Chapter 88
The first thing Hiruzen does every morning after waking up is stab his thigh. He can only relax when he sees his system window with one percent less health in it. Ever since his run-in with Obito, Hiruzen has been terrified of falling into another genjutsu.
So, he has to do this every morning now. He can't start his day any other way. It could even be said that fear controls him. But he doesn't mind this much. It only takes a second of his day and makes him more relaxed for the rest of the day, a small price to pay for his safety.
Getting dressed doesn't take long, as he practically has only one outfit. It was quite disturbing how quiet it was in his house. He was all alone, eating some bacon and eggs, the only things he knew how to cook. But it wasn't all bad, though; the coffee he made was quite disgusting.
He was used to Shizune's tea way too much. Compared to her tea, his coffee was way below average. All bitter, and he could even taste how burnt it was. Still, it got him moving, and that was all that mattered. He had a lot of work to do today.
Closing the door behind him to the empty house, Hiruzen once again started to think of his future. Was this all he could have? It was quite lonely, he had to admit. There was no hiding it now.
He could ignore this feeling while he was busy working, but every quiet moment reminded him that in this world, he was truly alone. Every time he went to sleep, he was alone. Every time he woke up, he was alone.
Well, he should get a cat, probably. As there was no way he would be able to date any woman. He was still in his twenties in his mind; it was hard to be attracted to a far older woman. And there was no way a younger woman would find him attractive.
Yeah, cats it is then. Or maybe dogs. His musings ended quickly as he walked to the Academy. He was used to switching personas. At this point, both of these personas were real. He just kept one of them to himself.
"Hokage-sama." It was early morning, and only a few teachers were present at the moment, and they were surprised to see Hiruzen walk among them.
"Don't worry yourselves," putting on a gentle smile, Hiruzen replied to them. "I'm just going to ask a few questions, if you don't mind."
Nobody minded it. Though Hiruzen didn't need to do anything. He already had all the information about how the Academy was doing and all the personal information of the teachers. So, he entered the faculty before any students got to the Academy and looked at them all.
"Umm, Hokage-sama, is there any reason why you, yourself, would come down here?"
"Daikoku, your brother died during the Nine-Tails attack. I can only offer you my condolences," that was Hiruzen's reply to the teacher questioning him. "But tell me, do you truly believe that the Uchiha clan was behind it, as you like to tell others after a few drinks?"
Hiruzen didn't lower or raise his voice, nor did his smile disappear. It was just an innocent question that made this particular teacher sweat waterfalls. His hands trembled as he tried to find his voice.
"Or you, Mikoko, who lost three times to a Uchiha in a row during your chunin exams, unable to be promoted for years. You still blame them for your lack of skill?"
Those two were the main participants in putting down Itachi. It wasn't an isolated occurrence, but it wasn't anything too bad; otherwise, Hiruzen wouldn't be here, and neither would they. It was clearly seen through reading their records what kind of people they were.
Very insecure. They just didn't like the Uchiha clan; they wouldn't be the only ones. But they were in a position to put down the Uchiha children. It probably wasn't even on purpose; it was just that when they saw them being so talented, they would rather leave them alone and ignore them completely than try to branch out in their teachings.
"Hokage-sama," but there was another person who was even more suspicious. "I apologize for whatever my personnel has ever done to incur your ire, but this is neither the place nor the time for such things. I'm sure a private talk would be more productive."
This principal of the Academy, there wasn't anything bad about him in the records. No conflict with the Uchiha or other clans, nor did he have any connections to them. From what Hiruzen was able to find, the principal had never even said a bad word about Itachi or other Uchiha.
So, why was this kind of behavior allowed by him? Hiruzen was a paranoid type, more than anyone else. If things didn't add up, there was something wrong. And there were a lot of things not add up with this person.
An exemplary shinobi, with years of successful missions, and also a war veteran. A chunin with worldly knowledge and experience. He had been teaching for ten years and had been the principal for four years. And yet, something was amiss.
If he weren't bogged down with other things to do, Hiruzen might have taken his time to look into things. But he was the Hokage; if he couldn't deal with something like this quickly, he would forever be buried under all the work he had to do.
"Itachi Uchiha, what do you think of the boy?" Hiruzen went straight to the point.
"A genius who has nothing left to learn." A straightforward answer.
"Nothing left to learn?" But that just didn't make sense. "Please explain to me how a seven-year-old child could have nothing left to learn?"
"All the Academy can offer, Itachi has already learned."
"Six years of knowledge that the Academy has to provide him was learned in not even a full year? History? Geography? Mathematics? Science? You're telling me he already has all this knowledge?"
"Well, no," he replied calmly without even a bit of stutter, "but everything important for a shinobi, Itachi already encompasses. There is no point in teaching him anything more. So, I agree with other teachers that they should focus on children who are in more need of their supervision."
It wasn't just the way he spoke but the complete calmness before Hiruzen's eyes that made the principal of the Academy very suspicious. And he already knew the reason Hiruzen came here. Everything important for a shinobi? Could a chunin know all that is important for a shinobi?
