After changing into his new clothes, Naruto felt enveloped in warmth and comfort.
He looked up at the Third, his face beaming with heartfelt satisfaction. "Thank you, Grandpa Third! The new clothes are really warm. I love them!"
At those words, the Third looked at the child's innocent smile, then recalled the tight thermal shirt he had been wearing earlier. The corner of his mouth twitched awkwardly as he forced a smile, but he could not hide the guilt behind it.
"I'm glad you like them. I'm glad..." he said repeatedly.
Then, as though trying to make up for something, he picked up the kraft-paper envelope on the table, which already contained Naruto's living allowance. He took several crisp thousand-ryō notes from his pocket and carefully slipped them inside before handing the envelope to Naruto.
"Here's your living allowance for next month."
His voice grew even gentler.
"You're old enough to start making friends now, little Naruto, so Grandpa's giving you a little extra this time. Be a bit generous with your friends, all right? You could treat them to ramen, for instance."
"Wow! Thank you, Grandpa Third!"
Naruto eagerly accepted the weighty envelope, delighted by the thickness he felt beneath his fingertips.
Awesome! He actually gave me more money!
He cheered inwardly. This was definitely the most practical gain of the evening.
Then, as though suddenly remembering something important that he could hardly wait to share with the elder closest to him, he said with a hint of pride, "Oh, Grandpa Third, I met a girl today..."
He told the Third everything: how he had chased off three bullies earlier that day, protected the girl with the Byakugan whom they had been picking on, and taken her to Ichiraku for ramen.
Finally, he looked up, his blue eyes shining, and announced, "I've made another friend! Her name is Hinata Hyuga! Her dad looked really strict, but I think he's probably a really nice person too!"
So he left a good impression on Naruto at their very first meeting?
Listening to Naruto, the Third nodded inwardly.
Hiashi, you old stiff. You're surprisingly good with children!
That favorable first impression was crucial to maintaining stability within the village, especially between the major clans and the Jinchūriki.
After chatting with Naruto a little longer about everyday matters and reminding him to train diligently, the Third rose and gave his shoulder an affectionate pat.
"It's getting late, so Grandpa will be heading home. You should get to bed early too, Naruto. You're still growing."
With that, the Third left Naruto's little apartment and disappeared into the night. Before long, he was back in his brightly lit office in the Hokage Building.
Outside the window, Konoha had fallen silent.
He had barely settled into his chair and refilled his pipe with fresh tobacco when, before he could light it, someone unceremoniously shoved the office door open with a bang.
A thin old man with a sinister air walked in.
Thick bandages covered his right eye and half his body. He leaned on a cane, every step carrying a heavy sense of pressure.
It was none other than his old friend, Shimura Danzō.
Without so much as a greeting, Danzo strode straight to the desk. His single eye fixed the Third with a piercing stare as he demanded in his hoarse, accusatory voice:
"Hiruzen! I've received a report that Hyuga Hiashi dared to contact the Jinchūriki in private! How can you allow this?"
His voice rose slightly with agitation. "He's the head of the Hyuga Clan! What exactly is he trying to do, approaching the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in private?"
Rather than answer Danzo's aggressive questioning directly, the Third calmly struck a match and lit his pipe. He took two satisfying puffs, letting the pungent smoke circulate through his lungs before speaking at last, his soothing tone an attempt to defuse the situation:
"That's enough, Danzo. Relax. I saw Hiashi's entire interaction with Naruto myself.
"The children were simply having a meal together when they ran into a father looking for his daughter. Stop blowing everything out of proportion!"
"Hiruzen!"
The cold gleam in Danzo's single eye intensified, and he slammed his cane against the floor. "You're always so careless! Of Konoha's two great ocular jutsu clans, the Uchiha no longer exist. Only the Hyuga remain!
"None of the other clans can compare to the Hyuga Clan in size. We must take precautions now to keep them from becoming dominant and threatening the village's balance!"
At that, the Third gave Danzo an exceedingly strange look.
Speaking of keeping one clan from becoming dominant, hasn't your Shimura Clan been expanding far faster than the Hyuga Clan ever since you became the Hokage's aide?
The thought circled in his mind, but in the end, he left it unspoken.
Mistaking the Third's silence for wavering, Danzo brought his cane down hard against the floor again with a dull thud and repeated a demand he had made countless times:
"I've said it before: a strategic weapon as important as the Jinchūriki must not be left to his own devices! He should be handed over to my Root for training! Hiruzen, give me the Jinchūriki!"
"That is out of the question, Danzo."
The Third's refusal was crisp and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
They had had this conversation so many times that he was thoroughly sick of it.
Seeing that he still could not gain any ground on the Jinchūriki issue, Shimura Danzō changed tack. As though settling for his second choice, he finally bared his true fangs for the evening:
"If the Jinchūriki is out of the question, then... the little girl who interacted with him today is Hiashi's eldest daughter, the future head of the Main Family.
"Doesn't Hyuga Hiashi have a second daughter as well? According to Hyuga rules, she'll receive the Caged Bird Seal and be assigned to the Branch Family in a couple of years, won't she?
"How about handing that second Hyuga daughter over to my Root to train? Root will give her better..."
"That is out of the question!"
The Third slammed his hand on the desk and sprang to his feet, the gentle expression on his face replaced by anger.
What are you trying to do, Danzo?
Alarm bells rang in his mind. You want the promising children of every major clan, and now you won't even leave the Hyuga Main Family's bloodline alone!
How much talent do you intend to gather through Root while bypassing me, the Hokage?
What "grand undertaking" are you planning? Are you trying to strip me of my power?!
"Hiruzen! You're too weak!"
Danzo refused to back down. His single eye remained fixed on the Third, his voice dark and obstinate.
"Always worrying about this and that! Just follow my arrangements, and you won't go wrong!
"Otherwise, sooner or later, you'll regret your indecision!"
"Enough, Danzo!"
The Third's voice thundered through the office, carrying unquestionable authority and resolve as he declared, "I'm the Hokage!"
Danzo's single eye widened, bloodshot and filled with disbelief. He stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose sharp gaze now displayed an authority that brooked no challenge.
That familiar, lofty bearing of the Hokage drove into the sorest place in his heart like a shower of poisoned thorns.
I wanted to volunteer to stay behind and cover the retreat too!
If you hadn't... spoken up in front of our teacher before I could.
The Hokage's seat... the Hokage's seat should have been mine!
Danzo felt as though he might shatter his molars from clenching them so hard. A faint metallic taste even spread through his mouth.
In the end, all his bitterness and resentment emerged as a single icy sound forced from deep in his throat: "Hmph!"
He wheeled around in fury and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Bang!
The tremendous crash burst through the empty corridor and echoed on and on, like the rage inside him that had nowhere to go.