The Hokage-Was That Really Such a Narrow Dream?

Kawaki Aoba had been right about one thing: Konoha was too powerful. Any other hidden village would seize the chance to weaken Konoha without hesitation.

So, this Third Shinobi World War...

Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts drifted back to the beginning of the Second Shinobi World War. He remembered how suddenly it had erupted. Even his teacher hadn't realized the war would break out so quickly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to the present. He had to admit, the boy had convinced him. He even felt the urge to order the stockpiling of wartime supplies right then and there.

But he knew he couldn't do that. As Hokage, he had to consider every aspect of life in Konoha.

He'd better call Danzo and the others over later and discuss it with them. And that kid Shikaku, too—he ought to hear his opinion.

As for the boy in front of him...

After a moment's thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already made up his mind.

"Ahem. Your name is Aoba, right? The village will take your analysis seriously. And your thinking is impressively mature. You're so young, yet you're already considering things from the Hokage's perspective. That's remarkable."

Kawaki Aoba: ...

What the heck? Was that really something he should be saying to me? For some reason, I feel like the Star of Death is shining over my head.

If he hadn't clearly sensed a faint goodwill from Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kawaki Aoba would have thought the old man was jealous of his talent and wanted to make a name for himself in the Shinobi World before Itachi could.

Come to think of it, speaking of Uchiha Itachi, maybe taking his role wouldn't be so bad. He could grab two watermelon knives and hack his way from one end of the Hyuga district to the other, killing every bastard who annoyed him—especially one particular old geezer. He'd chop that one into mincemeat.

He'd leave the rest to Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was sure the Hokage would be happy to handle them.

Ahem. All right, he was getting ahead of himself. There was no way something like that would ever happen.

Still, faced with the Hokage's praise, Kawaki Aoba modestly replied, "Lord Hokage, you're giving me too much credit. I'm just an ordinary Konoha Ninja. This is simply what I ought to do."

"Hm?" Now it was Sarutobi Hiruzen's turn to be surprised. This boy really did have an impressively mature outlook.

Setting down his pipe, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with interest, "Then, Aoba, what's your dream?"

In Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, Kawaki Aoba was a genius in both talent and intelligence, so he should have great ambitions. He wouldn't have been surprised if Aoba wanted to become Hokage or a high-ranking official in the village.

But what Kawaki Aoba said next was far beyond anything Sarutobi Hiruzen had expected.

"My dream..." Kawaki Aoba turned and "looked" at Yuhi Kurenai behind him. He had no eyes, but somehow, it seemed as if he were gazing right at her.

"Rather than a dream, I'd call it something I'm looking forward to." As he spoke, Kawaki Aoba counted off on his fingers. "First, I want to get stronger and take on more missions. I'll do my best to become a Jonin within ten years, deal with the problems I have, save up more money, and then propose to the girl I like.

"After that, I'll get married and have children. I'll watch my child grow up, attend the Ninja Academy, graduate, and become a Genin. Then I'll retire without a hitch and enjoy my old age. I'll collect my pension every month, wander around the village when I have nothing to do, chat with familiar faces about life, and reminisce about our glorious days of old..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched. Several times, he wanted to interrupt Kawaki Aoba and throw him off his stride.

At the same time, he began to question his own understanding of the world. Was this boy really only ten? He was already thinking about retirement benefits. Did ninjas even get those?

Could the kid be a Nara?

If not for the earlier Byakugan incident, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have thought he should call the Nara Clan Head over to see if they were related.

"Ahem, Aoba, don't you think a genius like you would be wasting his potential if he lived such an ordinary life?" Seeing that Kawaki Aoba had already begun considering where he'd be buried after his death, Sarutobi Hiruzen hurriedly cut in.

"Plenty of the ninjas in your year aspire to become Hokage. Have you never considered it?"

"Becoming Hokage?" Kawaki Aoba scratched his head, then spoke with a hint of solemnity. "No matter how I look at it, becoming Hokage seems too far out of reach for me. It's better to keep my feet on the ground.

"Besides, we're all contributing to the village. Does it really matter where we do it? There are always things that need doing. The Hokage has his responsibilities, and ordinary ninjas have their own ways of making a difference. In my view, when it comes to love for the village, ordinary ninjas are no less devoted than the Hokage.

"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on. The flames will continue to illuminate the village and help new leaves sprout.

"Konoha belongs to everyone. Whether you're the Hokage, an ordinary ninja, or one of the villagers, in the end, we all share the Will of Fire.

"As long as you have a heart that wants to protect Konoha, aren't you doing the Hokage's work, too?

"Could the Hokage really be such a narrow dream?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen: ...

He'd lost count of how many times this boy had astonished him today.

A heart that wanted to protect Konoha! Doing the Hokage's work!

Could the Hokage really be such a narrow thing!

In that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought he saw a flame in Kawaki Aoba.

Was this the purest form of the Will of Fire in the boy's heart?

Those words made an old man like him feel ashamed of himself.

For a brief moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen was glad Kawaki Aoba had lost his sight. Otherwise, he wondered if he could have met those eyes, shining with the light of the Will of Fire, without looking away.

"Aoba, you're truly remarkable. I can see the purest Will of Fire in you."

Keep moving forward with that conviction, and let this old man see just how far you can go.

"Shinku, your squad failed its mission. However, you eliminated an elite squad from Sunagakure while carrying it out, so we'll consider the merits and demerits balanced. The failed mission won't be entered into your ninja records.

"On top of that, the intelligence you brought back about Sasori of the Red Sands and Sunagakure is very important. We'll count it as completing an A-rank mission.

"Also, Genin Aoba performed exceptionally well during this mission. In the name of the Hokage, I'm awarding him one jutsu from the Scroll of Seals."

With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen had officially settled the matter of the four ninjas' mission. He was also considering which jutsu from the Scroll of Seals to award Kawaki Aoba.