, Lord Hokage!"

Li Tong walked up to the desk and bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He recognized him, of course. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was much younger than in the original story, his face and features hadn't changed.

--

Name: Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Identity: Third of Konohagakure, Land of Fire!

Reputation: 1567!

Relationship: Neutral!

--

Li Tong was stunned. The reputation value was over a hundred thousand! It was practically blinding him. This was a reputation score that had gone off the charts. Still, Li Tong knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation must include some prestige from his position, so his true strength couldn't possibly be as exaggerated as the score suggested.

"Mm, you're Li Tong?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked gravely.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

"Li Tong, little devil, do you remember me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to say something, but Tsunade couldn't help hopping over to Li Tong and greeting him like an old friend.

"Heh, heh, no," Li Tong said with a dry laugh, pretending not to recognize her. He even shuffled a few steps away.

"Hey, you little brat, you're pretty arrogant!" Tsunade hooked an arm around Li Tong's neck and squeezed hard.

"Don't fool around!" Hiruzen Sarutobi scolded her, though an exasperated smile appeared on his face.

"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted at Li Tong, then let go and turned her head away, silently drinking her water, as if to say, I'm not in the way, so leave me alone.

Li Tong held back a sneeze. He still couldn't stand the smell of Tsunade.

"Li Tong, tell me, did you kill the elite jonin who tried to assassinate you today?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"Yes." Li Tong nodded, then added, "But I didn't know he was an elite jonin."

"How did you kill him? Underwater?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again.

"He wasn't as good at swimming as I am. He swallowed water in the lake," Li Tong answered very seriously.

Pfft—

Tsunade, who had been drinking, sprayed water everywhere. Li Tong felt that something wet had landed on his cheek.