The Old Fox and the Little Fox

Half an hour after Chiyu woke up, Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrival was completely unexpected.

What was more, Chiyu actually saw a trace of warmth and kindness in Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression.

Chiyu rapidly brainstormed in his mind and immediately came up with several possibilities.

But right now, keeping up his disguise was what mattered most.

Chiyu knew full well that this was an opportunity.

If he handled this conversation with Hiruzen Sarutobi well, life in Konoha would be a little easier for him in the future.

Chiyu excitedly tried to sit up from the bed. "Lord Hokage, why are you here?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately stepped forward and pressed Chiyu back down, saying gently, "Your injuries haven't healed yet. Rest properly. Don't force yourself."

Chiyu's eyes reddened with "emotion" as he choked out, "Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the chair beside the bed and sighed. "Chiyu, you've suffered all these years."

Upon hearing that, Chiyu bit his lip tightly. Tears slid from the corners of his eyes, as though he had been wronged.

Looking at the tears on Chiyu's face, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "Chiyu, do you hate Konoha?"

Chiyu immediately shook his head. "How could I hate Konoha? Back then, it was my father and mother who defected from Konoha. Konoha was willing to take in the son of defectors like me, and I'm already deeply grateful. Before my mother died, she told me that I had to make up for the mistakes they made in Konoha. So I will absolutely never hate Konoha!"

Hearing Chiyu's answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing, and his expression did not change.

After watching Chiyu for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again, "Then do you hate the Uchiha Clan?"

Chiyu's expression immediately darkened, and a single word seemed to squeeze out from between his teeth. "I do! The reason my parents betrayed Konoha was all because of the Uchiha Clan's high-handed ways, which kept my parents from being together. After I returned to Konoha, it would have been one thing if they refused to acknowledge me, but they even humiliated me however they pleased, calling me a bastard. And it was also because of the Uchiha Clan that the villagers all hated me. I never wanted to be an Uchiha in the first place. They didn't want to acknowledge me, and I had no interest in acknowledging them either. Yet they still treated me so horribly and caused all of Konoha to isolate me. It was all because of the Uchiha Clan!"

This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression finally changed after hearing Chiyu's answer.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "I have always felt guilty about your situation, Chiyu. Although I am the Hokage, this is an internal matter of the Uchiha Clan, and it is not easy for me, as Hokage, to interfere. I hope you can understand. Here, I will give you an opportunity, Chiyu. You can return to the Uchiha Clan and become a true Uchiha. Are you willing?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at Chiyu.

Chiyu refused without the slightest hesitation. "I'm sorry, Lord Hokage, but I'm not willing!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why?"

Chiyu answered, "I don't want to join the Uchiha Clan in such a humble manner. Even if I rely on Lord Hokage to join them now, it still won't change my current situation!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in confusion, "But if you join the Uchiha Clan, at the very least the villagers will no longer discriminate against you, and your living conditions will improve greatly. Don't you want to change your current circumstances?"

Chiyu said indignantly, "Lord Hokage, I know why the villagers discriminate against me. It's because I have half the blood of the Uchiha Clan, and because the Uchiha Clan uses its status in the Konoha Military Police Force to throw its weight around in Konoha, making almost all the villagers hate them. If I rejoin the Uchiha Clan, perhaps the villagers will no longer discriminate against me openly, but they will still look down on me in their hearts..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly interrupted Chiyu and said sternly, "Watch your words! The Uchiha Clan's Konoha Military Police Force was established by the Second Hokage. The Uchiha Clan also contributes to Konoha. As a member of Konoha, Chiyu, you cannot slander a ninja clan that contributes to Konoha like this!"

Chiyu grumbled inwardly.

This old fox. If I didn't know he was troubled by the Uchiha Clan right now, I might really have believed he was defending them.

Chiyu knew perfectly well that Hiruzen Sarutobi was only putting on a show for him.

Otherwise, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not have deliberately mentioned that the Konoha Military Police Force had been founded by the Second Hokage, nor would he have said something like "as a member of Konoha."

Chiyu said firmly, "Lord Hokage, I don't want to join the Uchiha Clan. I want to become a ninja and contribute to Konoha. First, to make up for my parents' mistakes, and second, because I want to earn the recognition of every villager through my own efforts. I want the villagers to know that I, Chiyu, am not a member of the Uchiha Clan, nor am I some Two-Five-Boy. I am a ninja loyal to Konoha, nothing more!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. "Winning the recognition of every villager is an arduous task. Have you prepared yourself for it, Chiyu?"

Chiyu's expression was incomparably resolute. "I am prepared, Lord Hokage!"

The way Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Chiyu now was like he was looking at an outstanding junior. "Good. I believe you can do it, Chiyu! Since you don't wish to join the Uchiha Clan, I won't force you. The house you lived in before was too remote. After you leave the hospital, I'll arrange new accommodations for you, closer to the Ninja Academy, so it'll be more convenient for you to attend school."

Chiyu was overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Chiyu let out a long sigh inwardly.

Talking to an old fox like Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly exhausting.

He had started by directly asking whether Chiyu hated Konoha. Did Chiyu dare say he did?

If he said he hated it, Chiyu felt that he might not live much longer.

The current Hiruzen Sarutobi was not some old man.

Perhaps in his old age, Hiruzen Sarutobi had become kind and benevolent, but the current Hiruzen Sarutobi was in his prime. His methods certainly would not be gentle.

Then he had asked whether Chiyu hated the Uchiha Clan. Chiyu guessed that if he said he did not hate them, Hiruzen Sarutobi would likely no longer trust him.

Faced with the entire village's isolation and insults, all caused by the Uchiha Clan, how could anyone possibly not hate them?

And by saying that he hated the Uchiha Clan, Chiyu could naturally declare his loyalty and make it clear to Hiruzen Sarutobi that he wanted to be Konoha's ninja, not the Uchiha Clan's ninja.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with that answer.

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi saying he would let Chiyu join the Uchiha Clan, Chiyu understood that it was all bullshit.

Hiruzen Sarutobi merely wanted to confirm what he truly thought in his heart.

Now that he was having Chiyu move somewhere closer to the Ninja Academy, it showed that Hiruzen Sarutobi basically believed him.

If nothing unexpected happened, after Chiyu graduated and became a ninja, he would become a ninja of the Hokage's faction.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi would not interfere with the villagers' and the Uchiha Clan's discrimination against him, at least Chiyu would not be sidelined after becoming a ninja.

After all, even among ninja, connections mattered.