Bang!
The Hokage's office door was roughly shoved open.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting at his desk, focused on reviewing documents. The sudden interruption put him in a foul mood, and he instinctively demanded, "Danzo, you..."
"Oh, it's Jiraiya."
Only halfway through his sentence did the Third Hokage realize it wasn't Danzo, but Jiraiya.
"Old man, did you approve Setsuna Uchiha's early release request?!"
"You lived through that era. You should know how dangerous that man is!"
"This is the best time to resolve the Uchiha problem. That kid Shingen has been training day and night for this. I'm worried he'll wear himself out!"
"And you stab him in the back?!"
At the mention of Uchiha Shingen, Jiraiya's anger flared even hotter.
During this time,
he had watched his disciple with his own eyes, after learning there might be a chance for the Konoha High Command and the Uchiha to reconcile.
He'd gone from a lazy layabout who was interested in nothing to someone who had found his resolve again.
His diligence in training had put even Jiraiya, his teacher, to shame.
But what had the Third Hokage done?!
He'd released the most dangerous hawk among the Uchiha early. Didn't that mean everything Uchiha Shingen had done so far would be for nothing?!
Even Jiraiya could see that the only thing holding back the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha was the impending war.
Once that pressure was gone, it was only a matter of time before the conflict between the two sides erupted.
Releasing Setsuna Uchiha at a time like this would only make the situation spiral completely out of control!
"So you've come to question your teacher for the sake of your own disciple?!"
The Third Hokage chuckled and asked, "Looks like Shingen-kun is just your type~"
"Don't change the subject, old man!"
Jiraiya planted both hands on the desk and stared straight into the Third Hokage's eyes, but all he saw was the man's calm, unruffled expression.
"Teacher Sarutobi, what are you thinking?!"
"Jiraiya~"
The Third Hokage sat up and leaned back in his chair.
He lifted his pipe to his mouth, took a puff, and blew out a few rings of smoke before looking at Jiraiya.
"Of the three of you, if I had to pick who was most likely to inherit the position of Hokage, I'd put my money on you."
"You have the sense of responsibility and the will a Hokage needs. What you lack is political savvy."
Jiraiya froze. The anger on his face eased, and a trace of guilt crept into his heart. He was about to speak when the Third Hokage handed him a document.
"This is... a sentence reduction request?"
"That's right."
The Third Hokage nodded.
"It's a report submitted by Homura, but Danzo is probably the one who really made the decision."
"Then there's even more reason not to approve it!"
Jiraiya's expression turned grave.
Over the years, many of the village's scandals had been suppressed by the Konoha High Command.
But as the Third Hokage's direct disciple, Jiraiya knew what was going on behind the scenes.
Most of those scandals had been Danzo's doing.
What's more, just over a month ago, Danzo had made a move against Uchiha Shingen, making it clear that he didn't want to see relations between the Uchiha and Konoha improve.
With another Hokage Advisor involved, the matter had become even more complicated.
"Teacher Sarutobi, you're making a terrible mistake!"
The Third Hokage shook his head.
"This request has to be approved. And even if Danzo doesn't make a move, I'll find someone who will."
Jiraiya froze for a moment. A spark of insight flashed through his mind. He felt as though he was about to understand, but a veil of confusion still obscured everything.
"Old man, what do you mean?!"
"Konoha doesn't need the Uchiha united as one, all pulling in the same direction."
The Third Hokage set down his pipe and turned to look out the window.
Though he was old, his eyesight was still excellent.
From where he stood, he could even make out the red fan crest of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Jiraiya understood at once.
"After what happened recently, Fugaku Uchiha has already shown where he stands."
"He wants peace. He wants to ease the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha and make life better for his clan."
"In other words, he's on our side."
"Setsuna Uchiha is different. He's a typical Uchiha hawk, and his understanding of Konoha is still stuck decades in the past."
"The discord between those two will only speed up the day Fugaku Uchiha turns toward Konoha."
"Exactly."
The Third Hokage gave a slight nod, his gaze profound.
"Danzo probably wants to use Setsuna Uchiha to sabotage our plans. I want to use him to move things along."
Jiraiya frowned deeply, as though he were seeing his teacher for the first time.
"Aren't you afraid Setsuna Uchiha will get out of control?!"
The Third Hokage gave no answer, his eyes fixed on Jiraiya.
For the first time, he became acutely aware of the years that had left their mark on the disciple who had grown up under his guidance.
"Jiraiya, you're nearly forty now, aren't you?"
Jiraiya was taken aback, but answered honestly.
"Yeah, more or less."
"Right."
The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe and continued.
"Setsuna Uchiha's name had already spread across the Shinobi World by the time I was born. How much time do you think he has left?!"
"How many of his old followers are still around? How many of the Uchiha's younger generation would be willing to follow him?"
Jiraiya fell silent.
His eyes remained fixed on his teacher, as if he were seeing him for the first time.
The scheming instinctively made him uncomfortable.
If this was the kind of political maneuvering required to become Hokage, then he'd rather go write books with his disciple.
A few minutes later,
Jiraiya left the Hokage Building.
What Jiraiya didn't know was that as soon as he was gone, the door to the Third Hokage's office was kicked open again.
Bang!
"Old man, what the hell are you up to?!"
A bold, irate woman's voice rang out, nearly shattering the Third Hokage's eardrums.
He glanced helplessly at the documents in his hands. When he saw who had come in, his old face crumpled like a bitter melon.
"Tsunade, it's you?!"
"Old man, what were you thinking? Setsuna Uchiha was the most dangerous Uchiha prisoner back when Second Grandfather was in power!"
"And you're letting him out at a time like this..."
Tsunade slammed both hands down on the Third Hokage's desk.
Though she was nearly forty, the Yin Seal had left her looking no older than a young woman.
The only real difference was the weighty bounty that swayed with every step, nothing like a young girl's.
Even though Tsunade hadn't used any ninjutsu, her absurd strength still left two deep dents in the desk.
The sight made the Third Hokage's mouth twitch, but he kept his patience and said, "Of the three of you, if I had to pick who was most likely to inherit the position of Hokage, I'd put my money on you."
"..."
Tsunade's breathing hitched slightly, and much of the anger in her eyes faded.
But when she looked down at her hands, all she could see was the memory of her beloved dying in her arms.
Ever since then, blood had been forbidden to her.
"Teacher Sarutobi, it's too late to say that now. I'm no longer fit to become Hokage."
"But I want to know what you're planning to do about Setsuna Uchiha."
"After all, you called all of us back to prepare for the coming war. If something goes wrong with the Uchiha at a time like this, the consequences are obvious."
"It's a long story..."
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