Taking on missions

The Hokage Office!

"Whew..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, which was piled high with paperwork awaiting his attention. Yet he was in no hurry and continued smoking.

Instead, he watched the images displayed in the glowing crystal ball before him, secretly observing Naruto Uzumaki.

Whoosh, whoosh...

With a ripple, a masked Anbu member used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before him and crouched down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked his pipe without glancing toward the Anbu member. His eyes remained fixed on Naruto Uzumaki in the crystal ball as he asked casually.

"What is it?"

"Someone has approached the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. Should we investigate?"

The Anbu member's tone was somewhat grim.

"Hmm..."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze toward the Anbu member. Just as he was about to speak,

Bang!

The door to the Hokage Office was suddenly thrown open with a loud crash. Shimura Danzō strode in from outside, looking frantic, anxiety written across his deeply wrinkled face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up. Seeing his old friend, he raised a hand and waved lightly, signaling for the Anbu member to leave.

The Anbu member nodded and left the Hokage Office using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Someone is approaching the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki! They must have an ulterior motive! And he's an orphan picked up from outside the village. He could be a spy whose memories have been sealed!"

As soon as Shimura Danzō entered, he pounded the Hokage's desk and shouted angrily.

"How did you find out?"

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze instantly sharpened as he stared straight at Shimura Danzō.

"How did you find out? I only assigned Anbu members to watch him!"

His ambitions are growing larger by the day. If he didn't send Root members to watch, then he must have planted informants in the Anbu. His ambitions really are growing larger by the day.

Shimura Danzō froze for a moment at those words, then stiffened his neck and replied defiantly.

"I'm doing this to ensure the Nine-Tails' safety! Its Jinchūriki hasn't grown up yet and can easily be deceived. You'd be better off handing him over to me. Give him to me, and I'll turn him into the village's ultimate weapon."

"Let me remind you, I am the Hokage! Just stay in Root where you belong. I've told you countless times that I will never hand the Nine-Tails over to you. What he needs is a bond with the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly stood and shouted as he stared at Shimura Danzō.

"You!"

Shimura Danzō felt uneasy under that stare. After all, he was in the wrong here. He had secretly planted informants in the Anbu. If Hiruzen truly pressed the issue and brought it before the advisers at a meeting, he might even be stripped of his current authority.

Of course, that would not be out of concern for the Hokage. They would surely worry that he had planted spies in their clans as well, and an investigation might uncover them. He could not sacrifice something so important over this.

He could only back down for now and settle for less. Danzo raised his head again and steered the conversation back to the original issue.

"Fine, fine, fine. Then what do you have to say about that person approaching Naruto?"

Since the Third Hokage had contacted Luo Mang a few days earlier, Shimura Danzō had taken an interest too. He had assumed the boy was some genius and wanted to snatch him up first, only to discover...

"He's an orphan from another village! What if they used some kind of technique on him and sent him here as a spy to approach the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki? Hand him over to me for questioning. Surely there's no problem with that!"

"Heh, what else is there to say? We'll handle it as usual."

The Third Hokage's eyes instantly curved into crescents, a faint smile appearing on his previously stern face.

"What do you mean, 'as usual'?"

Danzo's eyes widened at those words.

"Has being Hokage made you stupid? Someone from another village is approaching the Nine-Tails! If they really grow close and he defects, will you take responsibility?"

"Heh..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry that he laughed. He quickly moved his pipe aside, afraid another puff would make him choke.

"Please. He happened to meet that little girl from the Hyuga Clan over a bowl of ramen. When he was leaving, Naruto was the one who approached him. You want to drag him into Root just because of that?"

"I'm telling you, he..."

Before Danzo could finish, the old Third Hokage cut him off sharply. His expression was stern, but his voice was utterly calm.

"Allow me to tell you instead. I am the Hokage."

Danzo was momentarily cowed by his presence. Once he recovered, he felt he had lost face. He turned and walked away, then glanced back sideways from the doorway.

"You'll regret this!"

Bang!!!

Without waiting for a reply, he slammed the door shut with an exceptionally loud crash.

Seeing his old friend act this way, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly. He sat back down in the Hokage's chair and brought his pipe to his lips.

He turned his gaze back to the crystal ball. In its images, Luo Mang was now leading Naruto Uzumaki toward the Hokage Building.

At that moment, Naruto Uzumaki wore a smile brighter than any he had shown before.

"Heh, it's always better to have a bond keeping him here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff and muttered quietly.

His original plan had been to have a teacher help Naruto, but now it seemed that students in the same year could form an emotional connection more easily. That was also why he had allowed Luo Mang to stay.

Otherwise, Kakashi's verbal request alone would not have drawn Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi was no fool, nor had he completely let down his guard. After all, Danzo's concerns were not entirely unreasonable.

Naturally, he needed to make some preparations. If anything suspicious really happened, heh...

"Attend me!"

Whoosh, whoosh!

Two figures appeared instantly. The Anbu members guarding the Hokage crouched down to receive his orders.

"I'm assigning you two to watch Naruto in secret. As for that boy, you needn't concern yourselves with him. As long as he doesn't do anything to Naruto, don't reveal yourselves."

Holding his pipe, he rose from behind the Hokage's desk again and approached the window. Looking down at the village, he spoke.

"If he really does do something to Naruto, you know what to do, don't you?"

"Yes!"

Casualties during a mission are perfectly normal, aren't they? Surely Naruto wouldn't suspect the village over something like that.

After replying, the two Anbu members instantly vanished.

"Heh, I hope you bear no ill will toward the village."

Through the Hokage Building's floor-to-ceiling window, he could already see Luo Mang and Naruto Uzumaki approaching below.

Naruto Uzumaki chattered away the whole time, while Luo Mang occasionally replied. Watching them, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt as though his plans were unfolding before his eyes.

As they drew closer, he could also clearly see the disgust and fear the people around them showed toward Naruto. Yet Naruto's expression did not change at all. He had long since grown used to it.

Quite a few people nodded to Luo Mang. After all, it was rather surprising for an ordinary civilian to come to the Hokage Building to take on missions. Combined with his good temper, that meant he had not faced much suppression or coercion. Fortunately, most of the ninja he encountered were normal people. If they had been members of the Anbu, they might not have been so easy to talk to.

As for Root, there would have been no talking at all.