Hiruzen looked around at the other teachers. Aside from the two whom he had already addressed, nobody else seemed to want to agree with the principal. It did sound logical, and yet not something a teacher of the Academy should say.
Others must have felt it too. Itachi might be a genius, but like every other kid, he needed guidance. Children needed to learn history, science, and other subjects not only to be shinobi but also to be their own person.
"A teacher's job is to teach; a student's job is to learn." Hiruzen took a seat, showing that he had no hostility toward anyone yet. "It is my fault for not supervising the Academy as I should have. Is there really nothing you can teach, or should I find someone who can?"
"Hokage-sama, with all due respect, our job is to prepare future shinobi."
There were many things to dislike about this world, but there was one thing in particular, and it was what the principal meant by his words. The Academy had become a place where the future of the next generation was already decided, and he, a person in the highest position of the Academy, truly believed in it.
What could he even say to refute it? It wasn't that far from the truth. After all, the priority was to prepare the children for the shinobi world. But that was before he came to this world. Now, he was the Hokage, and he made the decisions.
"Principal, who do you work for?" And Hiruzen had made this decision a long time ago; children shall be free in his village to choose any path they want to walk at any time.
"I have dedicated my life to the village."
"And what are the children in your village?"
There was no need to dismantle the current Academy. He could see just from the eyes of most teachers here, and after reading through their records, that most of them did care about teaching. There were only a few people who had different views.
Firstly, Hiruzen wanted to change that kind of view. That's why he was questioning the person in the highest position in this Academy, to see what his true view was and if it was possible to change it before he replaced him.
"They are…" It seemed like the principal was struggling to answer. "Tools. Future. Something to, to, to…"
What Hiruzen didn't expect was a full breakdown. The principal started to mumble to himself, barely able to stand. Hiruzen knew something was wrong and moved to him, helping him sit down. But then he noticed the principal's eyes, which were unfocused, and the pupils were dilated.
Was he on drugs or something? That was the first thing Hiruzen thought, but then he came to another conclusion. The principal was under genjutsu, a powerful one, too. There wasn't much he had learned about genjutsu after meeting Obito, but he knew how to help one dispel it.
It was simple, really. He caught the principal's hands and made a hand sign with them. With the combined chakra of Hiruzen and the principal, he released it. The shock seemed to have awakened the principal from his slumber.
"Ding!!! Congratulations, host, you have completed a hidden quest. Ding!!!"
Hiruzen ignored the message as he needed to speak with the principal first and get to the bottom of what had happened. So, with an apologetic smile, Hiruzen informed the other teachers that the principal wasn't well and led him away.
...
"That's all I remember of that day. I'm sorry. All this time, being used like this. How could I have let it happen?"
Seriously? Hiruzen couldn't believe what kind of nuisance Danzo was to even annoy him after his death. And to think that his man would still be under genjutsu, sending reports to a now-dead receiver, keeping the Uchiha clan kids in check, and doing all other nonsense.
"It speaks volumes of your character, if anything else." Hiruzen needed a smoke; his headache was coming back. "You have done nothing wrong. And they had to use a powerful genjutsu on you, as you wouldn't have done what they wanted otherwise. It is I who should apologize for not being able to notice something like this happening under my nose."
"What are you talking about, Hokage-sama? Probably only you could have caught on to it. For so long, I didn't even think of what was done to me. But you not only managed to see through it, but also used my love for my students to make me see again. I can't thank you enough. If only I could tell you more about who did this to me. I have never felt so damn worthless. What have I done?"
"You didn't do anything wrong, and everything is already taken care of," Hiruzen replied. "Rest for now, and continue your responsibilities. I entrust the future of our children to you, my friend."
Hiruzen couldn't tell him it was Danzo. From what the principal remembered and from what he had been made to do, it was clear as day to him who was behind it. And the system confirmed it; at least at moments like this, it was useful.
"Ding!!! Congratulations, host. You have uncovered remnants of Danzo's great schemes. Ding!!!"
"Ding!!! For the completed hidden quest, you have received Body Pathway Derangement Jutsu. Ding!!!"
What are you? Hiruzen still wondered what this system was. With one prompt, his mind was filled with knowledge of a high-ranking medical ninjutsu that could rearrange the nervous system, making the receiver completely paralyzed and forcing them to relearn how to move from scratch.
One moment, he had never even heard of such a jutsu; now he had completely mastered it. He guessed it was fine, as anything that made him stronger was certainly appreciated. But it was weird nonetheless.
Anyway, somehow dealing with the Academy problems was easier than he thought, and he got a good reward for it. So, he should be happy, but he only felt bitter. Tired of this damn shit happening. Way too tired.
How much longer would Hiruzen have left the principal under a genjutsu of a dead man if he hadn't been concerned about Itachi? How many more remnants from the past were there for him to deal with?
It wasn't something he could even imagine. Danzo sure made it difficult for Hiruzen, even after his death. And yet all he could do was take it one step at a time, or leave everything to someone else, something he had been trying to do for the longest time, to no avail.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.