第11章 不过,扉间这话还没说完

Hibari perked up the moment he heard that.

Although he was not exactly a stranger to this world, he mostly knew only the surface-level details. He was particularly ignorant about many things that happened when Konoha Village was first established, and his curiosity had been itching for a long time.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's father, Sarutobi Sasuke, was one of the top experts in Konoha and the right-hand man to Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama. He used to visit the Senju estate frequently, and the two families were very close.

However, Hibari had not seen him for quite a while recently, so he assumed he must have gone out on some mission.

As a child, it was not his place to ask about such things. But since Hiruzen brought it up suddenly, Hibari figured something fresh must have happened.

"Did something interesting happen? Or is it a major development?" Hibari leaned in closer, his eyes shining. "If even your father was alarmed, it certainly isn't a small matter..."

However, seeing Hibari's curious expression this time, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not rush to spill everything. Instead, he grinned. "This matter involves village secrets; I don't have the guts to tell a brat like you just like that.

If you really want to know, why don't we go find Master Tobirama and the Hokage together and see if they are willing to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Hibari's eyes brightened even more. Hiruzen often chatted with him about trivial daily matters, so if he was keeping his mouth shut, it had to be a big deal.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hibari grew impatient immediately. "If you hadn't called out to me just now, I would have already been drinking tea in the Hokage's office... Let's go!"

Before he even finished speaking, he turned and walked briskly toward the Hokage building, not waiting for Hiruzen to reply.

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched that hurried back, could only shake his head and smile, and muttered in a low voice, "This kid, his curiosity is still so heavy... But then again, it's not necessarily a bad thing."

At the same time, in the Hokage's office, the brothers Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama were talking.

"Brother, we must strengthen our control over the Uchiha Clan."

Tobirama's tone was steady, yet it carried an unquestionable weight. "The external situation is gradually stabilizing. What does the village need most right now? Stability. Only when things are stable can we talk about development. And in the entire village..."

He paused for a moment, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

"The biggest hidden danger right now is the Uchiha Clan. Not to mention anything else, just look at their behavior—their eyes are practically growing on the tops of their heads. They don't even look down on ordinary ninja families, so how could they possibly treat civilians well?"

Why had Tobirama been wary of the Uchiha Clan since the village was founded? Besides his belief that they harbored "evil" in their bones, a more important point was that this clan was simply too arrogant.

The Senju and Uchiha joined forces to found Konoha, but even though the First Hokage came from the Senju, the Senju Clan had never been overbearing in the village.

On the contrary, for some reason, Hibari always felt that the Senju family had become increasingly low-key in recent years and had always enjoyed a good reputation in the village.

Look at the Uchiha, by contrast. Geniuses appeared in their clan one after another; they were already high-minded and proud, and with their status as founding heroes, they practically held their noses up to the sky.

They looked down on ordinary ninja families for not being as strong as them; the Hyuga Clan was barely acceptable in their eyes, but they still couldn't help but be slighted; as for families like the Sarutobi, which were already considered powerful, they couldn't even be bothered to look at them straight.

If they treated the prominent families this way, what kind of treatment could one expect for the penniless civilians?

Over time, the impression that the Uchiha Clan was "running wild" in Konoha spread. And it was precisely from this that Tobirama saw the hidden unrest in the village.

Think about it: if you lived in a village where a group of self-important, powerful youths walked around all day looking down on everyone, would you be happy?

Of course not. Once this dissatisfaction accumulated, it would sooner or later turn into resentment. Once that resentment could no longer be suppressed, terrible things could happen, potentially even triggering internal turmoil in the village!

This was one of the key reasons why Tobirama always believed the Uchiha Clan would disrupt the stability of Konoha.

"Tobirama, I think they just haven't fully integrated into the village yet." Hashirama frowned, his tone gentle. "Give them some more time..."

"Brother, you are just too soft-hearted." Tobirama felt a surge of irritation as he looked at his brother's naive expression. "They might not appreciate your tolerance; instead, it might fuel their arrogance.

What's more... Uchiha Madara's whereabouts are still unknown. Do you think he is the type of person who would find a place to retire in peace? Sooner or later..."

Tobirama was just about to continue analyzing the situation for his "naive" brother when the door to the Hokage's office was knocked.

The conversation was interrupted, but Tobirama did not get angry. That was just how office hours were.

"Come in." He smoothed out his tone, his voice returning to its usual calm.

His posture made it seem as if Hashirama were his deputy and he were the true Hokage.

However, Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief, clearly long accustomed to his brother's nagging and not minding it at all. There was truly no suspicion between these two brothers; their bond was deep.

However, before Tobirama could finish his thought, the office door was pushed open.

Hibari hadn't even entered yet, but his voice arrived first, carrying a boisterous energy.

"Lord Hokage! Lord Second! There is news from Grandpa Sarutobi, and he specifically had Uncle Hiruzen bring it over. You two had better listen carefully!" He walked in as he spoke, his manner suggesting he was a permanent fixture in this office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who followed him in, wore a look of helplessness and closed the door behind him.

