"A Council of Elders Meeting? Can I go, then?" Sōkyū Hatake asked excitedly. Right now, he was looking for a reason to attend a Council of Elders Meeting.
He had never expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to come so eagerly to his door.
Still, this was good. It saved Sōkyū Hatake the trouble of bringing it up himself.
"Uh... in principle, yes, but Little Sōkū, will you stand on the same side as me when the time comes?" Hiruzen Sarutobi had not expected Sōkyū Hatake to be so interested.
"Of course, Grandpa Hokage. Don't worry," Sōkyū Hatake said outright. Right now, he just needed to get there in person.
Supporting whom? Once I'm there, won't that just be a matter of a few words?
"Good, then. I have an agreement here. Take a look, and sign it if everything looks fine. I'll take you to the Council of Elders Meeting when the time comes." As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out an agreement.
This was one of his methods for controlling the Hatake Clan, intended to make Sōkyū Hatake obey him at once.
"Well... I'm not the head of the Hatake Clan. Wouldn't signing this be pointless?" Sōkyū Hatake looked over the agreement. It essentially handed all the Hatake Clan's rights over to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
No matter what changed later, whether at a Council of Elders Meeting or any other meeting, Sōkyū Hatake would have to obey Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"That... doesn't really matter. As long as you sign this, I can put you in that position," Hiruzen Sarutobi said insidiously.
He wanted to use the backing of his position as Hokage to coax Sōkyū Hatake into signing this agreement before the boy developed any ideas of his own.
"Let me take it home and look it over first, Grandpa Hokage," Sōkyū Hatake said outright.
"Don't you trust me, Little Sōkū?" The corner of Hiruzen Sarutobi's eye twitched at Sōkyū Hatake's words.
He wanted to do this while Sōkyū Hatake was off guard. How could he let Sōkyū Hatake take the agreement home?
"But this is such a big deal. I still need to discuss it with Kakashi. How about you have Kakashi come back from the front lines for a bit, Grandpa Hokage? I'm worried about him," Sōkyū Hatake said outright, retreating in order to advance.
"Kakashi is carrying out a very serious mission. He won't be able to come back anytime soon. Little Sōkū, trust me. I wouldn't cheat you, would I?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi crouched down and looked at Sōkyū Hatake, his eyes seemingly filled with kindness.
"Yes, yes, I trust you, Grandpa Hokage!" Sōkyū Hatake said outright, then took out a pen and signed his name with bold, sweeping strokes.
Of course, this signature did not resemble Sōkyū Hatake's usual handwriting. Instead, it looked somewhat like an imitation of Hiruzen Sarutobi's handwriting.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know what Sōkyū Hatake's handwriting looked like in the first place. After confirming that Sōkyū Hatake had signed, he put the agreement away with a thoroughly satisfied expression.
With this in hand, he could settle everything very soon.
Of course, he still had to fulfill his promise. Taking Sōkyū Hatake to the Council of Elders was something he had to do as well.
But with this agreement, everything would be much easier.
"Little Sōkū, I still have some things to attend to, so I'll be going. The next Council of Elders Meeting is next week. I'll come and take you there then," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a thoroughly hypocritical smile.
"All right, no problem. Go ahead and take care of your work, Grandpa Hokage," Sōkyū Hatake said outright. He had just thought of something.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, Sōkyū Hatake immediately activated Mantra.
In an instant, Sōkyū Hatake took control of a large number of electrical ions, which quickly formed invisible webs that enveloped an area.
"Mantra covers a diameter of three kilometers. Looks like I still need to work harder." Sōkyū Hatake carefully sensed its reach. To him, this range was still very small.
Still... it was enough for now.
Quietly following behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sōkyū Hatake maintained his distance, keeping Hiruzen Sarutobi within the range of his Mantra.
Up ahead, Hiruzen Sarutobi kept feeling as though he was being followed.
Yet when he stopped and looked around, he could not find the source of that feeling.
Shaking his head, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook the feeling out of his mind.
He then arrived at his Hokage office and placed the document Sōkyū Hatake had signed that day inside a hidden compartment. Afterward, he happily activated his crystal ball, preparing to use the Telescope Technique to "check on" Konoha's safety.
After sensing where his document had been placed, Sōkyū Hatake deactivated Mantra and left the vicinity of the Hokage building.
Going straight in to take it now would practically be an admission of guilt.
Whether Sōkyū Hatake had done it or not, Hiruzen Sarutobi would pin the entire matter on him. That would be rather... awkward.
"I should go take a look first... Hmm? What's he doing here?" Just as Sōkyū Hatake was about to leave, someone approaching him caught his attention.
A red fan, a square face, and an air that warned strangers to keep their distance.
The current head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku!
This was the man who had fathered Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi-Fugaku of the Wicked Eye!
This was the year Uchiha Itachi would be born!
At the moment, Uchiha Fugaku was walking down the street. His wife, Mikoto, was already six months pregnant and would give birth in another four months.
Uchiha Fugaku was out buying all kinds of supplies for the birth and things the baby would need.
Although this was his first time becoming a father, Uchiha Fugaku had already quietly consulted many elders and drawn up a shopping list. He had come out specifically to shop today.
Of course, Konoha's recent circumstances had put many people on edge, but Uchiha Fugaku was not among them.
He had known from the very beginning that anyone could go to the battlefield and earn military merits, but most members of the Uchiha Clan could not!
Apart from those specifically designated to go, the members of the Uchiha Clan, himself included, had no chance of earning military merits.
This was a secret directive issued by Tobirama Senju. Although it had never been put into writing, Hiruzen Sarutobi still carried it out faithfully.
Thus, the soon-to-be father Uchiha Fugaku stayed home and cared for Uchiha Mikoto with a perfectly clear conscience. He even rarely visited the Konoha Military Police Force anymore.
What? Konoha's Council of Elders?
What a joke. Even Uchiha Fugaku himself had no idea how long it had been since he last attended that meeting...
Before you continue