I Am the Hokage!

"Lord Hokage! Honorable Elders! These are the detailed proceedings of the battle between Uchiha Yan and Liuxia!"

Inside the Hokage's office, an Anbu member wearing an animal mask knelt respectfully on one knee, reporting the ins and outs of the incident to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the members of the Council of Elders.

The man who would one day be a revered and venerable old Hokage was, at this time, still in the prime of his life—the "Professor," Hiruzen Sarutobi—puffing away at his pipe with leisurely contentment.

Once the Anbu member finished his report, he slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, nodded at the operative to show his approval, and waved him away.

After the Anbu member departed, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the three people present—Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane—before he asked, "What are your thoughts on this conflict between Uchiha Yan and Liuxia? Feel free to speak your minds!"

"Hiruzen! The Uchiha clan has always been an extremely dangerous group. Just as Master Tobirama said, they are still that evil Uchiha clan! Therefore, I believe we must once again strengthen our surveillance of the Uchiha! These matters could be handled entirely by our Root, but Root is currently busy infiltrating other ninja villages and is under great pressure! We need more manpower; our current numbers are simply insufficient!"

Upon hearing the Third Hokage's words, Danzo immediately proposed his long-standing agenda: strict surveillance of the Uchiha clan and a request to increase the number of Root members.

After all, only Root was the power he truly held in his hands, and it was the solid foundation that would ensure he could one day ascend to the Hokage's throne!

He had always firmly believed that Danzo Shimura was destined to become the Hokage of Konoha! Choosing the monkey to be Hokage had been the Master's mistake!

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a headache coming on the moment he heard Danzo's old refrain.

As soon as Danzo finished speaking, he took a deep, sharp drag from his pipe and said slowly, "Danzo! The Uchiha are the Uchiha of our village! They are our comrades who fight alongside us, not our enemies. The Uchiha clan also possesses those who burn with the Will of Fire!"

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not yet experienced the erosion of time that would lead to physical decline and a loss of strength; nor was he in the difficult position of later years, when the village's combat power had dwindled and the Fourth Hokage had tragically passed away.

He was currently in the golden age of his life, full of energy and at the peak of his power.

Confident in his own abilities, Hiruzen Sarutobi firmly believed that no matter what crises or challenges the village faced, he could rely on his own formidable strength to protect this land. Furthermore, the village was currently teeming with talent, with many new stars shining brightly.

His disciples—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—were gradually rising, and their strength could no longer be ignored.

In addition, elites from various ninja clans, such as Sakumo Hatake, were beginning to make a name for themselves, and several members of the Council of Elders possessed strength on par with a Kage!

All of this gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a great sense of security. It was precisely because he had such solid strength as a backup that he had the confidence to tolerate, and even forgive, the minor provocations of clans like the Uchiha.

Even if the Uchiha clan were to rebel, he could easily suppress them without damaging the foundations of the village!

"Hiruzen! We absolutely cannot relax our surveillance and control over the Uchiha clan! As for that brat named Liuxia, he performed exceptionally well this time. In this battle, I felt the will of Root within him. I hope you will entrust that child to me for training; I will certainly mold him into an excellent tool..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Danzo without hesitation, standing up from his seat with a jolt. His face was stern, and he rebuked Danzo with a sharp, severe tone.

"Danzo! Enough! Have you forgotten the Will of Fire! Is Liuxia not a descendant of the Senju clan! He is not only our Master's kin, but also a genius of our Konoha, a seedling growing under the light of the fire! He is not some tool to be manipulated! If I were to hand him over to you, how would I answer to Lady Mito! And I will say it again: the Uchiha clan are our comrades! They are the village's Uchiha, not the enemy!"

"But..."

Before Danzo could continue his argument, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned abruptly and stood silently by the window. He took another deep drag from his pipe, his deep eyes fixed intently on the village of Konoha beneath the night sky, and slowly exhaled a wisp of smoke.

"Danzo, is it because Kagami has been gone for so long that even you have forgotten the Will of Fire that the Uchiha clan possesses!"

This sentence exploded in the room like a thunderclap in broad daylight. Not only Danzo, but even Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who had remained silent until now, were drawn into memories that felt both distant and as fresh as yesterday.

The man named Kagami Uchiha had once served as a personal guard to their Master, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. He had fought alongside them, sharing life and death, and had helped resolve many of the village's missions and crises.

As an Uchiha, he had always kept the village at heart. In the end, even the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had highly affirmed Kagami Uchiha's talent and Will of Fire, taking him into his guard unit and teaching him personally!

It was a pity that heaven was jealous of such talent, leading to Kagami Uchiha's untimely death.

Otherwise, under his leadership, he surely could have facilitated the true integration of the Uchiha clan into Konoha, or at the very least, greatly eased the conflict between the village and the clan, rather than the awkward situation where the Uchiha were a village within a village!

After a long silence, Danzo finally broke the stillness. He said in a heavy tone, "Kagami was Kagami. Regardless, he was only a tiny minority among many. You should know very well that the village absolutely cannot bear the risk of an Uchiha rebellion! One day, you will regret this, Hiruzen!"

"I am the Hokage! Do not forget your place, Danzo!"

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned increasingly cold. He stared fixedly at the close friend he had known for many years. The tension between the two felt as if it could snap at any moment, and the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder!

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, noticing the dispute between the two, exchanged a glance and decided to speak up to ease the tense atmosphere.

Koharu Utatane said softly, "Hiruzen, Danzo's words are not entirely without merit. The Uchiha clan is indeed full of too many variables; they are truly too dangerous. This is something the Master once emphasized as well."

Homura Mitokado chimed in, "Though, having said that, the boy named Liuxia is indeed a rare talent."

Hiruzen nodded in agreement and said, "What is even more commendable is that his perspective on problems is very unique. 'A ruler should not mobilize an army out of anger, and a general should not engage in battle out of resentment.' Such a profound insight coming from a child is truly rare. This child undoubtedly possesses the innate talent to view problems from the perspective of a Kage!"