Hokage

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair with a troubled expression. After a long while, he beckoned, and an ANBU immediately appeared before him on one knee.

"How has Naruto Uzumaki been doing lately?"

The ANBU wearing a cat mask replied, "Naruto Uzumaki has stayed home these past few days and hasn't gone out at all."

"Oh? Tell me what he has been doing at home. Has anything unusual happened?"

"Lord Third, Naruto Uzumaki only cried in secret a few times during the first few days. After that, he gradually calmed down. His mental state has been very stable."

"He doesn't resent the village?"

The ANBU shook his head.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was anything but calm inside. A trace of guilt flashed across his face, but the smoke obscured his features, making him seem inscrutable.

He waved for the ANBU to withdraw, then lowered his head and continued handling the accumulated official business on his desk.

Who knew how much time had passed before Konoha's two senior advisors and the leader of Root arrived together. Hiruzen Sarutobi was briefly stunned at the sight of them, then his gaze slid toward Shimura Danzō. Instinctively, he felt that Danzō was stirring up trouble again.

"Cough, cough..." After clearing his throat and taking a deep drag from his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke first. "What urgent matter brings all of you here together?"

"There is indeed a troublesome matter we need to discuss with you, Hiruzen. What do you intend to do about Sasuke Uchiha?" Utatane Koharu asked.

For some inexplicable reason, the truth behind the Uchiha Clan massacre had spread throughout the Shinobi World. At first, no one knew which link had leaked the news, allowing the other ninja villages to fan the flames and smear Konoha's reputation. Konoha could suppress the information internally, but it could not ensure that Sasuke would not hear something he should not. Those spies would surely be more than happy to tell him the truth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi blew out a smoke ring. "Sasuke is Konoha's last Uchiha. The village must treat him well. Besides, don't forget that Sasuke was Itachi's... only request."

Danzo snorted coldly. "Why make things so troublesome? Just send him to Root and carve the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal into him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "Itachi has already given enough for the village. Besides, with Sasuke's aptitude, even if he learns the truth, he will not be able to stir up much trouble."

At the mention of Sasuke's aptitude, a flicker of disdain crossed Danzo's face. He knew full well what it took for an Uchiha to awaken the Sharingan. Compared to geniuses like Itachi and Shisui, Sasuke was undoubtedly trash. Not even the extermination of his clan had awakened him.

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses, his voice carrying a hint of confusion. "I once reviewed Sasuke's records from the Ninja Academy. His grades were excellent. Logically speaking, even if his talent could not compare to Itachi's, he should still have awakened the Sharingan. The current situation is truly rather strange."

"The Uchiha Clan cannot be judged by common sense. Besides, theoretical grades at the Ninja Academy do not carry much reference value to begin with." Utatane Koharu did not want to continue discussing the subject. "The village is facing a more serious crisis now. Put the Uchiha matter aside for the time being."

Although Konoha's crisis had mostly been caused by the Uchiha Clan massacre, the four of them tacitly avoided the matter. Regret was out of the question. At most, they might reflect on whether they had been insufficiently cautious.

"Hiruzen, I believe the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki should be sent to Root for training." Danzo stated his demand directly.

"That is impossible!" Hiruzen Sarutobi decisively rejected Danzo's unreasonable request. "Root's environment is not suitable for a Jinchuriki."

Danzo sneered. "The Nine-Tails went out of control some time ago and nearly caused severe casualties. The villagers resent Naruto Uzumaki deeply. What awaits him in the village will likely be worse than Root."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent, but his attitude remained firm. Danzo wanted to get his hands on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? No chance!

How could Danzo fail to understand Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression? "Hmph. You still like relying on things such as bonds. Since you insist, I will not force the issue. But to prevent the Nine-Tails from becoming unstable, I will send Root to observe him—and protect him, while they are at it."

With that, Danzo rose and walked outside, gradually blending into the shadows of the hallway beyond the door. Though he left with apparent ease, he somehow gave off the air of someone fleeing in defeat.

—He truly had reason to feel guilty. Konoha's current chaos was inextricably linked to him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. No matter how many mistakes Danzo made, he would choose to forgive him. But the Hokage's situation was indeed troublesome. The villagers had treated the Hokage poorly before, but they had at least possessed some restraint. Now the situation had spiraled out of control and gone too far. Hiruzen Sarutobi truly feared that the Hokage, this blade, would be ground down by the whetstone.

Utatane Koharu seemed to see through Hiruzen Sarutobi's concerns and comforted him. "Hiruzen, do not worry too much. The Hokage is still young, and there will be plenty of time in the future. You handled Itachi and Shisui very well. Look at Kakashi too. Even though White Fang committed suicide and both his teacher and close friend died in battle, he was still able to form new bonds and continue loving this village. The Hokage will surely be like Kakashi and find bonds of his own!"

After speaking, Utatane Koharu smiled. The crow's-feet at the corners of her eyes wrinkled together like an old chrysanthemum.

Hiruzen Sarutobi still looked troubled. "That will not be easy..."

Mitokado Homura suddenly spoke. "Hiruzen, perhaps we should change our thinking. A Jinchuriki does not necessarily have to serve only as a weapon of war. Karatachi Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, is also a Jinchuriki. Naruto Uzumaki is a simple, thick-skinned child. He will surely be able to inherit the Will of Fire well."

Mitokado Homura's words seemed to carry a deeper meaning, yet he stopped at the right point. Hiruzen Sarutobi did not pursue the matter. "We can discuss that later. These old bones of mine can still hold on."

After that, the three discussed Konoha's disputes with the other ninja villages. The possibility of war was not high. The other villages had merely seen that Konoha had been severely weakened and intended to take a vicious bite out of it. And barring any surprises, Hiruzen Sarutobi would compromise.

Sasuke walked alone through the Uchiha Compound. The once bustling and prosperous place was now left empty and deathly silent. Sasuke felt awful. He pushed open the door to his home, lay on his bed, and focused his mind. Before long, his consciousness sank continuously, and he arrived in his mental world once again.

This space seemed to have changed considerably. It was darker than before, and tangible black smoke spread everywhere. Black Shadow stood quietly at the center, neither sorrowful nor joyful.

Without wasting any words, Sasuke went straight to the point. "Can we talk about your identity and purpose? I do not care why you appeared in my mental world, but at the very least, you need to tell me what you want to use me for—and what I can gain from it."

Sasuke was extremely calm at the moment. Based on what he knew, he had preliminarily judged Black Shadow to be an outsider who had invaded his mental world. It was powerful, and it was very likely harboring some unknown scheme toward him. That was why he dared to come negotiate terms.

Upon hearing this, Black Shadow gave a sinister laugh. "My identity is not important. As for my purpose, I already told you: as long as you kill, I can give you power. Killing is my purpose."

Resistance appeared on Sasuke's young face. "Meaningless slaughter is pointless..."

"Shut up, you little bastard. Stop talking nonsense. My patience is limited. You have only two choices now: either obediently do as I say, or have your body taken from you!" Black Shadow sounded somewhat impatient. I should never have pretended to be some old grandpa. I should have pretended to be one of those brainless systems that erased people at the drop of a hat.

Sasuke froze. He could not understand why Black Shadow had suddenly turned hostile without any warning.