Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know whether Hatake Sakumo understood the significance behind this, but at least his gaze toward the man had grown warmer.
Mito Uzumaki had told Hatake Sakumo to bring Jirabi to her first, yet Sakumo had come to him instead. That proved that, in Sakumo's heart, the Hokage stood above all else.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, would still have to send Jirabi to Mito Uzumaki afterward, it was a matter of attitude.
Mito Uzumaki rarely intervened, but when she did, even he, the Hokage, had to show her that respect. He also understood what she intended to do, and he had no intention of stopping her.
If possible, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have preferred Mito Uzumaki to extract every piece of intelligence from Jirabi's mind.
"Take him to Lady Mito, and thank her on my behalf." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand. "You don't need to come back afterward. Go get your injuries treated first. Make sure you don't leave yourself with any hidden injuries."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Warmth surged through Hatake Sakumo's heart. Lord Hokage really was too kind.
After Hatake Sakumo left with Jirabi, Hiruzen Sarutobi began puffing on his tobacco pipe in the office again.
Sure enough, about five minutes later, the office door was shoved open. Shimura Danzō strode inside and slammed it shut, then said directly to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Sarutobi, give me that Jirabi. I'll extract every piece of intelligence from his mind.
"Then, while Lady Mito still has the strength to fight, we'll destroy the Land of Lightning first. Once that's done, we'll be in an unbeatable position."
Hiruzen Sarutobi shuddered at those words.
All he had been considering was using Jirabi as leverage in negotiations with Kumogakure. Reaching a peace agreement was not out of the question.
Any Kage-level expert was