"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lit up after hearing what Hayashi Ren had just said. "Ren, what exactly did you come up with? Let your Grandpa Hokage hear it."
"The Konoha Core Values of Harmony," Ren declared confidently. "Strength and prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony; freedom, equality, justice, rule of law; love for the village, dedication, integrity, and kindness."
Ren spoke clearly and with assurance.
The more Sarutobi listened, the brighter the gleam in his eyes became.
This… this is it.
This is the successor of the Will of Fire I've been looking for!
A future Hokage.
This child doesn't just inherit the Will of Fire—he's a developer of it! There was no way he could allow that old dog Danzo to take this boy away.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi made a firm decision: Danzo must never be allowed to pose a threat to Hayashi Ren.
Danzo's face darkened like the bottom of a scorched pot. He let out a cold snort and said:
"My subordinates really were killed. I need new recruits. This little brat's not bad—I'm taking him to Root."
At this point, Danzo had thrown all reason out the window.
He wasn't here to talk. He was trying to forcefully take Hayashi Ren with him.
"Danzo, that's enough!" Hiruzen snapped, his gaze sharp as steel. "I won't let Ren be dragged into Root. Go back."
He was already thoroughly annoyed with Danzo's underhanded methods. And after hearing Ren speak about Konoha's values of harmony, Hiruzen felt certain: This boy had been shaped by the Will of Fire into a true, loyal ninja.
Letting Danzo take him? Absolutely out of the question.
Danzo scowled. "Too much? This kid has a sharp mind and maturity beyond his years. His chakra pathways may be blocked, but since the moba dimension appeared, that's no longer a fatal flaw. I plan to pour significant resources into training him within Root."
His words sounded noble on the surface. To any other child, this might have sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But Hayashi Ren wouldn't fall for it. He knew all too well: if he went with Danzo, he'd face nothing but endless suffering and a dark, inescapable future.
"Grandpa Hokage, I don't want to go with him," Ren said, turning to Hiruzen decisively.
He absolutely couldn't let himself be taken. If he did, things would spiral out of control fast.
Danzo's expression turned even more sinister. "This isn't up to you…"
"Shut your mouth, Danzo." Hiruzen cut him off, his voice cold as ice. "You need to leave. Now."
"Hiruzen, you—"
Danzo began to protest, but the moment he saw that chilling glint in Sarutobi's aged but still powerful eyes, he stopped.
It had been a long time since he'd seen this side of Hiruzen Sarutobi—the one from his glory days, when he truly lived up to the title "The Professor."
Danzo let out a reluctant grunt. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
With that, he turned and stormed out without another word.
"Hmph." Sarutobi snorted after him, then turned back to Hayashi Ren with a gentle smile. He was just about to speak when Ren unexpectedly lowered his head and said apologetically:
"I'm sorry, Grandpa Hokage. I lied to you just now."
"Oh?" Sarutobi blinked, surprised. "About what?"
"That ninja… he wanted to take me to see that man. That's why I killed him." Ren said calmly.
Sarutobi went silent for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk.
Then he replied, "It's all right. In this situation, you were the victim. Danzo's methods have gone too far."
He had made his decision—he would protect Hayashi Ren.
It wasn't just because of Ren's talk about the "Konoha Core Values of Harmony." It was also because Ren had proven two things: he was loyal to Hiruzen, and more importantly, he was strong enough to kill a Special Jonin.
That kind of power couldn't be ignored.
It made Hiruzen even more certain—he would take this boy under his wing, mold him into a puppet… or perhaps something even more useful.
At the same time, a question began to stir in his mind.
What exactly had Hayashi Ren obtained from the moba dimension… that allowed him to kill a Special Jonin?
Smiling, Sarutobi looked at him and asked:
"Ren, did you get something from the moba space? Something that let you take down an elite ninja?"
…