You'll Regret It? I'm the Hokage?

Hidden Leaf Village, the corridor outside the Hokage Office.

Aburame Shio led the three subordinates of Team Six through the passing ninja and straight toward the mission handover window. After a simple procedure, the bounty for the bandit-suppression mission was registered, to be distributed proportionally afterward.

"Mission handover complete." Aburame Shio turned around and looked at the three of them, whose faces still carried the excitement of completing a C-rank mission for the first time. His voice came through his high collar, still flat. "Dismissed. Go back and rest. I'll notify you of the training schedule."

"Yes, Teacher Shio!" Guy answered with boundless energy, then looked at Narong and Ren. "Narong! Ren! Let us use the sweat of youth to prepare for the next challenge!"

Narong nodded, and Amamiya Ren also replied softly.

Aburame Shio said no more. He turned and left the mission hall, heading toward the Hokage's office building. He needed to give the Third Hokage a mission briefing.

On the surface, this was only a simple C-rank mission report, and a written report would have sufficed. But Aburame Shio knew very well that because Uchiha Narong was on the team, this report had to be made in person. This was the explicit request of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Aburame Shio was not stupid. He understood what it meant. The Hidden Leaf Leadership, especially the Hokage, had never relaxed their attention on the Uchiha.

As he walked up the stairs toward the Hokage Office, Aburame Shio's thoughts stirred slightly. Their Aburame Clan could be considered a ninja clan firmly aligned with the Hokage's faction. But as a member of one of the Hidden Leaf's traditional ninja clans, deep down, he was somewhat resistant to the village's vigorous promotion of its "civilianized ninja" policy in recent years.

In his view, the foundation of the Hidden Leaf had always been these ninja clans that possessed kekkei genkai and secret techniques passed down through generations. Civilian ninja? What major use could they really be? Perhaps one or two geniuses like Namikaze Minato might appear, but the odds were far too low. Even that Hatake Sakumo, who had met a tragic end, had come from the small Hatake ninja clan. The proportion of geniuses and stable core forces emerging from civilians was simply too low.

However, he only dared let such thoughts turn over in his heart. After years of being steeped in the Will of Fire, along with his loyalty to the village and the Hokage, he would never show this resistance outwardly. Even the head of their Aburame Clan, the elite jonin Aburame Shibi, could only complain a little about the matter in clan meetings and did not dare openly oppose the leadership's decisions.

Composing himself, Aburame Shio had already arrived at the door of the Hokage Office. He raised his hand and knocked.

"Come in." From inside the room came the steady, resonant voice of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Aburame Shio pushed the door open and entered. Inside the office, the atmosphere seemed somewhat solemn. Not only was the Third Hokage sitting behind the broad desk, but three Hokage adviser aides also stood beside him. And in front of the desk stood a ninja whose figure still seemed youthful, yet already gave off a sharp aura.

With striking silver hair and a mask covering his mouth and nose, it was none other than the genius of the Hatake family, Hatake Kakashi. Aburame Shio had an impression of Kakashi. After all, his father, Hatake Sakumo, had been one of the Hidden Leaf's most dazzling geniuses in recent years. His strength and prestige had once shown signs of surpassing the Three Ninja, and he had once been a strong contender for the position of Fourth Hokage. Unfortunately...

Aburame Shio first respectfully greeted the Third Hokage and the three advisers, then nodded slightly to Kakashi, preparing to wait until they finished speaking before making his report.

At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Kakashi, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "Kakashi, we have already received your application for promotion to chunin. Go back and wait for the reply."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Kakashi answered calmly, then turned and left the office.

Hearing the words "promotion to chunin," Aburame Shio's gaze flickered slightly behind his sunglasses, and his heart shook. How old was Hatake Kakashi? Six? Or seven? And he was already about to be promoted to chunin? When had he himself become a chunin? Around nineteen, if he remembered correctly. The world of geniuses was indeed different from that of ordinary people.

Putting aside his distracting thoughts, Aburame Shio stepped forward and began reporting on Team Six's mission.

He gave a concise description of the mission process, the situation with the bandits, including the intelligence error, and the performance of the three genin. His tone was objective, without personal emotion.

Finally, he mentioned a key piece of information. "In addition, there is one point I need to supplement. On the night after the mission ended, when we were returning to the village, Uchiha Narong... awakened the One-Tomoe Sharingan."

The air in the office seemed to freeze for an instant. The gazes of the three advisers all sharpened.

Aburame Shio continued in a steady tone, "Based on the situation at the scene and the common conditions under which members of the Uchiha Clan awaken their eyes, it was very likely due to his first bandit-suppression mission, experiencing killing, and the violent emotional fluctuation that resulted. In past wars, there were also many Uchiha clansmen who awakened their eyes on the battlefield."

