An empty heart

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right. Bonds."

He set down his pipe and patiently explained the deeper meaning to Amamiya Maki, every word earnest.

"Bonds are never just empty words. They are a profound expression of the Will of Fire."

"For a future Jinchūriki, only genuine companionship can fill the emptiness in her heart."

"Her fights and troublemaking at school may seem like childish antics, but in truth, this is her first attempt to forge connections of her own in Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was clear as he revealed the truth behind all his indulgence.

"I rejected Danzo's proposal, let her vent her emotions, and turned a blind eye to the squabbles between you three. Not because I was neglecting discipline."

"I was giving her a chance to find people and things she cared about in Konoha."

"As long as she has bonds in her heart, people and an everyday life she wants to protect and cannot bear to abandon..."

"She will never completely hate Konoha, and the Nine-Tails will never have the opportunity to go on an all-out rampage."

Amamiya Maki fell silent for a moment, finally understanding the Third's intentions.

The Hokage who seemed to have given up and let everything slide had always looked further ahead than anyone else.

Danzo saw a weapon spinning out of control. Hiruzen Sarutobi saw a girl who needed bonds to save her.

"I hope you can be that person."

"I'll do my best."

That was the most honest answer he could give.

Not "Leave it to me," nor "I guarantee I'll complete the mission," but "I'll do my best."

He could not be absolutely certain that he could fill a Jinchūriki's heart with love.

The Third did not press him. He merely smiled faintly behind the smoke.

Through the Telescope Technique, he had long since seen those little incidents Amamiya Maki thought were nothing more than everyday nuisances.

Fighting over seats, putting food in one another's bowls, sitting between the other two as a living barrier.

Every time Minato and Kushina sat on either side of Amamiya Maki and put food in his bowl...

He could see Amamiya Maki's utterly defeated expression in the crystal ball.

Those few seconds of quiet were probably the most relaxing moments of the old man's day.

To Amamiya Maki, these little incidents might have been troublesome annoyances.

But to Hiruzen Sarutobi, they meant something entirely different.

They were signs that the Jinchūriki was beginning to become part of the village. They were her bonds.

The Third's voice returned to its usual gentleness. "Nonō is studying under Tsunade, and Jiraiya has been informed about Minato."

"You're the only one without a teacher now. That's what this family dinner is for."

"So I'm not asking you to help for nothing. I've brought you a good teacher."

Orochimaru set down his chopsticks and nodded to Amamiya Maki.

He had been quiet throughout the meal, only occasionally taking a piece of tamagoyaki and chewing it unhurriedly.

His golden, slit-pupiled eyes had lingered on Amamiya Maki several times, but he had never brought up what happened beneath the waterfall that day.

"Lord Jiraiya knows about Minato?"

"Heh, we have Nawaki to thank for that. He pleaded with Jiraiya for quite some time before Jiraiya agreed to come meet him."

The Third's eyes curved into crescents as he spoke, clearly delighted with the work of Nawaki, "Konoha's number one salesman."

That boy Jiraiya was always caught up in his search for the Child of Prophecy. Giving him a student might help settle him down.

Amamiya Maki pressed both hands against his knees, stunned.

With two skewers of three-color dango and one misunderstanding, Nawaki had assembled Konoha's strongest lineup of teachers for him.

Minato would study under Jiraiya, Nonō under Tsunade, and he under Orochimaru.

And Nawaki himself was already Orochimaru's student and Tsunade's younger brother.

I'd walk through fire for you, Brother Nawaki!

Then Amamiya Maki leaned slightly toward Orochimaru.

"What a coincidence. Lord Orochimaru actually approached me a little while ago and said he wanted to take me as his student.

Unfortunately, I didn't agree right away, and I've regretted it ever since.

Now that Lord Hokage has asked me to study under Lord Orochimaru, he's truly solved my most pressing problem."

He deliberately described the incident beneath the waterfall as "Orochimaru approached me," rather than "I already demonstrated the Rasengan for Orochimaru."

It gave Orochimaru a graceful way forward: See? I told your teacher you were the one who approached me.

It acknowledged Orochimaru's good judgment while also leaving Maki himself room to maneuver.

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately laughed. "It really does seem you were meant to be teacher and student."

Orochimaru was his most prized student, and Amamiya Maki was the young talent he had the highest hopes for.

Now that they had become teacher and student, two strands had been twisted into one rope.

