Sarutobi's Attention (Part 1)

After lunch break, Tsunade never gave Hoshi a pleasant look. Whenever Hoshi showed any sign of turning toward her, Tsunade would decisively look out the window.

But whenever she realized that Hoshi genuinely had no intention of speaking to her, she would grind her teeth in anger, feeling ignored.

After this happened several times, she simply stopped paying attention to that detestable guy in front of her. She lay facedown on her desk, closed her eyes, and stopped thinking about those things.

After enduring an afternoon as if sitting on pins and needles, Tsunade slung her little schoolbag over her shoulder and dragged Yazi away the moment the dismissal bell rang.

Watching Tsunade dash out in a blur, Jiraiya asked curiously, "What's wrong with her today?"

Hoshi shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either. In his past life, he had been an expert at flirting with girls, not a child psychology specialist. If asked to analyze the emotional fluctuations of a sixteen-year-old girl, he might have been able to talk about it at length.

But if that sixteen-year-old girl was replaced with a six-year-old, then sorry, that was truly outside his area of knowledge.

So, he chose to take his good brothers Jiraiya and the others to train, then have a steaming bowl of ramen afterward.

In a courtyard somewhere within the Senju Clan Compound, Mito held a cup of hot tea as she admired the surrounding greenery and listened to Hiruzen Sarutobi's report.

Hiruzen Sarutobi reported every detail of the administrative affairs he had seen that day and how he had handled them. He respected Lady Mito immensely. Sometimes, when he looked at Mito's figure, he even had the strange feeling that he had stolen Lady Mito's position as Hokage.

After hearing him out, Mito's expression revealed neither joy nor anger. She merely said, "Hiruzen, how long have you been Hokage?"

"Almost a year."

"A year..." Mito's gaze went unfocused for a moment, as if recalling something. When she came back to herself, her expression was even more serene and unreadable. "You've been in that position for a year now. Why do you still insist on reporting every little matter to me every day?

Think about it yourself. Are you doing the right thing?"

There was no blame or mockery in Mito's words, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi's face reddened deeply.

Lowering his head, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "I didn't think it through..."

But that action stirred a measure of anger in Mito's otherwise calm heart.

"Raise your head."

Her stern tone startled Hiruzen Sarutobi. He hurriedly raised his head and looked into Mito's eyes, understanding something at once.

Seeing that he had gained some insight, Mito softened her tone and continued, "You are Konoha's Hokage. You are the Third Hokage personally chosen by Tobirama, and the true decision-maker of this village. As for me, I'm merely an old woman with little time left.

I can only offer you experience and advice as an elder, but the power to make the final decisions has always rested in your hands.

As Hokage, you should possess your own bearing and decisiveness. You need to learn to follow your heart when making decisions, and once you have made them, do not regret them.

As long as your starting point and ultimate goal are both to ensure Konoha's better development in the future, then boldly go and do it. Time will prove whether your actions were right or wrong.

Continuing to be so timid and hesitant is what would truly betray Tobirama's choice."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply moved. He bent at the waist and gave Mito a deep bow. "Thank you for your guidance, Lady Mito."

Unlike before, this gesture held less guilt and more openness. When he straightened again, his posture had become noticeably more upright.

No matter how one put it, the previous Hiruzen Sarutobi had never truly regarded himself as Konoha's Third Hokage.

He had once dreamed of becoming a great Hokage like his teacher, but after truly taking that position, he realized just how vast the gap between himself and his teacher was.

The more Hiruzen Sarutobi felt inferior to his teacher Tobirama, the more cautious he became in his actions, and the more he relied on Uzumaki Mito.

Mito's words today had awakened him and granted him greater clarity. It was simply unknown how long that clarity would last.

As Mito looked at the confidence returning to Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, she opened her mouth, but ultimately did not voice her greatest concern.

Her greatest concern regarding Hiruzen Sarutobi was neither his lack of ability nor his dependence on her, but rather the indecisiveness buried deep within his character.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually outstanding in his handling of many administrative affairs and choices, but the caution in his heart prevented him from becoming an exceptional Hokage.

After making a decision, he would neither act immediately like Hashirama nor thoroughly work out all the possible troubles in the steps ahead like Tobirama.

Instead, he would look back and forth, weighing costs and gains, hesitating over whether action was necessary. Whenever he fell into hesitation, he would instinctively heed others' opinions.

He tried to use the opinions and approval of others to help himself make a choice, but many times, such instinctive behavior could unknowingly harm him.

Mito wanted to say all of this in one breath, but reason told her that some things were better left at a hint.

Saying too much at once would not only undermine his confidence as Hokage, but might also breed dissatisfaction. There was still a long road ahead, so they would take things one step at a time.

Just as the two stood silently in the courtyard, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, a small golden-haired figure broke the quiet. "Grandma, I'm back!"

Little Tsunade ran over with several quick steps and threw her arms around Mito. Mito stroked Tsunade's head in turn, her eyes full of affection. "Tsunade, why aren't you greeting anyone? How many times have I told you? You must be polite."

Only after rubbing against her for a while did Tsunade belatedly notice Hiruzen Sarutobi's presence. Hearing Mito's reminder, she stuck out her tongue and sweetly greeted him, "Hello, Uncle!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and nodded. Seeing the adorable little Tsunade, he stepped forward and wanted to pinch her cheek, but Tsunade quickly ducked behind Mito. The Third Hokage silently withdrew his hand, revealing a somewhat awkward smile.

Most of Mito's attention was drawn to Tsunade. She sat down again, gathered Tsunade into her arms, and stroked her smooth golden hair as she asked, "Did anything fun happen at school today?"

At those words, Tsunade immediately thought of that detestable Hoshi. She shook her head, trying to drive that figure from her mind.

"No, nothing fun... Um, Hayate Hoshi said that they wanted to apply for graduation in half a year, and that I should let you know."

In the end, Tsunade still reported the matter to Grandma Mito as Hoshi had asked. Mito was also stunned upon hearing it. She had not expected those children to grow restless so quickly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing nearby, was also taken aback. Somewhat uncertainly, he asked, "Tsunade's classmates want to apply for graduation? But it's only been two months since school started, hasn't it?"

After arranging one more small event, it should be time for graduation. Hayate Hoshi was about to officially begin his life as a ninja.