Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Candidate

Bang!

The door to the Hokage's Office was violently thrown open, and a one-eyed man leaning on a cane walked in.

"Hiruzen! Mirai Uzumaki must join Root so I can properly train him!"

There was no need to guess who would dare burst in like that. It was Hiruzen Sarutobi's best friend—Danzo Shimura.

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his large pipe and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke. "Danzo, how many times have I told you? Knock before entering the Hokage's Office."

He had a bit of a headache. His best friend was one thing, but the real problem was that all three of his disciples were the same.

Jiraiya liked climbing in through the window, while Tsunade kicked the door right open.

Orochimaru was even worse. He came and went like a ghost, suddenly speaking with a whoosh and startling this old man half to death.

And none of them ever learned!

What did they take the Hokage's Office for? A toilet? Did they think they could just come in whenever they wanted?

"Don't fuss over such trivial details!" Danzo Shimura waved a hand. "We're talking about Mirai Uzumaki. He can use Adamantine Sealing Chains at seven years old—such talent is unprecedented!"

"He must be sent to Root. I'll train him into the strongest weapon against Tailed Beasts!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "Mirai can't enter Root. He's also a candidate for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"

"Besides—this boy possesses outstanding Uzumaki Clan talent. I'm more inclined to seal the Nine-Tails inside him."

"A girl becoming a Jinchuriki is still too..."

Not every woman was Lady Mito, and not every woman's husband possessed strength like Lord Hashirama's, capable of casually subduing a Tailed Beast.

With female Jinchuriki, one had to consider that childbirth was when they were at their weakest, making it easy for the Tailed Beast to break through the seal!

These were all matters he had to consider as Hokage.

That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi was more inclined to choose Mirai Uzumaki as the Jinchuriki.

Danzo Shimura agreed as well, but did not forget his original intention. "Then let him be one, but he still needs to enter Root. I'll train him into the strongest Tailed Beast weapon!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had a headache. His best friend wanted to stuff everything he fancied into Root. Could he even fit that much in there?

"Forget about Mirai. I won't send a Jinchuriki into Root. A Jinchuriki is also a member of our village. He should be guided through bonds, through the Will of Fire—not treated as a weapon!"

"Hmph!" Danzo Shimura was clearly displeased. "Hiruzen, your naive ideas simply won't work!

If not for my Root protecting it, Konoha would have long been buried alongside your rotten ideals!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened. "Get out!"

Danzo Shimura turned and left, leaving behind only one sentence.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

Bang!

The door was slammed shut again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage's chair, holding Mirai Uzumaki's file as his expression shifted beneath the smoke rings.

After a long while, he murmured, "Bring Teacher Akashi Kishimoto here."

"Yes!"

A shadow flashed through the darkness. This was the Hokage's personal force—the Anbu.

Before long, Akashi Kishimoto was brought over.

Seeing the expressionless Hokage, he couldn't help trembling inwardly. He was only a Chunin, after all.

"Lord Hokage, may I ask why you summoned me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed a gentle smile. "Kishimoto, don't be nervous. I called you here because I wanted to learn about the two transfer students in your class."

"I heard they got into a fight yesterday?"

Cold sweat immediately beaded on Akashi Kishimoto's forehead!

Good heavens, just what background did Mirai Uzumaki have? Calling in the parents had brought Lady Tsunade, and now even the Hokage himself was asking about him.

Damn it! This wasn't like two students had been placed in his class. It was like two ancestors had been dropped into it!

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a smoke ring, and the smoke slowly rose through the afternoon beam of sunlight.

"You don't need to be nervous. I simply want to hear your honest opinion as their homeroom teacher. Just tell me the truth about those two children."

Akashi Kishimoto swallowed.

He had originally prepared a whole set of official lines: They're both well-behaved, united and friendly, and keep the Will of Fire close to their hearts. But after thinking it over—

The Hokage was personally asking. Could he really bluff his way through this?

He gritted his teeth and decided to take a gamble.

"Lord Hokage, to be honest—Mirai Uzumaki is... a troublemaker!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a brow but didn't interrupt.

"On his very first day in class, his self-introduction turned into a mess. He and Kushina Uzumaki argued fiercely on the podium.

After class, because the other students gave them nicknames, he directly attacked and tied up more than a dozen students with a single move."

By this point, even Akashi Kishimoto found it absurd. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I was furious at the time. Fighting classmates on the first day of school—how could that be allowed?"

The corners of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth lifted slightly as he spun his pipe between his fingers. "And what do you think now?"

Akashi Kishimoto took a deep breath. "But Mirai had his reasons for acting. Several troublemakers in the class mocked him first, and he showed restraint. He didn't hurt a single student."

Who was he kidding? I saw that fleeting smile at the corner of Lord Hokage's mouth!

And Lady Tsunade's attitude...

If I actually said anything bad about Mirai Uzumaki, would I die?

I definitely would!

His tone gradually became more earnest.

"Also, Lord Hokage, do you know? Before Mirai acted, Minato Namikaze tried to mediate, but no one listened to him.

Mirai only struck after being pushed that far."

As Akashi Kishimoto spoke, he was almost impressed with himself.

"A seven-year-old with such chakra control and such restraint... Lord Hokage, I've taught for over ten years, but I've never seen a child like him."

The wrinkles at the corners of Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes relaxed, and an approving smile appeared through the smoke.

"What else?"

Akashi Kishimoto became more animated. "And Kushina Uzumaki! Though her grades are a complete mess and she slept through an entire day of theory classes—when she was mocked and given a nickname in class, she forced herself not to strike back.

And both of them dream of becoming Hokage. Before arriving here, they must have already been influenced by the Will of Fire."

"The whole class was calling her 'Red Hot Habanero.' Her face was red, her fists clenched tight, yet she neither talked back nor fought back. Lord Hokage, how many seven-year-olds could show that kind of self-control?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly nodded and tapped the ash from his pipe against the edge of the desk.

"Kishimoto, you've observed them very carefully."

Akashi Kishimoto quickly bowed. "I wouldn't dare claim that. As their homeroom teacher, I simply have to pay attention to every child."

Hiruzen Sarutobi rose and walked to the window. Looking at the faces of the First Hokage and Second Hokage carved into Hokage Rock in the distance, he spoke in a low, gratified voice.

"Mirai Uzumaki is impulsive, but knows restraint. His talent is astonishing, yet he doesn't recklessly harm the innocent. Kushina Uzumaki has a fiery temperament, yet can endure and restrain herself for the sake of a promise... They're both good children."

He turned around, and the gloom on his face vanished completely.

"Teacher Kishimoto, I'll have to trouble you to put more care into these two children."

"Especially Mirai—his attitude of 'if someone provokes me, I'll hit back' isn't very conducive to making friends. Guide him more, but don't grind away his edges.

Konoha needs ninjas who follow the rules, but it also needs the sharpness to break them."

"They are both new buds of Konoha. You must let them know that wherever the leaves of Konoha dance, fire will burn!"

"Teaching the Will of Fire to the children cannot be delayed."

Akashi Kishimoto bowed even lower. "Yes! Please rest assured, Lord Hokage!"

"Alright, get back to your work." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand, then sat back down and took a puff from his pipe, wearing the smile of an old father.

After Akashi Kishimoto left the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered softly, "The Uzumaki Clan's bloodline, combined with this temperament... Mirai, Mirai, I hope you can take up Lady Mito's burden."

Between Kushina Uzumaki and Mirai Uzumaki, Hiruzen Sarutobi favored Mirai more.