It meant Amamiya Maki would no longer be "the orphan the Third had high hopes for."

Instead, he would be "the personal student of the Third's most prized disciple."

A trace of satisfaction flickered in Orochimaru's golden, slit-pupiled eyes.

He had already recognized this child's qualities beneath the waterfall.

In Amamiya Maki's eyes, he had seen an intense thirst for knowledge and honesty about his own true nature.

There was also a clarity he particularly appreciated.

The boy knew how to read a situation, when to lower his head, and what attitude to adopt before different people.

What he had said today in front of Orochimaru's teacher had given Hiruzen Sarutobi ample room to respond gracefully while preserving everyone's dignity.

He had indeed chosen the right student.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand, scooped up another spoonful of silky steamed egg custard, and gently placed it in Orochimaru's bowl.

His voice carried an elder's gentle concern.

"Don't spend every day shut up in the laboratory. Come out for some fresh air now and then, and eat properly."

For once, Orochimaru did not argue. He merely murmured an acknowledgment.

He lowered his eyes to the warm egg custard in his bowl, his thoughts drifting.

For a moment, he remembered his younger self, newly taken on as a student.

Back then, he had spent his days buried in the Scroll of Seals, often forgetting to eat or sleep.

Hiruzen Sarutobi would stand behind him with a bowl of food, chopsticks raised, patiently waiting for him to spare a moment to open his mouth and eat.

He offered no thanks. He simply lowered his head and ate a little more slowly than usual.

Beside them, Nawaki looked from one side to the other, turning his chopsticks halfway around in his hand. At last, unable to contain his eagerness, he spoke.

"What about me?"

"Teacher Orochimaru has taken on Amamiya Maki, my sister Tsunade has taken on Nonō, and Master Jiraiya is going to take on Minato Namikaze... What about me?"

There was no resentment in his voice, only pure eagerness.

It was as though everyone had received an opportunity meant just for them, while he alone had been left out.

As Hashirama Senju's grandson, Tsunade's younger brother, and Orochimaru's personal student, he already possessed everything others could only dream of.

Yet in this new round of teacher-student pairings, he had become the one who seemed most "unnecessary."

He was not truly unnecessary.

It was just that everyone else had gained new bonds and a new place to belong, while he alone remained the same familiar presence.

But that was precisely why his position was rock solid.

Orochimaru's student, Tsunade's younger brother, the Third's grandstudent-with all those identities supporting him, he had no need for new relationships to strengthen his position.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand and gently rested it on Nawaki's shoulder.

The touch was light, yet Nawaki's shoulder sank slightly.

It was not the weight of a hand, but the weight of a legacy.

That hand had once borne the trust and expectations of the First and Second Hokage.

"You're about to gain a junior fellow student."

"As his senior, you must take good care of him. That is the Senju Clan's legacy, and a duty under the Will of Fire."

Years ago, Hashirama Senju had handed Tobirama's notes on forbidden techniques to Hiruzen Sarutobi, entrusting him with safeguarding and carrying on the Senju's will and Konoha's future.

It had been the Senju Clan's complete entrustment of its legacy to the Hokage.

Now, as that hand bearing the legacy rested on Nawaki's shoulder, it carried the same meaning.

The Senju Clan's burden had to be passed steadily from one generation to the next.

Nawaki stared blankly at the Third, then turned to look at Amamiya Maki beside him.

Suddenly, Nawaki straightened his back.

The title of senior fellow student, which had remained unsettled for so long, was finally, officially his.

"Yes, Grandpa! I'll make sure to take good care of my junior, Amamiya Maki!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled at the young people gathered around the table, his eyes filled with warmth.

Bonds.

He had spent his entire life contemplating and putting that word into practice.

They had never been about ties of blood or the formal titles of teacher and student, but the clumsy yet tenacious connections and entanglements between people.

Gather people with conflicting personalities who could not get along, and let them compete with one another and keep one another company.

After all that friction, when no one could bear to be the first to leave, they became Konoha's family.

He grew ever more certain that he had made the right choice.

Sending Kushina Uzumaki to the Ninja Academy had been the best decision.

She did not need Root's cold control, nor did she need to be imprisoned as the perfect Jinchūriki vessel.

P.S. I don't like conspiracy theories. I'd rather write a good story. As for the troublemaker angle, the protagonist will naturally show what he can do when the fighting against outside enemies comes later.

I hear you saying, "Wait for the external fighting?"