The Hokage's Worries

"Bang!"

With a dull crash, the door to the Hokage's office was shoved open. The heavy door slammed against the wall, its echoes ringing through the spacious room.

A figure radiating a cold, rotten air barged inside.

Thick bandages covered his right eye, and the conspicuous cross-shaped scar on his chin looked especially sinister in the dim light.

Shimura Danzō, the man who had lurked beneath Konoha for so long, offered no greeting and strode straight to the desk.

His exposed eye fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi, brimming with undisguised greed and fervor, as he bluntly broke the silence.

"Hiruzen, put away that foolish compassion of yours. Hand the Three-Tails' jinchūriki over to me. In Root, she'll be trained into the perfect weapon."

Danzo's voice was low and hoarse, carrying an unyielding authority.

"Absolutely not, Danzo."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gentle expression vanished, replaced by stern resolve.

He slowly raised his head and stared Danzo down.

"Rin Nohara is a Konoha shinobi, not a tool for you to use as you please."

"In turbulent times, only iron discipline can forge peace!" Danzo's tone was icy. "Letting her wander around the village with power that could run out of control at any moment is the height of irresponsibility toward Konoha!"

"Irresponsibility?" Hiruzen gave a cold laugh, looking straight into Danzo's sinister eye. His voice was calm but oppressive. "Danzo, before you speak of your 'greater good,' you'd better consider this carefully. Are you truly prepared to face Minato and Kushina's wrath?"

Those words stopped the aggressive Danzo short.

A deathly silence fell over the office.

Danzo's hand clenched sharply inside his sleeve.

He knew perfectly well that Minato Namikaze was no longer a junior he could manipulate at will. In his old age, he was no match for Minato.

Even if Minato might show him some consideration for the sake of the bigger picture, Kushina Uzumaki was another matter. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had an explosive temper. If she learned that he had dared lay a hand on Rin Nohara, she would charge into Root's headquarters without a second thought and crack his skull open.

Even Danzo did not want to imagine that scene.

"Hmph..."

Knowing he would gain nothing on this matter, Danzo snorted. Still unwilling to leave empty-handed, he changed the subject to salvage his dignity.

"If you insist on protecting your own, then what about that shinobi named Asami Ri? I heard he awakened the extremely rare 'Storm Release' during that battle. That kekkei genkai is rare even across the Shinobi World. Hand him over to me, and I'll make him Konoha's sharpest sword."

At the mention of that name, Hiruzen Sarutobi instead gave a meaningful smile.

"Danzo, you must still be half asleep. Asami Ri is also Minato's student. Do you think I would hand him over to you?"

Hiruzen rose and walked to the window, turning his back on Danzo as his voice grew solemn.

"A rare and powerful kekkei genkai like Storm Release is an asset to the village's future. He should grow in the sunlight, forge bonds of his own, and let that power be passed down through the generations on Konoha's soil—not be imprisoned underground, never seeing daylight, and reduced to a killing machine. Danzo, as long as I am Hokage, you will not touch a single member of Team Minato."

At that, the eye hidden beneath Danzo's bandages shifted almost imperceptibly.

For once, deep down, he actually agreed with Hiruzen's plans for Asami Ri.

As a leader well versed in political maneuvering, Danzo understood what a powerful kekkei genkai meant for the village's long-term development. Even by his cold logic, as long as it did not belong to the Uchiha, allowing a kekkei genkai to take root and propagate in Konoha held far greater strategic value than placing its wielder in Root.

But he would never yield openly. To him, bowing his head to Hiruzen was harder to accept than death.

He sharply swept his broad, dark cloak aside and turned toward the door. As he crossed the threshold, he stopped and glanced back at Hiruzen.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the smoke-wreathed shadows, his expression unruffled.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage."

Those words ended the discussion.

"Bang!"

His answer was a deafening slam of the door. Danzo disappeared down the corridor, seething with resentment and frustration.

The office fell quiet once more.

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a long plume of smoke and watched the faintly trembling door. As the sound of the slam faded, a deathly silence settled over the room again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not immediately return to his seat, but remained standing by the window.

The tobacco in his pipe had long since gone out, but he did not notice. His gaze seemed unfocused amid the last wisps of smoke.

An intelligence report lay quietly at the corner of his desk.

The latest report from the Anbu stated that Orochimaru's dealings with Danzo were growing increasingly frequent, and Root had requested a large amount of funding.

Orochimaru... He silently repeated the name, an indescribable heaviness rising in his chest.

As the Sannin's teacher, he had devoted more care and effort to Orochimaru than to either of the others.

He admired that child's brilliance, admired Orochimaru's gifts. At many moments, he had even seen Konoha's future in him.

To outsiders, Orochimaru was indeed a strong contender for the position of Fourth Hokage.

In terms of achievements, he had distinguished himself in both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. In terms of prestige, he was one of the legendary Sannin and a student of the Hokage.

Yet as his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood the danger Orochimaru posed better than anyone.

Orochimaru had changed.

At some point, his eyes had lost the warmth of human bonds, replaced by an almost obsessive urge to probe the very nature of life.

His disregard for others' lives, his habit of treating everything as experimental material, ran directly counter to the Will of Fire.

"The Hokage... must be more than the strongest person in the village. He must be the great tree that shelters its tender leaves from wind and frost."

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh.

He knew that if Orochimaru became deeply entangled with Danzo, his already fragile moral boundaries might collapse entirely.

"Orochimaru, my student..."

He gazed out the window at the blood-red setting sun. Its fading light dyed Hokage Rock crimson while casting vast, inscrutable shadows.

"As Hokage, I must choose the most suitable successor to ensure the village's survival. But as your teacher, I truly hope... that you never cross that final line yourself."

Yet his sigh ultimately faded into the deepening dusk, receiving no answer.