He murmured to himself.
Then Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and abruptly blew out a smoke ring, a trace of coldness appearing on his face.
Even if the Uchiha Clan could not afford to lose face, did that mean they could simply defy his wishes as Hokage?!
Knock, knock, knock!
Just then, a ninja at the entrance knocked on the door and respectfully reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lord Hokage! Uya is here."
"Let him in."
Hearing Uya's name, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression softened slightly, and he set his pipe aside.
Entering the Hokage's office, Uya merely swept his gaze over it briefly without looking around, then walked straight to Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk and bowed lightly.
"Lord Hokage!"
"No need for formalities. Rise."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled kindly and asked, "How has life in Konoha been for you all these years?"
"Not bad."
Actually, Uya very much wanted to add, At least I haven't died.
But he held back.
Still, Uya finally said, "Actually, you should already know all about how I've been living, Lord Hokage."
"Mm."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded lightly, a hint of appreciation appearing in his eyes.
He had previously summoned Minato Namikaze as well.
From just these two brief exchanges with Uya, he could tell that Uya's maturity was on par with Minato Namikaze's.
Though they were only eight or nine, both could already think like adults.
In that case, he would not need to speak to Uya the way he would to a child.
"I understand. After all, you came from another village, and conflicts often arise between villages... especially in recent years, with war raging everywhere."
"Your village was overrun and destroyed by Sunagakure during a conflict with Sunagakure of the Land of Wind, one of the Five Great Nations of the shinobi."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi scrutinized Uya. Seeing that Uya's expression remained utterly calm throughout, without any fluctuation in his emotions, he nodded inwardly and continued.
"As it happened, ninja from our Konoha were nearby. After fighting Sunagakure, they rescued the sole survivor from the fighting and brought you back to Konoha."
"Children from other villages encounter all sorts of difficulties and oppression in our Konoha. I know all about the mistreatment you've suffered here."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Uya, a measure of kindness appearing on his face.
"From now on, things like that will never happen again."
Listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Uya understood that this was simply his way of winning him over.
What those words really meant was that he need not dwell on the past; from now on, he was a member of Konoha.
"Thank you for looking after me, Lord Hokage."
Uya answered softly, letting a trace of gratitude appear on his face at the appropriate moment.
Smiling cheerfully, Hiruzen Sarutobi rose from his chair and walked over to Uya.
"Though you've suffered a great deal of mistreatment in Konoha, at least... here in Konoha, you're spared the ravages of war, aren't you?"
"Mm."
Uya nodded lightly.
Indeed, compared with the small ninja villages throughout the Shinobi World, where people lived in fear every day, never knowing whether they would survive until evening, however poorly one was treated in a major ninja village, at least there was no need to worry about being caught up in war, losing one's home, and being displaced.
"Let the past stay in the past."
Patting Uya's shoulder, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled kindly.
"You performed very well yesterday. You showed me quite a spectacular battle."
"You have excellent talent, and your maturity is in no way inferior to those adults. As you are now, you're already an outstanding ninja."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused briefly, his tone shifting slightly as he continued, "But..."
"Even with excellent talent, you still need time to grow. As you are now, you're still somewhat inexperienced in every respect."
"I hope you'll settle down in the days ahead, continue training, and build up your foundations. In the future, you will surely shine in your own right."
These words from Hiruzen Sarutobi sounded rather odd, as though he were hinting at something.
To Uya's ears, they were undoubtedly the equivalent of telling him outright that he was still too green and should obediently go train.
But the problem was... where was he supposed to find an environment where he could train in peace?!
In less than three months, his duel to the death with Uchiha Kan would begin.
After giving it a little thought, Uya guessed Hiruzen Sarutobi's intention and asked, "Lord Hokage, do you mean you want me to give up my duel to the death with Uchiha Kan?"
A hint of appreciation flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. He had spoken rather indirectly, yet Uya had still caught on so quickly.
"Yes, that's precisely what I mean. Though you're very talented and outstanding, there's still a considerable gap between you and Uchiha Kan if you intend to fight him now."
"So this duel to the death..."
Just as he reached this point, another voice suddenly interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Sarutobi, the duel to the death cannot be canceled!"
The voice was unruffled, carrying a trace of calm, yet also a measure of indifference.
At the entrance stood the Hokage's aide, Danzo, an inscrutable gleam flickering in his eyes as he walked in with steady steps.
"Danzo."
Seeing Danzo approach, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank, and his brow furrowed.
"Uya is only a child. How can a duel to the death like that be considered binding?!"
"Sarutobi, all I know is that the rules state that regardless of who the two parties are, once they have applied for a duel to the death, neither side can cancel it unilaterally. Even if you are the Hokage, you cannot break the rules."
Danzo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a composed expression, yet an inscrutable gleam flickered in his eyes.
Since Hiruzen Sarutobi was unwilling to let go, unwilling to hand Uya over for him to train, he would not simply stand by and watch Uya become Hiruzen Sarutobi's right-hand man.
Unless Hiruzen Sarutobi was willing to hand Uya over to him.
"Rules were made by people, too. What if I want to abolish them?" Hiruzen Sarutobi snorted coldly.
As the Hokage, someone who had always kept Danzo firmly beneath him in the original story, how could he possibly fail to discern Danzo's intentions?
He understood almost instantly that Danzo wanted to force him to yield and thereby obtain Uya.
"Then I will not agree."
Danzo stood there impassively and said, "Changing the rules requires unanimous approval from the Council of Elders. I imagine it isn't just me-even Homura and Koharu wouldn't support your changing the rules so casually."
"You..."
At this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately turned very ugly.
Duels to the death had been passed down from the Warring States period. They had once been abolished by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, only to be reinstated by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Within a village, there would always be complicated entanglements between factions, such as the various major clans.
Where there were entanglements, conflicts would arise.
In the end, some irreconcilable conflicts would always develop.
With such irreconcilable conflicts, the two sides could not simply be allowed to go to war within Konoha, but neither could they be forcibly suppressed.
Forcible suppression would sooner or later lead to unrest!
Tobirama Senju's philosophy was completely different from Hashirama Senju's. He believed rules were needed to restrain people's hearts, and that all conflicts had to be handled in an orderly manner.
Thus, after succeeding to the position of Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju carried on the ancient tradition of the Warring States period and reinstated the rule of duels to the death to resolve certain irreconcilable internal conflicts.