He deliberately added, "Awakening the One-Tomoe Sharingan at the age of ten does not count as genius within the Uchiha Clan. It can be categorized as outstanding." These words were something Uchiha Narong had intentionally or unintentionally revealed to him. They were reasonable and would not attract excessive attention.

Sarutobi Hiruzen listened, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop. He drew on his pipe, then slowly exhaled smoke, his emotions hard to read. "Mm, I understand. The mission was completed well. It seems Team Six's initial coordination was successful. You've worked hard, Shio."

"It was my duty." Aburame Shio bowed. "If there is nothing else, your subordinate will take his leave."

"Go."

Aburame Shio turned and left the Hokage Office, gently closing the door behind him.

Inside the office, the brief silence was broken by a gloomy voice. Shimura Danzo, who had been standing in the shadows all along, walked out, his single eye fixed in the direction of the door.

"Hiruzen," Danzo said in his usual cold, hard voice, "hand this Uchiha Narong over to our Root."

He continued, "Although he cannot be considered much of a genius right now, his Sharingan has already awakened. Once he grows in the future, he will inevitably become a core force of the Uchiha Clan. Let Root teach him, erase the Uchiha's evil nature, and cultivate him into a tool absolutely loyal to the Will of Fire. That is the choice most beneficial to the village."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo, understanding perfectly. He had known Danzo would jump out. During the last incident with Hatake Sakumo, the rumors in the village had spread so quickly. He knew full well who had been adding fuel to the fire behind the scenes. At the time, he had gone along with the current, and he had indeed harbored the thought of suppressing Sakumo's prestige a little to pave the way for his own disciple, Namikaze Minato. But he had not expected Sakumo's character to be so unyielding that he would actually choose suicide, causing the Hidden Leaf to lose a top combatant for nothing. This matter had always left some regret in his heart.

Danzo's Root had continuously been digging people out of various clans over the years, and its power had expanded rapidly. This was the result of his tacit permission, for the sake of balance and restraint. But even Hatake Sakumo back then had once been coveted by Danzo, and he had firmly rejected it. Now, seeing a slightly outstanding Uchiha seedling, Danzo wanted to reach out again?

Sarutobi Hiruzen suppressed the displeasure in his heart and said in a deep voice, "Danzo, your request is unreasonable. Narong is a formally registered genin and a member of Team Six. What the Hidden Leaf needs are ninja who can carry out missions under the sun, not for all of them to become tools of your Root. Was the lesson of Hatake Sakumo not enough?"

He specifically brought up Sakumo both as a warning to Danzo and as a statement of his own position.

Danzo narrowed his single eye, his tone growing heavier. "Hiruzen! This is womanly mercy! If you let the Uchiha's power grow unchecked, you will regret it sooner or later! Only Root's methods can completely control them and eliminate hidden dangers!"

"The Uchiha Clan is also a member of the Hidden Leaf!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice also turned stern. "I believe the Will of Fire can guide them! There is no need to use your extreme methods!"

"Guide them? Hmph! When the Uchiha's Sharingan is aimed at Hokage Rock, you'll know what regret means!"

"Danzo! Watch your words!"

The two highest decision-makers of the Hidden Leaf began arguing over a young Uchiha genin who had just awakened his eyes. The atmosphere became tense, swords drawn and bows bent.

The other two advisers, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, tried to smooth things over. "Hiruzen, Danzo, both of you calm down..."

But their attempts at persuasion had little effect.

The argument grew fiercer and fiercer until, in the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hand on the desk, stood up, and spoke with a stern voice and expression.

"Danzo! I am the Hokage! I will decide how to treat the Uchiha Clan! This matter ends here!"

Danzo's face turned completely gloomy. He stared fixedly at Sarutobi Hiruzen, anger and unwillingness flashing in his single eye. Finally, he forced a sentence out through gritted teeth.

"Hiruzen! You will regret this! Your weakness will ruin the Hidden Leaf in the end!"

With that, Danzo spun around sharply, carrying a cold, sinister air with him, and slammed the door as he left. The loud bang echoed through the Hokage Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the door that had been slammed shut, then slowly sat back in his chair and tiredly rubbed the space between his brows. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance and also sighed helplessly.

The cracks within the Hidden Leaf Leadership seemed to have deepened once again because of one young Uchiha's Sharingan. And all of this was something Aburame Shio, who had just left the Hokage Office, had no way of knowing. Uchiha Narong would be even less likely to imagine that the "ordinary" eye awakening he had deliberately controlled had already stirred up waves among the leadership.