Chapter 7

"It won't happen again... I got too hung up on things last time." Hatake Sakumo looked a little embarrassed.

"Slit your throat?" Sarutobi Nicheng sprang out of his chair, his face full of shock.

With acting like that, Xuan Zhe might almost have believed him if he hadn't been a transmigrator.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage. I'm all right now." Hatake Sakumo bowed his head, clearly unwilling to dwell on it. "Xuan Zhe and I will go on this mission together again. As long as we can end the war with Sunagakure, the Second Shinobi World War will basically be over."

Only then did Sarutobi Nicheng sit back down, looking relieved. "You're a pillar of Konoha. You mustn't do anything foolish again."

"Exactly, brother! Who knows, one day you might be the ** Hokage. Then I can bask in your glory and throw my weight around the village too. Wouldn't that be something!"

Xuan Zhe smiled and patted Hatake Sakumo on the shoulder.

Behind his desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened.

I'm not dead yet, and you're already thinking about the next Hokage?

Fortunately, he still had his strength and could keep things under control for the time being.

Besides, word of the botched mission involving the Second Kazekage had spread throughout the village. Konoha's White Fang's illustrious reputation had already been stained beyond repair.

Want to be the Fourth? Not a chance.

"Oh, right, Lord Hokage. For this trip to the front, have Shinnosuke bring the Sarutobi Squad along with us again."

Xuan Zhe suddenly turned his head and spoke with a cheerful smile.

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze. Hatake Sakumo was rather surprised too.

Xuan Zhe spread his hands, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Isn't it obvious? My brother went on that mission with Shinnosuke and the others last time, and it went wrong. They need to make up for their failure this time. Surely the two of us can't be expected to risk our lives up front while they sit comfortably in the rear, waiting to reap the benefits?"

The words "reap the benefits" stabbed like a knife.

Hiruzen Sarutobi simply couldn't find a response.

After a long silence, he finally forced another smile and nodded.

"Of course. I was planning to send them with you anyway. I didn't expect you to bring it up first."

Like hell I'd believe you.

Xuan Zhe sneered inwardly.

The Second Shinobi World War had reached this point, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, hadn't gone to the front at all.

And not just him. All four old fossils on the council had stayed tucked away in the rear, directing operations.

Still, it was understandable.

These days, Konoha produced one crop of prodigies after another. There was no shortage of powerful fighters.

Who would risk their own life when they could order someone else to charge in and die?

"Oh, one more thing, Lord Hokage. You seem to have rats in your office-"

Just before leaving, Xuan Zhe suddenly tossed out that remark.

"Hm?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hatake Sakumo both froze.

Xuan Zhe chuckled, his tone faintly teasing.

"But don't worry too much. Rats can't stand the light. All they can do is spend their lives scurrying around in their holes."

The door shut heavily, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi alone in the office.

About half a minute passed before he slowly spoke.

"That boy Xuan Zhe isn't just skilled with a blade. His senses are sharp too."

As he spoke, his eyes flicked toward the eaves outside the window, and he lowered his voice.

"He even noticed you hiding out there, Danzo."

A dark figure vaulted in through the window. It was Danzo, the leader of Root.

But he looked completely different from the Danzo in Xuan Zhe's memories, who leaned on a cane and was wrapped up tightly from head to toe.

At that moment, Danzo wore a Root uniform with a gray vest and carried a Ninja Blade on his back.

Standard Anbu attire.

He hadn't yet implanted Hashirama cells, nor was his arm covered in Sharingan. He still looked reasonably "normal."

Nothing like the neither-human-nor-ghost thing he would later become.

Most importantly, Shimura Danzō, who was the same age as Hiruzen Sarutobi, still barely retained Kage Level strength.

Though that state probably wouldn't last another two years.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so desperate as to turn himself into that monstrosity later.

"That brat... he certainly has a mouth on him!"

Danzo's expression gave little away, but his clenched fists and the veins faintly bulging at his temples showed that he was close to losing his temper.

Comparing me to a rat?

That damned little **!

"Calm down, Danzo."

Hiruzen Sarutobi could tell at a glance that his old friend, whom he had grown up with, was furious, and spoke to soothe him.

"Where there is light, there is shadow. You willingly remain in the darkness to protect Konoha. You are a true hero."

After those flattering words, most of Danzo's anger finally subsided.

Remembering something else, he gave a smile as wrinkled as Hiruzen Sarutobi's, with a hint of cold malice.

"But don't worry. Hatake Sakumo may not have died, but he can forget about becoming Hokage."

Danzo spread his hands, looking as though his scheme had succeeded.

"Word has already spread throughout the shinobi world that we lost the battle against Sunagakure because of him. He lost everyone's support long ago."

"You did quite a bit of prodding behind the scenes to make Shinnosuke do that, didn't you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and relit his extinguished pipe.

"Isn't that exactly what you wanted, Hiruzen? Would you really be willing to watch Hatake Sakumo succeed you instead of giving this seat to your own son or **?"

Danzo countered.

The Hatake brothers had barely left the administration building and started toward the village entrance when they found vest-wearing shinobi muttering all along the way.

"See him? That's White Fang."

"If he hadn't botched the mission, the war with Sunagakure would've ended ages ago."

"Pah. Konoha's disgrace."

"Why hasn't Lord Hokage locked him up?"

Every voice was lowered, yet pitched at just the right volume. They deliberately wanted to be heard.

Xuan Zhe followed his brother into a dango shop, sat down, and laughed.

"Brother, this world really is something."

"You spent all those years risking your life for Konoha, piling up a mountain of achievements. Then one failure that wasn't even your fault gets you branded a villain for the ages."

"Ha-ha."

It was as though this one incident had wiped away every past accomplishment.

Looking at those ungrateful wretches, then thinking of Konoha under the control of those four old fossils, Xuan Zhe suddenly understood a little of why Orochimaru would later launch the Konoha Crush Plan-if this kept up, they would ruin Konoha sooner or later.

The Senju Clan's compound was desolate everywhere one looked.

The clan crest on the walls was still conspicuous, but ninety percent of the people who had lived in this area were already gone.

The intelligence department's so-called "mistake" last year had sent more than half the Senju Clan's shinobi to their deaths. The remaining elderly, weak, women, and children weren't even enough to fill this sprawling compound.

The village leadership's intentions were clear. Before long, they would force the Senju to surrender their land and scatter these remaining people into different corners of the village.

Once they were split up, the Senju would be finished for good.

But for now, that woman Tsunade was still in the village as a Kage Level fighter, and Hashirama's grandson Nawaki was alive and well too.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi and his lot wanted to move against the Senju, they had to show some restraint in public. They still had to keep up appearances.

"Brother-in-law, there was some talk at school today. It wasn't very nice."

In the Senju clan head's living room, Nawaki poured Xuan Zhe a cup of sake, his expression clearly off.

He wasn't in any mood to ask about tricks for picking up girls now.

What he had heard at school was much the same as what Xuan Zhe and Hatake Sakumo had encountered on the streets during the day.

It was all bullshit like "White Fang's failed mission is why the war hasn't ended," "White Fang is Konoha's disgrace," and "He's a useless fool who can't even complete a mission."

"They've gone too far! How much has Lord Sakumo done for the village? One mission goes wrong, and they grind him into the dirt?"

Nawaki was so angry that even the sake cup shook as he raised it.

Xuan Zhe didn't reach for his chopsticks right away. He took a sip of sake and smiled.

"That's reality. People don't have to take responsibility for running their mouths, especially when they do it in a crowd. The law doesn't punish the masses."