Konoha's Higher-Ups Debate: Who Does This Kid Belong To?

Late at night, the Hokage's office.

The heavy smell of tobacco mingled with the stifling atmosphere, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

The two senior advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, stared grimly at the freshly issued graduation assessment report on the desk.

Sitting across from them was Danzo Shimura, half his face hidden beneath bandages.

"Hiruzen, you must give me an explanation!"

Koharu Utatane slammed the desk, her withered finger striking the report heavily.

"A solid Wood Clone? And it can be cast instantly without hand seals?"

"Didn't you say this brat's Wood Release was merely a weak bloodline reversion and completely uncontrollable?"

Homura Mitokado pushed up his glasses, his tone equally stern.

"With talent on the level of a monster, putting him in an ordinary genin team would be like planting a powder keg that could explode at any moment."

"What ordinary jonin could keep him under control? Who would dare lead him?"

"If his chakra went out of control during a mission, or if spies from another village turned him, it would be a devastating blow to Konoha!"

Danzo sat in the shadows and gave a cold snort, undisguised greed flashing in his lone eye.

"The two advisors are right."

"Such an extremely dangerous weapon should be managed by the most professional department."

Danzo tapped the floor with his cane, his voice hoarse and forceful.

"Hand him over to me. Root has the most complete control measures and brainwashing methods."

"I guarantee that within three years, I'll forge him into Konoha's sharpest, most obedient blade."

As soon as those words were spoken, the pressure in the office grew even heavier.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, his expression dark as water.

He drew deeply on his pipe and slowly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, hiding himself behind the haze.

"Hand him over to you?"

The Third suddenly raised his head, a terrifying gleam bursting from his cloudy old eyes.

"Danzo, you still have the nerve to bring that up?"

"Do you have no idea how those 'rats' you sent died?"

Danzo's expression instantly turned ugly.

Those had been twenty elite death warriors!

They had vanished without even a ripple, silently wiped out by that brat!

"Hiruzen, what do you mean by that?" Danzo retorted through gritted teeth, forcing himself to remain calm.

"I was testing his loyalty for the village!"

"Enough!"

The Third cut him off sharply, the authority of the Hokage erupting without restraint.

"Absolutely not! I will never hand over the last bloodline of the Senju clan to Root to be turned into an emotionless killing machine!"

"Not Danzo, and not even the ANBU!"

The Third looked at the other two advisors, his tone resolute.

"This child may be powerful, but he is not bad by nature. If anything, he is somewhat... excessively lazy."

"If we force him into a lightless cage, it will only provoke intense rebellion."

"When that happens, an uncontrollable Wood Release user will be Konoha's true disaster!"

Homura Mitokado frowned, looking somewhat impatient.

"Then what do you propose? Let him wander around the village unchecked?"

"Ordinary jonin team leaders, like Kurenai Yuhi, have already personally applied to take him today."

"Can you really trust a newly promoted jonin with a monster like this? If something happens, can she bear the responsibility?"

The Third fell silent.

This truly was an exceptionally thorny problem.

Sen's strength had already far surpassed the level of a genin.

An ordinary team leader could not teach him anything at all, much less suppress or guide him.

If things went poorly, one wrong move and the brat might slap his teacher straight into a wall.

"That is why I have considered this carefully."

The old Third extinguished his pipe and pulled open a drawer.

He took out a top-secret file wrapped in red sealing cord.

"Only he is the most suitable candidate."

The Third slapped the file heavily onto the desk.

"He has extensive ANBU experience, has been tempered by war, and possesses exceptional mental fortitude."

"More importantly, he has a Sharingan that can see through all chakra flow, allowing him to monitor Sen's condition at any time."

"And he is also the Fourth Hokage Minato's student. He knows how to guide this kind of 'troublemaker.'"

The two advisors and Danzo all turned their eyes toward the file.

When they saw the familiar name on its cover, all of them drew in a sharp breath.

"Hiruzen, are you sure you want to use him?"

Koharu Utatane looked utterly incredulous.

"He is the one known in the ANBU as 'Cold-Blooded Kakashi'!"

"Not a single genin team he has led has ever passed the survival exercise!"

Danzo frowned as well.

"Kakashi Hatake... Can his laid-back personality really control that little monster?"

"No. It is precisely because he is laid-back that he is the most suitable."

A wise glint flashed through the old Third's eyes.

"That boy Sen responds to kindness, not force. Kakashi may seem unreliable on the surface, but he is exceptionally perceptive inside."

"I believe that with Kakashi's intelligence, he will find a way to get along with that child and truly help him integrate into Konoha."

The office fell into brief silence.

The higher-ups were all weighing the pros and cons.

At last, Homura Mitokado sighed.

"Since you insist, we will observe for now."

"However, if even Kakashi Hatake cannot keep him under control, then do not blame us for taking compulsory measures."

Danzo snorted coldly without speaking, but his gloomy gaze clearly showed that he was still plotting some vicious scheme.

Meanwhile.

Outside the Hokage's office.

In the pitch-black corridor.

A man with silver spiky hair and a mask leaned lazily against the wall.

In his hand was a somewhat worn copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

But at that moment, he had no desire to read.

His dead-fish eyes were filled with despair and resignation.

Kakashi Hatake.

He had originally only been summoned by the old Third to give a report today.

But just as he reached the door, he had overheard the argument that would determine the miserable fate of the rest of his life.

"Sen Senju..."

Kakashi silently repeated the name in his mind, feeling his back teeth begin to ache.

He had long heard of the brat's "glorious deeds."

One punch had embedded an older school bully into a wall.

One look had scared a taijutsu specialist into wetting himself.

Even a deeply scheming chunin like Mizuki had been driven to the brink by one of his Wood Clones.

And now, those old higher-ups actually wanted to shove that monster, more dangerous than a bomb, into his team?

"This isn't teaching students. This is looking after an ancestor."

Kakashi covered his face in anguish.

He could practically see his miserable future.

Not only would he have to watch out for that Uchiha brat obsessed with revenge.

He would also have to put up with the loudmouthed Nine-Tails jinchuriki who caused trouble everywhere.

And now they were cramming in a Wood Release little monster who could turn the entire village into a primeval forest at any moment!

"This batch of genin is impossible to lead!"

Kakashi looked up toward the small window at the end of the corridor.

Outside, a cold crescent moon hung high in the sky.

He let out a deep sigh, feeling that the rest of his life had been completely shrouded beneath an enormous shadow called "Sen Senju."

"Sigh, should I just resign tomorrow and go back to being an assassin in the ANBU?"

Kakashi was still brooding.

Then the office door suddenly creaked open.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, emerged with his hands behind his back, smiling cheerfully.

When he saw Kakashi leaning against the wall and pretending to read, the smile on his face grew even brighter.

"Kakashi, you're still here this late?"

"Perfect. Tomorrow's team assignments have already been decided."

The old Third walked up to Kakashi and patted his shoulder, his tone carrying a slyness that allowed no refusal.

"Team 7."

"Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno..."

The old man deliberately drew out his words, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"And Konoha's super genius, Sen Senju."

"From now on, those four children are in your care."

Kakashi's hand holding Icha Icha Paradise suddenly trembled.

The book nearly fell to the floor.

He looked at the old Third's face, smiling like a chrysanthemum, and felt like crying without tears.

"Lord Hokage, if I apply to clean toilets at the border now, is it still not too late?"