As soon as Tobirama heard Hibari's opening line, he felt something was off. His eyes darted, the corners of his mouth curled slightly, and he cast his gaze directly at Sarutobi Hiruzen, the meaning in his eyes couldn't be clearer.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a sharp man; once his eyes met his teacher's, he understood immediately. He shook his head slightly with a smile, the meaning just as clear.

In that instant, Tobirama understood everything. So, Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't told this kid anything at all; Hibari was just putting on a show, trying to pose as an "insider" so he could naturally hang around and listen to the report.

His little scheme was clicking away like an abacus.

"Hmph," Tobirama glared at Hibari with annoyance. "You spend all day thinking of these crooked ways, and you still want to fool your Lord Second?"

Hashirama, standing to the side, didn't quite catch it. He wore his Hokage hat, looking from one to the other in confusion. What was all this? Didn't Hibari just say a sentence?

Why did it feel like the air had suddenly filled with the glint of blades? He scratched his head, unable to figure out the reason.

Given Tobirama's usual temper, he should have kicked this troublemaker Hibari out long ago.

But seeing the sheepish, awkward look on Hibari's face after his little trick was exposed, a certain part of Tobirama's heart was suddenly touched.

It was something from many years ago. Back then, he and his brother Hashirama were not just two brothers.

They were originally four brothers, but in that cruel Warring States period, the other two brothers did not survive; they fell young in the endless slaughter of ninjas.

Thinking about it now, they were probably about the same age as this energetic Hibari when they sacrificed their lives.

Perhaps... that was precisely why he always subconsciously wanted to keep Hibari isolated from the truly bloody and dangerous ninja affairs.

So much so that even though the kid had talent, he was like a flower raised in a greenhouse, at most sparring with acquaintances, never having experienced a real life-or-death battle.

"Perhaps... I have been too controlling." Tobirama thought silently to himself. "If an eagle doesn't push its chicks out, they will never learn to fly."

On Hibari's side, seeing his little ruse seen through by Lord Second, he felt it was uninteresting and prepared to slip away—it was more dignified than being kicked out to his face.

But just then, he heard Tobirama speak again.

"Hiruzen," Tobirama turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen, his tone returning to its usual steadiness. "What did Sasuke find? Is there any progress on that mission? Tell me."

These words made Hibari's eyes light up instantly, and his feet, which were about to move, were nailed back to the spot. Hey, Lord Second didn't kick him out! Then why should he be polite? He was definitely going to listen to this excitement!

He thought this to himself, but his face remained well-behaved as he quietly moved to the side to stand, pricking up his ears to listen carefully.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at his teacher, then glanced at the Hokage, who seemed to still be out of the loop. Since Master Tobirama had spoken and the Hokage hadn't objected, what did he have to worry about?

He figured his teacher had finally decided to start truly tempering this kid, Hibari.

So, he nodded and began his report: "It's like this. Early this morning, the Intelligence Division received a transmission from Jonin Sarutobi Sasuke. There are leads regarding the commission from Takigakure and the whereabouts of the Seven-Tails Chomei.

However, trouble has also arrived. A rogue ninja has appeared in Takigakure named Kakuzu.

This person seems to intend to sell the intelligence regarding the Seven-Tails Chomei's location to a third-party force at a high price. The situation is not yet clear; we don't know if the information has leaked, nor if other forces are truly looking to intervene.

Therefore, Jonin Sarutobi Sasuke is requesting instructions from the village on how to proceed."

Hibari, standing to the side as a well-behaved listener, felt his eyes start to glow. Good heavens! It really was a major event! The Seven-Tails Chomei! The rogue ninja Kakuzu! Just hearing these names made him itch with excitement!

After hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's report, the aura of authority belonging to the "Hokage" that had been somewhat lazy on Hashirama began to permeate the room unconsciously. He seemed to become much more serious and solemn.

With the change in his aura, Hibari clearly felt an indescribable sense of oppression—was this the weight that the "God of Shinobi" exuded even inadvertently?

At the same time, Tobirama's expression sank completely, his brows furrowing slightly, clearly realizing the severity of the problem.

Hashirama crossed his arms over his chest, his brows already knotted. "The Five Kage Summit just ended, and the matter of the Tailed Beasts was just settled; we haven't even had time to sit still, and news of the Seven-Tails has leaked."

His voice was heavy. "At a time like this, if any village gets greedy and can't keep their hands to themselves... the situation we worked so hard to stabilize might fall apart on the spot."

Tobirama, standing next to him, immediately picked up the thread, his tone equally heavy: "The trouble doesn't stop there. We have a written agreement with Takigakure, they've paid the money, and we gave our word to help them handle the Seven-Tails.

If someone intercepts it halfway, where will Konoha's face go? If our reputation is ruined, a rift will form in our relationship with Takigakure."

The two big shots went back and forth, while Hibari and Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by and listened honestly. Hibari only felt a wave of heat rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, the light in his eyes flickering uncontrollably, and his heart was itching like crazy.