Buried Root

"Hiruzen, where did you go? I thought you were dead."

Danzo had waited in the small room for ages. When he finally saw Sarutobi Hiruzen emerge—and caught the smell of alcohol on him—he frowned and said irritably, "Hiruzen, you've grown lazy since becoming Hokage. To think you'd indulge in alcohol. This is disgraceful."

Alcohol could dull a ninja's senses. A qualified ninja should always remain ready for battle.

If a fight suddenly broke out, that alcohol could cost a ninja his life.

Sarutobi Hiruzen paid no mind to the reproach from his subordinate and friend, merely smiling it off. "Don't worry. This is the Daimyo's Estate. It's perfectly safe here. Besides, don't I have all of you?"

Danzo snorted. "What were you discussing in there? Why did it take so long?"

Without so much as a blush or a skipped beat, Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Nothing much. We were just discussing the specific amount of the budget allocation."

"How much are they prepared to provide?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing and held up one finger.

Danzo estimated the amount from the gesture, his brows drawing together in displeasure. The moment the Second Hokage died, the allocated budget had been slashed so drastically.

Before Danzo could lose his temper, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave him a number so shocking that his jaw nearly dropped. "How did you convince them to provide that much?"

I sacrificed my looks for this.

Sarutobi Hiruzen explained, "The Land of Fire has an exceptionally favorable environment and fertile land, yet it is surrounded by enemies. There are no shortage of people coveting this land. After the Second Hokage's death, our village's strength has greatly diminished. The Daimyo fears that war will reach him, so naturally he must increase his investment in our village to ensure his own safety."

Being Hokage was not just about fighting and killing. It was about navigating human relationships and worldly affairs.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not possess the First Hokage's overwhelming power, which allowed him to disregard such cultural dregs.

To be a good Hokage, he had to use certain underhanded methods.

His father had often taught him that the higher a person climbed, the more he needed to keep the ladder beneath his feet clean.

But that was difficult. Unless one possessed power like the First Hokage's, ordinary people would inevitably pick up some of the world's grime and darkness as they climbed.

In truth, most people were like trees. The more they yearned for sunlight high above, the deeper their roots had to reach into the dark earth below.

When the Second Hokage had established the Anbu, it had been based on precisely this principle. But Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that was still not enough.

The Anbu was still too visible. After all, anyone with a little imagination would know that whatever the Anbu did was at the Hokage's behest.

That would not do. The Hokage had to be a great and righteous existence, without the slightest stain.

For that, he needed another force—a force buried even deeper than the Anbu.

If something went wrong, he could unhesitatingly pin the blame on that person and declare that he knew nothing, that it had all been done by that person acting on his own initiative.

There was a specific political term for such a person—the Black Hand.

At that thought, he cast a meaningful glance at his friend Danzo.

Danzo was surely deeply dissatisfied right now. If Hiruzen deliberately showed weakness in some matter, Danzo would certainly step forward without hesitation and display his own hardline side, proving himself the more capable one. With a little guidance, he would eventually take on the village's dark side.

Seeing the meaningful look in his friend's eyes, Danzo was baffled. "What are you looking at me for?"

"Nothing. I just feel that having you by my side is wonderful."

The words sounded far too gay, and Danzo's face darkened. "I'm not interested in men."

Sarutobi Hiruzen burst into laughter.

Don't blame me, Danzo.

I'm doing this for the village...

Konoha, Medical Department.

Ever since the Second Hokage's unfortunate death, Aokiji had not seen Tsunade at the Medical Team. Her mood was probably terrible.

Seeing that Aokiji had trained for several hours without resting, Biwako told him to take a break. "That's enough. Rest for a while."

Aokiji wiped away his sweat and stopped his treatment practice, sighing. "I never expected the Mystical Palm Technique, which looked so simple, to be this difficult."

Biwako smiled. "Of course it is. This is an A-rank Ninjutsu, after all. But you're quite impressive too. You've grasped the trick so quickly. Before long, you should be able to formally begin learning the Mystical Palm Technique."

While they chatted, Aokiji asked a question that had been weighing on his mind. "Teacher Biwako, now that Konoha has formed an alliance with Kumogakure, does that mean we don't have to fight wars anymore?"

Biwako thought for a moment before answering, "Yes."

Aokiji threw up his hands and danced with delight. "Awesome!"

Seeing how innocent he was, Biwako shook her head. She could not bear to dampen his enthusiasm. Even if there was no war for the moment, war would still be unavoidable in the future.

Once the day's Medical Ninjutsu lesson ended, Aokiji immediately headed for the Uchiha Clan Compound. He had heard that they would be teaching Ninjutsu today, and he was beside himself with excitement.

Developing Ninjutsu took far too much effort. How could that compare to simply using what already existed?

When the young Fugaku saw Aokiji arrive, he came running over eagerly, intending to spar with him.

Aokiji looked at him with open disdain. "You train all day long. Don't you need to study?"

Fugaku looked confused. "Study? Study what?"

Aokiji: ??? Fugaku seemed to be raised according to the standards of a clan head, something like a spark. Looking at it that way, perhaps this kid really did not need to study.

Fugaku impatiently said, "All right, stop talking about this nonsense. Let's spar. I recently learned a Ninjutsu."

Defeating Aokiji was now his greatest dream.

Aokiji scratched his head. "I really give up on you. After today's fight, you're not allowed to come looking for me again for at least a month."

This kid Fugaku was far too competitive. He came looking to pick a fight every few days. Fugaku might not have been tired of it, but Aokiji certainly was.

Fugaku readily agreed.

The two pulled apart, performed a Confrontation Seal as was customary, and Fugaku seized the initiative, preparing to use Ninjutsu right away.

The hand signs were numerous and looked intimidating. Aokiji had no idea what kind of Ninjutsu it was, but he simply interrupted the casting and kicked Fugaku flying.

Fugaku climbed to his feet, covered in dust and muttering curses.

Aokiji mocked him, "Your lousy Ninjutsu has so many steps. By the time you use it, everyone will have run away. Which idiot taught you that?"

At that moment, Uchiha Aka suddenly said, "I taught it."

High-level Ninjutsu often had extremely complicated hand signs. Once mastered, however, those sequences could be drastically shortened to only a few steps.

Fugaku had only just begun learning it, so he naturally had to perform every step in order. On top of that, his hand signs were slow, leaving him full of openings and allowing Aokiji to knock him down with a single kick.

Aokiji gave an awkward smile. This was rather embarrassing.

But it did not matter. His greatest virtue was his thick skin. "Jonin Aka, teach me some Ninjutsu too. So far, I only know Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu."

Uchiha Aka snorted unhappily. "Today, I won't be the one teaching you Ninjutsu."

Aokiji was puzzled. "If it's not you, then who is it?"

"Me."

An aged voice rang out. Aokiji followed it with his gaze and saw an elderly man with snow-white hair—Elder Itachi.