"Impossible!" Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected Danzo's suggestion without a second thought. "Once he enters Root, how can he gain influence within the Uchiha clan later on?
He must live in the light."
Even setting aside this reason, the mere suspicion that Danzo might possess Kagami Uchiha's eyes would prevent Hiruzen Sarutobi from handing over Uchiha Hikaru to Danzo.
"Sarutobi, after Hikaru graduates, find him a good teacher and then arrange for him to join the Anbu!" Koharu Utatane pondered for a moment before offering her suggestion.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded noncommittally. Although there were almost no Uchiha clan members in the Anbu, Kagami Uchiha himself had been an Anbu Squad Leader.
If Uchiha Hikaru could meet his requirements, his entry into the Anbu wouldn't be an issue. He could even allow Uchiha Hikaru to bring some Uchiha members into the Anbu to boost Uchiha Hikaru's prestige within the Uchiha clan.
However, it was still a bit too early to discuss these matters.
"How about letting Orochimaru take Hikaru as his disciple?" Koharu Utatane suggested, seemingly having thought of something.
At this stage, Orochimaru was definitely considered a model disciple. Both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane held Orochimaru in high regard. Although no one had explicitly mentioned it, they all believed that Orochimaru had a high probability of inheriting the Hokage position in the future.
Having Orochimaru take Uchiha Hikaru as a disciple would ensure that Uchiha Hikaru remained affiliated with the Hokage faction, serving as both protection and an overture to him.
Of course, at this stage, no one had considered grooming Uchiha Hikaru to be Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi believed he was still young, and his retirement was at least 20 years away. By then, Uchiha Hikaru wouldn't be very old either.
No one knew what Uchiha Hikaru would become in the future, but until the Uchiha clan's issues were resolved, it was impossible for an Uchiha to become Hokage.
"Tsunade can also do it," Homura Mitokado suggested, frowning, proposing Tsunade.
Orochimaru was likely to become Hokage, so he wouldn't be the best choice for Uchiha Hikaru's master. In Homura Mitokado's opinion, they could and should offer assistance to Uchiha Hikaru, but not be overly familiar.
Tsunade was Hashirama Senju's granddaughter, held no prejudice against the Uchiha clan, and was a disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Having Tsunade take Uchiha Hikaru as a disciple would, on one hand, provide protection for Uchiha Hikaru, and on the other hand, subtly annoy the Uchiha clan, causing further internal division.
The Uchiha clan's top genius becoming a disciple of the Senju clan—wouldn't that be infuriating for them?
As for Uchiha Hikaru's wishes? Did that even matter? In Homura Mitokado's view, it didn't.
And for their Hokage faction, this was the most cost-effective choice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Homura Mitokado a deep look before speaking, "We'll discuss this later. It's too early to bring it up now.
Even if Uchiha Hikaru were to graduate early, he would still need at least two years of education at the Ninja Academy. Otherwise, I won't approve his early graduation."
Danzo's eyes flashed with a hint of disdain upon hearing this. On the surface, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to be very considerate of Uchiha Hikaru, but as for genuine affection, there might not be much.
In the end, wasn't it just about observing and brainwashing Uchiha Hikaru for another two years? Only after Uchiha Hikaru developed into a suitable tool would they consider how to treat him?
Thinking this, Danzo closed his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get Uchiha Hikaru into his hands.
"However, that girl, shouldn't you observe her more closely?" Koharu Utatane then asked with a worried tone, "After all, she's going to be the Nine-Tails' container. She's only been in Konoha for three days; letting her enter the Ninja Academy directly might be a bit too soon."
"This is Lady Mito's intention, to help Kushina integrate into Konoha more quickly." Hiruzen Sarutobi disagreed. Compared to being with Mito Uzumaki, the Ninja Academy was more suitable for him to observe Kushina Uzumaki.
He didn't have the guts to observe Kushina Uzumaki while she was with Mito Uzumaki.
Even though he was the Hokage, Mito Uzumaki, despite rarely leaving her home and deliberately diminishing her influence, Hiruzen Sarutobi still dared not monitor her.
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, the others fell silent. Even Danzo Shimura dared not openly defy Mito Uzumaki's wishes.
............
Just before class started, Uchiha Hikaru and his classmates' homeroom teacher, Seiichiro Sarutobi, walked into the classroom with a small girl with red hair, roughly five or six years old.
The girl's arrival quickly drew the attention of many.
Although the Land of Whirlpools and Konoha were allies, the Uzumaki clan rarely came to Konoha. Mito Uzumaki herself was confined to her home, and ordinary Konoha villagers had hardly ever seen an Uzumaki. Most people were seeing someone with red hair for the first time.
Not to mention others, even Uchiha Hikaru himself was seeing one for the first time.
Upon seeing Kushina Uzumaki's arrival, a hint of surprise flashed in Uchiha Hikaru's eyes. Kushina Uzumaki, huh?
When he realized that he and Minato Namikaze were in the same class, Uchiha Hikaru had already prepared himself to be classmates with Kushina Uzumaki in the future.
However, Uchiha Hikaru had no intention of interacting with Kushina Uzumaki.
Kushina Uzumaki was cute, and if he could become friends with her, the benefits would be immense.
But he was an Uchiha!
Even if Uchiha Hikaru was Kagami Uchiha's son and an inheritor of the Will of Fire, would Hiruzen Sarutobi allow an Uchiha to interact with the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki?
This wasn't a matter of trusting Uchiha Hikaru or not, but rather that human nature couldn't withstand such a test.
Not to mention Uchiha Hikaru, even Kagami Uchiha himself might not have been allowed to interact with the Nine-Tails.
As for why Mikoto Uchiha could become best friends with Kushina Uzumaki in the original storyline, Uchiha Hikaru stated that he couldn't understand it for now.
Aside from their identities, Mikoto Uchiha was also two years older than Kushina Uzumaki.
They not only knew each other but became best friends.
All Uchiha Hikaru could do was temporarily keep his distance from Kushina Uzumaki. However, sometimes, the more you wish something wouldn't happen, the more likely it is to occur.
After entering the classroom, Kushina Uzumaki scanned the room continuously, as if searching for someone, finally settling her gaze on the back row of the classroom, her eyes lighting up.